Incumbents Oscar Gutierrez and Mike Jordan appear to have been successful in their re-election to Santa Barbara City Council seats, while Alejandra Gutierrez has been trailing her opponent.
Energetic political newcomer Wendy Santamaria led Alejandra Gutierrez 46.4% to 41.3%, according to the final election night tally released by the Santa Barbara County Elections Office.
Cruzito Herrera Cruz came in second place by a large margin, receiving 11.2% of the votes in the District 1 race, which represents the East Side neighborhood.
The district had low turnout as of Tuesday night and Santamaria had a 138-vote lead.
Santamaria responded to campaign criticism from Gutierrez that she was not a longtime Santa Barbara citizen and therefore not qualified to serve on the East Side.
“It feels good to see that people power has actually paid off,” Santamaria said. “The East Side and the city are a tapestry of people, some local, some not, but all important.” Wendy Santamaria celebrates with supporters in Soho on Tuesday night. Photo by Joshua Molina/Noosehawk
Gutierrez responded to early results that showed she was late.
“I’m really honored to have represented the district in the time I’ve had, and I’m really proud of the work we’ve done,” Gutierrez said.
She added that she still feels confident and proud of the campaign, describing it as clean and “very positive.”
Oscar Gutierrez was far ahead of Tony Becerra in the District 3 race with 59.0% of the vote. Both candidates are running to represent the West Side neighborhood.
“I feel very grateful that my district is happy that I am representing it for another four years,” Oscar Gutierrez said after seeing the first batch of results. “I am so grateful to Coach Becerra, for all he has done for the community. The ultimate goal of a true teacher is for his students to excel.”
Jordan received 77.3% of the votes, far ahead of his rival, Tera Taylor.
“I’m looking forward to getting back to work,” Jordan told Newshawk.
The Santa Barbara County Elections Office will update the election results as more ballots are counted in the coming days and weeks. Santa Barbara Councilwoman Alejandra Gutierrez was trailing in early results for the 1st District seat. Credit: Joshua Molina/Noosehawk Image
Zone 1 race
The issue of rent control and tenant rights dominated the conversation during the campaign. Gutierrez has great support from landlords and Santamaria from tenants. The two are opposites on many issues.
Santamaria criticized Gutierrez on multiple fronts. Gutierrez constantly points to the fact that she grew up locally and has been invested in the community her entire life, contrasting Santamaria, who grew up in Southern California’s Inland Empire.
Gutierrez was once a rising star on the Santa Barbara County Democratic Central Committee, whose activist board members rallied behind her to unseat then-incumbent Jason Dominguez. Gutierrez won by eight votes in 2019, a margin she attributes to her deep roots in the community.
She has since broken with the Democratic Party and found support among some conservatives, largely because of her opposition to rent control in Santa Barbara. Her competitor, Santamaria, has forcefully imposed a 2% cap on annual rent increases, and Gutierrez strongly opposes such a measure.
Her opposition to rent caps has angered renters and tenant advocates, and there is an organized effort, both publicly and behind the scenes, to oust her from office. The tension is so bad that last month Gutierrez issued a press release saying she was the victim of widespread sign theft.
Santamaria is a labor organizer with UCSB, a former organizer with CAUSE, the United Central Coast Coalition for a Sustainable Economy, and a tenants’ rights advocate. She moved from the Inland Empire to southern Santa Barbara County eight years ago to attend UCSF and lived in Santa Barbara for four years.
She is a strong advocate of the 2% rent cap. She has deep ties to the Santa Barbara Tenants Union, the cause and the new generation of young community activists in Santa Barbara. She has been endorsed by the Santa Barbara County Democratic Party.
Zone 3 race
Oscar Gutierrez, a San Marcos High School graduate, made the leap from working as a Santa Barbara television producer to a city council member. He was elected in 2018 with 1,007 votes, defeating three other challengers.
When it came time for Gutierrez to run again, a year later, he was appointed to the seat because he had no challenger.
Since winning office, Gutierrez has prided himself on organizing more community events and answering more voters’ emails than any candidate before him.
Gutierrez has been endorsed by the Santa Barbara County Democratic Party, Planned Parenthood Action Fund, the Sierra Club and others.
Becerra has been running his dojo for nearly 30 years. He’s a business owner who wondered why the government didn’t care about his community and decided to step up and run himself. He calls himself “The Squeaky Wheel.”
He said the city has neglected San Andres Avenue, adding that there are not enough safe lanes or lighting.
Becerra had support from property owners and, surprisingly, a key endorsement from Gutierrez — the Santa Barbara City Firefighters Association.
Zone 2 race
During his first term, Jordan credited himself with supporting the new tenant protection law, helping to guide the city through the COVID-19 pandemic financially, socially and operationally, and helping to financially guide the city’s budget process by cutting costs and filling only essential vacancies. . Santa Barbara Councilman Mike Jordan was on his way to another term with an early lead in the election results Tuesday night. Credit: Joshua Molina/Noosehawk Image
He is the most moderate member of the City Council and a registered Democrat, but draws support from a broad cross-section of the community. He’s a friend of developers and property owners, and believes it’s important to have conversations with everyone for the overall good of the city.
He has pushed for a crackdown on illegal short-term vacation rentals by stepping up enforcement. Jordan also said he is trying to work with developers to increase the number of affordable units beyond the city’s 10% minimum.
He hopes to focus on the redevelopment of La Cumbre Plaza, potential housing on Paseo Nuevo, and citywide housing.
Opponent Taylor only raised about $75, and her campaign never gained real momentum.
She is a small business consultant who owns Smart Start SB. I moved to Santa Barbara in 2017 from Richmond, Virginia, and previously worked as a mortgage broker.
The candidates met at a forum and discussed housing, increasing the sales tax and enforcing short-term rentals in the city.
