Depending on the outcome of November’s election, up to three seats on the Santa Maria City Council could change hands. Of those three races, the 4th District race is guaranteed to bring new blood to the dais, without an incumbent to consider. While current 4th District Councilmember Maribel Aguilera vies for retiring Santa Barbara County […]
Santa Maria City Council
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Santa Maria delays hearing ‘to ensure safety’ of City Council
On Oct. 6, the city of Santa Maria issued a formal notice canceling the City Council’s regular meeting scheduled for that evening. Originally described as “due to a lack of quorum,” the short-notice cancellation prompted a more specific explanation from the city in an Oct. 8 release. “For further clarification, the meeting was canceled per […]
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Age-restricted: Santa Maria follows the county’s lead by passing protections for senior mobile home parks
A goal to preserve affordable housing for more than 1,000 senior residents—specifically tenants of five mobile home parks in Santa Maria—prompted the city to recently refresh its zoning standards. Ahead of the new rules tailored to limit these parks’ eligibility to convert from 55-and-older to welcoming all ages, none of the five parks’ owners expressed […]
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Santa Maria considers ballot measure for sales tax increase
A survey of 400 Santa Maria residents showed that 60 percent of them would vote yes on a half-cent sales tax increase, as long as the extra funds—approximately $13 million a year—went toward essential city services. While 31 percent of participants answered no to the survey, which assured all hypothetical funds would stay local with […]
Posted inOpinion
Santa Maria City Council’s appointment process is seriously flawed
Ricardo Batalla was chosen to represent the voters of District 1 on the City Council by Mayor Alice Patino and Councilmembers Gloria Flores and Maribel Aguilera at the April 7 council meeting. I wish Mr. Batalla, father of three and director of youth development at the Santa Maria Valley YMCA, the very best. He will […]
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Santa Maria City Council appoints Ricardo Batalla to 1st District
Abraham Lincoln’s decision in 1861 to appoint three of his political opponents to his cabinet should have helped steer Santa Maria officials’ approach to filling a recent City Council vacancy, in resident Gale McNeeley’s view. “Mayor Patino, you can be the Abraham Lincoln of Santa Maria. I know you don’t look like him, but you […]
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Santa Maria City Council seeks applicants after Carlos Escobedo resigns
With two years left on his Santa Maria City Council term, Carlos Escobedo resigned from his role as the 1st District’s representative in early March. Eleven minutes into the council’s March 3 meeting, Escobedo announced his decision from the dais during the public comment period. “Due to my upcoming move outside District 1, I will […]
Posted inOpinion
Know before you vote: One 5th District county supervisor candidate has what it takes to lead North County
Fifth District voters face an important decision June 2 as three candidates compete to succeed the departing Steve Lavagnino on the Santa Barbara County Board of Supervisors. First, Cory Bantilan, for the past 16 years chief of staff for Supervisor Lavagnino. Quietly competent and skilled in the operations of county government, Mr. Bantilan has set […]
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Santa Maria agendizes hearing to discuss forming immigration ad hoc committee
For local high school student Lorena Martinez, real-time events have shown that the Santa Maria City Council’s pace in deciding whether to form an immigration ad hoc committee is too slow. “Real families are being torn apart. Children are living with fear and uncertainty. Parents are afraid to go to work. This is happening here […]
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Santa Maria’s immigrant resolution stirs backlash from elected officials, advocacy groups
Of all the tangents Santa Maria leaders veered into while discussing a resolution to support immigrants, nostalgia for the 1950s was one of the most disheartening, an Oxnard official stated. “People need to really think more critically about romanticizing that era,” Oxnard City Council Member Gabe Teran said in a Facebook thread. Teran was referring […]
Posted inOpinion
Santa Maria’s resolution in support of immigrant residents lacks backbone
There’s a common idiom heard among the halls of newspaper offices and other media outlets: “old news is no news.” There was certainly some of that at the Santa Maria City Council meeting on Feb. 3. The meeting was dominated by extensive public comment and discussion among City Council members on how to acknowledge Santa […]
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Santa Maria to formalize ‘a clear message that we do stand with immigrants’
With one hand holding onto a cardboard cutout of a silhouetted body, Jeanne Sparks told the Santa Maria City Council she doesn’t want to see local officials stand idly by while Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) operations escalate. “We can’t let them do to our community what they have done elsewhere,” Sparks said at the […]
