Betsy Stix: The Embattled Mayor of Ojai

An extensive report on Mayor Stix, plus an update on proposals for more than 50 units of affordable housing.

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Betsy Stix: The Embattled Mayor of Ojai

A global pandemic is a wild time to run for mayor. And that’s exactly what Betsy Stix, a local teacher and mother of two, did in 2020. Stix had never before held public office.

Mayor Stix, spotted at Ojai Day.

“It was really timing,” she said, of her decision to seek the mayorship. “My younger son went away to college. My parents had passed away, COVID hit, and I had the space where I could give back.” Stix  — a committed vegan, yogi, and climate advocate —  added that [she] “had seen the council go more pro-development in the last 10 to 15 years.” I asked for an example of that shift, and Stix cited the building reach codes (we discussed the reach codes in Councilwoman Francina’s profile). “Right before the [2020] election, [the prior Council] gutted the reach codes,” she recalled.¹ 

Stix studied English at Williams College prior to earning a master’s degree in education from Stanford University. She moved to Ojai with her family in 2000, led by a job opportunity at the Ojai Valley School (OVS). Stix later moved to a position at the Besant Hill School of Happy Valley (formerly the Happy Valley School) where she taught English, French, and yoga (get a taste of her yoga practice here). Stix also served as Besant Hill’s Human Development Coordinator. 

She described her political thinking during a 2020 Q&A with the Ojai Valley News:

“I love Ojai. It is one of the most beautiful places on Earth, and I plan to live here for the rest of my life. Since I moved here 20 years ago, our town has changed significantly. Tourism has increased, gentrification has accelerated, and there are more fences where there were once none. Our water reserves have dwindled, climate change has increased fire risk, and we are living through a pandemic and the revelations of deep-seated social inequity. These national events affect us locally. I believe we must invite input from across our community as we look for solutions to these fundamental challenges. After receiving so much from Ojai over the past two decades, I want to give back.” (The emphasis is mine. It is my opinion that the bolded terms are key to understanding Stix’s political decision-making.)

Stix’s 2020 election win was decisive: of nearly 4,500 votes cast, she won 64%. Given that her opponent, William (Bill) Weirick, was a sitting City Councilman at the time of his mayoral run (he served from 2014 to 2022)², I think it’s fair to interpret Stix’s 2020 win as a call for change at City Hall. Mayor Stix was sworn into office on December 15, 2020 — over Zoom. “I’m excited to serve and to build on Mayor [Johnny Johnston’s]³ strong tradition of civility and compromise,” Stix said (again — this all occurred over Zoom. It’s memorialized on YouTube). “I will continue to promote love, truth, unity, justice, and cooperation,” she pledged.

Stix takes the oath of office, 2020.

“My number one priority when I took office first was COVID safety, and then I got to work on the Ojai wildfire resiliency and evacuation plan,” she recalled during an interview at Java and Joe (a local political hotspot, in my opinion). Stix’s first term also included a figurative “deep dive into water,” she said. (Remember: the valley received less than five inches of rain during the 2020-21 rain year.) During a late 2021 speech, Stix signaled support for “a moratorium on growth” in the city. Referencing ongoing aridification in the western United States, she said, “We need to pay attention to what the planet is telling us. It is time for us to listen to Mother Nature and change our behavior.” At the end of her first term, she cast the single "no" vote against the Becker/Ojai Bungalows Development Agreement. “I just [didn’t] think it's a good deal for Ojai,” Stix said. “Ojai needs housing for very low, extremely low, acutely low-income households. That is the number one priority in terms of housing. And I would completely support any project that would create more housing for those three categories.”⁴

Stix decided early on in her first term to seek a second. “It's really, really hard to do anything in two years,” she explained. “I was hopeful that with a new city council, we’d have the momentum to really look at equity and climate.”⁵ In 2022, Stix faced off against Anson Williams, a director/producer who had never before served in public office. It was a battle between two political newcomers, supported by rivaling teams of Ojaians. Williams’ Hollywood background (some remember him as “Potsie” from the 1970s TV show Happy Days.)⁶ brought increased interest to the Ojai political scene. People Magazine, the New York Post, the Hollywood Reporter, and others wrote variations on a story that begins something like, “You’ll never guess what Happy Days star Anson Williams is up to now…”