Offerings

For years, Ventura County Supervisor Jeff Gorell seems to have cultivated relationships with business leaders and other prominent individuals across the county, presenting himself as a champion of economic growth and collaboration. But we're hearing of a growing number of business owners who have a new narrative. In the latest account, if accurate, raises troubling questions about whether Gorell's public statements align with his private actions and whether those actions cross ethical lines that demand closer scrutiny. At a minimum, the pattern suggests a political approach that may be increasingly difficult to sustain, as some critics warn that Gorell appears to be taking ever greater risks while assuming the consequences will never catch up to him.

Local small business owner Tim McCarthy ran in the 2022 primary for Ventura County Board of Supervisors (District 2) for the seat that Jeff Gorell would go on to win in that year's November election. According to public records, by 2024 McCarthy was involved in Gorell's initial Gold Team meetings according to emails we received via a record request. Public records also indicate that McCarthy is a small business owner in District 2. Hmm.

You might find this odd, especially because of some of the public things McCarthy said about Gorell on the campaign trail in 2022. We however do not, because we believe that Gorell has a pattern. He seems to offer things to certain individuals, and then he expects something in return. What, if anything, he offered McCarthy is anyone's guess.

Note: Both Tim McDougall and Ping Fang the alleged Gold Team Executive Directors were included on the invite.

It's clear that something changed. At one time, McCarthy appeared willing to align himself with Gorell. Yet by the time Gorell faced re-election this year, their relationship seemed to have noticeably deteriorated. Which is a big shift given McCarthy's role on the Ventura County Republican central committee.

Back when McCarthy was eliminated from the 2022 BoS primaries, he declared his support of Gorell and the prospect of future opportunities with Gold Team.

McCarthy did not publicly endorse Gorell's re-campaign. More notably, in a private email exchange with a friend of 805 Speakeasy during the election, McCarthy reportedly suggested that Gorell was a Republican in name only, often referred to in political circles as a RINO. Yikes, Democrats and MAGA can both agree on something - Gorell is bad for Ventura County.

That alone would have been enough to raise eyebrows. But shortly after the rift between the two men spilled into public view when McCarthy posted a sharply critical comment about Gorell on Facebook during Gorell's 2026 re-election race. According to accounts circulated by local political observers, the comment was later removed after objections from Ventura County Republican Party leadership. If true, the episode highlights a striking contradiction. When McCarthy and a coalition of conservative activists took control of the Ventura County Republican Central Committee, they promised voters a new era of transparency and accountability. Yet when criticism was directed at one of their own, that commitment appeared far less certain. To critics, the incident suggested that while dissent may be welcome in theory, challenging certain political figures remains a line that should not be crossed.

It's worth highlighting that California law recognizes that county supervisor races are intended to be nonpartisan contests. The California Constitution does not classify Board of Supervisors seats as political party offices, a distinction that exists for a reason. Local governance should focus on results, not party allegiance from our perspective. That often falls along party lines but that very much depends upon the candidates both parties are willing to throw their economic might behind.

Which brings us back to the more intriguing question, what happened between McCarthy and Gorell? Why was McCarthy initially willing to participate in Gorell's Gold Team? What made him eventually distance himself from Gorell? Did he come to believe that the Gold Team served a purpose different from what was originally presented? Was it simply a political disagreement, or did he conclude that the effort was largely about providing Gorell access to influential business leaders, including executives at companies such as Amgen?

We have some guesses. They may include something like a committee appointment. Or a job with the County of Ventura. Or at the very least, could it have been a gentleman's agreement for McCarthy to throw his MAGA and Move the Needle movements behind Gorell rather than the Democrat opponent in 2022? That last one we've heard perhaps not because allegedly McCarthy was willing to live with the Democrat for one term. So, if true, Gorell must have really promised him something very enticing.

The answers remain elusive. What is evident, however, is that the history between McCarthy and Gorell appears to us far more complicated than either side has publicly acknowledged. And if Ventura County politics has taught observers anything over the years, it is that the first version of the story is rarely the complete one. And the second one is even more juicy than the second. For now, the questions remain unanswered. But the growing distance between two once aligned men is something will continue to watch.