Before he leaves office, Roger Aceves looks back on his 16 years with the Goleta City Council
“I am really honored that the voters re-elected me four times,” said Goleta City Councilmember Roger Aceves, who will leave office Dec. 20 after 16 years. He’s seen here at his home in Goleta.
Roger Aceves, Goleta’s longest-serving city council member, will leave office on Dec. 20 after a record-breaking 5,558 days on the job.
In all that time, he never missed a council meeting.
Mr. Aceves was elected to the Goleta City Council in November 2006 and sworn in December 2006. During his 16.03 years on the council, he served twice as mayor of Goleta.
And Mr. Aceves said he is proud of many accomplishments during his long tenure.
“My main focus has always been having a strong physical presence,” he said. “One of the reasons there have been so many 4-1 votes is that I don’t vote for something if we can’t afford it.
Roger Aceves said he’s proud of accomplishments such as the purchase of the Goleta City Hall, which saved the city leasing fees.
“One of the things we did accomplish was purchasing city hall. This saved us $600,000 annually in lease payments,” he said. “We also acquired Fire Station 10 property. We haven’t built it yet, but we have purchased the property.
“We also created the 501 trust fund to handle future pension and retiree health benefits, which the council initially wasn’t in support of. The trust fund covers any future increases of rates of PERS (Public Employees’ Retirement System). So it will not come out of the city’s general fund,” Mr. Aceves said.
He also noted he persuaded the city council to approve diversity equity and inclusion policy.
“I have been the only Latino elected to council,” Mr. Aceves said. “My last official resolution was a resolution condemning actions of three L.A. City Council members, which were discriminatory against blacks, Latinos and people of color. I asked every single council member to sign the resolution, rather than just the mayor as a show of unity.
“I also created Beautify Goleta to clean neighborhoods, and that program has grown exponentially,” Mr. Aceves said. “I created that over 10 years ago, and in that time they have collected over 100,000 tons of garbage, and 80% of that has been recycled.”
“I signed a contract with the citizens of Goleta, and I didn’t want to let them down,” Councilmember Roger Aceves said about his time in office.
Mr. Aceves spoke about how it feels to be the longest-serving Goleta City Council member.
“I was surprised how quickly the time went. I have dedicated 16 years of my life. I am really honored that the voters re-elected me four times,” he said. “I dedicated myself in service to them and never missed a meeting.
“What the public doesn’t understand is the impact on family. My wife of 50 years has been my strong supporter, I couldn’t have done anything I have accomplished without her support,” Mr. Aceves said. “I am really pleased with the work I have done.”
The News-Press asked Mr. Aceves how he has managed to never miss a meeting in 16 years.
“To my wife’s chagrin, we scheduled vacations in between meetings. I manage by being prepared for every meeting and reading every report. I dedicated myself to it.
“I signed a contract with the citizens of Goleta, and I didn’t want to let them down. It wasn’t easy,” he said. “You give up a lot, especially family.”
Mr. Aceves talked about his legacy.
“When I was elected, our city was not quite five years old,” he said. “I had my hand in every vote taken by council. I also had responsibility beyond meetings.”
Mr. Aceves, the council’s only Latino member, reached out to the Spanish-speaking community, and he said that worked effectively.
“Additionally, when I was mayor for the first time in 2009, we didn’t have our own municipal code. We hadn’t created it yet,” he said. “I pushed our city attorney and
clerk to get the municipal code done. It took eight years to get it done. We also have the largest motorsquad in law enforcement.
“My legacy doesn’t just remain with the council. I was also the presidential appointment to the statewide committee on public safety, served with the Santa Barbara County Association of Governments, Air Pollution Control District, the Metropolitan Transit District, as well as 10 years on the Local Agency Formation Commission. This was all in addition to not missing one council meeting.”
The News-Press asked Mr. Aceves what the future holds for him.
“I thought a lot about this. Not having to go to council meetings now, I have Tuesdays free,” Mr. Aceves said.
“I’m closing a door now on being on council, but I have had many other offers,” he added.
“But more importantly right now during the holidays, I get to spend more time with my family and my new grandbaby. I am also a member of the Santa Barbara Elks Lodge and am on the board of directors for the United Boys and Girls Club of Santa Barbara County. My wife and I are involved with many nonprofits, and we have raised $25,000 for the Goleta (Valley) Historical Society.”
Mr. Aceves gave the following advice to his successor, Councilmember-elect Luz Reyes-Martin:
“First, I wish her luck in her new position. I understand she has a steep learning curve. Being on the council is not a natural thing, you have to learn the process. My hope is that she will have an independent voice and advocate for the needs of District 1.
“I hope she pushes for more involvement, especially from the minority community. I hope she advocates for representation. I hope she fights during the budget hearing for the needs of District 1. I hope she isn’t afraid to take an opposing view.”
Councilmember James Kyriaco told the News-Press that he appreciated his time working with Councilmember Aceves, “particularly on issues such as public safety, emergency preparedness, and improving diversity, equity and inclusion in city programs, services, employment and commission representation.
“His commitment to constituent services, which he often referred to as customer service, is something I will seek to emulate as a councilmember in the coming years,” Mr. Kyriaco said.
In addition to his 16 years on the Goleta City Council, Mr. Aceves spent 32 years as a police officer, and he said all the experience has led to a “huge wealth of knowledge.
“I may be off council but I’m not going away,” he said. “I will still be available to assist and advocate for issues for the city and the district.
“If anyone needs my help I am only a phone call away, and I stand at the ready to serve and assist.”
email: kzehnder@newspress.com
