Derek Fouarge seeks Fillmore-Piru Memorial District Board seat

Derek Fouarge, a Fillmore resident and director of accounting for the Ventura County District Attorney's Office, is running for the Fillmore-Piru Memorial District Board in the Nov. 3, 2026, election.

Three seats are open in the nonpartisan race. The other candidates are Carina M. Forsythe, Ernest Villegas and William L. Morris III, according to BallotReady.

Asked why he is seeking the office, Fouarge said in our candidate questionnaire: "I believe local government works best when residents are willing to step forward and serve. The Fillmore-Piru Memorial District has an important responsibility to preserve a community resource that serves veterans, local organizations, and residents. I want to bring my experience in public finance, budgeting, government operations, and community service to the Board while ensuring the District is financially responsible, transparent, and responsive to the people it serves."

Candidate information

Occupation and work history: "I am the Director of Accounting for the Ventura County District Attorney's Office, where I oversee financial operations for a budget exceeding $70 million, including approximately $20 million in grant funded programs. I have worked for the County of Ventura for nearly two decades. My previous roles include serving with the Treasurer-Tax Collector's Office, where I supervised Special Collections, Utility Billing at County Water and Sanitation Department, and the VC Probation Agency."

Education: "I earned a Bachelor's Degree in Business Administration. … My professional credentials include achieving an Advanced Certified Public Funds Investment Manager certification, Certified County Manager, and Lean Six Sigma Green Belt Practitioner."

Party affiliation: "I am a registered Democrat. … The Fillmore-Piru Memorial District Board is a nonpartisan office, so I would approach its decisions based solely on the responsibilities of the District, the facts presented, and the interests of the community rather than the positions of any political party."

Family: "My wife, Meghan, and I are raising our family in Fillmore. We have lived in Fillmore for more than four years after previously living in Santa Paula for approximately eight years. I was born in Oxnard, and Meghan is from Fillmore, so Ventura County has been home throughout our lives. My family has strong ties to public and military service, including my father, who served as a Navy Seabee, my grandfather, who served as a Marine during World War II, and other relatives who have served in the military."

Experience and public service

Previous and current appointed offices: "I currently serve as a Planning Commissioner for the City of Fillmore, an appointment I have held since January 2025. Previously, I served as a Planning Commissioner for the City of Santa Paula from 2019 until 2022 when we moved to Fillmore."

According to BallotReady, Fouarge's county employment history includes fiscal specialist-special collections supervisor at the Ventura County Tax Collector from 2008 to 2015, utility billing supervisor at the County of Ventura Public Works Agency's Water and Sanitation Department from 2015 to 2018, senior accountant at the Ventura County Probation Agency from 2018 to 2022, and director of accounting at the Ventura County District Attorney's Office from 2022 to the present.

On the issues

Asked what sets him apart from other candidates, Fouarge said in our questionnaire: "What I bring to the Board is a combination of public-sector financial management, government administration, and direct experience serving on local commissions. … That experience has taught me how to work within public-meeting requirements, evaluate budgets and contracts, ask difficult questions, listen to competing viewpoints, and make decisions with taxpayer dollars in mind."

Asked about the best advice he has received, Fouarge said a former manager at the County Treasurer-Tax Collector's Office told him: "Listen first, understand the problem, when possible sleep on it, and then act. Never act rashly."