When approached with the idea of running for the seat of Santa Barbara County Fifth District supervisor, Ricardo Valencia was apprehensive about taking on such a large responsibility.
Valencia, an educator and the son of working-class Mexican immigrants, said he was approached by people in the community who told him it was an opportunity to stand up for women, immigrants, students and working families.
“What motivates me is knowing that we have so much wealth and opportunity here in our county, but not seeing working-class families always having access to opportunities to thrive,” Valencia told Noozhawk.
The position represents the northernmost area of Santa Barbara County, including Santa Maria, on the Board of Supervisors. Steve Lavagnino, who is retiring at the end of the year after 16 years on the board, currently holds the seat.
Valencia is a high school teacher and Santa Maria-Bonita School District board member.
Despite his initial apprehension about running for office, Valencia saw support in the June primary and finished first in a three-person field, with 36.7% of the vote, according to County Elections Office results.
Maribel Aguilera, an attorney and Santa Maria City Council member, finished second with 33.4%. Cory Bantilan, Lavagnino’s chief of staff, finished third at 374 ballots behind Aguilera and will not appear on next Tuesday’s ballot.
(Noozhawk repeatedly reached out to Aguilera and her campaign staff to schedule pre-election interviews, but she chose not to participate.)
Valencia told Noozhawk that his top priorities if elected would be housing, protecting immigrant families from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and addressing childcare for working families.
One of the major issues facing the Fifth District is the high cost of housing, which Valencia says outpaces the area’s average income.
The median income for Santa Maria is a little less than $85,000, according to U.S. Census data. The typical cost for a home in Santa Maria is about $665,000, according to Zillow.com
Valencia said he would prioritize building housing, and pointed to county efforts to develop workforce housing. Projects in communities including Guadalupe, Santa Maria and Tanglewood would let people live near work instead of commuting long distances, he said.
He also pointed to Escalante Meadows in Guadalupe as an example of how the state and local governments can work together to build more housing.
The site was formerly public housing but was converted to permanent supportive housing for veterans, households experiencing homelessness and other vulnerable individuals.
During a candidate forum in early October, Aguilera advocated for streamlining the county’s permitting process and trimming development fees. She also called for a small-business ombudsman to guide applicants through the permitting process and other procedures.
“What the county needs is they just need to get out of the way,” Aguilera said at the Oct. 2 forum.
Aguilera also supported fixing roads, which she said should take priority.
In addition to housing, Valencia hears about the cost of living in his district.
“People are leaving the coast for more affordable options out of state,” Valencia said. “I think if we prioritize housing to meet the needs of working families, we can have our (residents) raise families here and thrive here on the Central Coast.”
Another way he wants to help families across the region is to expand childcare opportunities. Valencia said childcare has become highly unaffordable for many working families, forcing many to choose between working and staying home.
He said women are often the ones staying home, which limits their job opportunities or career advancement.
Valencia said that if elected he would work with childcare providers to find a way to make it affordable for everyone.
He also spoke on the recent raids by ICE, which he said target the hardworking members of the community. He called for the county to pass ordinances that make it harder for ICE to operate in the county.
One example he gave is to follow in the footsteps of Los Angeles County and require ICE agents to obtain a signed judicial warrant.
Although Valencia acknowledged that the county cannot stop federal agents, he said it can ensure they follow the law.
“We’ve got to make sure that they’re at least following the law, and that’s not currently taking place right now,” Valencia said. “I do think we should use every legal measure available to us to make sure that we are making that as difficult for ICE to operate here, and an ordinance does that.”
Valencia said his six years as an elected member of the Santa Maria-Bonita School District make him a good fit for the supervisor position.
He said the school district’s budget has remained balanced throughout his time on the school board.
“I am fiscally responsible, and as a fiduciary, I take that responsibility very seriously,” he said.
If elected, Valencia said he would like a dedicated person to conduct audits and look for inefficiencies at the county. The goal would be to find areas of savings without laying off workers.
Aguilera has 16 years of combined service on the Santa Maria Planning Commission and the Santa Maria City Council. She represents District 4 on the council, where she goes by the name Maribel Aguilera Hernandez.
During that early October forum, Aguilera said her experience on those boards speaks for itself.
“I’m not telling you I’m going to do something new. I’m telling you what I’ve done and how I want to bring that to the county,” she said.
Read about more candidates and issues in the Noozhawk Voter Guide.
