Fran Pavley Wins State Senate Race

State Sen. Fran Pavley (D-Agoura Hills) defeated Republican Todd Zink in the race for the 27th Senate District, according to election results.

The district includes portions of the western San Fernando Valley including Agoura Hills, Westlake Village and Calabasas, as well as the eastern Ventura County communities of Thousand Oaks, Moorpark and Simi Valley.

Pavley beat Zink by 5 percentage points or 14,350 votes with 100 percent of the precincts reporting.

"I'm absolutely thrilled to be able to complete my second term in the state senate," Pavley told Patch by phone. "I have a lot of new constituents that I'm looking forward to representing [including Moorpark, Westlake and Thousand Oaks]."

Pavely said she looks forward to heading back to Sacramento to continue working on the issues she's passionate about. "...like transportation, education and [reducing reliance on foreign energy sources] and creating jobs within these areas," she said.

Pavley is currently chair of the Natural Resources and Water Committee.

She also said she is "thrilled" about the passage of Prop 30, the education tax measure.

"I couldn't imagine going back to Sacramento and having to make cuts to education ... This allows us some breathing room," she said.

Zink told Patch by phone that he is "disappointed" by the election results.

"A lot of hard work went into the campaign, a lot of volunteers, and we really wanted to go to Sacramento to turn things around," he said.

He added that he wishes Pavley the "best of luck."

"I hope she is able to make some good decisions ...for the future of our children," he said.

Zink is a former marine who resides in Westlake Village.

Pavley, who was elected to the Assembly in 2000 and was the first mayor of Agoura Hills–currently celebrating its 30th anniversary as a city–was elected to the Senate in 2008.