With the exception of the 2nd District, Santa Maria City Council incumbents are leading their respective races, according to preliminary election results.
Alongside the citywide mayoral election, voters in the 1st and 2nd Districts cast their ballots with the city’s looming budget deficit, the ongoing downtown revitalization plan, and firefighter wages at the forefront of several campaigns. Results are still being tallied by the Santa Barbara County Elections Office, with an updated count expected on Nov. 14.
Preliminary results show incumbent Mayor Alice Patino in the lead against three opponents—former Santa Maria Joint Union High School District board member Diana Perez, former Santa Maria-Bonita School District board member Will Smith, and resident Andrew Foster—with Patino garnering 46.2 percent (7,745 votes) of the votes counted so far. Perez, the lead challenger, trails behind Patino with 40.7 percent (6,821 votes). Smith and Foster garnered 6.9 percent and 5.7 percent of the vote, respectively.
Patino didn’t respond to the Sun’s request for comment. Perez told the Sun in a statement that the race was close, and, moving forward, the City Council should address the “most pressing issues in Santa Maria.”
“The residents of Santa Maria want to see action taken by City Council and city leaders to repair the working relationships with the firefighters, labor unions, senior citizens, small business owners, and struggling families,” Perez said in the statement. “The entire city is now aware of the previous neglect, and addressing the issues will begin the healing process for everyone.”
The Santa Maria Firefighters Union Local 2020 endorsed and raised funds for Perez, Maria Salguero in the 1st District race, and Benjamin Ortiz in the 2nd District—taking a more active political stance this cycle as the union faces an impasse with the city in negotiations for a new contract agreement that includes a salary increase. The previous contract expired December 2023.
According to campaign finance filings, the Santa Maria Firefighters Political Action Committee (run by the firefighter’s union Local 2020 since 1989) contributed more than $7,700 to Perez’s campaign, and more than $2,600 to Ortiz’s campaign and more than $3,000 to Salguero’s campaign—totaling more than $15,000 in direct contributions.
“The reason why the firefighters got involved this year is because of a lack of leadership at City Hall,” Union President Matthew Chircop told the Sun. “We need to speak up for ourselves because City Hall is not, and we are the boots on the ground; we are the ones providing the level of service. When bureaucrats make decisions, we have the first impact.”
Early results show the union-backed candidates trailing incumbents. First District incumbent Carlos Escobedo leads his race with 58.8 percent of the vote (1,807 votes) and Maria Salguero garnered 34.54 percent (1,060 votes). Adilene Rojas-Alejo received 6.2 percent of the vote (191 votes).
“I am very happy with the results, but also with the campaign we ran. There was a lot of negativity this election, but we stuck to the issues and voters responded to that,” Escobedo told the Sun in a statement. “I enjoyed the many conversations I had while walking neighborhoods and am grateful for every vote I received. I promise to work hard for residents of District 1, whether they voted for me or not.”
Incumbent 2nd District Councilmember Mike Cordero echoed Escobedo’s sentiments around the negativity in the election, particularly from the Firefighters Union.
“I’m convinced that it’s not the entire Fire Department; it falls on the leadership of the fire department in my opinion, and I don’t know if they’ve done themselves any good; they lost on all counts,” Cordero said.
Cordero is the only incumbent behind a newcomer, based on preliminary results. Gloria Flores (who was not endorsed by the firefighters union) leads the pack, but Cordero only trails by 27 votes. Flores received 34.2 percent of the votes (1,275), and Cordero received 33.5 percent (1,248 votes).
Firefighter union-backed candidate Ortiz received 31.9 percent of the vote (1,188 votes)—only 87 votes and 60 votes behind Flores and Cordero, respectively.
“I’ll be very disappointed if I don’t get reelected because I feel there are many very important things that are in the middle of the final stretch that would be left uncompleted by me,” Cordero said. “No matter when you leave—by choice, illness, or accident—there’s always something left undone in this business. … You just face that reality and press on.”
This article appears in Nov 14-24, 2024.