Primary 2024 results: LaVere wins Ventura County District 1 Supervisor race

Wes Woods II, Ventura County Star
Updated ·2 min read

Incumbent Matt LaVere won handily in the March 5 primary election, returning to a second term for Ventura County Supervisor District 1.

Challengers Philip Fields and Jeff Ketelsen took a distant second and third place, respectively.

As of March 29 when votes were certified, LaVere finished the race with 29,073 votes or 75.88%.

"It was an honor to receive nearly 80% of the vote in this election," LaVere wrote in a text message Tuesday evening. "I'm excited to continue representing the first district residents on the board of supervisors and to keep working on their behalf."

County supervisors serve a four-year term. In the county-level race, a candidate who gets more than 50% of the vote wins the seat outright. If no candidate earns more than half of votes, the top two finishers advance to the November general election.

Ultimately, Fields received 6,046 votes or 15.78% of the total. Ketelsen received 3,194 votes or 8.34% of the total.

Matt LaVere, Ventura County Supervisor District 1 incumbent, and his daughter Lucia LaVere, age 10, view the election results on Tuesday, March 5, 2024.
Matt LaVere, Ventura County Supervisor District 1 incumbent, and his daughter Lucia LaVere, age 10, view the election results on Tuesday, March 5, 2024.

In his second term, LaVere, 45, said he wants to continue working on homelessness, enhancing mental health services and supporting public safety and small businesses.

District 1 covers mainly west Ventura County, including Ventura, Montalvo, Saticoy, Ojai, Ojai Valley, Upper Ojai Valley, Riverpark, northwest Oxnard and other areas. The seat is one of five on the Board of Supervisors, which oversees county-level government services as well as municipal services like streets and policing for the unincorporated areas. This race is nonpartisan.

Read past coverage: California primary election 2024: Meet Ventura County District 1 supervisor candidates

Incumbent Matt LaVere, left, and Philip Fields are running to represent District 1 of the Ventura County Board of Supervisors.
Incumbent Matt LaVere, left, and Philip Fields are running to represent District 1 of the Ventura County Board of Supervisors.

LaVere, a Democrat, lives in Ventura.

Fields, a Democrat, is a retired university professor who lives in Ventura. Ketelsen, of Ojai, works in park services. He said he is an independent when asked about his political party.

This story will be updated.

Wes Woods II covers West County for the Ventura County Star. Reach him at wesley.woodsii@vcstar.com, 805-437-0262 or @JournoWes.

This article originally appeared on Ventura County Star: Results: LaVere wins county Supervisor District 1 seat