Harry Hagen is retiring at the end of the year and decided not to run for another term as Santa Barbara County’s Treasurer-Tax Collector-Public Administrator after nearly 16 years in the role.
Kim Tesoro, who has been assistant treasurer-tax collector for 13 years, is the only candidate on the June 2026 ballot for the position. She has worked for the county for 30 years (as of June) and looks forward to a 4-year term if elected.
Hagen, 63, a Goleta Valley native, has worked in local government for 30 years, and said really enjoys the job.
But his wife, Julie Hagen, retired from the county Public Works Department in December, and he wants to spend more time with her. He decided it’s time to “pass off to the next generation,” and didn’t file papers to run for another term, he said.
“I love what I do, but I love my wife more,” he said.
Hagen was first elected to the position in 2010 from a field of four and ran unopposed for three more terms.
The department oversees important financial and service roles for the county, including the treasurer, tax collector and public administrator.
The department also includes debt administration for the county; running the county investment pool; administering conservatorships as public guardian; and helping county veterans obtain state and federal benefits.
Hagen sits on the SBCERS retirement system board and chairs the debt advisory committee.
About $14 billion is processed through the county treasury annually, he said.
Hagen is not the most recognizable face at the county, but many people know his name from property tax bills or other documents, he said.
When someone calls his name at a doctor’s office or a restaurant, “there are always a couple people who give me side eye, like, “Oh, that’s who that SOB is,” Hagen said.
It’s not the most popular post, “separating people from their money,” he said. “To be in this job you have to have a tough skin.”
Tesoro grew up in the Los Angeles area and went to UC Santa Barbara for her business economics degree with an accounting emphasis. She’s always been a numbers person, she said.
She got a job with the county right after graduating and “never left,” she said.
She started in the Auditor-Controller’s Office then moved to the Treasurer-Tax Collector’s Office 20 years ago.
Tesoro decided to run for the department’s top job since Hagen is retiring.
“This stuff is fun. I want to continue working here and continue the legacy of treasurers before him. I want to continue the success of the office,” Tesoro said.
“She’ll do a very good job, she’s very qualified,” Hagen said.
Tesoro and Hagen both marveled at the changes they’ve seen in the department over the decades, especially with the rise of online banking and e-commerce.
“When I started in 1996, you couldn’t pay things through ACH or electronic means,” he said.
Now, about half the money that runs through the county treasury is through electronic means, Hagen said.
“That’s the biggest change, and what comes with it too is all the scammers and cyber crimes and really creative ways people have devised to rip other people off,” he added.
“It’s been amazing to see the transformation over the years,” said Tesoro, who also started working at the county in 1996.
Hagen is retiring at a time when the county is facing potential budget cuts to deal with rising costs and lower state and federal funding for essential services.
“I know the county is going into some cost-cutting times, but I know the veteran leadership we have at the county has gone through this kind of environment before, so I have a lot of faith that the county is in good shape,” Hagen said.
“I know leadership knows what they’re doing. There are a lot of talented, intelligent people, and that’s what I will miss, the intellectual stimulation of working with bright people here.”
