The race for the Clerk-Recorder-Assessor-Registrar of Voters Office will be between two longtime Santa Barbara County employees with decades of experience in the department.

Joe Holland, who currently holds the position, will face off against Deputy Clerk-Recorder-Assessor Melinda Greene in the June 2 primary election.

The office consists of three departments that oversee elections, property values assessments, recording official public documents, and tracking documents — such as marriage certificates, business names and birth certificates.

Holland is looking to continue his tenure as clerk-recorder with a sixth term in office. He was first elected in March 2002.

He holds a bachelor’s degree in business economics and a master’s degree in economics, both from UC Santa Barbara. He also completed the UCLA Executive Program in the Anderson School of Business in 2001 and is certified as a public finance officer.

Holland first joined the county assessor’s office in 1984 as a real estate appraiser. He also served as assessment supervisor, project manager and business division manager before being elected to his current position.

He said he loves his position and has no desire to retire. His goals, if elected again, are to maintain the integrity of the office in conducting elections and the quality of appraisers.

“I bring the experience and I have the track record of running this office in a manner that provides all the varied services to the citizens of this county fairly, efficiently and with integrity,” Holland said.

One technology that Holland said his office may benefit from is artificial intelligence. He said he is not sure how it could be implemented across his office’s three departments, but he said it could greatly benefit the Clerk-Recorder’s Office.

One potential use he identified is utilizing AI to detect real estate fraud. He plans to see how other counties implement it to see how it could be used effectively.

“I’m not ready to say we’re going to implement AI just yet, but I think it’s sort of the responsibility of the department director who’s elected to this position to take a look at that,” Holland said.

Despite Holland’s experience, county supervisors have questioned how he has been running his office. He has been working remotely for 18 months because of health issues, and did not attend the annual budget workshops and department presentations in person.

Holland said his deputies and staff can reach him at any time.

Holland later told Noozhawk that he hopes to return to the office in the coming weeks. He added that the situation is not ideal, but millions of people work from home.

He has stated that he does not accept political endorsements in his race, which he said can lead to outside influences.

“When I ran for office 24 years ago, for the first time, it was very important … to me that the office be run without any political influence whatsoever,” Holland said. “So … one of my main goals is to maintain that and maintain the integrity of the office in that respect.”

Melinda Greene

Greene, a UCSB graduate, has been working with the County of Santa Barbara for 30 years. She started as an accountant and auditor in 1996 before becoming a budget analyst and project manager, and later an IT project manager.

She is also a certified public accountant, a certified public finance officer, an elections registration administrator and a housing finance professional.

Greene said her interest in public service stems from her family. Her grandfather was a public servant in Japan, her great-aunts were teachers, and her cousin worked as a superintendent in Los Angeles.

“There’s a long history in my family of public service and believing in protecting the community,” Greene said. “So, I continue in that tradition.”

If elected, Greene said she plans to increase outreach with the community to promote transparency. Her goal is to inform the public of the office’s services and basic functions, and ensure election security. Different ways she hopes to do that include using social media and issuing more press releases.

A challenge Greene expects for the office is an increase in fraud because of AI. She said she can bring new tools and techniques to the department to deal with the new threat.

“I think it really takes a leader that is thoroughly trained in protecting against fraud and understanding technology, and those are my skills,” Greene said.

Fraud is a chief concern for Greene, and much of her job has been working to prevent it. She has served as a witness for the District Attorney’s Office in various fraud cases and served on committees to help craft legislation against fraud.

Greene also has referred cases to Assemblyman Gregg Hart’s office, which led to new legislation making certain kinds of liens illegal. She also has provided specialized training to staff in her department to better identify fraud when it occurs.  

All five of the Santa Barbara County supervisors have endorsed Greene during her campaign. She also has been endorsed by Hart, the Santa Barbara County Democratic Party, Senate President pro Tempore Monique Limón and Congressman Salud Carbajal.

Greene said the support she has from the board and other local organizations is the result of the trust she has built over the years through her hard work and willingness to respond to the community.

“I know that running the procedures smoothly for the public has a huge impact on our community, and I’m dedicated to that,” Greene said.

The clerk-recorder-assessor-registrar of voters is currently paid an annual salary of $275,511, according to Santa Barbara County.