The Santa Barbara County Superior Court criminal case against a Lompoc City Council member accused of eight felony charges has been continued to next month.
Stephen Bridge, 68, did not attend the hearing Wednesday morning since he signed a waiver allowing him to miss non-critical proceedings.
In November, the Santa Barbara County District Attorney’s Office filed a criminal complaint charging Bridge with four felony counts of forgery and two felony counts of grand theft of personal property. The complaint identified the victim as the City of Lompoc in the amounts of $5,076.66 and $4,917.
Additionally, he has been charged with fraudulent use of a contractor’s license number and identify theft related to a contractor’s license assigned to Turner and Associates.
The forgery charges involve Odd Fellows Lodge and a business, Certain Sparks, that Bridge has ties to in Lompoc.
Another charge is linked to an invoice purportedly from Turner Construction and submitted to one of Bridge’s companies identified in the criminal complaint as BBES, which apparently stands for Bridge Business and Entrepreneur Services.
The fourth felony forgery charge is connected to a City of Lompoc rebate program application, according to the criminal complaint.
The alleged crimes occurred between February 2024 and March 2025, according to the criminal complaint.
Bridge pleaded not guilty to the charges during his December arraignment hearing.
Instead of setting a date for the preliminary hearing, attorneys on both sides agreed to continue the matter to Feb. 11, Bridge’s attorney, Michael Scott, told Lompoc Judge Stephen Dunkle on Wednesday morning.
Delays in court cases occur for a number of reasons, including so that the defense can review evidence or conduct its own investigation. Scheduling issues also can lead to delays.
The case has been reassigned to the Lompoc court after initial scheduling confusion last month.
Bridge, who represents District 1, the northern areas of Lompoc, has served on the City Council for about a year after winning a four-year term in the November 2024 election, when he faced one challenger.