Andy Gilman
Current Mayor of Ojai and Director of the Agora Foundation
July 30, 2026
The Work of Establishing Stability
Ojai is an incredibly dynamic place. This dynamism produces benefits such as our cultural vibrancy, and it can also foster political turbulence. Competing priorities and modes are not detrimental in themselves, in fact our democracy counts on varied points of view to work effectively. The democratic hope is that the best outcomes are sustainably distilled through compromises, refinements, and new information over time. With this high energy and initiative, we need a solid foundation to keep things going. We are well on our way to achieving this goal of stability. Below are a few focus areas the City is working on:
- Establishing nine over-arching goals that drive key leadership activities (1 Affordable Housing; 2 Wildfire Safety and Risk Mitigation; 3 Arts, Culture, and Recreation; 4 Infrastructure Maintenance and Improvement; 5 Public Safety; 6 Diversifying our Economy/Tourism Management; 7 Climate Resiliency; 8 Financial Stability; 9 Communication and Relationships),
- Supporting all commissions and committees in their active functions,
- Maintaining a balanced budget, an over 100% budget reserve, and continuous improvement goals for the accounting department,
- Growing shared outcomes, commitments, and partnerships with our non-profit, environmental, and business communities,
- Negotiating a set of sustainable conservation solutions with our water agency partners,
- Implementing multi-year infrastructure maintenance, disaster safety, and climate resiliency contracts,
- Increasing the frequency and quality of our communications, council meetings, and community workshops.
- Filling vacant staff positions with qualified people, and building overall bench strength,
- Creating dedicated and experienced HR capacities,
- Developing compensation and career growth policies commensurate with Ventura County standards,
- Enhancing relationships with our county and state partner agencies, as well and with Ojai Unified School District,
- Tasking our legal firm with policy and ordinance review for consistency and best practice alignment,
All of these initiatives are underway, and all will require continued attention and resources. As exciting as these efforts are, I believe the best is yet to come. We will continue to learn, improve, articulate, and focus our efforts. A solid foundation gives the community the opportunity to elaborate programs, strengthen activities, conserve essentials, and to safety and incrementally try out new ideas. Slowly, carefully, with intention and purpose, we are continuing the work of establishing stability in our beautiful and dynamic city. We are grateful for the opportunity to do so and always welcome your ideas, feedback, and support.
Andy Gilman
July 30, 2026
Upcoming Public Events:
I will be at the Farmers Markets from 4:00-5:00PM on Thursday, July 30. Also, the next Brown Bag Lunch will take place in Libbey Park from 12:00-1:00PM on Monday, August 3, 2026.
June 30, 2026
The City of Ojai breaks ground on the Permanent Supportive Housing Project.
The City of Ojai Goals, and my goals moving forward:
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Affordable Housing
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Wildfire Safety and Risk Mitigation
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Arts, Culture and Recreation Funding
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Infrastructure Maintenance and Improvement
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Public Safety
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Diversifying Economy/Tourism Management
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Climate Resiliency
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Financial Stability
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Communication and Relationships
City of Ojai Goals and Tactics in Detail
I have been honored and grateful to serve as Ojai's Mayor for this two-year term. We have accomplished some incredible goals but there is still much to do. This Council has furthered several affordable housing projects, worked to reduce fire risk, undertook large climate resiliency projects, and established needed funding for the arts, our parks, and human services. We have improved public safety and infrastructure and are striving to diversify our economy through careful study and community collaborations. Through this momentum we have maintained strong finances and a 100% budget reserve. We have also learned where we need to improve, strengthen our policies, and develop strategies to maintain what we love about Ojai while evolving with aim and purpose.
About
Andy Gilman
My family, Gilmans on my father's side and Melleins on my mother's, have been here since 1958.
I attended Topa Topa, Matilija, Nordhoff, Chaparral, Ventura College, Cal Arts (commuted to Valencia while working here), and then St. John's College in New Mexico for graduate school.
My teenage work history began at Grey Gables (now The Gables), cleaning the carpets at Bayless Market (now Big Westridge), cooking at Sea Fresh, and waiting tables at Wheeler Hot Springs, among many other adventures. I worked at BST on Bryant Circle for 18 years, Oak Grove School for 9 years, and have been the Director of the Agora Foundation since 2006, full time since 2018. I'm blessed by my lovely wife
Kate Komaiko, my sister Felicia, my father Andy, three fantastic adult children - Nici, Sinead, and Noah,
and a new grandchild Ezra!
My career and interests have offered me many inspiring opportunities to grow:
Facilitated / participated in over 1,600 great books seminars, of the East and the West, both online and onsite for adults, including training teachers
Facilitated / produced / participated in over 39 civil discourse panels and interviews on local and national issues, including water and tourism
Created and managed budgets, both large and small, working with vendors and contractors, leading teams and stakeholders to achieve annual goals
Managed grant writing, fundraising, data analysis, event planning, and
communications, including print and web design, social media, and writing