2 Councilmen Win Re-election in Ojai

Two veteran members of the Ojai City Council were reelected by comfortable margins Tuesday in a race that had only one challenger.

Frank McDevitt, 62, was reelected to his fourth four-year term with 1,028 votes, or 40.2% of the total cast. James D. Loebl, 60, who was first elected to the council in 1968, received 955 votes, or 37.3%.

Their sole challenger, John N. Higby, 58, a retired firefighter, garnered 569 votes, or 22.2%.

Higby, who was making his first bid for public office, contended that the two incumbents had failed to adequately address the problems of traffic congestion and air pollution.

But McDevitt and Loebl said they had worked hard to control growth in Ojai. It was development in the rest of Ventura County that had hampered their efforts, they said.

Turnout among the city’s 4,288 registered voters was 34.5%, about average for a municipal election, according to county election officials.

Election Results

OJAI

CITY COUNCIL 3 of 3 precincts 18.2%

2 vacancies

Vote % Frank McDevitt (Inc.) 1,028 40.2 James Loebl (Inc.) 955 37.3 John Higby 569 22.3

City Clerk Cyndi Reynolds and City Treasurer Boyd Ford were unopposed.

Oxnard School District

BOND ISSUE A--Should the district incur a bonded indebtedness of $40 million, the maximum interest rate not to exceed 12%, for land purchases, new schools and improvements to existing schools? Two-thirds majority required for passage.

21 of 21 precincts

Vote % Yes 3,914 70.9 No 1,604 29.1

Simi Valley Unified School District

BOND ISSUE B--Should the district incur a bonded indebtedness of $35 million, the maximum interest rate not to exceed the maximum allowable by law, for improvements to school property? Two-thirds majority required for passage.

25 of 25 precincts

Vote % Yes 4,337 63.4 No 2,500 36.6