The field is taking shape as Santa Barbara County candidates prepare for the June primary election.

Friday was the deadline for most candidates to file a declaration of candidacy with the required number of signatures. There will be contested races for most of the county seats on the June 2 ballot, which include several department heads and two supervisor positions, according to the semiofficial candidate list from the Santa Barbara County Elections Office.

Second District Supervisor Laura Capps is running for re-election to continue representing the Goleta Valley, Isla Vista and parts of Santa Barbara. Elijah Mack also filed to run for the seat, after unsuccessfully running for a state senator seat in 2024 against Monique Limón.

Four candidates have already declared their plans to run for the Fifth District seat on the Santa Barbara County Board of Supervisors. The winner will take over the seat represented by Steve Lavagnino, who announced he will not seek another term after serving on the board for 16 years.  

The candidate filing deadline for that race was extended to Wednesday because the incumbent is not running again.

The field of candidates includes Maribel Aguilera-Hernandez, a Santa Maria City Council member and lawyer; Ricardo Valencia, a Santa Maria-Bonita School District Board member and high school teacher; Cory Bantilan, Lavagnino’s chief of staff for 15 years; and Gary Michaels, who has served on committees in Santa Maria.

Santa Maria, Guadalupe and the Tanglewood community are represented by the Fifth District Santa Barbara County supervisor.

County Elected Offices

The race for county Superintendent of Schools so far includes incumbent Susan Salcido and challenger Christy Lozano. Salcido has served as county superintendent since 2017.

Lozano has taught at multiple Santa Barbara schools.

For the job of Auditor-Controller, candidates include Betsy M. Schaffer and Kyle Slattery. Schaffer has served in the role since 2019.

Incumbent Joseph E. Holland and Melinda Greene are running for re-election as Clerk, Recorder, Assessor and Registrar of Voters.

Holland began in the Assessor’s Office in 1984 and was elected to his position in March 2002. Greene is a certified public accountant and finance officer, according to Elections Office documents.

Kimberly A. Tesoro is running for the position of Treasurer-Tax Collector-Public Administrator. She has worked for Santa Barbara County since 2006 and is currently the assistant treasurer and tax collector. Incumbent Harry Hagen had not filed to run for re-election as of Friday.

In a rare contest for a county judicial seat, a long-time Santa Barbara Superior Court judge, Thomas R. Adams Jr., will be challenged for the seat by local attorney Luis Esparza.

However, three other judges, Stephen Dunkle, Jed Beebe and Von T. Deroian, whose terms expire this year apparently won’t be opposed in their bids to continue serving.

The positions of Sheriff-Coroner and District Attorney will not be up for election this year due to changes in state law that moved the races to presidential primary election years.

Sheriff Bill Brown and District Attorney John Savrnoch were both elected in 2022 and will serve six-year terms until the positions are up for election in 2028.  

This year’s primary election, including county races, will be held on June 2, and the general election will be held on Nov. 3.

The final list of candidates who qualified for the ballot will be available later this week, after the extended deadline on Wednesday, according to the County Elections Office.

State and Federal Elections

The June primary election will also determined candidates to advance to the November election for some state and federal races.

That includes the 24th Congressional District seat, which spans Santa Barbara County, Ventura County, and San Luis Obispo County.

Incumbent Salud Carbajal, a Santa Barbara Democrat and former county supervisor, is running for re-election. Bob Smith, a retired U.S. Navy commander who is new to politics, announced his intent to challenge Carbajal in September.

The District 37 State Assembly seat is also on the ballot this year. Incumbent Gregg Hart, a former Santa Barbara councilman, and Sari Domingues are running for the seat.

Hart was first elected to the seat in 2022 and re-elected in 2024. Domingues ran an unsuccessful campaign against Hart in 2024.

California will also choose a new governor this year out of a crowded field. As of last week, 10 candidates have filed to run for governor.

The top two vote recipients in the primary will head for a runoff in the general election.