Cathy Murillo, first elected to the City Council in 2011, is the first candidate to toss her hat into the ring for Santa Barbara’s mayoral election this November.
Murillo represents the City Council District 3, which encompasses the city’s Westside neighborhood.
“I’m running for mayor, I’m raising money, and I have been since late last year,” she told Noozhawk. “I want to continue the public service I’ve been doing, and take it to the next level.”
According to campaign finance statements, Murillo raised $12,438 in 2016, and brought over another $9,470 from her 2015 City Council campaign.
She said she’s raised more since then.
“For me, coming out strong with a campaign treasury was really important, which is why I started raising money last year,” she said.
Before joining the council, Murillo, a former journalist, was the news and public affairs director for KCSB, the community radio station at UC Santa Barbara.
Often the most reliable voice for the left on the City Council, Murillo frequently frames council issues around working-class residents’ needs and concerns.
“It’s really exciting,” she said. “It’s a job that really suits me, from being from journalism and all the research and writing that I did, really delving deep into government, and now being connected to the community and people and the business community. I think I’m perfect for the job.”
Should she win, the council would have to appoint someone to fill her seat.
Murillo said a formal campaign launch event is slated for March 4 at Mulligan’s Café and Bar at the Santa Barbara Golf Club.
A likely challenger is Councilman Bendy White, who was elected to the dais in 2009 and told Noozhawk he was still mulling his options.
White has served on the city’s Planning and Water commissions, as well as the county’s Planning Commission.
Councilman Frank Hotchkiss, also elected in 2009, told Noozhawk there’s a “one in five chance” he runs for mayor, saying he’d only jump in the race if he believed none of the candidates could address issues as effectively as he could.
Hotchkiss, a former actor and Associated Press journalist who worked in the PR industry, said he most likely will end up focusing on promoting his first novel, a romance story released last year.
Both he and White cannot run for a third consecutive term.
In 2015, Santa Barbara moved to district elections after a California Voting Rights Act lawsuit alleged that Latinos where underrepresented on the City Council.
Running to represent the new District 6, which covers the city’s downtown area, is Councilman Gregg Hart, who has been elected to the council three times: in 1995, 1999 and 2013.
“I’m excited about the chance to continue the work I’ve been doing the last four years,” he said.
Hart, a government affairs and public information manager with the Santa Barbara County Association of Governments, said his agenda would include investment in infrastructure and protecting neighborhoods, environmental sustainability and increased renewable energy, a balanced budget with fully funded reserves, affordable housing, public safety and transportation.
Hart previously served on the city Planning Commission and on the California Coastal Commission.
According to campaign finance records, he raised $9,200 in the latter half of 2016.
The only other candidate to have filed papers is Eric Friedman, an aide to Congressman Salud Carbajal when he was a county supervisor.
Friedman is competing in the new District 5, which covers Upper State Street neighborhoods and the areas west of Las Positas Road.
Currently on the council, though not up for re-election, are Jason Dominguez of District 1 and Randy Rowse of District 2.
Dominguez is a former prosecutor and Santa Barbara County attorney, and Rowse is the owner of downtown’s Paradise Café.
Mayor Helene Schneider, who is terming out, told Noozhawk that she has not made any decisions on her future, and is keeping her options open as she focuses on this year’s policy issues and budget process.
Schneider served on the council before running for mayor, worked for 11 years with Planned Parenthood, and has served on the Housing Authority of Santa Barbara and a number of local advisory groups and committees.
Last year, she finished fourth in California’s 24th congressional district primary.
— Noozhawk staff writer Sam Goldman can be reached at sgoldman@noozhawk.com. Follow Noozhawk on Twitter: @noozhawk, @NoozhawkNews and @NoozhawkBiz. Connect with Noozhawk on Facebook.