Congressional forum puts key issues in the spotlight

Voters in Thousand Oaks got their clearest look yet at the race to succeed Rep. Julia Brownley, as Assemblymember Jacqui Irwin and pastor Sam Gallucci squared off in a Sept. 25 candidate forum in Moorpark that put immigration, gun policy, the war with Iran and transgender rights at the center of the contest.

The debate, held at the High Street Arts Center and hosted by the Ventura County League of Women Voters with the Moorpark Chamber of Commerce as co-host, featured some of the sharpest exchanges of the campaign, according to a Thousand Oaks Acorn account of the event.

The stakes are unusually high for local residents. The newly drawn 26th Congressional District now includes Thousand Oaks, Moorpark, Camarillo, Oxnard, Port Hueneme, Santa Paula, Fillmore and Oak Park, along with parts of Ventura and Los Angeles counties. The seat is open because Brownley, a Democrat who has held it for more than a decade, decided to leave Congress.

Two Familiar Names, Two Very Different Resumes

The candidates offer voters a sharp contrast in experience and philosophy.

Irwin, 64, a Democrat, has spent 22 years in elected office — 10 on the Thousand Oaks City Council, including time as mayor, and 12 in the state Assembly representing the 42nd District. She campaigned on that record, emphasizing her work as an engineer, her background as the daughter of immigrants, and her education policy work. She called 2026 "one of the most important elections of our lifetime."

Gallucci, 67, a Republican, is a pastor and former technology executive who has also worked with farmworkers. He argued that decades of Democratic leadership have produced out-of-control gas and housing prices and struggling schools. "We are offering a fresh new set of eyes," he said, framing the race as a choice between the status quo and change.

Gun Policy and the Borderline Legacy

No issue hits closer to home for Thousand Oaks than gun violence. In 2018, a gunman killed 12 people at the Borderline Bar and Grill — the deadliest mass shooting in Ventura County history and a wound that remains fresh in the community.

Irwin pointed to her legislative response, including a 2025 California law creating a pilot program that allows prosecutors in Ventura and three other counties to seek gun-violence restraining orders. At the forum, she said she would push for stronger red-flag laws and expanded background checks in Congress.

Gallucci countered that gun restrictions aren't a high priority among the voters he talks to, noting California already has "some of the tightest gun laws in the country." He described gun violence as primarily a mental health issue, while agreeing that keeping firearms from criminals and conducting background checks matter.

Immigration and Iran Produce the Sharpest Clashes

Immigration enforcement under the Trump administration produced one of the debate's deepest divides — and it's an issue with real weight in a county with a large agricultural workforce.

Irwin called for border security paired with comprehensive immigration reform, including a pathway to citizenship for longtime farmworkers and protections for Dreamers, including those covered by DACA. She was blunt in criticizing federal enforcement, saying "I think ICE is a lawless agency" whose practices amount to "racially profiling" and "terrorizing people in our communities."

Gallucci noted his church and organization work serves roughly 3,000 undocumented farmworkers, and said agricultural workers who have spent decades in the country should be allowed to stay. "All the workers need to stay. All the criminals need to go," he said.

On the war with Iran, both candidates agreed Tehran must not obtain a nuclear weapon — but parted ways on the Trump administration's military campaign. Irwin questioned the administration's objectives and said Congress should have a bigger role in war decisions, arguing the conflict "lacks a plan, it lacks an exit strategy and it's costing U.S. taxpayers billions of dollars." Gallucci was more supportive: "We have to crush this regime," he said, adding that the administration is seeking to resolve the threat without U.S. ground troops.

Transgender Rights, the Supreme Court and What Comes Next

The candidates also clashed over transgender rights in schools and athletics. Gallucci said California policies on bathrooms, locker rooms and sports have "gone too far," arguing parents' concerns and religious beliefs deserve greater protection. Irwin defended transgender protections and said fairness and safety in athletics should be decided by sports governing bodies, doctors and coaches — not politicians. "We can address fairness and safety in competitive athletics without creating more cultural discord," she said.

On the Supreme Court, Gallucci opposed expansion or abolition, calling the court's role as a check on the other branches essential. Irwin backs term limits for justices and said she's open to considering expansion, while wanting to study the consequences. Housing affordability, voter ID and taxes on billionaires also drew discussion.

For Thousand Oaks voters, the race amounts to a referendum on direction: Irwin's two decades of government experience against Gallucci's promise of outsider change. With Election Day approaching, residents of the redrawn 26th District — voting together in a congressional race for the first time under the new lines — will decide which vision represents them in Washington. Additional forums and candidate appearances are expected as the campaign enters its final weeks.