Santa Barbara Mayor Helene Schneider has a new job. Two of them, in fact.
Schneider told Noozhawk on Saturday that she will work as a regional development manager for Cal State Channel Islands, and regional coordinator for the U.S. Interagency Council on Homelessness.
She will begin both jobs later this month.
“I am very excited about these two projects, and I am very excited to put as much energy into them as public office,” Schneider said.
Schneider said both jobs will build on her skills and many of the things she worked on at City Hall: collaboration, team building, and regional relationships.
At CSU Channel Islands, she said, she will work to make stronger connections with the university in Camarillo with the local South Coast community.
Some of that may include building stronger relationships between Cottage Health’s nursing program and the bachelor’s degree program at the university.
She also plans to strengthen relationships with the university and Santa Barbara City College, and plans meetings with key college and university leaders.
“I’ll be there to connect the dots,” Schneider said.
She plans the same focus with her federal government job.
The U.S. Interagency Council on Homelessness coordinates and supports the federal response to homelessness, working in close partnership with cabinet secretaries and other senior leaders across the country.
The council works with governors, mayors, continuum-of-care leaders, and other local officials.
Schneider said she will be working on the issue of homelessness “in the broadest sense,” and plans to connect local people and services to the federal government.
“I’ll be busy,” Schneider said, “but being mayor was a full-time job.”
Schneider will travel and work remotely: “My office will be my car and my house,” the Westside resident said.
Schneider’s supporters held an end-of-term party, a fundraiser for the Santa Barbara Arts Collaborative, Saturday evening, where she was expected to make the formal announcement about her new line of work.
Schneider served 14 years as a member of the City Council, the past eight as mayor. During her time, she was an advocate for affordable housing, higher wages for city employees, renters’ rights and senior citizen services.
She spent most of her career as a liberal progressive Democrat, but also in recent years, enjoyed support from moderates and some conservatives. She lost a bid for U.S. Congress in 2016.
Schneider didn’t rule out the possibility of running for public office again, but not “for the immediate future.”
Her last day as mayor is Tuesday, when she will formally step down to start the council meeting. Cathy Murillo will be sworn in as the new mayor.
Check back with Noozhawk next week for a full story on Schneider’s time as mayor.
— 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.
