Twofer

Since there is so much going on inside of the office of Jeff Gorell and our tip line is ringing off the hook, we're giving you a twofer this week. Two blog posts below, for the price of one. We hope you enjoy them.

Going the Distance

Left to right: Gorell, Bautista, Davis, Barbara Tuuri, Crystal Stratton, Israel Rodriguez, photo from Gorell's Ventura County Supervisor webpage

What’s odd about the arrest of Ventura County Supervisor Jeff Gorell’s former campaign manager and field representative Blake Davis isn’t the arrest itself, it’s how frantically Gorell is trying to rewrite his relationship with the guy. The moment the news broke, a source contacted us to point out Gorell was already silently scrubbing posts he’d made about Davis. Then Davis began scrubbing some of his presence on the internet. A synchronized dirty delete routine?

Cute. But why the sudden panic? Let’s take a look at the timeline of Gorell’s statements: 

🗓️ 8/3/2026 — Ojai Valley News 

💬 These allegations come as a shock. If true, this conduct is unacceptable. I do not condone this type of behavior, or illegal activity of any kind.

🌟 Tone: Serious shock, condemnation. 

⚡Gorell deletes Davis' graduation and campaign gratitude posts on his social media

🗓️ 8/5/2026 — Ventura County Star 

💬 Based on my experience with him, this is not what I would have expected of him. I hope that whatever the outcome, this does not define the course of his life.

⚡Davis deletes LinkedIn account  

🗓️ 8/14/2026 — Acorn Newspaper 

💬 I learned (Aug. 3) that a young man has been accused of vandalizing another candidate’s campaign sign. If they are true, the conduct was unacceptable, illegal and, frankly, stupid and impulsive.

🗓️ 8/15/2026 — Camarillo Acorn 

💬 Davis served as a district representative in Gorell’s office for nearly two years. However, Davis was “an extra help college intern,” per Gorell’s chief of staff Ashley Bautista. 

🌟Tone: Clarifying, distancing, minimizing the relationship. 

⚡Gorell no longer making statements

Gorell's office appears to be working overtime to distance themselves from Davis. With the most recent action of claiming Davis wasn’t a real intern. Pretty soon they'll deny they even knew him. Adorable spin.

Here's the problem with the copy editing they are workshopping right in front of us. Why do the Casa Conejo MAC meeting minutes produced and finalized by Gore'll's own office, list Davis as a field representative? Gorell is also Facebook friends with the help. Or was Facebook another place where Gorell could have private government related discussions in violation of California's transparency laws?

**********************************************************************************

Tangled Webs

As scrutiny increases surrounding the controversary of the Colony Estate wedding venue in unincorporated Camarillo, new questions are emerging not only about the property's ongoing code violations, but also about the relationship between its owner and Ventura County Supervisor Jeff Gorell. The controversy centers on Colony Estate owner Jeff Tinsley, who has hosted weddings, corporate retreats, and other events on his 3.4-acre property since 2023 without approval from the County of Ventura to do so. Tinsley has maintained that the activities were permissible because the events were hosted at his private residence. Ventura County officials have disagreed.

On June 18, 2026, the Ventura County Planning Commission voted to uphold an amended notice of violation against Tinsley after the County's Resource Management Agency determined that the property lacked the required land-use entitlements to operate as an event venue. County officials concluded that the activities violated Ventura County's non-coastal zoning ordinance. The pressure on Colony Estate has continued to build. Recently, it appeared to have come to a head.

Last week, the Ventura County District Attorney's Office ordered Tinsley to address what the office described as ongoing public nuisance concerns tied to the property. The action followed an August 4, 2026, decision by the Ventura County Board of Supervisors, which also found Tinsley to be in violation of county code. Before the board reached its decision, Tinsley was given an opportunity to present his case directly to supervisors.

Beyond the zoning dispute, we would like to call to your, and the Ventura County District Attorney’s attention, Tinsley's personal and political connections. Campaign finance records show that Tinsley contributed to Gorell in March 2026 and Supervisor Janice Parvin in May 2026. Public records further indicate that Tinsley and his significant other, Lidia Ivanova, attended Gorell's District 2 Leadership Awards ceremony in May 2026.

The timeline of events leave room for speculation. At the time of Tinsley's political contribution and attendance in May at the awards ceremony, the public was unaware of the growing regulatory dispute surrounding Colony Estate. Public attention intensified only after the Camarillo Acorn reported on the matter on June 18, 2026, the same day the Planning Commission upheld the violation notice. However, records show that Gorell refunded Tinsley's campaign contribution on June 1, 2026, the night before the election.

Questions remain about what county officials and elected leaders knew, and when they knew it. Specifically, when did Gorell become aware?

It might surprise you what we’ve learned about such.

It's possible Gorell has known since the beginning. Sources have surfaced regarding the extent of Tinsley's relationship with the supervisor's office. While they are unverified, sources allege that Gorell, Tinsley and his partner Lidia Ivanova, maintained a personal and professional relationship throughout much of Gorell's first term in office and that Gorell had promised to help Tinsley silently clean up any permit issues he had with the county. There are also allegations that a member of Gorell's staff was employed by Tinsley and one financially benefitted through a personal business collaboration between the venue and the staffer's significant other. We have not confirmed these allegations at this time but have some evidence that suggests they may be true.

A formal investigation is best left with the Ventura County District Attorney's office to determine the veracity of these claims.

At a minimum, Tinsley and Ivanova paid for and attended Gorell's District 2 Leadership Awards in early May 2026. Below are photos we found of them in attendance directly from Gorell's website. Interesting that Gorell did not scrub his website of such, but he did refund their money. Maybe he was busy preemptively distancing himself from Blake Davis because of his conenctions within the Ventura County Sherriff's Office. So many issues, so little time.

It gets even more interesting. Just last week, the property hit the market. It was listed by none other than local real estate agent Rosemary Allison. Allison isn't just a real estate agent, she's a major financial backer of Gorell, having hosted a campaign event for him earlier this year and regularly contributing to his coffers. In return, Gorell seems to have rewarded her with an appointment to the municipal advisory committee for Santa Rosa Valley, where she can influence decisions on homes, she may later sell, and even bestowing upon her one of his self-styled district awards this past May. The cronyism and connections never stop.

Nevertheless, the allegations raise broader questions about transparency and potential conflicts of interest. Critics argue that if a sitting county supervisor maintained close ties to a business owner who was simultaneously facing county enforcement actions, the public has a legitimate interest in understanding the nature and scope of that relationship. Whether the Ventura County District Attorney's Office will investigate those allegations remains to be seen.

What is clear is that the Colony Estate dispute has evolved beyond a zoning enforcement case. It now touches on issues of political relationships, campaign contributions, and public trust in local government decision making. As county regulators continue their enforcement efforts and additional records emerge, the controversy surrounding Colony Estate shows few signs of fading from public view.

These allegations will not deter fade from our watch until we are satisfied that the Ventura County District Attorney's Office investigations historical relationships with Gorell and his office and what, if any, promises anyone may have made to address permit issues.