Congressman Elton Gallegly
Serving the 24th Congressional District encompasses most of Ventura County and inland Santa Barbara County.

Simi Valley, CA - With his wife, Janice, standing at his side, U.S. Rep. Elton Gallegly (R-Ventura and Santa Barbara Counties), the longest serving U.S. representative in Ventura County history, told a small group of close friends Friday night that he will not seek re-election and will retire at the end of the current Congress.

“Janice and I want to thank everyone who has been with us through more than 30 years of public service,” Gallegly said. “Serving in Congress and representing my home for 25 years is the greatest experience I could have ever asked for. Working with our country’s leadership on a daily basis in striving to move toward a better, stronger and more vibrant America for more than two decades has been a dream come true. The decision to step aside at this time did not come lightly. But in the end, Janice and I decided now was the right time to begin the next chapter in our lives. We are truly blessed to have our health, our family, and so many, many friends that we look forward to spending more time with.

“It has been an honor and a privilege to have served our communities and our country for the past 25 years and I look forward to continue to do so for the next year.”

Ventura County District Attorney Greg Totten said:
“I am saddened at the prospect of a Congress without Elton Gallegly. He has been a true friend to law enforcement who went to Washington to serve his community and our great nation. His legacy will be that of a principled and committed patriot who served his constituents, not special interests, and helped make our community, and indeed America, safer and stronger.”

Mike Sedell, Simi Valley’s City Manager and Gallegly’s first Chief of Staff from 1986-1990, said:
“Having known Elton for over 30 years, first when he was elected mayor, then as his first chief of staff, and finally for the past 21 years as a close friend, I can attest first-hand to the fact that few if any elected officials in this country are more dedicated to the concerns of their constituents on a 24/7 basis, 365 days per year.

“Elton has always been humbled by the trust that voters placed in him and has worked tirelessly to continue to deliver excellent constituent services, to be responsive to all of the communities that he represents, and to take very seriously each of the many thousands of votes that he has cast on behalf of those who elected him. While I am saddened that he is leaving Congress, as a friend I know that he will do well in the future and will continue to involve public service and family in all that he does.”

Arthur Finkelstein of Arthur J. Finkelstein and Associates said:
“I have done political analysis for Elton Gallegly since his first congressional campaign. I know that he remains very strong and, in my judgment, would be the favorite to win in either district. The base of his support is unusually solid.”

Gallegly is Vice Chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee and Chairman of the Judiciary Committee’s Subcommittee on Immigration Policy and Enforcement and will continue in the next year to work with his colleagues to help businesses create jobs for Americans and to protect Americans from its enemies, foreign and domestic.

A native Southern Californian, Gallegly settled in the Ventura County community of Simi Valley in 1968.
He entered public life in 1979 with his election to the Simi Valley City Council and, in 1982, became the City’s first directly elected mayor. He held that post until he ran for Congress in 1986 when the incumbent ran for the Senate. Outspent 2-1, Gallegly’s local ties gave him a landslide victory in the 1986 primary over Tony Hope, son of comedian Bob Hope.

Elton and Janice have four children and 10 grandchildren.