Oxnard City Council District 2 – Pedro A. Chavez – Candidate Profile

Proven Leadership – Experienced Advocate – Residential Lending Professional

Oxnard is the place I call home and like you, I care about its future. So let me start by sharing my story and my passion for improving the quality of life for Oxnard residents and their families.

From an incredibly young age, I expressed a passion for service and I have always found ways to give back to my community through the investment of time and treasure. Whether I learned the value of service as a youth in Boys Scouts (Elementary), California Cadet Corp (Middle School), or Junior Reserve Officers Training Corps (High School) or those I learned by serving as a student government president and student trustee (College) during my formative years— community service has most definitely helped shape my character and is a profound part of my DNA.

My record in creating change for our City stems from 2005 where I focused my time and energies by participating and developing programs and services that impacted the lives of children and youth from those in grade school to those heading into college and/or entering the workforce. In later years, I shifted my focus to issues of sustainable homeownership and affordable housing as I believe that becoming a homeowner is the cornerstone of building wealth, creating economic stability, and breaking the cycle of poverty for working families. I inspire philanthropy and serve as a champion for community service and civic engagement initiatives locally. I serve and have served in various capacities as a member of staff, board and committees for numerous causes and organizations.

My well-rounded career and life experiences in both the public and private sector bring a unique
blend of positive attributes combined with strong business and financial skillsets that our City
leaders and its residents would find most desirable. Without question my passion for and
commitment to community service and civic engagement lies within the social construct of who I
am. Over the years, my leadership has made a difference and my community service has a proven
track record of collective accomplishments through the development of mutually beneficial
partnerships.

With strong immigrant roots, I know the struggle that many of our residents’ face as I experienced them firsthand growing up. You see, I was raised by a single mom with family values that encouraged a strong work ethic and a determination to become independent and self-sufficient. I also have empathy and compassion for the hardships and the adversity that many of our residents and their families face because I lived through the same shared experiences.

I also understand the diversity of thought that exists in the minds of many of our longtime residents. Changing demographics and the infusion of diverse people from different cultures and backgrounds created a paradigm shift that requires us to reevaluate the way in which we communicate with one another to address local community needs.

I believe principle-centered leadership forms the foundation for personal and organizational effectiveness and I practice those principles in the manner I treat others. As an honest broker, I advocate for the greater good above self-interest and my service record in the community and the workplace bear witness to this statement. This approach has been the formula to a successful career in both the non-profit and the business & financial services sector. Furthermore, my business acumen skills were cemented in these environments and those skillsets are crucial in making sound decisions that others rely on.

The City of Oxnard is the largest in Ventura County with a population of 208,154 residents based on 2019 data. We rank number 114 of 200 cities in population in the United States and rank 21st in California. We have a rich agricultural history dating back to 1903 and our burgeoning City must address the challenges of population expansion and urban development without losing our rich cultural identity. It is the mission of the City government to ensure that we have clean, safe, prosperous, and attractive neighborhoods with an open and transparent government at its core. I believe in that mission and making tough decisions starts by listening to both sides of the argument, setting accurate expectations around those issues most pressing to our residents and their families. As a City Council member, one has a fiduciary responsibility to oversee the expenditure of public funds and to ensure a balanced budget.

Serving on the City Council means that our role and responsibility is to conduct ourselves as public servants, plain and simple. We are the voice and representative for our District’s constituents and their needs on the Oxnard City Council. We must be accessible and use all forms of communication to share knowledge and information on the City’s most pressing issues. We are entrusted to represent the needs of our residents and their families and serve as ambassadors for promoting economic growth, development and prosperity in the City of Oxnard.

A major part of city government’s role is to deliver taxpayer funded services to our residents. These include access to economic development, small business permitting process, cultural and community services, utility and public works, rental and housing assistance, to youth and senior services, just to name a few. Our role is to connect our residents and their families, along with other community stakeholders with such services through an accessible, transparent and open process. We must also strive to make the process of doing business in Oxnard friendly and seamless so we can attract more investment.

As you know, the City Council members now represent specific districts, and each member must be directly accountable and receptive to their constituents’ needs. Councilmembers are no longer elected as representatives at large. We must take this electoral re-organization as a sign that the voters want greater access and accountability of their elected representatives. This reorganization is a positive step in our Democracy and I fully support it.

However, there will be times that the needs of the many might overweigh the needs of the few. That is where good judgement, effective communication and negotiating skills come into play. Finding solutions that benefit the greater good might mean that we prioritize certain areas of our City above others. Making those tough decisions is a large part of the job and I fully understand the role and responsibility that I will potentially undertake. Furthermore, I take this as a moral imperative to the duties and responsibilities of this appointment. For me, measuring the difference between right and wrong is based on exercising values and principles and not on popularity. It is our role to study each issue independently without bias and exercise our due diligence by enacting sound public policy.

As we dig ourselves out of the devastation caused by COVID-19, we must find creative ways to grow our local economy by investing in small business. Furthermore, I commit to working hard to address:

 Public Safety and Neighborhood Harmony
 Economic Growth & Prosperity
 Infrastructure and Public Services

It takes an open heart and an honest mind to collectively solve problems and find solutions that work towards the greater good of our Great City. I promise to demonstrate active listening skills so that we can work as a community and Council to address the needs of Oxnard residents and their families.

As a productive citizen, homeowner, taxpayer and contributing member of our society, I am a shining example of what the American dream is all about. And my career and life experiences and my approach to leadership are the reasons why I would make a good representative for the residents of District 2. Please know that whether this appointment happens or not next week, my goal is to win the hearts and minds of those citizen voters in the upcoming election because your voice is what matters most. So I end by saying…Let’s GROW Oxnard, Together!

For Inquiries call 805.813.3670 or email [email protected]

Pedro A. Chavez

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