Six candidates for three seats on the Santa Barbara City College Board of Trustees participated Thursday in a virtual forum during which they spoke about their views on a series of questions.
Hosted by the nonprofit SBCC Foundation, the forum via Zoom allowed for greater discussion among the candidates on the ballot for the Nov. 3 general election. Each candidate had an opportunity to provide a three-minute opening statement as well as a closing statement.
The candidates spoke on a range of topics, such as racial equity and their budget philosophy, plus student success and student debt related to higher education.
In Area No. 2 representing Goleta, incumbent Robert Miller will face off against Ronald Liechti.
In Area No. 3 representing areas of Santa Barbara, incumbent Veronica Gallardo will compete for the seat against Erin Guereña.
In Area No. 4 representing the Santa Barbara areas, Anna Everett and Celeste Barber are vying to fill the seat held by trustee Craig Nielsen, who is not seeking re-election.
For the most part, the candidates didn’t take jabs at one another during the live forum. But, that wasn’t the case for Guereña, who said her challenger in this year’s election voted against two resolutions that focus on equity on campus.
“Unfortunately, with Resolution 18, my opponent voted against it even when compromises were given,” Guereña said.
According to the language in Resolution 18, the SBCC Board of Trustees affirms Black Lives Matter and condemns police brutality.
Guereña said she will strive for a college campus that is “safe and secure.”
“That is why there needs to be a change in representation for Area No. 3,” she said.
She described SBCC as “a beautiful campus, amazing facilities and amazing programs. But, if students don’t feel safe, then we don’t have a successful campus.”
After Guereña spoke, Gallardo responded to her perspective on the issues of equity and SBCC’s role.
“For someone who spent over 20 years in both K-12, higher ed, City College specifically,” Gallardo said. “this is something I think about daily. The biggest barrier to student success is the lack of adequate literacy.
“SBCC has a commitment and a role to play with our K-12 partnerships.”
Community colleges perform a critical role in “reversing the widening equity, wage and achievement gap in this country, and I want to help SBCC do its part,” Miller said.
To help support students and remove barriers, Miller said, “I think within the resources we have, we do an excellent job.”
“Going to college is an expensive proposition, and in the year 2020, I like to think that going to Santa Barbara City College is a bargain. It’s a bargain at least for our local high school students,” Miller said of the SBCC Promise.
The SBCC Foundation launched the SBCC Promise in 2016, offering high school graduates the opportunity to attend SBCC full time, free of charge for two years. The program covers two years worth of tuition, fees, books and supplies for qualifying students.
Liechti said that serving as a board member is “a gift of public service,” and he complimented the SBCC board for hiring Superintendent/President Utpal Goswami last year.
“He seems like the right man and the right moment,” Liechti said of Utpal.
Liechti said he cares about “this college and this community,” and that he is “dedicated to the opportunity, equality and success for every student.”
Everett said she is a first-generation college student, and her “community college background helped me to close the opportunity gap that I know so many students are struggling with today.”
She said she sees herself as a role model for many of the underserved students at SBCC, and she has a deep commitment to student learning and success.
“I support Black Lives Matter, women’s equality and choice, LGBTQ+ and gender nonconforming identity affiliations,” Everett said. “I support religious freedom, freedom of speech and expression. I support DACA (Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals) and equal opportunity for all underserved groups.”
Regarding the issues of racism and inclusion, Everett said she “is ready to roll up my sleeves and get ready to work on this … it’s a conversation that needs to be had, and I’m ready to get to work on it.”
Barber said she is concerned about the mental and emotional health of students in relation to the COVID-19 pandemic.
“Depression is up in this country,” Barber said. “Suicides are up in this country, including among youth, and the programs that I think are going to be vital to be retained would certainly be physical education and sports.”
She expressed the importance of music, live theater and other cultural programs offered through SBCC.
“These are going to be vital as we emerge from this forced isolation, which was necessary,” Barber said.
Responding to a question on the issues of racism and inclusion, Barber said, “George Floyd horrifically reminds us that as a nation as people, we still have a long, long way to go. I believe that the greatest double threat to minorities in this country remains poverty and educational inequity — I believe that strongly.”
Geoff Green, CEO of the SBCC Foundation, moderated the candidate forum.
In a news statement released before the virtual event, Green said, “In this chaotic election season, many important local races are sometimes lost in the shuffle. The elected leadership of our community college district is one such race, and a very important one for those who love SBCC.”
As part of Noozhawk’s Nov. 3 election coverage, we are publishing Q&As with board candidates for some special districts and education districts, including the SBCC Board of Trustees. Click here to read for more information.
— Noozhawk staff writer Brooke Holland can be reached at bholland@noozhawk.com. Follow Noozhawk on Twitter: @noozhawk, @NoozhawkNews and @NoozhawkBiz. Connect with Noozhawk on Facebook.
