Seven candidates were vying for three seats on the Oxnard City Council in Tuesday's election, with races in Districts 1, 2 and 5 drawing a wave of campaign cash unlike anything the city had seen in the prior election cycle. Incumbents in all three districts faced challengers recruited by Council Member Aaron Starr, setting up contests that turned into some of the most expensive in recent Oxnard history.
Three Districts, Three Rematches of a Different Kind
In District 1, incumbent Bert E. Perello faced challengers John Barrick and Eduardo Huerta, according to a report on the candidates. District 2 pitted incumbent Gabriel “Gabe” Teran against challenger Lizanne Nañez, while in District 5, incumbent Gabriela Basua faced challenger Noemi Corpuz. Whoever wins each race will serve a four-year term representing roughly 33,800 residents in their district, the same report noted.
Huerta stood apart from the rest of the field. He was not aligned with either political faction in the race, and had not reported raising or spending any money on his campaign, per the same account.
Starr's Recruitment Drive and a Fundraising Surge
The other six candidates split cleanly along factional lines. Barrick, Nañez and Corpuz were all recruited by Council Member Aaron Starr to challenge the three incumbents up for re-election, according to a separate report on the race. That recruitment effort came with real financial muscle behind it: as of Oct. 21, the seven candidates combined had raised $204,000, while an independent committee backing the incumbents had raised another $123,000, the outlet reported.
The scale of that fundraising stood out most in comparison to four years earlier. The article reported that for every dollar raised in that prior election, campaigns this year raised more than $40. Broken down by camp, the three Starr-backed challengers raised roughly 3.5 times as much as the three incumbents on their own; once the independent committee's money was factored in, the totals landed close together — about $159,000 for the challengers versus $168,000 for the incumbents and their committee combined.
What Happens Next With the Count
Polls closed at 8 p.m. Tuesday in Oxnard. Election officials planned to release results by Wednesday morning covering votes cast at polling places on or before Election Day along with advance absentee ballots, according to the Ventura County Star. Ballots turned in on or shortly before Election Day, or mailed close to that date, will be counted in the days and weeks that follow, the newspaper reported, and the Ventura County Elections Division will release updated vote totals regularly until the count is complete.
A page maintained by the Ventura County Clerk and Recorder lists official final results and statement-of-votes documents for the June 2, 2026, gubernatorial primary; specific vote totals, turnout figures and winners for Districts 1, 2 and 5 in the Nov. 3 general election were not immediately available. The Ventura County Star's election coverage was published under news director Stacie N. Galang.
