Without holding a single fundraiser, Maribel Aguilera’s campaign for Santa Barbara County 5th District supervisor has raised $98,000 as of mid-February.
Local farms, restaurants, nonprofits, law firms, and private individuals were among the contributors who clicked the green “donate” button on the candidate’s website. Her campaign filings show she raised about $86,000 in 2025. She said she’s raised more than $10,000 in 2026, so far.
Donations to her campaign have ranged anywhere between $10 and $5,000, including a $1,000 gift from Lee Danielson, government affairs liaison for Sable Offshore Corp.
“I’ve instructed my team to return that money,” Aguilera told the Sun. “I did call him—I didn’t want to be rude—and I said, ‘Hey, thank you for sending it, but I just want you to know I’m not taking any money related to oil.’ Let’s just keep that clear because it just creates a messy situation.”
The Santa Maria City Council member said she will not accept a single contribution from any oil company. Her team is currently looking into a separate $1,000 donation listed as coming from Ramon Elias, vice president of Santa Maria Energy, to determine whether to return it.
On the Santa Maria Valley Chamber of Commerce’s website, Santa Maria Energy LLC is listed as “an independent, private energy company committed to the responsible exploration and development of natural resources.”
“I think that was a local energy company that went out of business,” Aguilera said. “It might have been somebody who donated that used to work there. … If it is related to oil, I’ll be sending that back as well.”
Some of the largest contributions to Aguilera’s campaign so far include a $3,500 donation from the Santa Ynez Band of Chumash Mission Indians, and $5,900 from Santa Maria-based construction company Halsell Builders.
“The people who have invested in this campaign are not corporate interests or outside interests with their own agenda,” Aguilera said. “They are our neighbors, our farmers, our small business owners, and our families.”
Among Aguilera’s peers on the Santa Maria City Council, Mayor Alice Patino and Councilmember Gloria Flores are endorsing her run for the Board of Supervisors’ 5th District seat, while Councilmember Gloria Soto is endorsing candidate Ricardo Valencia’s campaign.
In an email to the Sun, Valencia said he’s proud to say his campaign’s “not funded by big corporations or the same wealthy interests that have dominated North County politics.” His campaign filings show that he raised more than $59,000 in the second half of last year, with about $10,000 of the total in loans.
Contributors to Valencia’s campaign include several individuals who identified themselves as either educators or administrators employed by the Santa Maria Joint Union High School District, Allan Hancock College, and the Santa Barbara County Education Office.
“This campaign is powered by hardworking people from Santa Maria and Guadalupe who believe they deserve a real voice,” Valencia said. “We’re building something bigger than a campaign—a movement where everyday people have the courage to step up, engage in politics, and shape the decisions that impact their lives for the good of everyone who calls Santa Barbara County home.”
The Sun reached out to 5th District candidate Cory Bantilan, whose campaign raised about $43,000 in 2025, but did not receive a response before press time. Public filings show that contributors to Bantilan’s campaign include local attorneys, teachers, and business owners.
This article appears in February 19 – February 26, 2026.