Santa Maria’s City Council has three seats up for grabs—the mayor’s spot, and two councilmembers’—and the race to grab them is continuing to take shape.
Last week, Councilmember Bob Orach confirmed in an email to the Sun that after three decades of service, he will not be running for re-election. Meanwhile, political newbie Hector Sanchez launched his candidacy on July 20, joining incumbent Terri Zuniga in the race for the city’s two councilmember openings, whose terms each run four years.
In an email to the Sun, Sanchez claimed Santa Maria lacks leadership under Mayor Alice Patino, and that the city’s primary problems include “depleted reserves, deficit spending, and runaway violence.” Sanchez said he plans to alleviate these issues, pointing to a restructuring of economic development, the recruitment of local technology firms, and the One Community Action Coalition as potential solutions.
Mayoral incumbent Patino announced last month that she will run for another four-year term, and competition has yet to come forward. But there’s time left—the filing period for nomination papers and statements from the candidates is open until Aug. 12, or Aug. 17 if an incumbent does not file for re-election.
This article appears in Jul 21-28, 2016.
