In Santa Maria, candidates are running for multiple open seats on the City Council.
Also on November’s ballot is Measure C, which would implement a new sales tax that could bring in approximately $13 million to support the city’s struggling budget.
Council Member Gloria Soto is the incumbent candidate for District 3.
At a candidate forum hosted by the League of Women Voters North Santa Barbara County on October 1, Soto said she would offset the budget deficit and reinvest in Santa Maria residents if Measure C passes.
“We heard directly from voters,” Soto told the audience, “and you all said, ‘We want to see this money be invested in community, in young people, in recreation, in our infrastructure, in our roads.’"
Soto has been endorsed by the local Democratic party.
Her opponent, small business-owner Corby Poulis Sr., has been endorsed by the county’s Republican party. He said Measure C revenue should first be spent on maintaining the city’s already-existing infrastructure.
“It's almost always more cost-effective to fix something than it is to wait until it needs a major repair,” Poulis said.
In District 1, Council Member Ricardo “Richard” Batalla is running to keep his spot. He was appointed to the role in April after former Council Member Carlos Escobedo's sudden resignation.
At the forum, Batalla said if Measure C passes, he’d first create a committee of community members for the sake of transparency.
“After that, my main focus would be the firefighters,” he said. “They have eight vacancies.”
Batalla told the audience that his next priorities would be infrastructure and items identified by the community committee.
Candidate Celest Mendoza is challenging Batalla for his District 1 seat. She agreed new revenue should be spent on infrastructure, and also mentioned facilities, staffing and services.
“It's maintaining our roads, and also our facilities where our youth and our seniors, and all of our residents partake in those services that the city does provide,” Mendoza said.
District 1 Candidate Gary Janek Michaels says he doesn’t support Measure C.
He told KCBX that the tax is a “band-aid” that doesn’t solve anything long-term and “doesn't address the fundamental infrastructure problems the city's having, nor does it build community wealth.”
The Santa Maria City Council’s District 4 seat is also up for grabs in this year’s election, with incumbent Maribel Aguilera running for a spot on the Santa Barbara County Board of Supervisors instead of seeking reelection.
Attorney Vincent Martinez is running for the seat, but did not answer questions at the League of Women Voters North Santa Barbara County’s candidate forum. Martinez did not respond to KCBX’s request for comment in time for publication.
Retired military veteran Tyler Barksdale is also running for Aguilera’s seat but didn’t attend October’s candidate forum. The District 4 candidate has declined media interviews, according to KEYT.
Barksdale did not respond to KCBX’s request for comment on potential Measure C revenue.
