Three City Council seats are up for grabs in Carpinteria. Councilwoman Natalia Alarcon is running for her second term in District 2 against newcomer Adriana Gonzalez-Smith, and two other seats are uncontested.
Alarcon, who was first elected in 2020, said she feels that she’s just getting started and wants to see issues through, such as tackling the city’s Housing Element.
“I think that Carpinteria, for a really long time, hasn’t talked about housing the way that we’re needing to now,” Alarcon said. “I think that’s a really important thing, and I want to really be a part of that.”
Alarcon and her family moved to Carpinteria when she was 8 years old. She met her husband in high school and is now raising her own children in Carpinteria.
To bring in more affordable housing, Alarcon wants to partner with agencies such as People’s Self-Help Housing and find ways to streamline building accessory dwelling units.
In her first term, she helped develop the city’s first safe parking program with New Beginnings. If re-elected, she said she hopes to expand the program and bring in new ideas to help the city’s homeless community. It’s an issue that’s important to her because her family lived in the state park when they first moved to Carpinteria.
“When people talk about being a paycheck or two paychecks away from being homeless or houseless, I know what that feels like,” Alarcon said. “I know that when we’re talking about homeless issues, it’s not the stereotypical homeless person you see on the street, but we’re talking about the kids in our neighborhood, our families in the neighborhood.”
Alarcon’s opponent, Gonzalez-Smith, is a lifelong Santa Barbara County resident and music teacher whose family has lived in Carpinteria for generations. She now calls the city her home and is running to preserve the community while making progress toward safety and housing.
“I feel well equipped with insights into the local priorities and concerns and ensuring that every voice is represented,” Gonzalez-Smith said. “In addition to this, my role as an educator has allowed me to connect with both youth and elderly in our community, giving me a broad perspective on the priorities, concerns and challenges that families in Carpinteria face.”
She also feels that the current City Council isn’t very responsive to community concerns.
If elected, she said she wants to improve community outreach, establish caps on rent increases, and work with the county to develop safe infrastructure for students getting to school.
“In District 2, rent stabilization for mobile home parks is a concern since we have the largest mobile home park, Sandpiper,” Gonzalez-Smith said. “We really need to cap rent increases. This is affordable housing in the district, and we need to protect that. The city should be advocating to work with state officials to make more strict laws concerning rent stabilization.”
Carpinteria Councilman Roy Lee, who will be leaving his seat in January to begin his role as a county supervisor, endorsed Gonzalez-Smith.
“The endorsement from Roy Lee felt great,” Gonzalez-Smith said. “He is a highly respected member of the community and the City Council. He shares my commitment to preserving the town’s unique character and making local government more accessible to all residents.”
Alarcon said she was surprised by Lee endorsing her opponent, and the idea that she’s not accessible to the community.
“I know that when I’m running for re-election, it’s because I know that I feel like I can do good for the community, and I know that I’m running for all the right reasons,” Alarcon said.
Running in District 3 is Julia Mayer, who will serve a two-year term to finish Lee’s term. She’s a co-creator of Dune Coffee Roasters alongside her husband. She is running uncontested.
Former mayor and longtime Carpinteria City Council member Wade Nomura is running for the District 4 seat uncontested. He has served on the council and Architectural Review Board for more than 26 years combined.
