Tony Becerra is a fighter.
He has a black belt in karate and won multiple national combat championships.
He hangs with former UFC champion Chuck Liddell and has trained generations of people inside his Koei-Kan Karate Academy dojo.
Now, he’s in the middle of a new fight: a fight for a seat on the Santa Barbara City Council representing the Westside. He is an underdog taking on an incumbent.
“I always went into every fight thinking I was going to lose,” said Becerra, in the latest episode of Santa Barbara Talks with Josh Molina.
Becerra is taking on Oscar Gutierrez, the incumbent. He knows Gutierrez well. He trained him inside his dojo when Gutierrez was in high school.
Becerra isn’t pulling any punches in this fight. While the campaign started friendly, Becerra has stepped up his verbal aggression lately.
“That’s one advantage I have over my opponent,” Becerra said. “He lives with his mom. I have nothing against that. I lived with my mom too. The thing is at some point you have to create your own life, your own opportunities. I don’t even think his mom is in agreement with some of his policies because she’s a property owner, right?”
Becerra said, “do you want more of the same, where nothing is getting done, or do you want someone who is going to fight for the community?”
Becerra opposes rent control, and the half-cent sales tax on the ballot. He also believes part of downtown State Street should be reopened to cars.
In this podcast, Becerra shares his views on a variety of city issues and talks about his personal story: being one of 12 kids in his family, and being a lifelong renter and moving around while maintaining a small business for more nearly 30 years.
Becerra said he doesn’t like the politics of running for office but wants to focus on improving the quality of life for people on the Westside. He wants more crosswalks, improved lighting, and library services, among other other goals for office.
“The reason I didn’t get into UFC and mixed martial arts is I don’t mind the fighting part, I don’t mind getting out and fighting, I am ready for any type of fight, whether it’s what we are doing now, fighting for the Westside, or it’s in the ring going up against somebody, I am ready for a fight anytime,” Becerra said. “What I am not good at, is I am not good at this. I am not good at promoting myself. I am not good at saying ‘look at me, look at me.'”
Becerra turned heads with endorsements from the Santa Barbara City Firefighters Association and the Santa Barbara South Coast Chamber of Commerce.
To watch a Santa Barbara talks podcast with Oscar Gutierrez, who has been endorsed by the Santa Barbara County Democratic Party and the Democratic Women of Santa Barbara County, click here.
Josh Molina is a journalist who creates dynamic conversation and provides media content on the issues of the day, including housing, transportation, education, business and culture. He is also a college journalism instructor. Visit SantaBarbaraTalks to make a contribution and please subscribe on YouTube.
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