By Joann Groff joann@theacorn.com

Assemblymember Audra Strickland has officially announced her candidacy for Ventura County Supervisor Linda Parks’ 2nd District seat, just a week after moving her family into the district.

Strickland lived in Moorpark, which is in the 4th District, with her husband, state Sen. Tony Strickland, and their two young children. The Stricklands moved to Thousand Oaks earlier this month so she could run in the 2nd District, rather than the 4th, where Strickland-supporter Peter Foy is the incumbent.

Parks and Foy are both up for reelection in June.

Strickland will term out of the Assembly at the end of the year after six years of service.

She announced her candidacy last Friday in front of an empty store in Thousand Oaks. She referred to the recession, saying the county could improve the local economic climate by streamlining the permit process to open new businesses.

“Unemployment countywide is over 10 percent,” she told the Acorn . “Office space and industrial business sites have a vacancy rate at about 25 percent. These are tough economic times. The location for the announcement of my candidacy reflects the need to focus on improving the economy and creating jobs.”

Strickland called Parks “a single-issue candidate” because of her focus on open space and environmental protection.

“She might as well be a carpetbagger from Berkeley,” Strickland said.

Parks said she was “amazed” by the Assembly member’s comments.

“She knows I’m not from Berkeley, and she knows I’ve lived in my district for over 20 years,” Parks said. “She can go on my website and see where I earned my degrees, and still she says something that is blatantly untrue.”

Parks called Strickland’s candidacy part of a “desperate search for another government-funded job.”

“She has come out of the gate swinging and spreading inaccurate information and distortions of my record,” Parks said. “Voters should expect a relentless series of these untruthful attacks that distort my record. I expect it, voters should expect it, and it will be fueled by an unprecedented amount of special interest money.”

Strickland—and the Ventura County Republican Central Committee, which has officially endorsed her—has claimed that Strickland’s ideals are more in line with 2nd District constituents than Parks’, who represents T.O., Westlake Village, Newbury Park and surrounding areas.

“My focus will be finding ways for the county to improve the economy, create jobs and reduce the tax burden on taxpayers created by the Board of Supervisors,” Strickland said.

She also brought up Parks’ support of funding more humane ways to euthanize squirrels.

“My priorities are different than Parks’. In these tough economic times, Parks spent hundreds of thousands of tax dollars (on squirrels) while ending essential government services to those of us in the 2nd District. I will better prioritize spending at the county government.”

Strickland shared her disdain for the Board of Supervisors’ spending, specifically pointing out a proposal to build a boating instruction center in Oxnard, which could cost county taxpayers more than $5 million.

Parks, who is seeking her third term, said that although the Strickland campaign would likely be much wealthier than her own, she hopes her record will stand on its own. She characterized Strickland as an ultraconservative “Sacramento politician.”