Barring some unforeseen twist of fate, Gregg Hart will be the next Second District Supervisor for Santa Barbara County.
The deadline to file to run in the June 5 election has passed, and Hart stands alone on the ballot for the seat being vacated by the retiring Janet Wolf.
Goleta Union School District trustee Susan Epstein announced that she planned to run for the seat — and had raised more than $100,000 for that effort — before abruptly backing out of the race late last month, handing the victory to Hart.
“I’m looking forward to continuing my public service in our community and working to improve our fiscal constraints, improve our environment and create economic opportunities,” Hart said.
Hart will replace Wolf, who was first elected in 2006. He currently sits on the Santa Barbara City Council, and was just re-elected in 2017.
He was first elected to the City Council in the early 1990s. He returned to the council in 2013 after a break .
In the Fifth District, incumbent Supervisor Steve Lavagnino also is running unopposed.
The most contentious contest on the ballot is likely to be the race for Santa Barbara County sheriff.
Incumbent Bill Brown is being challenged by two lieutenants. Lt. Brian Olmstead, who began his career 28 years ago, has focused on stopping human trafficking. Also on the ballot is Eddie Hsueh, a 30-year-veteran of the Sheriff’s Office.
Rep. Salud Carbajal, D-Santa Barbara, is running for re-election in Congress. He faces a battle, again, from Republican Justin Fareed, whom he defeated two years ago, and another Republican, Michael Erin Woody.
In the 37th Assembly District, incumbent Democrat Monique Limon faces a challenge from Democrats Sofia Collin and David L. Norrdin.
Susan Salcido, county superintendent of schools, in running unopposed for the post she was appointed to in April 2017 following the retirement of Bill Cirone.
For the county Auditor-Controller position, Betsy Schaffer and Jennifer Christensen are running for the vacant spot. Shaffer is the current assistant auditor-controller and Christensen is the Santa Barbara County Investment Chief.
Santa Barbara County Clerk-Recorder-Assessor Joe Holland faces a challenge from Baz Donald Ofiali, the county’s auditor-appraiser.
Santa Barbara County District Attorney Joyce Dudley is running unopposed for re-election.
Incumbent Santa Barbara County Treasurer-Tax Collector-Public Administrator Harry Hagen is also running for unchallenged.
In the city of Santa Barbara, Westside voters in District 3 will choose a replacement for Cathy Murillo. Ken Rivas, Michael Vidal and Oscar Gutierrez are running for the spot.
Eight Superior Court judges are unopposed and will not be on the ballot. They include Colleen K. Sterne, Raimundo Montes De Oca, James E Herman, Timothy J Staffel, Clifford R Anderson III, Arthur Garcia, Donna D Geck, and Patricia L. Kelly.
Four measures are also on the ballot.
In Lompoc, residents will vote on Measure Q, a Lompoc Unified School District Bond Measure. The $79 million bond measure would help pay for new classrooms, school facilities and electrical systems.
Hope School District homeowners will also vote on a new $79 annual parcel tax that would be in effect for five years. The money would fund science, technology, cngineering and math programs and “maintain safe facilities.”
Santa Barbara County residents will decide whether to approve a cannabis general tax of 1 percent on nurseries and distributors; 3 percent on manufacturers; 4 percent on cultivators and 6 percent on retailers and micro-businesses.
The tax is estimated to raise $5 million to $25 million annually for general governmental purposes such as law enforcement, health care and parks.
In Isla Vista, residents will vote on an 8-percent utility users tax that would fund parking, public safety, lightning, sidewalks and tenant mediation services. The tax would generate $642,000 a year.
— 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