Four Santa Barbara City Council seats are on the Nov. 5 ballot, with the contests for the Mesa and Eastside districts the most competitive.
The nomination period opened last week and closes on Aug. 9, and 10 candidates have already jumped into the races, according to the City Clerk’s Office.
November’s election includes five-year terms for the seats representing District 1 (Eastside), District 2 (Mesa) and District 3 (Westside), and one two-year term for District 6 (downtown).
The five-year terms, instead of the usual four, are because city voters approved the switch to even-year city elections, which will start in 2024. The City Council members elected in 2021 will also be elected to five-year terms.
District 1
Incumbent Jason Dominguez is running for re-election four years after he upset the political establishment and won a seat by walking to thousands of doors and connecting with English- and Spanish-speaking voters in the Eastside neighborhoods.
“I am running for re-election because I am troubled that day after day, council meeting after council meeting, I am one of the few voices advocating for the preservation of our community’s values and the quality of life that makes Santa Barbara so special, and is being destroyed one oversized housing project after another,” Dominguez told Noozhawk.
“Our quality of life is sacrificed on the altar of partisan demagoguery that divides our community and makes common sense solutions impossible to achieve.”
He is also toying with the idea of running for State Assembly in 2020.
Dominguez, a Democrat, won his seat without the endorsement of the Santa Barbara County Democratic Party, and this year will face a challenge from Alejandra Gutierrez, another Democrat.
Gutierrez grew up in District 1 and said she wants to be a voice for “underrepresented constituents.”
She is executive director of the Franklin Service Center.
“For the past decade I’ve worked to get local residents the services and opportunities they need to thrive,” she said in a statement. “As a Council member, I will improve opportunities for youth, make sure police and firefighters have the right resources to keep our neighborhoods safe and champion local businesses.”
Cruzito Herrera Cruz, pulled papers after this story was originally published. He has run several times.
In a statement to Noozhawk, he said his candidacy is focused on development of a district-based management plan, social, cultural and economic development of the Milpas Street corridor, developing youth programming and highlighting infrastructure improvements.
“My political platform is focused on our working-class of Santa Barbarians in District 1,” Cruz wrote in a statement. “This requires to be a public servant that is a good public steward with our all our resources.”
District 2
Councilman Randy Rowse cannot run again due to term limits, and five people have already jumped into the open race for the seat: Mike Jordan, Teri Jori, Luis Esparza, Brian Campbell and Tavis Boise.
Jordan has emerged as the early front runner. He won the endorsement of the Santa Barbara County Democratic Party, and has served on the city’s Planning Commission for 10 years.
He is a multi-generation Santa Barbaran and has a deep knowledge of the issues.
“I feel my background of working parent, business community participant, experience as a social equity advocate, coupled with current and prior local and regional positions, uniquely position me to positively contribute immediately,” Jordan told Noozhawk.
Jori, a neighborhood activist and owner of Poise Productions, is endorsed by former county supervisor Janet Wolf and former Santa Barbara mayor Marty Blum.
According to her website, she is the developer of the “Revolutionary Award-Winning Poise Fitness Technique,” and is a fourth-degree black belt. Jori has identified protecting tax dollars, revitalizing State Street, public safety and the environment as her priorities.
“The birthplace of the environmental movement shouldn’t just talk about being green – we need to return to being a leader.
“We can achieve the city’s goal of 100-percent renewable energy – but we need new leadership at the city to do so,” she said.
Esparza, an attorney, has also jumped into the race. It’s his second attempt, after unsuccessfully running for a seat in 2013.
“I’m running to cut red tape regarding residential and business regulations, increase revenue streams, such as creating a cannabis/hemp enterprise fund, and reduce expenditures to better plan for the future,” Esparza said.
Campbell, a Realtor, said in a statement to Noozhawk that “the Santa Barbara City Council needs a different perspective outside the political perspective, from outside the political machine, someone not interested in party politics, but someone interested in what the people of Santa Barbara want.”
Boise, a Santa Barbara City College student, is also trying to land a seat representing the Mesa.
“I am running to represent the future of Santa Barbara, because the policy we create now in regards to climate change, water security, water management, and affordability will have profound, lasting effects,” Boise said. “Your kids and grandkids deserve a seat at the table.”
District 3 and District 6
Two of the seats are uncontested so far, with Councilman Oscar Gutierrez unchallenged in his re-election campaign for the District 3 seat, and appointed Councilwoman Meagan Harmon running for election for the District 6 seat.
After former councilman Gregg Hart resigned to join the Santa Barbara County Board of Supervisors, Harmon was appointed to fill the District 6 vacancy until the November election. Whoever is elected will serve the last two years of Hart’s term.
Harmon was narrowly appointed to the seat by the current City Council members. Since her appointment, she has become popular among liberal progressives, and recently locked up the Santa Barbara County Democratic Party endorsement in the race.
“I’m running for City Council because I love this city,” said Harmon, an attorney.
“I am so grateful to my neighbors who make my life and my family’s life so rich. I am running to serve them and to stand alongside them to make our city is the best it can be. We have a shared vision for Santa Barbara — one that prioritizes community and supports working families, and I want to keep fighting to make that vision reality for the next two years.”
Gabriel Escobedo, who sought the appointment for the seat earlier this year, initially filed papers to run, but has decided to step aside, leaving Harmon uncontested for now.
Gutierrez was elected to his District 3 seat in a special election in 2018, and is uncontested so far in his attempt to win re-election, according to the City Clerk’s Office.
— Noozhawk staff writer Joshua Molina can be reached at jmolina@noozhawk.com. Follow Noozhawk on Twitter: @noozhawk, @NoozhawkNews and @NoozhawkBiz. Connect with Noozhawk on Facebook.
