With the Santa Maria City Council now elected on a district-based voting system rather than at-large, the District 1 seat won’t have the incumbent on the ballot this November. Thus far, two candidates have tossed their hats into the ring.
Osvaldo Sotelo is endorsed by the Democratic Party of Santa Barbara County, and Carlos Escobedo is stepping outside the two-party lines to run as an independent, he said.
Born and raised in Santa Maria, Sotelo said that he grew up attending Santa Maria public schools. After graduating high school, he got his bachelor’s degree at California State University Los Angeles and later a master’s at CSU Northridge.
“I’ve been a lifelong resident of the northwest side of town, and I’m here to focus on key issues that will improve the quality of life for our residents in our district,” Sotelo said. “But before all that, I really want people to get to know why I’m running and who I am.”
Sotelo’s parents both immigrated to the United States and worked as strawberry farmworkers in Santa Maria. As a youth, he remembers that summer breaks consisted of working in the fields to help provide for his family.
“From their example I learned not to shy away from hard work,” Sotelo said. “That lived experience resonates with me, and it resonates with a lot of other folks in District 1.”
Fellow District 1 candidate Escobedo said his first job when he immigrated to Santa Maria was as a field worker at a local broccoli farm. In fact, his campaign headshot was taken in front of the first field he worked at.
“That’s where everything started,” Escobedo said.
Escobedo said that when he and his brother got their U.S. citizenship two years ago, it was “one of the biggest achievements my family has ever done.” He holds a bachelor’s degree in international relations and a business certificate in executive leadership from Allan Hancock College.
Sotelo’s career background is in the nonprofit sector. At Goodwill Industries of Ventura and Santa Barbara Counties, he oversees programs that help connect people with jobs, serving youth in particular.
Escobedo is known for his hand in organizing the popular annual event Santa Maria Open Streets, and he also works as an outreach specialist at Hancock.
Sotelo’s platform has three main pillars: youth, jobs, and housing.
“After I graduated high school I decided to pursue an education. I came back and thought everything was going to be greener on the other side of the fence. It was hard for me to get a job, actually,” Sotelo said. “Because of that, I’m really passionate about youth and what we can do with our youth.”
Sotelo’s focus on affordable housing is also rooted in a personal experience.
“I remember when my parents lost their home due to the recession of 2008. That really took a big hit, and we had to move in with close relatives,” Sotelo said. “That is something that’s happening in District 1. … Affordable housing is the key.”
Like his opponent, Escobedo’s position as an outreach specialist at Hancock brings him into constant contact with local young people.
“I work every day with high school students and the community to listen to their concerns about what’s going on at home, what’s going on in their neighborhoods,” Escobedo said.
His platform emphasizes sports and recreation as a means to keep youth in the community occupied and to reduce crime.
Escobedo said his experience in organizing Open Streets would be an asset to the City Council, as he’s learned how to unite people and organizations from different backgrounds.
His platform also seeks to strengthen public safety, increase affordable housing, and help local businesses succeed.
“Public safety is not just about lower crime but creating a sense of feeling safe,” Escobedo said. “The City Council should promote community policing, so we can guarantee protection and safety for our families, [and] so we can have really close relationships between law enforcement and the nonprofits and also the community.”
Highlight
• Santa Barbara County is looking for people interested in temporary, part-time positions as census takers. “Originally slated for March 2020, these non-response follow up (NRFU) visits were postponed due to restrictions put in place because of COVID-19,” the county’s press release stated. But now, the county anticipates the door-to-door visits beginning in August. “All census takers will be trained on physical distancing protocols and issued with personal protective equipment (PPE) with local guidelines for PPE use. The pay rate is $21 per hour,” the release states. “Bilingual applicants are needed and encouraged to apply, but all those applying must be able to speak, read, and write in English.” For more information and to apply, visit 2020census.gov/jobs.
Staff Writer Malea Martin wrote this week’s Spotlight. Send story ideas to [email protected].
