A guide to the candidates ahead of Tuesday’s city election
The City of Santa Barbara election set for Tuesday will determine who is mayor of the city.
The City of Santa Barbara election is Tuesday, and registered voters within city limits have six candidates on their ballots.
Incumbent Mayor Cathy Murillo is vying for a second term as Santa Barbara’s first Latina mayor. Before public service, she worked as a print and radio journalist.
Mayor Murillo is endorsed by the Democratic Party of Santa Barbara County, the Los Padres Chapter of the Sierra Club, Latinas Lead California, Planned Parenthood Action Fund, Young Democrats, CAUSE Action Fund, Central Coast Labor Council and SEIU 620, among others.
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From left, James Joyce III, Cathy Murillo, Randy Rowse
Deborah Schwartz is in her 12th and final year in the Planning Commission and currently serves as chair. Ms. Schwartz has a long career as a business and policy professional but enjoys public service.
She spent the majority of her childhood in Santa Barbara, where her mom Naomi Schwartz became a Santa Barbara County supervisor.
Ms. Schwartz is endorsed by the Democratic Women of Santa Barbara County and the Santa Barbara Association of Realtors.
James Joyce III, founder of Coffee with a Black Guy and former district director for State Senator Hannah-Beth Jackson, likes to listen over a cup of coffee.
His business has fostered community conversations, and he plans to do the same if elected mayor. He has served on advisory committees and currently serves on nonprofit boards.
The Montecito Journal and Santa Barbara Independent endorse Mr. Joyce.
Mark Whitehurst is the publisher and editor of VOICE Magazine, which also publishes as CASA.
He is a board member of the Downtown organization and previously served as president and treasurer. He also volunteers on the board of Santa Barbara Beautiful and the Santa Barbara Park and Recreation Community Foundation.
He is a founding member of First Thursday and amplifies the arts as a major piece of his campaign.
He boasts a list of endorsements for his candidacy on his website, including Larry J. Feinberg, Santa Barbara Museum of Art CEO and Robert and Mercedes Eichholz Director; Ruth Ellen Hoag, owner of GraySpace Art Studio, and Joan Rutkowski, board chair of Opera Santa Barbara.
Matt Kilrain, or “Boat Rat Matt,” is well-known around the waterfront and has caught attention with his hand-painted campaign signs he places around town.
His Facebook profile biography labels himself “Santa Barbara’s only pro life tree hugging capitalist.” He has shared unconventional views throughout candidate forums.
Randy Rowse, former owner of Paradise Cafe and former council member, has lived in Santa Barbara for the past 36 years after graduating from UCSB.
He is running without a party affiliation.
Mr. Rowse has accrued endorsements from: the Santa Barbara City Firefighters’ Association, the Santa Barbara Police Officers’ Association, the Santa Barbara South Coast Chamber of Commerce, the Santa Barbara News-Press and more.
Votes may be submitted by mail (must be postmarked by Tuesday), drop box or polling place.
HOUSING
Cathy Murillo: Mayor Murillo spoke about pending changes in a candidates forum hosted by the Santa Barbara chapter of the American Institute of Architects. The City is transitioning from the average-unit density program to floor-area ratio.
“We’re refining our multifamily housing guidelines and our objective design standards so we are working on making housing more doable,” she said. “I’ll be working with the new planning director to streamline the application and design review process.”
She believes in developing downtown, close to public transit and jobs.
Deborah Schwartz: Ms. Schwartz looks to private-public partnerships in her housing policies. She sees potential coupling developers’ capital with incentives from the Housing Authority. Private companies pay taxes on the real estate, providing revenue to the City.
James Joyce III: Mr. Joyce looks for workforce housing that could potentially solve multiple problems. In the American Institute of Architects forum, he talked about transforming the school-district-owned former armory at 700 E Canon Perdido Street into housing for teachers. He has an idea that childcare and family-centric amenities could be offered.
Mark Whitehurst: Mr. Whitehurst took a critical view of the permitting process. He also thinks the City Council should look at committee members in the Community Development Department that may be delaying projects.
“I believe that we need to take a very close look at committee members that abuse their discretion. And I think that’s what’s causing these repeat meetings is abuse of discretion,” he said. “These committee members either need to be retrained or relieved.”
Matt Kilrain: Mr. Kilrain is opposed to new housing development, he said repeatedly in the AIA forum. He believes the housing shortage could be solved by kicking the “gangbusters” out of town.
Randy Rowse: Mr. Rowse said in the AIA forum he would approach developers and ask where the “holes” are in the process and try to fix “onerous and uncertain permitting systems.”
He is hesitant to accept ideas such as adapting parking structures for housing or building taller. He believes the market will remain expensive.
“If we build all these things, what we see with every project we’ve built, we still have not discovered affordability,” he said. “So would we trash Santa Barbara and then still not have it be affordable?”
DIVERSITY AND EQUITY
Cathy Murillo: Mayor Murillo points to a number of projects she is working on to promote equity: civilian oversight of law enforcement, a project that will reveal the history of people of color in Santa Barbara and expansion of Spanish-language materials from the City. The City is planning to hire a bilingual public information officer.
Deborah Schwartz: Ms. Schwartz would like an audit of the city’s payroll, employee review and hiring practices.
“I want real data,” she said in the League of Women Voters forum. “I think that it’s time we ask our human resources director to gather that so that the mayor and council together can look at the hard evidence as to whether or not we have disparities in our institutional system and then decide what the path forward is to remedy those.”
James Joyce III: Mr. Joyce, who was unable to attend the LWV forum, puts focus on listening to community members. He believes he can engage previously unheard populations.
“Understanding what it’s like to be invisible, to be able to hear but not be heard: these are skills and perspectives that I bring to the office that I think are valuable,” he said during a campaign event in August.
He would like to conduct an equity audit on the city charter, including native land recognition.
Mark Whitehurst: Mr. Whitehurst said the State Street Promenade should serve as a stage for the city’s cultures. Everyone should be welcome and able to use the space — including children and those in wheelchairs, he said.
Matt Kilrain: When asked about plans for equity, Mr. Kilrain said others were “wordsmithing” the term. He, instead, talked about equity as financial ownership and lauded his plan to give Santa Barbara natives a piece of the City’s profit.
Randy Rowse: Mr. Rowse said he currently sees diversity in the city, particularly the police department. He would focus on recruitment to retain locals and diverse candidates.
SUSTAINABILITY
Cathy Murillo: In the League of Women Voters forum, Mayor Murillo drew attention to recent advancements in the city’s sustainability efforts. There is a new sustainability and resilience department; Community Choice Energy is expanding into the city, and the city is using more solar energy. The City Council recently banned natural gas in new construction.
“We’re forward thinking and really looking out for the young people in this community; they will feel the brunt of climate disruption,” she said.
Deborah Schwartz: Ms. Schwartz’s Santa Barbara S.A.F.E. Plan addresses emergency preparedness during the climate crisis. She believes there needs to be strategic planning to improve access in and out of the community in case of emergency.
Her plan includes building workforce housing so essential workers are in the city in times of great need.
James Joyce III: Mr. Joyce worked for former State Sen. Hannah-Beth Jackson, who championed environmental issues. He supports the City’s current work and would like to streamline the solar-panel permitting process.
Mark Whitehurst: Sustainability and the arts are the largest components of Mr. Whitehurst’s platform. He would like to make Santa Barbara an environmental destination, combining the beauty of the land with education, he told the News-Press.
Matt Kilrain: Mr. Kilrain alluded to a “long, dark winter” while answering the League of Women Voters’ sustainability question. “Our primary focus needs to be emergency preparedness,” he said.
Randy Rowse: He chaired the sustainability committee and Tajiguas Materials Recovery Committee during his time on the City Council. In his answer to the LWV, he emphasized creating microgrids for emergencies.
“We can’t become monochromatic when it comes to procuring our energy; we need to be diverse,” he said.
STATE STREET
Cathy Murillo: She envisions State Street as a hub for activities and well-paying jobs. She would like the street to remain closed to vehicles and has ideas for concerts, games and family-friendly events.
Mayor Murillo is in support of a vacancy tax on storefronts that remain empty for long periods of time, though she acknowledges the ordinance would have to be made carefully, she told the News-Press.
Deborah Schwartz: Ms. Schwartz hopes to see more housing near State Street. She believes the City should streamline the permitting process for business owners to speed up economic development.
James Joyce III: He would talk to business owners about their vision for State Street and pair it with ideas from the architectural charrettes the City hosted years ago. Architects imagined creative futures for State Street, and Mr. Joyce would like to see more ideas get implemented.
“We were envisioning a pedestrian walkway on State, but it took a global pandemic to get us there,” he said in a campaign event. “There are other ideas that we have been talking about that we need to be innovative and bold and go ahead and do because we are in a very pivotal time in our community and in our country.”
Mark Whitehurst: His first priority is cleaning up State Street of any grime and planting the estimated 1,000 tree wells with foliage. He also would like to see stations with caseworkers, community ambassadors and first responders.
“It would create vibrancy in itself, being able to see more people on the street that are official, that are there helping,” he said in the LWV forum.
Matt Kilrain: Mr. Kilrain is opposed to the expansion of 5G connectivity and LED lighting downtown. “Now I see a more traditional town with dim lights and romance,” he said in the League of Women Voters forum. “I wouldn’t mind seeing some horse and buggies around, the way we used to have.”
Randy Rowse: Mr. Rowse has been opposed to the promenade in the past but is open to the idea. “I have been on the record in City Council always as I don’t love closing streets, I really don’t, especially the main street,” he told the News-Press in April.
He has ideas for the promenade, he said in the LWV forum, including: pre-approved parklet designs for business owners, retractable dividers to close off streets, a bike lane and an electric shuttle.
He would like to clean up the area and brighten the lighting to reduce crime.
The candidates’ websites are: cathymurillo.com, schwartzforsb.com, joyceformayor.com, markformayorsb.com, boatratmatt.com, rowseformayor.com.
The results of the election will be displayed outside of City Hall, facing De la Guerra Plaza, from 8:15-9 p.m. Tuesday in addition to online postings.
email: ahanshaw@newspress.com
