The best Halloween costume Santa Barbara City Councilman Oscar Gutierrez ever wore?

That year he dressed up as an Oakland Raiders fan.

“My friends and I are really big into football, and none of my friends are Raider fans,” said Gutierrez, who is running for re-election in District 3. “None of them are. So, I dressed up as a Raiders fan and was just like being the most obnoxious person at the party.”

Favorite costume was just one of the provocative questions at a unique Santa Barbara City Council forum Sunday held by the Santa Barbara Arts Collaborative. There were no questions about rent control, State Street or housing. Instead, the theme was art and ways the candidates supported, experienced and interacted with art and Santa Barbara Culture.

All the candidates running for seats in three separate districts attended except District 3 candidate Tony Becerra, who told Noozhawk he had another commitment. Ginny Brush, longtime community arts commissioner, moderated the event.

District 1 councilwoman Alejandra Gutierrez, who is being challenged by Wendy Santamaria and Cruzito Herrera Cruz, mentioned how she grew up in the community and that her mom took her to the parades. Her favorite costume came in second grade.

“Being a part of local schools, I have always been kind of the shy one in class,” Gutierrez said. “I remember our second-grade teacher, she was very involved in a lot of community projects in town, and she dressed all of us in little frog suits, so we were jumping around.”

Brush noted that former Santa Barbara Mayor Harriet Miller wore a tutu during a Summer Solstice parade. Cruz recalled how he blew a concha dressed as an Azteca, in full regalia, down State Street.

In response to a question about how the candidates have supported Santa Barbara-produced art, District 1 candidate Wendy Santamaria pointed out that her campaign posters were made by Santa Barbara artist Adriana La Artista.

“I am a big believer that AI has no place in, really, our culture, especially the arts,” Santamaria said. “I think part of supporting the arts is more than just going to performances, but it is about making sure artists are being paid fairly for their work.”

Brush asked the candidates to state in what ways they are artistic. District 2 candidate Mike Jordan said he launched a newsletter for his district a year ago.

“In the past 10 months I have managed to get out eight of them,” Jordan said. “That is the sole production of one person—me—printed, designed, folded, stuffed, stamped, addressed and mailed.”

Jordan said he doesn’t like words, he likes pictures.

“I am a conversant person to using pictures to help tell my story or draw the reader to the narrative I am trying to do,” Jordan said.

Taylor said she was wearing earrings from a local Santa Barbara artist. She takes part in First Thursday art walks.

“One of the things I do in support of entrepreneurship is teach people that art is a business,” Taylor said.

She helps artists grow their business, and get them online and find ways to market their art.

“They should look at how they spend their time,” she said. “They should take care of themselves.”

The forum was broken up into three sections. The District 1 candidates spoke first, followed by District 2 and then District 3. Since Becerra was not in attendance, Gutierrez answered questions on his own, responding to Brush in a conversational tone.

Former two-term City Council member and two-term Mayor Helene Schneider, president of the Santa Barbara Arts Collaborative, said the nonprofit organization appreciates that the council candidates took time to answer questions related to the arts.

“The cultural arts are an essential part of Santa Barbara’s economic vitality, and we learned today how these candidates can use their position at City Hall to provide access to all types of artistic activities to residents and visitors of all ages,” Schneider told Noozhawk. “We also saw a more personal side of the candidates, from describing a favorite costume they wore to how they participate in artistic events. Running for public office is a hard job that can get quite tense; we hope this forum provided a glimpse of who they are as people.”