Voters show oil remains vital to people and local economy, as shown by the no vote on Ventura County’s Measures A & B

Ventura County voters have spoken and they believe California’s oil and gas industry remains vital to the local economy, as shown by the no vote on Measures A & B.

By rejecting both measures voters blocked what had been described as the dangerous policies that would have arbitrarily shut down local oil and gas production, eliminated thousands of local jobs and tens of millions in tax revenues, and led to an even greater dependence on unstable and costly foreign oil for everyday energy needs.

Ventura resident Rita Bell-Hill voted no on Ventura County’s Measures A & B

“One of our biggest assets in Ventura County is the production of energy which maintains a constant tax base for our local economy,” said Ventura resident Rita Bell-Hill who voted no on the measures.

“We need to drill more to increase our domestic production and decrease imports of dirty foreign oil. These are just a few of the reasons I felt so strongly about supporting the no campaign on measures A & B,” the former Ventura County health care worker whose husband works in the oil and gas industry added.

This result preserves and protects thousands of good, local jobs and millions of dollars in tax revenue in Ventura while also illustrating community support for California’s highly regulated oil and gas industry – which helps to lessen the state’s reliance on foreign oil from countries that do not share our same strict regulations.

Simi Valley resident Mike Judge, a retired police officer, voted no on Ventura County’s Measures A & B

Simi Valley resident Mike Judge’s strong belief in energy independence is what fueled his no vote on the measures. The longtime resident recently retired from a 31-year career with the Los Angeles Police Department.

“It keeps our economy in balance and strong,” said Judge, who currently serves as a Simi Valley councilman. “We need to — as a country — become energy independent and not limit gas and oil exploration.”

“Ventura County families and businesses can’t afford higher energy costs,” said Ben Oakley, with the NO on Measures A & B campaign team. “By supporting local production of oil and gas under world-leading environmental, labor, and health standards, voters are avoiding even more unstable and costly foreign oil and enabling local workers to supply more of the energy we need every day.”