Sheriff Bill Brown is getting a third term in Santa Barbara County. Semi-official results posted on the county Registrar of Voters website showed that the incumbent beat challenger Sgt. Sandra Brown (no relation) by roughly 7,400 votes. County officials estimated a voter turnout of 29.31 percent, with 56,837 ballots filed.
The first numbers of the night gave the former Lompoc police chief a comfortable lead over his opponent, who currently supervises the Coroner’s Office Special Investigations Bureau.
“I was humbled by the support that was shown and grateful that the citizens of Santa Barbara County put me back into office for at least another four years,” Bill told the Sun on June 4. “We have a lot of work to do. We’re going to continue to preserve the resources that we have and work to rebuild the department and the positions that we lost due to the recession.”
While the incumbent celebrated his apparent win at the Butler Event Center in Santa Barbara, Sandra’s camp packed into The Hitching Post Restaurant in Casmalia to enjoy drinks, gourmet cheeses, dips, and even a birthday cake for one of Brown’s supporters.
“We’re just having a good time,” Sandra told the Sun as she made her way from table to table of supporters. “We brought up a lot of really good issues. I think there’s a lot of momentum behind the campaign and of lot of supporters who understand that there needs to be a change in leadership.”
Some of Sandra’s campaign goals included streamlining department spending for North County jail, “putting more boots on the ground” in patrol and other units, improving employee retention, and creating more partnerships with the community to fight crime.
She said if the voters decide to re-elect Sheriff Brown, which they ultimately did, “I’ll fall into line and be the good little trooper that I’ve been for the last 17 years.”
The Battle of the Browns, as it’s be dubbed by media, proved to be one of the most contentious in the county, with criticism voiced on both sides.
When asked how he’ll interact with Sandra now that the election is over, Bill said, “She will return to her position and continue to be a member of the team. She has a role to fill, and my expectation is that she will continue to fill that role.”
This article appears in Jun 5-12, 2014.
