Several incumbents holding elected office in Santa Barbara County will face challengers in the June primary election.
The first deadline for candidates was Friday in races in which incumbents are seeking re-election.
If an incumbent didn’t run for another term, the filing period was extended five days to Wednesday.
However, candidate lists were still considered unofficial for now, according to the Santa Barbarea County Elections Division.
County Superintendent of Schools Susan Salcido, who has held the job since 2017 and spent five years as deputy superintendent, will be challenged by teacher Christy Lozano, who has drawn national attention as an activist for her online video lambasting what she claims is culturally responsive curriculum.
County Clerk-Recorder-Assessor Joseph Holland, who was first elected to the office in 2002 and worked in the Assessor’s Office starting in 1984, will see a challenge from Elrawd MacLearn, a Goleta planning commissioner.
Sheriff Bill Brown, who has spent 45 years as a law enforcement officer and is seeking his fifth term, will face off against sheriff’s Lt. Juan Camarena, who has served in the Sheriff’s Office for 23 years.
On the Santa Barbara County Board of Supervisors, incumbent Steve Lavagnino, who represents the Fifth District that includes the northern section of Santa Maria plus Guadalupe, apparently will not have an opponent.
Laura Capps, who is seeking the Second District seat on the board, also won’t be challenged for the office. Capps currently serves on the Santa Barbara Unified School District board of trustees.
Both supervisorial races will be on the ballot.
Also unopposed will be county Auditor-Controller Betsey Schaffer, who wants to extend her job; Harry Hagen, seeking another stint as treasurer-tax collector-public administrator; and John Savrnoch, making his first bid for district attorney after his boss, Joyce Dudley, announced plans to retire.
All of the county offices appear likely to be settled in the June primary and not need to have a runoff election in November.
For statewide offices, Democrat Gregg Hart, currently serving on the county Board of Supervisors, and Mike Stoker, a Republican who formerly served on the board, have tossed their hats into the race for the 37th Assembly District.
Two men, Jonathan Abboud and Gabe Escobedo, told Noozhawk they had backed out of planned bids for the Assembly seat.
A third, Bruce Wallach, also has filed paperwork to run for the job, according to the unofficial candidate list.
The new district includes all of Santa Barbara County plus a segment of southern San Luis Obispo County.
U.S. Rep. Salud Carbajal, D-Santa Barbara, appears likely to face a number of challengers for the job representing the 24th Congressional District, with the list candidates expected to be confirmed before the end of the month.
Among those who have filed are three No Party Preference candidates — Michele Weslander Quaid, Ken Young and Jeff Frankenfield — plus Republican Brad Allen.
A number of others toyed with running for the seat but elections officials had not finalized the list of candidates.
The district includes all of Santa Barbara County plus segments of San Luis Obispo and Ventura counties.
The primary election will be June 7.
Several judgeships also are up for grabs. Incumbents Gustavo “Woody” Lavayen, James Rigali, Jean Dandona, Pauline Maxwell, Michael Carrozzo, Kay Kuns and Thomas Anderle won’t face opposition or appear on the ballot.
Superior Court Commissioner Stephen Foley will run for the seat now held by Judge James Voysey, who did not seek re-election. The item will appear on the ballot.
The June primary election also will include several statewide officers such as governor, lieutenant governor, secretary of state, attorney general and U.S. senators.
Ballots will be mailed to registered voters in early May. The last day to register to vote for the June 7 primary election is May 23.
— Noozhawk North County editor Janene Scully can be reached at jscully@noozhawk.com. Follow Noozhawk on Twitter: @noozhawk, @NoozhawkNews and @NoozhawkBiz. Connect with Noozhawk on Facebook.