Setting the stage for a colossal matchup that is likely to rattle the political landscape for years to come, Laura Capps has decided to challenge incumbent Das Williams for the First District seat on the Santa Barbara County Board of Supervisors.
Capps on Wednesday formed a fundraising committee with the California Secretary of State’s Office, and told Noozhawk on Thursday afternoon that she plans a formal announcement at 3 p.m. next Tuesday at the Santa Barbara Mission Rose Garden.
She’s holding the event purposely after school gets out so that families can attend.
Capps, a member of the Santa Barbara Unified School District Board of Education, has a board meeting later in the evening.
Capps, 46, has arisen as a formidable challenge to Williams, who was first elected to the Santa Barbara City Council in 2003.
He also served in the state Assembly before being forced out by term limits, and was elected to the Board of Supervisors in 2016.
Capps’ move comes after Williams walked into a political hornet’s nest earlier this year over his support of cannabis cultivation in the Carpinteria Valley.
In June, the Los Angeles Times published email exchanges between Williams and Carpinteria cannabis cultivators, and noted that he has accepted $16,500 in donations from members of the CARP Growers, officially the Cannabis Association for Responsible Producers.
Capps then wrote an opinion commentary in the Times that criticized county officials’ support of marijuana cultivation centers near schools.
Capps is a former president and current board member of the Community Environmental Council; and a former White House aide and speechwriter for President Bill Clinton.
Both of her parents, Walter and Lois Capps, served in the U.S. Congress.
The Santa Barbara County Democratic Party has endorsed Williams, and party leaders worry that a battle between the two will permanently scar the party, or worse, allow a conservative candidate to sneak in and win the seat.
It’s atypical for an incumbent to face a challenge from someone in their own party, but Williams finds himself in that scenario.
The California primary is on March 3, 2020.
— 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.
