Incumbents Oscar Gutierrez and Mike Jordan appear to have succeeded in their re-election bids for Santa Barbara City Council seats, while Alejandra Gutierrez was trailing her opponent.

Energetic political newcomer Wendy Santamaria was ahead of Alejandra Gutierrez, 46.4% to 41.3%, according to the final election night tally from the Santa Barbara County Elections Office.

Cruzito Herrera Cruz trailed far behind with 11.2% of the vote for the District 1 race representing the Eastside neighborhood.

The district was reporting low turnout as of Tuesday night and Santamaria’s lead was 138 votes.

Santamaria beat back campaign criticisms from Gutierrez that she was not a longtime Santa Barbara local and therefore not qualified to serve on the Eastside.

“It feels good to see that people power really paid off,” Santamaria said. “The Eastside and the city is a tapestry of folks, some local, some not, but they all matter.”

Gutierrez responded to the early results showing her behind.

“I’m just really honored to represent the district in the time I’ve had, and I’m just really proud of the work we’ve done,” Gutierrez said.

She added that she still felt confident and was proud of the campaign, calling it clean and “very positive.”

Oscar Gutierrez was well ahead of Tony Becerra in the District 3 race, with 59.0% of the vote. Both candidates are running to represent the Westside neighborhood.

“I feel super grateful that my district is happy to have me represent them for another four years,” Oscar Gutierrez said after seeing the first batch of results. “I am super grateful for sensei Becerra, for all that he has done for the community. It’s the end goal of a true teacher to have their student surpass them.”

Jordan had 77.3% of the vote, far ahead of his opponent, Terra Taylor.

“I am looking forward to getting back to work,” Jordan told Noozhawk.

The Santa Barbara County Elections Office will be updating election results as more ballots are counted in the upcoming days and weeks.

District 1 Race

The issue of rent control and tenant rights dominated the talk during the campaign. Gutierrez has much support from property owners and Santamaria from tenants. The two are opposites on many of the issues.

Santamaria had criticized Gutierrez on multiple fronts. Gutierrez consistently points to the fact that she grew up locally and has been invested in the community her entire life, drawing a contrast to Santamaria, who grew up in Southern California’s Inland Empire.

Gutierrez was once the rising star of the Santa Barbara County Democratic Central Committee, whose activist board members rallied behind her to unseat then-incumbent Jason Dominguez. Gutierrez won by eight votes in 2019, a margin she attributes to her deep roots in the community.

She has since split from the Democratic Party and found support with some conservatives, largely because of her opposition to rent control in Santa Barbara. Her opponent, Santamaria, strongly pushed a 2% cap on rent increases annually, and Gutierrez adamantly opposed such a measure.

Her opposition to a rent cap has upset tenants and tenant advocates, and there’s an organized effort, both publicly and behind the scenes, to oust her from office. The tension is so bad that Gutierrez last month issued a press release saying she has been the victim of massive sign theft.

Santamaria is a labor organizer for UCSB, a former organizer with CAUSE, the Central Coast Alliance United for a Sustainable Economy, and a tenant rights advocate. She moved from the Inland Empire to south Santa Barbara County eight years ago to attend UCSB and has lived in Santa Barbara for four years.

She is a strong advocate for a rent cap of 2%. She has deep ties to the Santa Barbara Tenants Union, CAUSE and Santa Barbara’s new generation of young, community activists. She has been endorsed by the Santa Barbara County Democratic Party. 

District 3 Race

A San Marcos High School graduate, Oscar Gutierrez jumped from working as a producer at TV Santa Barbara to a member of the City Council. He was elected in 2018 with 1,007 votes, beating out three other challengers.

When it came time for Gutierrez to run again, a year later, he was appointed to the seat because he didn’t have an opponent.

Since winning office, Gutierrez has prided himself on more community events and responding to more constituent emails than any candidate before him.

Gutierrez was endorsed by the Santa Barbara County Democratic Party, the Planned Parenthood Action Fund, the Sierra Club and others.

Becerra has run his dojo for nearly 30 years. He’s a business owner who wondered why government wasn’t taking care of his community and decided to step up and run himself. He calls himself “the squeaky wheel.”

He said the city has neglected San Andres Street, adding that there are not enough safe crosswalks or lighting.

Becerra gained support from property owners, and, surprisingly, took a key endorsement away from Gutierrez — the Santa Barbara City Firefighters Association.

District 2 Race

During his first term, Jordan credited himself for supporting a new tenant protection ordinance, helping steer the city through the COVID-19 pandemic financially, socially and operationally, and helping to guide the city’s budget process financially by cutting costs and filling only essential vacant positions.

He is the most moderate member of the City Council and is a registered Democrat, but he pulls support from a wide swath of the community. He is friendly with developers and property owners, and believes it is important to have conversations with everyone for the sake of the overall city.

He pushed to crack down on illegal short-term vacation rentals through enhanced enforcement. Jordan also said he tries to work with developers to increase the number of affordable units beyond the city’s 10% minimum.

He hopes to focus on the redevelopment of La Cumbre Plaza, potential housing at Paseo Nuevo, and housing citywide.

Opponent Taylor raised only about $75, and her campaign never really picked up steam.

She is a small-business consultant who owns Smart Start SB. She moved to Santa Barbara in 2017 from Richmond, Virginia, and previously worked as a mortgage broker.

The candidates met for a forum and discussed housing, the sales tax increase and short-term rental enforcement in the city.