Oceanside City Council ยท District 2 ยท 2026

This is home.
And it's worth fighting for.

Let's make Oceanside's potential a reality, together.

I'm Ricky James, and I'm running for Oceanside City Council in District 2. Not to play politics — but to take on the challenges we all see every day, with honest leadership that answers to residents and negotiates with developers through relationships, not contributions.

Ricky James
Where I Stand

My priorities for a better Oceanside

Real problems deserve real solutions — not empty promises. Here's what I'll fight for on day one.

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Reclaim the San Luis Rey River Trail

Compassionate, accountable solutions for homelessness along the River Trail — connecting people to real services while restoring the trail as a safe place for families to walk, ride, and enjoy.

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Protect our agricultural land to the east

Preserve the farms, open space, and rural character that make Oceanside special. I'm pro-growth — but growth that respects residents, not unchecked sprawl creeping toward Highway 76.

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Better parks for every neighborhood

Clean, safe, well-maintained parks — and transparency about how grant money meant for our community actually gets spent.

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Bike lanes & paths that actually work

Connected, functional routes — including the long-promised links between our neighborhoods and parks — so it's safe to get around Oceanside on two wheels.

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Protect and promote the assets that set us apart

No other North County coastal city has what we have. We should treat these as the competitive advantage they are — maintaining them, showcasing them, and building our identity and economy around them:

  • Oceanside Harbor
  • The Pier
  • Municipal Airport
  • Municipal Golf Course
  • Direct access to Camp Pendleton
  • First & last stop from Orange County
  • San Luis Rey River Trail
  • Playgrounds on the beach
  • Sprinter & Coaster transit stations
  • Frontwave Arena
  • Closest beach access to Temecula
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A clean campaign — no strings attached

Municipal politics should run on honest relationships and reasonable compromise that protects residents. I won't take contributions from developers seeking approvals or vendors chasing city contracts. When I sit at the dais, I'll answer to you — not to whoever wrote the biggest check.

Ricky James in Oceanside Add images/ricky-about.jpg
(on the River Trail or eastern ag land)
About Ricky

A neighbor who shows up

I love this city — its coastline, its open space, and the working families who make it home. But lately I've watched decisions get made that leave residents out of the conversation: land carved up behind closed doors, promises to our community quietly dropped, and trails and parks left to decline.

I'm not a career politician. I'm a neighbor who got tired of hearing "that's just how politics work." I believe you can be pro-growth and still demand that developers negotiate in good faith and deliver projects our community actually wants — instead of bulldozing past the people who live here.

I also know our trails, parks, and paths in a way most candidates don't. I navigate them from a wheelchair — and I'm out there with my family, towing my son behind my handcycle on the San Luis Rey River Trail. When I say our paths need to actually work and our public spaces need to be safe and accessible for everyone, I mean it from experience.

Over the coming months I'll be knocking on doors, showing up at your events, and listening. This campaign isn't about me — it's about us.

— Ricky James

This is a starting draft — tell me what you'd like to add about your background, family, or roots in Oceanside and I'll revise it.

Transparency

Follow the money

I believe you have a right to know who's funding the people who represent you. Every contribution to every Oceanside campaign is public record — and you can look it up yourself in seconds.

Live tracker · updated June 9, 2026

The 2026 race — to date

District 2, City of Oceanside · contributions reported on Form 460
Ricky James$0
$0 from outside contributors — people-powered
Rick Robinsonpending
awaiting his first 2026 Form 460
Tracking the 2026 cycle

For the current race, we monitor the Re-Elect Rick Robinson City Council 2026 committee and the PACs active in it — capturing monetary and nonmonetary contributions, independent expenditures, and any other reported activity — updated automatically as new Form 460s and related filings post to NetFile.

My campaign has accepted $0 in contributions to date — I seeded it with a small $100 personal loan and pledge not to take money from developers seeking approvals or vendors chasing city contracts. Robinson's 2026 figures will appear here once his first 2026 statement is filed.

For context · prior filings

Rick Robinson's recent filing record

2022 & 2025 statements — final/amended, fixed figures
Rick Robinson — 2022$86,379
Rick Robinson — 2025$22,808
2022 breakdownGrand total $86,379.48
Oceanside Firefighters Association PACPAC ยท independent expendituresSched. D/E/G IEs: mailers, digital ads, walk cards, texts, postage$39,862.70
Oceanside Police Officers' AssociationPAC$1,000 monetary + independent-expenditure printing & mailing$21,947.39
Howard Jacobs / GK Asset ManagementDeveloper — “Sunsets” micro-apartment project$4,900.00
Shantu PatelDeveloper — former Flying Bridge project$1,000.00
Waste ManagementCity refuse-franchise hauler$1,000.00
David Fischbach / Blue Curl LLCShort-term-rental operator (Beachfront Only Rentals)$1,000.00
Neal Nagata / Nagata Brothers LLCFarming landowner$500.00
Joe Valenti / North Coast VillageVacation-rental operator$400.00
Dustin CampbellTied to a cannabis-cultivation permit application (Sleeping Indian Rd)$250.00
All other contributors$15,519.39
Grand total$86,379.48
2025 breakdownGrand total $22,808.37
Howard Jacobs / GK Asset ManagementDeveloper — Sunsets project (approved 2023)$5,000.00
Fred WilliamsonWilliamson Strawberries / Fire Mountain landowner$3,000.00
Dustin & Molly CampbellCannabis-cultivation interest (Sleeping Indian Rd)$2,000.00
David Fischbach / Blue Curl LLCShort-term-rental operator$500.00
Joe Valenti Jr. / North Coast VillageVacation rentals$200.00
All other contributors$12,108.37
Grand total$22,808.37

Contribution amounts and dates are from public California Form 460 filings via NetFile. Notes identify each contributor's publicly known business, role, or project before the City. 2022 and 2025 totals are final/amended and stay fixed.

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