As voters trickled into the Edwards Community Center, one of Santa Maria’s seven polling places, on Nov. 3 it appeared most were there to drop off mail-in ballots. Only a few were there to cast their votes in person.
Bolinda Rodriguez dropped off her and her daughter’s mail-in ballots. She said she felt better about seeing the poll workers physically receive her ballot than putting it in the mail.
Rodriguez said she was able to get the day off to drop off her ballot, but in past elections, work was a reason she couldn’t make it to the polls. As a single mom, she said, it can be hard to find the time, but she wanted to set an example for her daughter, a first-time voter.
“Sometimes you don’t realize how important it is until it’s too late,” Rodriguez added.
In a “Post Election First Update” Elections Summary Report posted by Santa Barbara County on Nov. 9, unofficial results show that incumbent Mayor Alice Patino will have another term in office. So far, she has won with 64.6 percent of the vote or 17,559 votes. In second is Alberto Ugalde 4,803 votes, and in third is Will Smith with 4,672 votes.
“It’s a crazy time to be running a campaign,” Patino said of running for office during the pandemic. “I think of all the things I still want to accomplish. There will always be things left undone, but there’s so many things I want to accomplish.”
Patino said she plans to focus on economic recovery and housing as she launches into her third term as mayor.
“We need to get our businesses open and going. The economy needs to get going. We can’t function without revenues,” Patino said. “I think housing is something that we’re going to be looking to fulfill. … A plan for where it’s going to go and the vision.”
The Santa Maria City Council will have a fresh face representing District 1: Carlos Escobedo, who so far has secured 45.4 percent, or 2,278 votes. Osvaldo Sotelo is in second with 1,715 votes. Brian Billones is third with 535 votes, and Christopher Diaz is fourth with 455.
“I feel happy and I feel proud,” Escobedo told the Sun. “My volunteers enjoyed the process and I’m really grateful for the community and my whole team. It took a team to make this happen. I’m honored to earn the trust of District 1 voters. … I will make Santa Maria a great place to live, work, and recreate.”
Escobedo added that he “walked every single street” in District 1 during his campaign, collecting information from the community about what changes they’d like to see. This is going to guide his focus when he takes office in the new year, Escobedo said.
“I want to say thank you to everybody who supported this campaign and to the community especially, because this was a campaign from the people, for the people,” Escobedo said.
This article appears in Nov 12-19, 2020.
