With Santa Barbara County votes still being counted, and updates coming only twice a week, many candidates are left to await the results of their close races from last Tuesday’s election.
Election officials said updated results will be released each Tuesday and Thursday until certification, which has to happen by Dec. 3.
As of Monday, with only one post-election update, there were several close races to keep an eye on. For candidates and ballot measure supporters, it’s a challenge in patience.
Buellton and Lompoc City Council Races
The Buellton City Council District 1 seat was very close. Special-education teacher Billy Silvola was leading by only 16 votes over Mark Williams, a retired police sergeant.
Williams said he anticipated the race to be close, calling it a testament to both his and Silvola’s campaigns.
“I’m feeling still optimistic and hopeful. We’ll see how it goes, but I think that we worked real hard and put a lot of time and effort talking to people and talking about the issues, and I’m not surprised it’s this close,” Williams said.
Silvola said he was “at the point of hurry up and wait,” adding that while it was tighter than he would have liked, he still planned to attend the City Council’s meeting Monday in order to make a “smooth transition” if he wins the race.
“I think we’re both passionate about wanting to serve our city, and so I think in that regard, hopefully the city will be the winner ultimately,” Silvola said.
Another close race was for the Lompoc City Council, where incumbent Councilman Victor Vega was ahead by 31 votes over Sharlameigne Segovia for the District 2 seat in the latest count.
Santa Barbara Mayoral Race Still Undecided
Eric Friedman led Kristen Sneddon by 312 votes in the Santa Barbara mayoral race. Both candidates are current members of the City Council and focused their campaigns for the top seat on rent stabilization, the future of State Street and city finances.
On Monday, awaiting the next update, Friedman described himself as “cautiously optimistic.” He said he hoped by Tuesday that the majority of votes would be in and would provide certainty on the race.
He said he wouldn’t dwell on the race and instead would focus on going to community events and spending time with his family.
“The way I’m approaching it right now is that all the votes are in; they just need to be counted,” Friedman said, “so it is completely out of anyone’s control at this point.”
Last week, Sneddon said in a social media post that “with the mayor’s race not yet determined, I am celebrating the direction Santa Barbara is heading with the council seats.”
She also thanked her volunteers and supporters for voting and working on the campaign. She could not be reached for comment Monday.
Santa Ynez High School Bond Narrowly Passing
Santa Ynez Valley Union High School’s Measure D was narrowly passing in preliminary results. It had 55.95% approval and requires 55% to pass.
Measure D would authorize $80 million in bond measures to help renovate the school’s campus for almost all facilities, such as classrooms and science laboratories.
Superintendent Kimberly Sheehan said the school is encouraged by the community’s “apparent support” of Measure D.
“Our community has a long history of investing in the next generation, and we are deeply thankful to everyone who recognizes the importance of providing these opportunities for today’s students and those who will follow,” Sheehan said.
Fifth District Supervisor
The race for the county supervisor was also relatively close, with Ricardo Valencia and Maribel Aguilera just 282 votes apart in the latest count.
Last week, Valencia said he was grateful to the community for believing in the campaign, adding that he wanted to honor every vote and wait for the final results.
“I’m feeling an immense sense of pride that our campaign ran an ethical campaign where we did not take money from big corporations or special interests,” he told Noozhawk.
Aguilera told Noozhawk last week that she was grateful to be part of the election process, and thankful for her supporters and the voters. She added that the race was still ongoing.
“We’re patiently waiting for the ballots to be counted,” she said.
Allan Hancock College Measure H Bond
The Allan Hancock Joint Community College District’s Measure H was also passing in preliminary results. In the latest count it had 57.3% approval and requires 55% approval.
Measure H intends to help local facilities for the district, authorizing up to $290 million in bonds to improve projects across campus, such as upgrading aging classrooms, improving affordability for students and offering four-year degrees in partnership with Cal Poly.
