Simi Valley council appoints Joseph Ayala to fill District 1 vacancy after multi-step interview and ballot process

The Simi Valley City Council voted to appoint Joseph Ayala to the District 1 council seat at its Feb. 24, 2025 meeting and swore him into office the same day.

City Manager Samantha Argebreit introduced the agenda item and the interview process, telling the council, “The item before you is the conduct of applicant interviews for the city council vacancy in District 1.” The vacancy was created when Mayor Kavanaugh vacated the District 1 seat upon being selected mayor earlier this year. Council set the term for the appointee at two years, to run through the 2026 election cycle.

Before interviews began council members agreed rules for the process: candidates would give a one‑minute opening statement, answer two questions from each council member with up to three minutes per response, and be interviewed in…