For all but nine of Gregg Hart’s 59 years on the planet, he has lived in Santa Barbara County’s Second District.
On Tuesday morning, Hart will finally get the chance to represent that district, as he is being sworn in as the newest member of the Santa Barbara County Board of Supervisors.
The move to the five-member county government board is the latest twist in the long career of Hart, one of the region’s most durable and pugnacious politicians of the past 30 years.
“This is an incredible opportunity to continue my service to the community,” Hart told Noozhawk. “I am proud to have this chance.”
Monday was his last official day as a member of the Santa Barbara City Council, where he was elected three times.
Hart on Friday also resigned from his position as deputy executive director of the Santa Barbara County Association of Governments.
He won the Second District seat in an uncontested race in June, after longtime supervisor Janet Wolf decided not to run again.
“Janet and I bring our unique perspectives, but we are very similar in our values,” Hart said. “There will be a lot of continuity.”
Still, Hart said he sees it as his role to reach out to the North County representatives, Steve Lavagnino and Peter Adam.
While the political ideologies on the national level has gone to the extreme, Hart said in the county he wants to look at matters issue by issue.
“I like to say, ‘here’s the problem, what’s the solution,” Hart said. “I want to take things on issue by issue and not get pigeon-holed politically. When it comes to local government, these are much more practical problems, and solutions.”
The former councilman says he has three priorities for the Board of Supervisors: the county’s finances; emergency preparedness; and the intersection of criminal justice, mental health and social services.
“There’s a screaming need to address homelessness in our community,” Hart said.
He was disappointed with the quick deadline for the state’s Homeless Emergency Aid Program grant program, which could have funded trailers and tiny homes for homeless persons in the city and county. Santa Barbara received $2 million of the $6-million-plus it asked for, and the county was denied funding.
The state could have unfolded the process more effectively, he said, and on the county board he hopes to help improve those ties.
Hart has known a long career in public service. He was a legislative assistant to former Assemblymember Jack O’Connell from 1985 to 1991 and manager of SBCAG’s Traffic Solutions Division from 1991 to 1995.
He served on the Santa Barbara Planning Commission from 1987 to 1995, and served on the City Council from 1996 to 2004.
From 2000 to 2004, he sat on the California Coastal Commission, appointed by former Gov. Gray Davis. In 2013, he was elected to the City Council again, and was then re-elected in 2017.
During much of that time, from 1992 to 2012, he was the owner of Transitions Preschool.
Hart is one of those rare politicians who has managed to appeal to people on both sides of the political spectrum.
During his first council run he was mentored by conservatives such as Helene Beaver, Rusty Fairly and Dr. Dan Secord, yet was well-respected and well-liked by former mayors Harriet Miller and Marty Blum, and has been consistently endorsed by the Democratic Party.
Whip-smart, with the ability to put complex politically issues into real world context, Hart served as the elder statesman on the council, a bridge from the past to the present, which is a role he would like to play on the Board of Supervisors.
He joins First District Supervisor Das Williams, another former Santa Barbara councilman; Third District Supervisor Joan Hartmann; Fourth District Supervisor Peter Adam; and Fifth District Supervisor Steve Lavagnino.
Lavagnino won re-election in an uncontested race in June 2018, and will be sworn in Tuesday to begin his third term.
— 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.
