A decade ago, the predominant issue on Santa Barbara’s Mesa was neighborhood compatibility. Many homeowners who had purchased World War II-era bungalows had decided to remodel and build much larger houses, to improve ocean views and turn their $800,000 investments into million-dollar assets.
The so-called “Mansionization of the Mesa” compelled the City of Santa Barbara to create a neighborhood preservation ordinance to help settle squabbles in the Marine Terrace area, across from Shoreline Park just west of Santa Barbara City College and Leadbetter Beach.
Neighborhood compatibility was the issue that drove a city council candidate’s agenda, the single message that any serious potential politician needed — along with money and organization — if he or she wanted to be formidable.
Today, as Santa Barbara approaches the new district elections format next month, the idea of a candidate — other than an incumbent — running with a message, money and organization, is nonexistent. For that reason, City Councilman Randy Rowse is considered the frontrunner heading into the Nov. 3 election.
Rowse’s challengers, Luis Esparza and K. Missy McSweeney-Zeitsoff, have spent much of their campaign time talking about their background and credentials, instead of their specific plans for the Mesa. Esparza is a general practice attorney, who grew up in Santa Barbara and is raising a family here. McSweeney-Zeitsoff is eager to tell everyone that she was a member of the Malibu City Council and serves on Santa Barbara’s Police & Fire Commission.
McSweeney-Zeitsoff has decided not to raise money in her council campaign. Esparza has raised about $2,000.
No candidate in the modern era has won a council seat without raising campaign funds. Before district elections, candidates generally needed to raise a minimum of $40,000 to be in the ball game. Some raised as much as $90,000.
Will that change with district elections? It remains to be seen. But with a popular, strong incumbent running for re-election, the idea of an upset doesn’t appear likely.
The issues on the Mesa are many: traffic, bicycle and pedestrian safety on Cliff Drive, vacation rentals, the housing crunch, the future of trail management at the Douglas Family Preserve, and neighborhood compatibility, which ebbs and flows like the waves below Shoreline Park.
If ever there was a “Santa Barbara guy,” it is the 61-year-old Rowse, who, when not suited up for City Council meetings is most likely wearing a tropical or Hawaiian shirt. A self-described “beach guy,” he’s Mr. Casual, Mr. Moderate and Mr. Local.
Rowse moved to Santa Barbara in 1978 and is the owner of The Paradise Café, at 702 Anacapa St., with deep ties to the downtown business committee. His wife, Janet, is herself well-known and liked around town, and their children went to Washington School in the heart of the Mesa.
Despite all that, Rowse was somewhat of an accidental councilman. He was originally appointed to the council by the remaining six council members after Das Williams was elected to the Assembly in 2010.
Rowse was one of 46 candidates vying to fill the final year of Williams’ term. It didn’t look good for him initially; the council could not decide on a single candidate, continuously deadlocking on 3-3 votes.
Finally, in a move that stunned City Hall watchers, then-Councilman Grant House, a liberal, jumped to appoint Rowse, who was considered a right-leaning moderate.
It was a testament to Rowse’s likability and body of work. House knew that Rowse was mostly a middle-of-the-road guy, with tons of volunteer time on local city issues, including parking management, homelessness and promoting tourism.
Most believed Rowse would only serve out Williams’ term, but he decided to run for re-election in 2011, and won easily. Now he’s back in the driver’s seat again.
“My top priorities on the council remain public safety, fiscal solvency and neighborhood preservation,” Rowse, who has raised $22,000 for his campaign, told Noozhawk.
“Specifically to the Mesa, it’s the continuation of improvements for Cliff Drive in terms of bike and pedestrian amenities, and the handling of the neighborhood issues that are developing on the East Mesa nearest SBCC.”
Esparza is an attorney and real estate broker, born in Santa Barbara and who grew up on the Mesa. He is proud that he’s a local, an example of a Santa Barbara kid who became a professional and personal success — and stayed in the community. He attended Monroe Elementary, La Cumbre Junior High and Santa Barbara High schools.
“I spent my whole life in this district,” Esparza said at a recent candidates forum. When asked at the forum about his greatest accomplishment he said “being a father.”
After graduating from law school, he started his own firm in 2003.
Esparza is a soft-spoken man, who doesn’t appear too eager to cause a stir in the campaign. He has raised $2,000 for the race, not even enough to pay for a serious lawn sign campaign. He comes across as humble, genuine and reserved.
Like most of the other first-time candidates, he speaks in generalities. In his official ballot statement he says that “policy issues will pivot to enhancement of renewable energy and water conservation, a refocus on kids and seniors programs, and the reduction of unnecessary expenditures while increasing efficiency and utilization of technology. Together, let us preserve the preferred quality of life in our district and wonderful city.”
Esparza told Noozhawk that he would like to work to enhance safety and encourage pedestrian and bicycle use on Cliff Drive and “foster growth of community spirit and cooperation with the Mesa Business Association, Mesa architects and other organizations to identify areas of improvement for commerce and public spaces.”
He also said he would like “renew focus on Cabrillo Boulevard, our beautiful harbor and the industry it provides for.”
McSweeney-Zeitsoff, 69, served on the inaugural Malibu City Council after incorporation in 1991. She’s proud of being named “Woman of the Year” for Assembly District 41, in Los Angeles County.
In addition to serving on Santa Barbara’s Police and Fire Commission, she’s vice chairwoman of Santa Barbara’s Dingle, Ireland, Sister City Committee.
McSweeney-Zeitsoff has attended numerous forums and council meetings. At the latter, she mostly asks the council a lot of questions, rather than articulating strong positions herself. She believes her previous time as an elected office holder qualifies her to sit on the Santa Barbara council.
“I believe I can do a lot in four years because I was already on the Malibu City Council,” she said, adding that in Malibu she honed her leadership skills.
If elected she said she would make public safety her No. 1 priority, review infrastructure and potable water supply, make Cliff Drive safe, and focus on “clean shoreline water quality.”
McSweeney-Zeitsoff said small businesses will have her attention, but that she does support an increase in the minimum wage.
“Fifteen dollars an hour is not an exorbitant minimum wage,” she explained.
A fourth candidate, Robert Burke, is also on the ballots that already have been mailed to voters, but he has since dropped out of the race.
— Noozhawk staff writer Joshua Molina can be reached at jmolina@noozhawk.com. Follow Noozhawk on Twitter: @noozhawk, @NoozhawkNews and @NoozhawkBiz. Connect with Noozhawk on Facebook.
