The Santa Barbara County Board of Supervisors appointed Santa Maria Valley attorney Vincent Martinez as the new Fifth District Planning Commissioner on Tuesday.
Martinez’s first meeting will be on Feb. 23, and his term ends Dec. 31, 2022.
He has been an attorney in Santa Maria since 1994, and is currently the managing partner of Twitchell and Rice, LLP.
He practices environmental law, agricultural law, corporate law, and oil and gas law, and manages a mineral company, according to his biography submitted to the county.
Martinez has also been a board member for many local organizations, including First Five Santa Barbara County, Northern Santa Barbara County United Way, Santa Maria Valley Youth & Family Center, Northern Santa Barbara County Bar Association, and the Hispanic Medical Legal Association.
Current commissioner Dan Blough, who has served in the seat since 2008, can’t continue in the job because his house was drawn out of the Fifth District boundaries during the redistricting process.
Proposed maps also put Fifth District County Supervisor Steve Lavagnino’s Santa Maria home in the Fourth District, but his neighborhood was drawn back into the Fifth District for the final map.
Lavagnino said the county will recognize Blough’s 14 years of work on the Planning Commission in a future meeting in Santa Maria.
Blough was first appointed to the panel by former supervisor Joe Centeno, and Lavagnino appointed him to additional terms. Each county supervisor can appoint a planning commissioner for their district of the county, and the full Board of Supervisors needs to approve the appointment.
Supervisor Joan Hartmann, who served on the Planning Commission with Blough, said he never missed a meeting, was always prepared, and offered insights no one else had.
The Planning Commission reviews planning, development and land-use issues, including specific projects and large-scale policy changes.
Martinez joins First District Commissioner C. Michael Cooney, an attorney; Second District Commissioner Laura Bridley, a land use planner; Third District Commissioner John Parke, an attorney; and Fourth District Commissioner Larry Ferini, a farmer.
Lavagnino said he had to be honest with Martinez “about the workload involved for almost no pay.”
— Noozhawk managing editor Giana Magnoli can be reached at gmagnoli@noozhawk.com. Follow Noozhawk on Twitter: @noozhawk, @NoozhawkNews and @NoozhawkBiz. Connect with Noozhawk on Facebook.
