Third-generation longshore worker elected to Oxnard City Council
‘There are people out there struggling. We have to remember that when considering policy.’
Local 46 B-registrant Arthur Valenzuela, Jr., was elected to the Oxnard City Council in the special election held on March 7th. Valenzuela is a third-generation longshore worker and a B-man at Local 46 in Port Hueneme, CA. He will represent District 6, which covers south Oxnard. Valenzuela was endorsed by Locals 46, 13, and 56, and the Southern California District Council.
Quick learning curve
Valenzuela won the race over two opponents. He received over 42% of the vote. Approximately 13% of the district’s 12,092 registered voters turned out in the election.
The special election was held to fill the seat vacated by Councilmember Vianey Lopez, who was appointed by Gov. Gavin Newsom to serve out the term of Supervisor Carmen Ramirez on the Ventura County Board of Supervisors. Ramirez, who Valenzuela called a friend and mentor, was tragically killed in mid-August after she was fatally struck by a car while walking across the street in downtown Oxnard. Valenzuela will serve out the remainder of Lopez’s term which expires in less than two years.
“I am jumping onto a moving carousel, with only a year and a half left to go,” Valenzuela said. “I definitely am on a quick learning curve and making sure I can impact city policy to benefit residents of south Oxnard, District Six.”
Oxnard native
Valenzuela, who was born and raised in Oxnard, is no stranger to politics. He was a student trustee on the Ventura County Community College Board, worked for former Assemblymember Das Williams in his Ventura office, and was president of the Greater Oxnard Organization of Democrats (GOOD Club), from 2016 to 2018. Valenzuela lost his first bid for City Council in 2013 when he was 21 years old. He also unsuccessfully ran for Community College Board in 2018.
From UCSB to the ILWU
“I submitted my lottery card to be a casual in December of 2011,” Valenzuela said. “I got my letter to start the casual process starting in January 2016. It was convenient, because I had just graduated from UC Santa Barbara a month earlier. I got that letter shortly after I had accepted a job with Assemblymember Das Williams. I did both jobs for a couple of months before I went to work full time as a casual.” Valenzuela’s first day as a B-man was June 4th of last year.
Back to basics
In an interview with the Dispatcher, Valenzuela said that his campaign relied on campaign basics — knocking on doors and talking directly to voters. “We’ve been knocking on doors for the past three months to make sure people knew that there was a special election,” said Valenzuela. “We have the lowest voter turnout district of the entire city. Our goal was to let people know that there was a special election, let them know who I am, and why they should vote for me. I believe I was the most experienced candidate in the race.” Valenzuela was joined by many ILWU members from Southern California along with other union members who volunteered their time to help his campaign.
Every vote matters
Valenzuela said that his years of working on the docks prepared him for the heat, cold, and winds that he faced talking to voters. “Working on the waterfront, we are constantly working in all types of temperatures,” he said. “We just kept going because we knew every vote was going to matter.” That hard work paid off – He won by just 67 votes.
Valenzuela is in a unique position to benefit from his political experience and working-class background. “I think sometimes we have an echo chamber within academic and political circles and forget the concerns that people have on the ground,” Valenzuela said and added that he will bring his working-class values and perspective to his role in creating policy for the people of Oxnard. “I can’t forget my working-class roots. There are people out there struggling. We have to remember that when considering policy.”