Three candidates are running for a seat on the Santa Maria Public Airport District Board of Directors to represent Division 4.
Incumbent Michael B. Clayton, an attorney, is on the ballot with Alejandro Arredondo, an aviation business professional, and Danny K. Mogg, a retired manufacturing engineer.
Division 4 encompasses a large swath of the eastern Santa Maria Valley. The map of five areas is available here. Division 4 is shown in blue.
While most airports are operated by cities or counties, Santa Maria’s is unique as an independent special district.
The new four-year term for the top vote-getter plus terms for two other members — Jose Ramirez for Division 1 and firefighter Patrick Youngern for Division 2 — begin in December.
Alejandro Arredondo, aviation business professional
Question: What do you believe are the three most pressing issues the Santa Maria Public Airport District faces over the next four years? How would you address these issues?
Arredondo: The first is protecting and modernizing our airport infrastructure. Runways, hangars and facilities require consistent investment. The board must prioritize projects based on need, establish realistic budgets and timelines, pursue available state and federal funding, and ensure public dollars are spent responsibly.
The second is supporting existing tenants while attracting new businesses and investment. Our airport has tremendous potential to attract aviation, aerospace, manufacturing and other employers. Existing tenants need fair, consistent policies that allow them to grow, while prospective businesses need confidence that Santa Maria is a stable place to invest.
The third is economic development and creating quality local jobs. The airport is one of our community’s most valuable public assets and should generate opportunities for the entire Santa Maria Valley.
In my professional role, I oversee multimillion-dollar budgets, manage projects around timelines and resource limitations, and work with vendors and government contracts. I would bring that same approach to the district: establish priorities, understand the financial impact, identify resources, and hold ourselves accountable for results.
Every decision should strengthen the airport’s long-term financial and operational viability.
Question: What experience and expertise would you bring to the airport board?
Arredondo: I am a lifelong Santa Maria resident, a Purple Heart recipient and a U.S. Army combat veteran who served in Iraq and Afghanistan. My military service taught me discipline, accountability, leadership and the importance of putting the mission ahead of personal interests.
Professionally, I have spent more than a decade in aviation operations and business management. As vice president of operations for an aviation business at the Santa Maria Public Airport, I oversee multimillion-dollar budgets and multiple projects simultaneously, ensuring work remains aligned with budgets, timelines, staffing and available resources.
I also work with employees, vendors, customers and government agencies and have experience with government contracts and the regulatory requirements of the aviation industry.
These responsibilities have taught me to evaluate not only what we want to accomplish, but what it will cost, how it will be funded, what resources are required and how it will be executed.
I regularly attend Airport District board meetings because I believe anyone seeking this position should understand the issues before asking for voters’ trust.
I would bring practical aviation experience, financial oversight, operational leadership and a service-oriented mindset to the board.
Question: What are your ties to aviation and/or the airport? How would you balance meeting the needs of tenants, neighbors, passengers and others?
Arredondo: I have spent more than a decade working directly in aviation at the Santa Maria airport. That experience has given me a ground-level understanding of how an airport functions as both an aviation facility and an economic asset.
I work with pilots, aircraft owners, employees, vendors, airport staff, government agencies and businesses. I understand that decisions made by the District have real operational and financial consequences.
Tenants need fair and consistent policies that encourage investment. Passengers and airport users need safe, reliable facilities. Neighbors deserve communication and consideration. The broader community deserves responsible stewardship of this valuable public asset.
Balancing those interests begins with listening and understanding the facts. I would consider the financial, operational and long-term consequences of major decisions and seek input from those affected.
My professional experience requires me to balance budgets, schedules, employees, customers, regulations and competing priorities every day. I would bring that same disciplined approach to the board.
No individual, tenant or business — including the business where I work — should automatically come before the overall interests of the Airport District and the public it serves.
Question: Is there anything else you would like to add?
Santa Maria has always been home to me. It is where I grew up, where I am raising my family and where I have built my professional career.
I dedicated nine years to active-duty service in the Army, including deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan. After returning home, I continued taking on leadership responsibilities in aviation, business and my community.
Over the past decade in aviation operations, I have learned that leadership is not simply identifying problems. It is developing a plan, understanding the budget and resources available, building the right team and being accountable for results.
That is the perspective I want to bring to the Santa Maria Public Airport District.
Our airport is more than runways and buildings. It represents infrastructure, businesses, jobs and economic opportunity for our region. With responsible financial management and forward-looking leadership, we can modernize infrastructure, better utilize airport property and attract new investment.
If elected, I will listen, ask questions, do my homework and work collaboratively while always remembering who we ultimately serve: the public. Community first. Mission focused.
Michael B. Clayton, incumbent
Question: What do you believe are the three most pressing issues the Santa Maria Public Airport District faces over the next four years? How would you address these issues?
Clayton: The three most pressing issues are fiscal responsibility, economic development, and modernization of our airport infrastructure.
First, protecting taxpayer dollars is essential. During my four years on the Board, I have worked to improve operational efficiency and helped achieve hundreds of thousands of dollars in savings. I intend to continue demanding accountability, eliminating unnecessary expenses, and ensuring responsible financial management.
Second, Santa Maria Airport has tremendous untapped economic potential. We must attract additional commercial aviation opportunities, encourage private investment, create jobs, and support projects such as the Planes of Fame Air Museum and the business park, which will bring new business to our community.
Third, we must continue modernizing airport infrastructure while addressing regulatory and environmental challenges. During my tenure, I helped resolve long-standing legal disputes, including matters involving Fish and Wildlife and a Water Resources Control Board dispute spanning approximately 43 years.
My approach is straightforward: protect public resources, pursue responsible growth, and make decisions that strengthen Santa Maria Airport for future generations.
Question: What experience and expertise would you bring to the airport board?
Clayton: I bring nearly four decades of legal experience, extensive business knowledge, and four years of direct service on the Santa Maria Public Airport District Board.
As an attorney, I have spent my career addressing complex legal challenges, negotiating resolutions, protecting my clients’ interests, and making difficult decisions. Those skills have proven invaluable when addressing the Airport District’s regulatory, financial, and legal responsibilities.
During my tenure, I helped the District navigate long-standing litigation, supported infrastructure improvements, promoted operational efficiency, and encouraged responsible economic development.
I am particularly proud of my commitment to public service. I have served voluntarily, without accepting a salary or requesting reimbursement for my time or travel. Throughout my four-year term, I have not missed a single Airport Board meeting.
Experience matters, especially when overseeing an airport with significant economic potential and complex responsibilities.
I believe leadership requires more than promises. It requires knowledge, preparation, sound judgment, and the willingness to show up and do the work.
Question: What are your ties to aviation and/or the airport? How would you balance meeting the needs of tenants, neighbors, passengers and others?
My passion for aviation began long before I became an Airport Board member. My father served in the United States Air Force, and his dedication to aviation and our country inspired a lifelong appreciation for aircraft, aviation history, and public service.
For decades, I have recognized the importance of aviation to Santa Maria and the entire Central Coast. I see our airport as much more than runways and aircraft. It represents economic opportunity, transportation, education, tourism, and a connection to the world.
As a Board member, I recognize that the airport serves many different interests. Tenants deserve fair treatment and dependable facilities. Passengers deserve safe, reliable, and convenient transportation. Neighboring residents deserve consideration regarding noise, safety, and community impacts.
My responsibility is to listen to all stakeholders, evaluate the facts, and make balanced decisions that protect the airport’s long-term interests.
I believe responsible airport development and being a good neighbor can, and must, go hand in hand.
Question: Is there anything else you would like to add?
Clayton: To the people of Santa Maria: Serving on your Airport Board has been an honor and a responsibility I have never taken lightly.
My father, an Air Force veteran, inspired my lifelong love of aviation. My love for Santa Maria and the Central Coast inspired me to turn that passion into public service.
Over the past four years, I have worked to protect taxpayer dollars, resolve difficult legal challenges, support responsible development, and help position our airport for a stronger future.
I have given my time voluntarily because I believe public service should be about commitment, not personal compensation.
But our work is far from finished.
I envision a Santa Maria Airport that attracts new businesses, creates employment opportunities, celebrates aviation history, expands transportation options, and becomes an even greater source of pride for our community.
My father taught me the importance of service. My profession taught me the importance of accountability. And my community has given me the privilege of putting both into practice.
Thank you for the opportunity to serve.
Danny K. Mogg, retired manufacturing engineer
Question: What do you believe are the three most pressing issues the Santa Maria Public Airport District faces over the next four years? How would you address these issues?
The failure of the current board to draft and implement a plan to bring and sustain ridership at the airport for the residents of the Santa Maria Valley and surrounding areas.
My approach to arriving at a solution to this longstanding problem will be to utilize a proven method of problem solving that is used in many successful industries to solve complex problems, including the aerospace industry where I have worked as a Manufacturing Engineer for decades. That methodology is called Root Cause, and Corrective Action. I would advocate a deep dive into the failures of the current board to execute sustainable ridership for its constituents, identify the root cause(s), and implement effective, long-term corrective actions. Upon completion of the root cause investigation, I propose publication of the findings for public review
Mitigation and the minimization of aircraft noise, as it relates to the homeowners and residents of the area that surrounds the Santa Maria Public Airport.
The first step in mitigating the airport noise in the surrounding area is to acknowledge the affected residents as stakeholders in this matter. I propose a series of roundtable discussions and forums that include the public weighing in on solutions that satisfy the residents’ interests while understanding the need to schedule regular flights to execute a successful business model. This will require analysis of flight routes and schedules that balance those competing factors, while educating the public on the limitations of the board in terms of federal regulation as it relates to the Airport Noise and Capacity Act of 1990.
Effective use of the land that surrounds the Santa Maria Public Airport. The current Airport Master Plan needs to be reviewed to determine whether or not the airport is meeting the objectives of the current plan, which was revised in 2019. This plan should be used as a guide by the board, and regularly scheduled reviews of the plan should be held to determine if the plan needs to be amended and improved to remain aligned with the most current forecast. It is my understanding that the plan was revised in accordance with FAA guidelines in 2015 and a consulting firm, Tartaglia Engineering and Coffman Associates, was awarded the contract. In short, I want to determine whether or not the current board has a plan for the 2,600-acre parcel that comprises the airport campus, and is following that plan.
Question: What are your ties to aviation and/or the airport? How would you balance meeting the needs of tenants, neighbors, passengers and others?
Mogg: My background in aviation began in 1977 when I enlisted in the Air Force. I was assigned to a Strategic Air Command base in northern lower Michigan where I spent four years on an active flightline in support of B-52 bombers and KC-135 in-flight refueling aircraft. After being honorably discharged in 1981, I began my career in manufacturing, primarily aircraft. I worked on the Space Shuttle program for 7 years for Rockwell International, and later Boeing. In 2003, I graduated college and launched the second half of my career as a manufacturing engineer. I have performed my work for some of the largest defense and commercial aircraft manufacturers in the US. I have led projects that range from Satellite fuel systems to replacement landing gear for our current fleet of B2 Stealth bombers. I have the ability to not only read and interpret aircraft specifications, but I have a proven record of solving complex problems.
Question: Is there anything else you would like to add?
Mogg: I think the best way to balance the needs of the stakeholders at the Santa Maria Public Airport is through transparency and honesty. I see myself as primarily a public advocate. I have no financial interest, nor do I have any political aspirations. I very much want to solve this longstanding problem for the residents of the city that I love, and I believe that I am in a unique position to do so.
Editor’s Note: These answers have been lightly edited for style and formatting.
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