List of mayors of Oxnard, California

Last updated

Mayor of Oxnard
Flag of Oxnard, California.svg
Flag of Oxnard
3x4.svg
Incumbent
John C. Zaragoza
since December 15, 2020
Term length 4 years
Formation1903
First holderRichard Barrett Haydock

This is a list of mayors of Oxnard, California .

The city's first mayor was Richard B. Haydock [1] who led the effort to build the city's Carnegie library, now known as the Carnegie Art Museum.

The city's longest-serving mayor was Manuel M. Lopez who was mayor for 12 years from 1992 to 2004. [1]

The current mayor is John C. Zaragoza, a former Ventura County Supervisor and Oxnard City Council member who has held the office since 2020.

#NameTermNotesSources
1Richard Barrett HaydockBorn 1857 in Smithland, Kentucky. Oxnard's first mayor. He led the effort to build the city's Carnegie library, now known as the Carnegie Art Museum. [1]
2Schmitz
3Joseph Sailer1910-1920Born in Austria c. 1867. [2]
4Hubert H. Eastwood1920-1926Born in England c. 1870. [3]
5E. Gerrie Driffill1926-1928 [4]
6A. B. Westfield1928-1929
7E. Roy Gill1929-1937
8 Fred-snodgrass.jpg Fred Snodgrass 1937Born in Ventura in 1887. Played Major League Baseball as an outfielder for the New York Giants and Boston Braves from 1908 to 1916. Best known for having dropped a fly ball that cost the Giants the final game of the 1912 World Series. After retiring from baseball, he returned to California, bought a ranch in the El Rio area of Oxnard where he grew lemons and apricots, sold iceless refrigerators and other home appliances for Kelvinator, served as mayor of Oxnard in 1937, and moved to Ventura in 1938. Died in 1974 in Ventura. [5] [6] [7]
9W. Roy Guyer1938-1942Born 1885 in Michigan [8]
10Hubert H. EastwoodSee above [9]
11Edwin L. Carty1942-1948Born 1897 in Santa Barbara. Worked as a real estate broker and developer. He was credited with leading many of the city's developments, including Channel Islands Harbor. He served as mayor from 1944 to 1950. Later served as a county supervisor 1950–1965. Died 1990. [10] [11]
12A. Elliott Stoll1950-1951Born in South Dakota in 1916. A dentist by profession, he left position as mayor for military service; returned to the post in 1954. Died in 1996. [12]
13Rudolph Beck1951-
14A. Elliott StollSee above
15Carl E. Ward1956-1960
16C. E. Davidson1960-1962
17Robert F. Howlett1962-1966Born 1902, died January 27, 1990, in Oxnard.
18Bill Soo Hoo1966-1970First Chinese-American mayor in California. He was also the first Oxnard native to serve as mayor. He died in 1990 in Oxnard. [13]
19Salvatore Sanchez Jr.1970-1971Born c. 1927 in Los Angeles. A teacher by profession. The first Latino to serve as Oxnard's mayor. Died in 2014 at his home in Oxnard. [14]
R. H. “Bud” Roussey1971Born 6 November 1912 in Oxnard. Died in Oxnard on 9 May 2005. [15]
Donald Miller1971-1972 [16]
Jane Tolmach ca 1979.png Jane Tolmach 1973-1974Born in Havre, Montana, and moved to Ventura County at age two. A social worker and community activist for many years. The first and still only woman mayor of Oxnard, serving from 1973 to 1974. She also served on City Council starting in 1970. Died in 2015. [17]
Tsujio Kato1976-1982Born in Oxnard in 1938. He spent World War II with his family at the Gila River internment camp. He became a dentist and opened a practice in Oxnard in 1965. He served on City Council 1972-1976 and as mayor 1976–1982. He is credited with having led Oxnard's California Strawberry Festival to national prominence. [18]
Nao Takasugi 1982-1992Born 1922 in Oxnard, his parents operated Asahi Market. Spent a portion of World War II at the Gila River internment camp. Served on City Council 1976-1982 and as mayor for 10 years from 1982 to 1992. Later served in the California Assembly 1992–1998. Died in 2009. [19]
Manuel M. Lopez1992-2004Began practice as an optometrist in Oxnard in 1962. Served on City Council starting in 1978. Elected as mayor in 1992, 1994, 1996, 1998, 2000, and 2002. Later served as a commissioner for the Port of Hueneme. At 12 years, he had the longest tenure as mayor in Oxnard history. [1] [20]
Tom Holden2004-2012An optometrist by profession, the second consecutive optometrist to serve as mayor of Oxnard. Served on City Council, 1993–2002. Elected as mayor in 2004, 2006, 2008, and 2010 [21]
Timothy B. Flynn2012-2020Teacher of German and social science in the Oxnard Union High School District and political science at Oxnard College. Elected as mayor in 2012, 2014, and 2016. [22]
John C. Zaragoza2020–presentFormer Ventura County Supervisor and former Oxnard City Council member.

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References

  1. 1 2 3 4 Patel, Shivani (June 5, 2020). "Oxnard's Haydock school renamed Dr. Manuel Lopez Academy of Arts and Sciences". Ventura County Star . Retrieved 2020-06-06.
  2. "Joseph Sailer: mayor 1910-1920".
  3. "H.H. Eastwood: mayor 1920-1926 & 1942-1944".
  4. "E.G. Driffill: mayor, 1926-1928".
  5. "Fred C. Snodgrass: A man who lived with a moment". Ventura County Star-Free Press. April 6, 1974. pp. B1, B2 via The Museum of Ventura County ("Fred Snodgrass" biographical file).
  6. Walt Noon. "Fred Snodgrass: He Swung the Bat". The Ventura County Star-Free Press via The Museum of Ventura County ("Fred Snodgrass" biographical file).
  7. "He took his heart to the park". Oxnard Press Courier. March 20, 1994. pp. 1, 4 via The Museum of Ventura County ("Fred Snodgrass" biographical file).
  8. "Roy Guyer: mayor, 1938-1942".
  9. "H.H. Eastwood: mayor 1920-1926 & 1942-1944".
  10. Jim Schultz (November 10, 1990). "Edwin Carty remembered: Friends recall former mayor as major force in shaping Oxnard". Oxnard Press Courier via The Museum of Ventura County ("Edwin Carty" biographical file).
  11. Julius Gius (November 10, 1990). "Illustrious citizen 'Nick' Carty dies: Former public servant, Oxnard farmer was 92". Ventura County Star-Free Press via The Museum of Ventura County ("Edwin Carty" biographical file).
  12. "A. Elliott Stoll; Retired Dentist, Former Mayor". Los Angeles Times. March 24, 1996.
  13. Kirsten Lee Swartz (October 26, 1990). "Heart Attack Kills Ex-Mayor Soo Hoo". Los Angeles Times.
  14. "Former educator, Oxnard politician Salvatore Sanchez Jr. dies". Ventura County Star. November 30, 2014.
  15. "R H Roussey: Mayor, 1971".
  16. "Donald Miller: Mayor, 1971-1972".
  17. "Oxnard leader Jane Tolmach dies at 93". Ventura County Star. August 28, 2015.
  18. Fred Alvarez (February 22, 1995). "Former Oxnard Mayor Dr. Tsujio Kato Dies; Guided Strawberry Fest". Los Angeles Times.
  19. "Nao Takasugi, former Oxnard mayor, remembered for his dignity". Los Angeles Times. November 21, 2009.
  20. "Dr. Manuel Lopez". Port of Hueneme. Retrieved May 9, 2018.
  21. "On verge of exit, Oxnard mayor reflects on long public career". Ventura County Star. December 1, 2012.
  22. "Timothy B. Flynn". City of Oxnard. Retrieved May 9, 2018.