The five-member Board of Supervisors makes policy and funding decisions for Santa Barbara County.
With three seats on the March 5 ballot, it’s important to break down what the supervisors do and what they’re responsible for.
“The board sets policy for county departments, oversees the county budget and adopts ordinances on local matters and establishes land-use policies that affect unincorporated areas,” as the county itself puts it.
They make policy and the county staff carry it out.
Each member represents a geographical area of the county and is elected to a 4-year term.
The March 5 election ballot includes seats representing the First District (Carpinteria, Montecito, Summerland, Santa Barbara, Cuyama); the Third District (Goleta Valley, Santa Ynez Valley, Lompoc Valley); and the Fourth District (Lompoc and Santa Maria valleys).
First District candidates are Das Williams, the current supervisor, and Roy Lee, a Carpinteria City Council member and restaurant owner.
Third District candidates are Joan Hartmann, the current supervisor, Jenelle Osborne, mayor of Lompoc, and Frank Troise, an investment banker who lives in the Santa Ynez Valley.
Fourth District candidates are Bob Nelson, the current supervisor, and Krishna Flores, a Los Alamos resident who serves on several community boards.
The County Supervisor Job
The supervisors meet most Tuesdays for day-long meetings where they hear presentations and public comment before voting on each item.
It’s a full-time job since they also serve on various committees and regional boards, including the Santa Barbara County Association of Governments.
Each member of the Board of Supervisors gets paid about $112,452 annually. Their total yearly compensation, including benefits, is around $140,000.
The supervisors make policy for the county government and unincorporated areas of the county (areas outside cities includong Orcutt, Vandenberg Village, Los Olivos, Santa Ynez, Isla Vista, Summerland and Montecito).
These can have huge land-use impacts, such as the Housing Element Update and cannabis program allowing cultivation and dispensaries.
The board adopts a yearly budget ($1.48 billion this year), which includes services and capital projects.
A lot of funding is non-discretionary – the money comes in from state and federal governments and is earmarked for specific purposes such as social services – but the supervisors get to decide how to spend tens of millions of dollars every year.
The supervisors are the ones deciding how much to increase fees for parks or other county services, and if and when to put sales tax increases on the ballot for voters to consider.
They also approve all kinds of contracts for services, including the ambulance provider and trash haulers for unincorporated areas.
The supervisors oversee county government programs, staff, and facilities, including law enforcement, jails, parks, public health clinics, libraries, and social services.
They’re the ultimate decisionmaker for project appeals that go all the way through discretionary planning review – like cannabis farms or a proposal to truck crude oil on local roads.
They also appoint members to the Planning Commission and other advisory boards.
Click here for more information about the March 5 primary election from the County Elections Office.