An AI-generated, deep fake political ad depicting candidate Ricardo Valencia as a sad-faced clown in the race for Santa Barbara County Fifth District supervisor—an ad paid for by the county Republican Party—was condemned as racist on Friday by area Democrats.
“This is a racist caricature that demeans candidates of color and disrespects the communities of Santa Maria and Guadalupe,” the county Democratic Party said in a statement. “It is disgraceful, and our community deserves better.”
The ad was texted to voters in the district on Friday.
A leader of the Santa Barbara GOP downplayed the blowback.
“We are not racist at all,” said Bobbi McGinnis, chairwoman of the county Republicans. “This is the Democrats trying to pull their old tricks.”
Instead, McGinnis said, her organization was experimenting with new digital technologies in the same vein as reality TV star Spencer Pratt, who’s been sharing viral, AI-generated political ads as he campaigns for mayor of Los Angeles.
“It’s a whole new world for us,” McGinnis said. “We’re basically saying Ricardo Valencia isn’t the best person to be on the Board of Supervisors for any reason.”
The ad, which is labeled as AI-generated or altered, begins with the Democrat Valencia depicted as a clown in face paint wearing a colorful, oversized bow tie. He’s walking along a street with a crowd and what appears to be a burning structure in the background as emergency vehicle lights flash and sirens blare.
Over the images, a narrator speaks with a distinctly Latino accent: “Santa Maria used to mean something—hard work, strong families, real community. Now? Everywhere you look—more noise, more ego, more performance. Ricardo Valencia talks like he has all the answers, but people here are still waiting. Waiting for safer streets. Waiting for accountability. Waiting for leadership that actually puts this county first.”
As the depiction of Valencia changes throughout the video, he’s later seen wearing a wig and a red clown nose. At times, the video background shifts to show images of what appear to be food lines and a streetside homeless encampment.
Valencia is a Santa Maria High School teacher and member of the Santa Maria-Bonita School Board. The county Democratic Party has endorsed him. He did not immediately return a request for comment.
One of his opponents, Maribel Aguilera, a registered independent, serves on the Santa Maria City Council.
“My campaign and I had absolutely nothing to do with this recent video,” Aguilera said in a statement to the News-Press, describing her efforts over the past six months as positive. “Moving forward, my focus remains entirely on earning the votes of our community through honest dialogue and a vision for our shared future.”
Cory Bantilan, also running, is a top aid to outgoing Supervisor Steve Lavagnino, who’s retiring from the Fifth District after more than 15 years in office. A former Republican, Bantilan is also registered as an independent.
“Ultimately the voters will decide whether they like that type of campaigning,” Bantilan said in a statement. “I can say I certainly won’t be depicting Santa Maria or any candidate that way.”
Bantilan said he had no prior knowledge of the attack ad. The county Republican Party says on its website that it urges voters not to vote for Valencia or Bantilan, but does not make a formal endorsement of a candidate.
The wide open race heated up this week ahead of the June 2 primary, when the trio met for a forum Tuesday in Santa Maria and another Thursday in Guadalupe. If none wins a majority of votes, the top two finishers will advance to a runoff election in November.
Concern over the emergence of deep fake videos in politics and across social media has captured the attention of some politicians in recent years.
In 2024, California Gavin Newsom signed three measures intended to combat deep fake election content and protect the digital likenesses of actors and performers. The legislation requires large online platforms to label or remove deceptive, digitally altered campaign ads.
