Ventura, Ojai cut from Congresswoman Brownley's 26th District under redistricting

In her newly drawn 26th District, Congresswoman Julia Brownley will represent a slightly more red area. The Westlake Village Democrat gained a more conservative Simi Valley but lost Ventura and Ojai.

The changes come as part of redistricting, which happens once every 10 years, after every census, to ensure that each district has the same amount of people.

The final district maps that were approved by the California Citizens Redistricting Commission Monday are for the state's members of Congress, like Brownley, as well as the State Senate, State Assembly and state Board of Equalization.

It’s the second time that California’s redrawing has been done by the 14-member independent commission.

The rest of Brownley's district covers the bulk of Ventura County: Camarillo, Fillmore, Moorpark, Ojai, Oxnard, Port Hueneme, Santa Paula and Thousand Oaks. It also includes Agoura Hills and Calabasas in Los Angeles County.

The boundary changes result in Brownley’s district gaining about 10,000 registered Republican voters and losing some 10,000 registered Democrat voters – a 20,000-vote swing.

Among registered voters in Simi Valley, Republicans hold a small edge over Democrats, 30,819 to 28,623, according to Ventura County elections officials.

Previous coverage: Congressman Garcia's district loses conservative Simi Valley in remapping effort

Nevertheless, the changes create no real threat to Brownley even with Simi Valley moving into her district, political scientist Herb Gooch said.

“I don’t think she is in any trouble,” said the professor emeritus at California Lutheran University in Thousand Oaks.

Brownley's new district has lost heavily Democratic Ojai and Ventura, making elections more competitive in the district, but there is still a big edge for Democrats, he said.

The exchange leaves her with a district that is a little more competitive, but still with a solid edge for Democrats, Gooch said.

Thus, the redrawing of her district could make for a more competitive race next year.

While Brownley won reelection in 2020 by a comfortable 87,000-vote margin, in 2014, she won by just 4,500 votes.

Related: Jacqui Irwin to make re-election bid for state Assembly, won't run for supervisor

First elected to Congress in 2012, Brownley, from Westlake Village, said in a statement Thursday that she looks forward to running for reelection in the newly drawn 26th Congressional District.

“Having represented most of the new district in Congress or while serving in the California legislature, I know this new district well,” said Brownley, a state Assemblywoman from 2006 to 2012.

She said she will bring “commitment and strong purpose … to the communities and people of the new district.”

“It has been a privilege to represent Ventura and Ojai over the years,” she added.

Running against Brownley in the June primary are challengers Ronda Baldwin-Kennedy, from Oak Park, and Matt Jacobs, both Republicans, and independent Daniel Wilson, according to Ballotpedia.com.

Brownley handedly defeated Baldwin-Kennedy in the 2020 race for Congress.

This article originally appeared on Ventura County Star: Ventura, Ojai cut from Congresswoman Julia Brownley's district