Former Lompoc mayor and community activist Joyce Howerton announced March 9 that she’ll be running for 4th District Santa Barbara County Supervisor. Her main goal is to connect the office with the community—something she says has been missing as of late.
“I think that the problem is that there’s been a disconnect between the 4th District office and the communities at large. One of the first things I want to do is go around the community and talk to people,” Howerton said, adding that having a physical presence in the community is necessary to learn what issues really matter. “For too many years we haven’t seen that—except during election time.”
Howerton currently serves as vice chair of the county’s 10-Year Plan to End Chronic Homelessness, and said she’s making it her priority to find a solution to the housing issues that plague North County.
“There are people literally losing their homes daily,” she said. “You look at this homeless issue, and there are people who are in the streets. Somehow we must work in our community to find solutions.”
Howerton said there needs to be a type of safety net for people who are close to losing their house, as well as shelters for those who have already lost their homes.
She said the current 4th District office hasn’t dealt with housing issues responsibly, and cited failure of the Lompoc Housing and Community Development Corporation.
“The whole issue was truly shameful. What got lost in all of this— besides millions of dollars that are unaccounted for—were the women, children, and men. The money was supposed to go toward homeless shelters and there was no shelter,” she said. “They just closed their doors.”
Another issue Howerton is vocal about is preserving farmland. She said there needs to be a balance between developing land and preserving the character of the county.
“It’s important for people to understand where their food is coming from and [that] it’s not always going to be there. We literally have to put safeguards in place to make sure that the farming industry, which is one of the biggest economic engines in this county, can continue to go forward. That to me is a very important issue.”
Howerton has been involved in many different projects throughout her career and says that the most satisfying thing has been banding together with like-minded individuals who desire to enhance the community.
“No one person does much by themselves; it really takes people working together,” she said. “I’ve been very fortunate in my long career to have had the opportunity to work with creative people, people who aren’t afraid to try new things, and that’s an accomplishment to me.”
Howerton served as mayor of Lompoc for three terms, from 1992 to 1998. Currently, she’s the executive director of Santa Barbara County Action Network (SBCAN). She also helped create the county’s first Rape Crisis and Child Protection Center.
This article appears in Mar 15-22, 2012.