Weekly Events Thread: Camarillo & Ventura County | Oct. 5–11

This week’s events thread is up! Here are three weekend picks, with more events organized by day in the pinned comment.

Know about something happening in Camarillo or elsewhere in Ventura County? Add it below! You’re welcome to promote an event you’re involved with or recommend one you think others would enjoy.

Include what it is, when and where it’s happening, the cost, and a link for more information. If you’re involved with the event, please mention that.

Please keep event promotion in this thread so the main feed stays open for local questions, news, photos and conversations.

CSUCI Homecoming Festival featuring Ozomatli
Saturday, Oct. 10 · 3–7 p.m.
Central Mall, CSU Channel Islands, 1 University Dr., Camarillo
Free admission and parking

You don’t have to be a student or alum to attend. CSUCI welcomes the community for an afternoon with live music headlined by Ozomatli, plus DJ Dapechmode, The Remedy and Los Cool Arrows. There will also be local vendors, a community car show, food, inflatables and games for families.

Seaside Highland Games
Saturday, Oct. 10 and Sunday, Oct. 11 · 9 a.m.–5 p.m.
Ventura County Fairgrounds, 10 W. Harbor Blvd., Ventura
Ticket prices vary by age; children 5 and younger are free

The fairgrounds become a Scottish village for the weekend with Highland athletics, bagpiping and drumming, dancing, herding dog demonstrations, live music, clan displays, Celtic food and vendors. A general-admission ticket is good for either Saturday or Sunday.

Conejo Fall Fest
Friday, Oct. 9 · 5–10 p.m.
Saturday, Oct. 10 · 2–10 p.m.
Sunday, Oct. 11 · 1–9 p.m.
St. Paschal Baylon Church, 155 Janss Rd., Thousand Oaks
Free admission; rides, food and drinks cost extra

This three-day community festival has carnival rides, live music, food booths and family activities. Saturday includes Irish dance, a petting zoo and a steinholding contest. Sunday brings mariachi, folklórico dancing and more live bands. The festival is open to everyone.

I sent questionnaires to the candidates running in the congressional and State Assembly races that include Camarillo and other parts of Ventura County. Five of the six candidates responded, and their answers are published in full and unedited.

I also previously sent a separate six-question questionnaire to all seven Camarillo City Council candidates. Five responded.

For anyone starting to look at their ballot, here are some of the differences that came through in the responses:

ASSEMBLY DISTRICT 38

I asked what each candidate would prioritize during their first year in Sacramento.

• Steve Bennett (D): Health care and the social safety net in response to federal funding cuts.

• Michael MacDonald (D): Lowering the cost of living, especially housing.

Their full questionnaires also cover housing and local control, immigration, wildfire recovery and homeowners insurance, utilities and child care.

ASSEMBLY DISTRICT 42

I asked what role California should play when federal immigration enforcement affects local residents.

• Deborah Klein Lopez (D): Defend and strengthen California limits on cooperation with federal immigration enforcement.

• Ted Nordblum (R): Repeal SB 54 and increase cooperation with federal authorities.

They also answered questions on affordability, housing and local control, wildfire recovery, homeowners insurance and their first priorities in Sacramento.

26TH CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT

I asked what federal immigration enforcement should look like and what Congress should change.

• Sam Gallucci (R): Prioritize violent criminals, gang members, traffickers and other public-safety threats. He also proposed a certification process that could allow some established undocumented residents who meet specific requirements to obtain lawful status.

• Jacqui Irwin (D): Did not submit responses by the deadline.

Gallucci also answered questions about affordability, housing, congressional checks on presidential power and his first priority in Congress.

CAMARILLO CITY COUNCIL

Five of the seven candidates responded to a separate questionnaire covering growth and housing, automated license plate readers, transportation, federal immigration enforcement and their priorities for the city.

I’ll put links to the full Election Guide and the individual race articles in the first comment.

UPCOMING VENTURA COUNTY ELECTION FORUMS

The League of Women Voters of Ventura County also has several free forums and ballot-measure presentations coming up around the county:

• Oct. 4 · Thousand Oaks: California ballot measures, pros and cons

• Oct. 5 · Camarillo: County Superintendent of Schools + Camarillo City Council

• Oct. 6 · Simi Valley: Mayor + City Council races

• Oct. 6 · Ojai: California ballot measures, pros and cons

• Oct. 7 · Ventura: City Council Districts 4 & 5 + Ventura Unified School Board Areas 4 & 5

• Oct. 11 · Somis: California ballot measures, pros and cons

• Oct. 15 · Ventura: City Council Districts 1 & 6 + Assembly District 38

The League says the forums are free and open to the public, and recordings are posted to its forum page after they occur.

I’m Gabrielle, publisher of The Camarillo Caller. I’ve been putting the guide together so readers can either scan the short comparisons or open the complete answers and read exactly what each candidate submitted.

This week’s events thread is up! Here are three weekend picks, with more events organized by day in the first comment.

Know about something happening in Camarillo or elsewhere in Ventura County? Add it below! You’re welcome to promote an event you’re involved with or recommend one you think others would enjoy.

Include what it is, when and where it’s happening, the cost, and a link for more information. If you’re involved with the event, please mention that.

Please keep event promotion in this thread so the main feed stays open for local questions, news, photos and conversations.

Amazing Race for Pleasant Valley Parks
Saturday, Oct. 3 · 9 a.m.–1 p.m.; check-in at 8 a.m.
Community Center Park, 1605 Burnley St., Camarillo
$160 per team of four ($40 each)

Teams of four compete in mental and physical challenges at parks around Camarillo, solving clues to find their next stop. You’ll need your own transportation between parks, but travel time doesn’t count toward your score. Register your team ahead of time.

Santa Rosa Valley Fall Festival
Saturday, Oct. 3 · 2–6 p.m.
Santa Rosa Valley Park, 10241 Hill Canyon Road
$5 per person

Pony rides, touch-a-truck, animal demonstrations, live music, local vendors, food, and a pie auction. Proceeds benefit Stepping Stones Riding Program.

Oktoberfest at Ventura County Fairgrounds
Friday, Oct. 2 · 5–11 p.m.
Saturday, Oct. 3 · Noon–11 p.m.
Sunday, Oct. 4 · Noon–7 p.m.
Presale admission starts at $6.29, including fees

German food, beer, live bands, contests, and activities throughout the weekend. A separate $10 Fun Pass covers rides, the petting zoo, bounce house, and train rides. Admission is additional.

Hi everyone! I recently became the moderator of r/Camarillo and will be giving the subreddit a bit of a refresh over the next few weeks.

To start, I’m trying a weekly events thread. Know about something happening in Camarillo or elsewhere in Ventura County? Share it in the comments! You’re welcome to promote an event you’re involved with or recommend one you think others would enjoy.

Just include the basics: what it is, when and where it’s happening, and a link for more information. If you’re involved with the event, please mention that.

For now, let’s keep event promotion in this thread so the main feed stays open for local questions, news, photos and conversations.

I’ll add a few upcoming events below to get us started. If people find this helpful, we’ll keep it going each week.

I sent the same six questions to all seven candidates running for Camarillo City Council this November.

Five submitted responses by the Aug. 31 deadline: David Tennessen, Susan Santangelo, Dan Gober, Sylvia Garcia and Martita Martinez-Bravo.

I started by asking what they think Camarillo’s biggest priority should be over the next four years:

David Tennessen: Water and wastewater infrastructure, especially the aging Water Reclamation Plant and Camarillo’s long-term water supply.

Susan Santangelo: Strategic planning and infrastructure, including water, wastewater and housing.

Dan Gober: Economic vitality and public safety, with an emphasis on attracting life-science and technology employers.

Sylvia Garcia: Growth, development and zoning, including the effects on traffic, infrastructure and public safety.

Martita Martinez-Bravo: Modernizing or replacing the aging Water Reclamation Plant while managing the cost.

I also asked about Camarillo’s Flock license plate readers:

Tennessen: Supports continued use with limits on access, retention and sharing, plus regular audits.

Santangelo: Wants the city to review other vendors and create a Citizens’ Committee to receive updates and provide input.

Gober: Supports continued use with limited access, retention rules, public reporting and privacy protections.

Garcia: Wants Camarillo to pause Flock and have an independent technology and privacy expert review the system first.

Martinez-Bravo: Supports continued ALPR use with safeguards, but wants the city to review Flock and explore other vendors.

The other questions covered growth and housing, traffic and transportation, federal immigration enforcement, and one “hear me out” idea for Camarillo.

I gave everyone no word limit because I wanted candidates to have room to explain their positions rather than squeeze everything into a short quote.

Their complete answers are published exactly as submitted in the 2026 Camarillo Election Guide:

https://camarillocaller.com/camarillo-elections

If you’re voting this November, I’d encourage you to read the full Election Guide and see what each candidate had to say in their own words before you decide.

Vishnu Patel and David Schlangen did not submit responses by the Aug. 31 deadline. The guide still includes information on all seven candidates.

Which of these priorities feels most important to you, or is there something you think all five are missing?