Priorities

“Ventura is a city worth fighting for. I’m running because I believe every resident, no matter what neighborhood they live in, deserves safe streets to walk, a home they can afford, and parks protected. That’s not a wish list. It’s a baseline.” Karba Eckley

Housing and Affordability

Ventura is becoming a city where the people who make it run can’t afford to stay. We’re losing teachers, firefighters, service workers, and longtime families, and with them, the multi-generational fabric that makes a community whole.

The Reality

  • Over half of Ventura’s renters are cost-burdened1
  • A family needs to earn $172,000/year to afford the average two-bedroom in Ventura County2
  • The city met only 64% of its housing production goal, building just 25% of what was needed for very low-income and 20% for low-income households3
  • Nearly half of Ventura’s population rents, yet meaningful tenant protections are still lacking4

What I’ll fight for:

  • Build more affordable housing supply and encourage infill in the right places
  • Protect the affordable units we already have before they’re lost to the market
  • Push for stronger tenant protections as the city enters its next Housing Element cycle

Roads and Infrastructure

Travel through the district and you’ll feel it. Our roads are rated the worst in the city, and the numbers back up what residents already know.

The reality:

  • District 6 has the worst residential street conditions in all of Ventura
  • Over 42,000 sidewalk disruptions citywide, with more than 19,000 classified as high-priority tripping hazards
  • The city spends roughly $8 million a year on road maintenance, less than a third of the $27 million needed to keep our streets from getting worse

What I’ll fight for:

  • Push for a transparent infrastructure funding strategy that prioritizes the neighborhoods that have waited the longest
  • Finish what we’ve started on active transportation, including the Santa Paula Branch Line Trail connecting Montalvo to Saticoy by bike and on foot, with construction expected to begin in late 2026
  • Invest in safe streets, complete sidewalks, and protected bike lanes as baseline infrastructure, not luxuries

Parks and Open Space

Ventura’s parks are one of our greatest assets. Ventura Community Park alone is 98 acres at the heart of the city, serving tens of thousands of residents. But the master plan guiding its future is decades out of date.5 Our community has changed, and the park needs to catch up.

What I’ll fight for:

  • Complete a new Community Park Master Plan with real input from the families who use it most
  • Invest in better facilities, safer lighting, and activated spaces for all ages
  • Ensure programming reflects the full diversity of Ventura’s community
  • Expand meaningful access to green space, trails, and recreation to every neighborhood, not just the ones that have always had it
  • I’ll push to complete a new Community Park Master Plan, developed with real input from the families who use it most. We should be asking what this park needs to look like for the next generation: better facilities, safer lighting, activated spaces for all ages, and programming that reflects the full diversity of Ventura’s community. And it can’t stop there. Every neighborhood deserves meaningful access to green space, trails, and recreation, not just the ones that have always had it.

Economic Development

Ventura should be a place where you can start a business, find a good job, and build a career without having to leave. If we want Ventura to remain a strong working town and not just a place people visit or retire to, we need to be intentional about economic development.

Where we stand:

  • Business licenses are up 7% year over year, with over 6,100 commercial businesses in the city6
  • Unemployment at 4.3%, below both the county and state average
  • Available commercial space remains tight for local businesses looking to grow

What I’ll fight for:

  • Protect and grow Ventura’s small business ecosystem through continued investment in local partnerships and accelerator programs
  • Address the shortage of available commercial and industrial space so businesses that want to grow don’t have to leave Ventura to do it
  • Support our neighborhood commercial districts, including the Victoria and Johnson corridors that serve everyday District 6 residents year-round
  • Invest in arts and culture as an economic driver that strengthens community identity
  1. City of Ventura, 2021-2029 6th Cycle Housing Element, p. 1. Approximately 56% of renter-households experienced housing cost burden. ↩︎
  2. City of Ventura staff report, April 2025. Family would need an annual salary of $172,000 to afford to rent the average two-bedroom apartment in the County. ↩︎
  3. GPAC Housing Educational Forum, June 15, 2021. 5th Cycle RHNA production: 24.7% of very low-income and 19.6% of low-income allocations met (rounded to 25% and 20%). ↩︎
  4. City of Ventura staff report, April 2025. Approximately 18,938 rental units serving an estimated 48,000 residents out of a total population of roughly 106,000. ↩︎
  5. May 2000, Ventura Community Park Study and Conceptual Master Plan. ↩︎
  6. March 2026, 2025 Economic Indicators Data Report ↩︎

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