Luz Reyes-Martin
School board member Luz Reyes-Martin announced her candidacy Tuesday for the Goleta City Council.
She’s running for the newly created District 1. The district includes the northeast portion of Goleta — east of Glen Annie Road and north of Highway 101.
Ms. Reyes-Martin has served on the Goleta Union School District board since 2014. She was selected twice by her board colleagues to serve as president.
The candidate said she is committed to preserving the character of local neighborhoods, safeguarding Goleta’s open spaces and delivering essential services to residents.
“I’m running for City Council to continue to lead our community forward,” Ms. Reyes-Martin said in a news release. “Having served our families on the Goleta Union School Board, I know that as we recover from the COVID-19 pandemic, we must work together to better support the health and safety of our community, secure our economic future and ensure residents can continue living, working and enjoying life in Goleta.
“I’m a parent, nonprofit executive, community volunteer and environmental advocate,” she said. “I’ve worked hard to make a positive difference in the lives of children and families in our community.
“With master’s degrees in land-use planning and in public administration, I have a deep understanding of how city government can and should work, how it should be accountable to the community, and how essential thoughtful planning is to sustainable communities,” Ms. Reyes-Martin, a Stanford University graduate, said. “As a council member, I will be a committed, proactive and responsive representative for the residents of District 1 and the Goleta community as a whole.”.
She said she brings a strong understanding of local government, having worked alongside county leadership and first responders during the Refugio oil spill, Thomas Fire and Montecito debris flow as a volunteer bilingual public information officer.
In response to the May 23, 2014 Isla Vista shootings, she served on the multi-agency IV SAFE committee, working with Santa Barbara County, city of Goleta staff, student leaders and first responders.
Ms. Reyes-Martín has received early endorsements of her candidacy from Goleta Mayor Paula Perotte; Goleta City Councilmembers James Kyriaco, Kyle Richards and Stuart Kasdin; Goleta Union School District board members Rich Mayer and Sholeh Jahangir; Santa Barbara County Supervisors Joan Hartmann, Gregg Hart and Das Williams; and Supervisor-elect Laura Capps.
She also has been endorsed by Goleta Water Board members Lauren Hanson, Farfalla Borah and Kathleen Werner; state Sen. Monique Limón, D-Santa Barbara, and former state Sen. Hannah-Beth Jackson, D-Santa Barbara.
This fall’s election is the first one in which Goleta City Council members are being elected to represent specific districts. District 1 contains sites such as the Goleta Valley Library, Lake Los Carneros, Stow Grove Park and Rancho La Patera & Stow House. The district also includes La Patera and Kellogg elementary schools, Goleta Valley Junior High School, and private and charter schools, as well as the Fairview and Calle Real shopping centers.
To learn more go to luzreyesmartin.com.
email: kzehnder@newspress.com
