A passion for her community and a belief that the Santa Barbara County Board of Supervisors‘ Fifth District has been neglected and underserved has spurred attorney Maribel Aguilera to seek a seat of the board.
“Together we can make life more affordable, social services more accessible, make our community safer and invest in our children,” said Aguilera, 44, who has served on the Santa Maria City Council since 2020.
“Together we can build the district the North County deserves
She launched her campaign last month in Santa Maria with approximately 75 people gathered outside the Veterans’ Memorial Community Center. A second kickoff occurred a week later in Guadalupe.
“Our district has been neglected. It’s time to have a supervisor who will fight to bring a fair share of the $1.7 billion budget to North County in order for us to get the services and resources our families deserve,” she said.
Aguilera is one of three people running for the Fifth District seat currently held by Steve Lavagnino.
In late 2022, Lavagnino announced his plans to retire from the board of Supervisors at the completion of his fourth term, which ends later this year.
Others who have submitted campaign paperwork for the Fifth District race include Cory Bantilan, 42, who has served as Lavagnino’s chief of staff, and Ricardo Valencia, 42, a Santa Maria High School teacher and member of the Santa Maria-Bonita School District Board.
At Aguilera’s kickoff, the crowd included several community leaders, including Santa Maria Mayor Alice Patino, who has endorsed Aguilera.
“Maribel does her homework, and she will always make decisions on what is best for Santa Maria because she’s not an ideologue,” Patino said. “She studies the issues.”
“I think the biggest thing is she cares about Santa Maria and that will always be her focus,” Patino added.
Attorney Adrian Andrade said he has known Aguilera for a long time.
“I think her pragmatic approach to resolving the issues in Santa Barbara County is the way to approach the job. It’s a difficult job. She’s got the most experience, I believe, of the candidates,” he added, citing Aguilera’s eight years as a member of the Santa Maria Planning Commission before being elected to the council.
The apparent three-way field of candidates has some community leaders conflicted, as they confessed to liking multiple members of the trio. One said she’s not endorsing any, but supports two for now.
Calling herself a problem solver, Aguilera said her priorities, if elected, include addressing the crushing cost of living squeezing families.
She said she would push for affordability by design, working with developers to deliver affordable housing without cutting corners, and create high-paying jobs.
She also wants to give Santa Barbara County employees the resources to provide services in a timely and efficient manner.
In addition to citing public safety as a key priority, the mother of one said more funding should go to recreation programs.
“I believe this with all my heart — if you keep kids busy, they don’t have time to get in trouble,” Aguilera said. “Give a kid something to do, something to be proud of, somewhere to belong, and watch them thrive. It’s that simple.”
Aguilera said she is the daughter of immigrants from Mexico.
“They came with nothing but hopes and a strong worth ethic,” she said of her parents.
She recalled being picked up after kindergarten and going with her dad to the strawberry fields, where she helped pick fruit.
“You know what I learned in those fields? I learned what sacrifice looks like. I learned what hard work means,” the Santa Maria High School graduate said.
After earning a bachelor’s degree in psychology as the first in her family to attend college, she attended law school and passed the California Bar exam.
She worked as a victim’s advocate at the North County Rape Crisis and Child Protection Center and then as a legal assistant for the Legal Aid Foundation.
As a lawyer, she was employed at Kirk & Simas before starting her own firm, which focused on real estate and business matters.
“I will not have a learning curve, because as everyone knows, I’m an attorney and I fight for fun,” she said.
The trio have all submitted campaign paperwork, but the formal declaration of candidacy and nomination period runs from Feb. 9 to March 6, according to the county Elections Division.
For races where the incumbent doesn’t file for re-election, other candidates have until March 11 to submit paperwork.
The primary election is June 2. If one candidate doesn’t get more than 50% of the votes, the two top candidates will head to a runoff election in November.
Along with the Fifth District seat, the Second District seat, now filled by Laura Capps, will also be on the ballot in 2026. Capps has already announced she is running for re-election.
Whoever wins the race — whether in the June primary or November general election — will begin their job in January 2027.
“I’ve never forgotten where I come from. I’ve never forgotten what it feels like to struggle and I never will,” Aguilera said. “When I sit in the supervisor’s chair, I will bring the strawberry fields with me, I will bring every family I’ve helped over the last decade with me, because that’s who I am and that’s who I will always be.”
Aguilera’s campaign website is maribelforsupervisor.org.