Applications to fill the District 1 seat on the Santa Maria City Council will be accepted between Monday and March 26 as the panel faces its first vacancy in 13 years. 

The seat representing the city’s northwest neighborhoods became vacant when Carlos Escobedo resigned Tuesday night 15 months into his second four-year term saying he moved out of District 1. 

The remaining four members will have the option to appoint someone to fill the seat. 

The appointee would serve until at least this fall, when voters will pick the person to finish the remaining two years on Escobedo’s term. 

To apply for the appointment, candidates must be registered voters and reside in District 1, which includes the northwest neighborhoods.

It’s been more than a decade since the Santa Maria council last dealt with an empty seat.

The prior vacancy occurred in 2013 after Alice Patino’s election to mayor while she served on the City Council. 

That led to 14 applicants from throughout the city and a divided council before they picked Willie Green, the first Black member of the council. 

It will be the first time the council has faced an appointment since switching from at-large elections to a district-based process.

When he was re-elected in 2024, Escobedo faced two candidates — Maria Salguero and Adilene Rojas Alejo.

An interactive map where residents can type in their address to determine what district they live in can be found by clicking here.

The deadline to submit an application is 5 p.m. March 26. 

City staff said the notice of the District 1 vacancy and the corresponding online form would be located online by clicking here, although they weren’t posted on Friday.