Peter Foy Peter Foy, a 22-year resident of Simi Valley, is running against incumbent Judy Mikels to represent Simi Valley, Moorpark and surrounding areas on the Ventura County Board of Supervisors.

The June 6 primary race also includes Democrat Jim Dantona. A candidate must get 51 percent of the votes to win or the two candidates with the most votes will face a runoff in November.

"Good government should be the rule, not the exception," said Foy, whose top concerns are public safety, illegal immigration and fiscal responsibility.

"Elected officials need to be reminded that they're accountable," he said, adding that the current board is shortchanging the sheriff's department and the district attorney's office.

In recent years, the board of supervisors cut funding for the sheriff's department, the East County Jail was closed for a time, and the district attorney's been playing catch-up with cases because of personnel shortages, Foy said.

Government is here to protect people, he said, and law enforcement cuts should be made only as a last resort. Violent crime in Ventura County is on the rise and there aren't enough deputies, Foy said, adding that deputies and officers should get more competitive wages. The same is true for firefighters and district attorneys, he said.

"It costs about $100,000 to train new deputies and when they don't get paid adequately they leave," Foy said.

Foy, who owns and manages an insurance company, said good pay and retention is a good business approach.

Foy's also concerned about illegal immigration.

"It's costly to taxpayers," he said. Local officials need to put pressure on the federal government to secure the borders; the county shouldn't be a safe haven for illegal immigrants, and it shouldn't provide aid that isn't mandated by the federal government.

Additionally, the federal government should fully refund the costs of jailing undocumented persons, currently $3 million annually, Foy said.

That figure doesn't include the district attorney and officers' time to handle these cases, said the conservative candidate. Hospital costs also have an impact, according to Foy.

The challenger also supports affordable housing.

"We have to find ways to open up opportunities for housing construction without burdening traffic more," he said. Otherwise, he said, Ventura County will turn into a place without businesses because people can't live here. Some large employers have already moved out because of this, he said.

A balanced budget is a must, but the county can't have a $17million windfall without spending some of the excess on vital services such as law enforcement.

"At the end of the day, we have to cut waste instead of raising taxes," Foy said.

The Republican candidate is a proponent of open government and he supports term limits.

People hire officials to represent them and they need to know what the government does, said Foy. County supervisors should have a two-term limit because the job shouldn't be a long-term career.

When he's not at work or at home in Simi Valley, Foy likes to spend time on his ranch in the Tierra Rejada Valley. He and his wife, Tara, have four children, including a 5-year-old son who's about to start kindergarten.