Oceanside city clerk faces one challenger

OCEANSIDE

City clerk and city treasurer are important offices, but they didn’t attract a lot of candidates this year in Oceanside.

City Treasurer Victor Roy is unopposed in his bid for reelection. He was elected to a two-year partial term in 2018, when he defeated his only opponent, incumbent appointed City Treasurer Rafe Trickey Jr., 56 percent to 44 percent.

City Clerk Zeb Navarro’s only opponent is fellow Oceanside native Laura Bassett, a real estate broker, licensed professional fiduciary and community volunteer. She is a 1985 graduate of El Camino High School, and received her bachelor’s degree in accounting from the University of Southern California in 1989. She is the daughter of former Oceanside Councilwoman Colleen O’Harra.

“My mom instilled a sense of civic duty in me from a very young age,” Bassett said. “I am running for this position to continue to give back to our community and be part of keeping Oceanside unique and excellent.”

The city clerk’s position plays an important role in promoting open and transparent government and in maintaining the integrity of local elections, she said.

The City Council appointed Navarro in February 2019 after former elected City Clerk Zack Beck resigned to accept an appointment as the full-time city clerk of Escondido. Navarro was one of three applicants for the vacancy.

Navarro is an Oceanside High School graduate with master’s degrees in business administration from CSU Monterey Bay and public administration from SDSU, and he is finishing a doctorate in education. He teaches media studies and broadcasting at Palomar College, where he’s also general manager of the campus radio station.

“Since taking office I have successfully handled two attempted recalls of council members, a proposed citizens cannabis initiative, and the North River Farms referendum,” Navarro said.

If elected, he plans to improve the city’s online search function for past resolutions and ordinances, he said. He also plans to expand the services offered by the city clerk’s office and to introduce Zoom capabilities that will allow residents to participate live in online City Council meetings.