I’ve studied all the candidates running for Steve Lavagnino’s seat on the Board of Supervisors. I am voting for Ricardo Valencia in the June 2 primary.
Ricardo’s campaign is powered by dozens of energetic volunteers, and like Sen. Bernie Sanders and New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani, he is funded by hundreds of small donations from ordinary people. No surprise then that he is endorsed by the same Working Families Party that supported Mayor Mamdani. Ricardo Valencia will be a strong, new voice on the Board of Supervisors for the thousands of families in his district who are often forgotten in Santa Barbara.
Ricardo was educated in Guadalupe and Santa Maria, then went to the University of California Berkley. After graduation, instead of working in the Bay Area, he returned to teach at Santa Maria High. His students will tell you how he has inspired them to believe in themselves, in their cultural heritage, and their future success in higher education and service to their community.
Ricardo serves as a board member for the Santa Maria-Bonita School District. He has promoted education in the performing and visual arts for every Santa Maria elementary and junior high school. He has also helped the district to balance its budget so elementary and junior high schools can give our children a big step up on their way to high school.
When I compare Ricardo Valencia’s work on the school board to Ms. Aguilera’s on the Santa Maria City Council, the difference is clear.
She was endorsed by Etta Waterfield four years ago, and under Ms. Aguilera’s watch, the city has spent more money than it generates and has run up a $25 million deficit each year, for the next two years.
She is funded with big donations by the same special interest groups—lawyers, farm owners, big business owners and developers, that have controlled Santa Maria’s politics forever.
Ms. Aguilera supported the council in selling city land on three corners of Main and Broadway to a big developer for his own housing projects and sweetened the deal with more than $1 million in tax breaks.
Now Ms. Aguilera has joined the council in contracting with a PR firm for $30,000 to persuade us to increase our sales tax to help pay for their giveaways.
And why would Ms. Aguilera’s campaign be allowed to post her signs a full month before state and city rules allow them, giving her an early advantage over her two opponents, who followed the rules?
The third contender in this race is Steve Lavagnino’s chief of staff, Cory Bantilan, who jumped into the race a little late. He is expected to mirror Mr. Lavagnino’s policies if elected, rather than the more working-family policies of Mr. Valencia. This should lead to some interesting debates.
I encourage every voter to look carefully at the three candidates and vote in the primary. If you vote by mail, vote early so your vote will be counted. New post office policy does not promise to postmark your vote the day you put it in the box. Look for your ballots to come in the mail soon.
Gale McNeeley
Santa Maria
This article appears in April 30 – May 7, 2026.