Sheila Lodge, Santa Barbara’s longest serving and first female mayor, a guardian of Santa Barbara’s places and people, whose reign as the matriarch of politics and public service spanned more than five decades, died Wednesday. She was 97.
At a time when Santa Barbara’s social media scene is packed with personalities trying to make a name, Lodge was the city’s original and authentic influencer. She made political candidates overnight with an endorsement. Her behind-the-scenes whispers and wisdom helped shape public policy. When Queen Elizabeth II visited Santa Barbara in 1983, she turned to Lodge for a chat at the airport.
But Lodge was indisputably Santa Barbara’s Royal Highness.
As mayor, she led Santa Barbara through the 1980s and fought developers who wanted to make Santa Barbara’s buildings taller. She battled homeless activists over public sleeping laws. She led a generation of residents toward water conservation during the city’s most severe drought.
While she was mayor, Santa Barbara built Paseo Nuevo, approved Cabrillo Boulevard’s Hilton Beachfront Resort, (then called the Red Lyon Inn), revamped Stearns Wharf and overhauled the Santa Barbara Harbor.
She was even ahead of her time on contemporary issues; as mayor she openly proposed closing State Street to cars—on Sundays. It was a start.
“She was legendary,” said City Councilwoman and friend Kristen Sneddon. “She was a true champion of Santa Barbara.”
Lodge’s influence in the community never stopped. She served on the Santa Barbara City Council from 1975 to 1981, as mayor from 1981 to 1993—but then returned in 2009 to serve 16 years on the city’s Planning Commission. She kept going. She was appointed to the city’s Historic Landmarks Commission in 2025.
When she voluntarily stepped down from the Santa Planning Commission, she received a standing ovation from a packed room at the Santa Barbara County Board of Supervisors.
Lodge’s death marks the end of a golden era of Santa Barbara leaders. Lodge, and the late Hal Conklin and Harriet Miller—although they didn’t always agree—ruled Santa Barbara City Hall collectively as mayor from 1981 to 2010. They represented an era of slow-growth and preservation, and saw themselves as defenders of the Santa Barbara way.
Helene Schneider, who served as Santa Barbara Mayor from 2010 to 2018, said Lodge earned people’s respect across political aisles. She helped bring consensus, unanimous votes on the City Council.
“Sheila was persistent, and at many times, that persistence paid off,” Schneider said. “She had the ear of both progressives and conservative councilmembers.”
Schneider said Lodge changed the system from within.
“Santa Barbara’s history frequently credits Pearl Chase as someone who successfully worked from the outside in,” Schneider said. “Sheila, who started her career as a planning commissioner during the last years of Pearl Chase’s life, successfully worked from the inside out.”
Lodge was a liberal, but she resisted partisan politics on the dais. She volunteered with Planned Parenthood, the Santa Barbara Botanic Garden, Citizens Planning Association and the Santa Barbara County Courthouse Docent Council.
Lodge was born on her father’s dairy farm in Arcadia. She and her late-husband Joe Lodge, moved to Santa Barbara in 1952. Lodge, an attorney, started a law practice in Santa Barbara. He eventually became a Santa Barbara County Superior Court Judge.
Sheila and Judge Joseph Lodge were a power couple around town, frequently showing up at socials and immersing themselves in Santa Barbara life. Sheila, in an email she sent to the Santa Barbara County Courthouse staff when Lodge died at 76 in 2008, wrote about her husband; “he lived gallantly with lymphoma for 10 years, and he died gallantly, with love and grace and humor.”
The two of them even ran on the same election ballot in 1984. Joseph Lodge won re-election, while Sheila Lodge suffered her only political defeat; she lost a bid for First District Santa Barbara County Supervisor to David Yager. Sheila Lodge had faced a negative campaign waged by developers.
As a sign of her fierce independence, Lodge turned heads in 2021 when she endorsed Randy Rowse for mayor over incumbent Democrat Cathy Murillo. Rowse said he and Lodge didn’t get off to the best start in 1983.
Rowse, the owner of the Paradise Cafe, was denied approval of a proposed neon sign at the restaurant because it contained “exposed glass.” Rowse and his business partner appealed the decision to the Santa Barbara City Council.
They won—by a vote of 6-1.
The lone opposing vote? It was cast by Lodge.
Rowse really tried to make up with her. His friend, the late Tom Rogers, a former city councilman and county supervisor, told Rowse he would “charm” Lodge into attending a lunch meeting so they could bury the hatchet. Rogers promised Rowse a bottle of wine if he couldn’t convince Lodge to show up.
She never did. But Rogers did pay Rowse that bottle of wine.
Eventually, however, the two made up, and they developed a political appreciation for one another.
“Sheila was definitely a dedicated Democrat, but she was also a pragmatist,” Rowse said. “She wouldn’t allow politics to dictate how she thought.”
Rowse would reach out to her for advice and guidance on matters and Lodge would sometimes proactively offer her advice to him. He said she was a resource for him in terms of perspective
“We had this mutual respect,” Rowse said.
He said he appreciated that she was “not adulterated” by politics.
“It wasn’t about advancing herself,” Rowse said. “It was never about herself first. It was about her city first. She believed in her city and she believed in the preservation of her city.”
Lodge fought to preserve Santa Barbara and its unique charm. She was a lover of history, and wrote a book “Santa Barbara: An Uncommonplace American Town,” where she wrote about how activists and elected officials fought to protect the city from over-development.
She pushed back against homeowners who sought to build large houses—lot line to lot line—on the Mesa, and against for-sale condo development. While on the planning commission, she proposed in 2013 what is known as the average unit-sized density ordinance, a policy that encouraged developers to build affordable apartments if they were allowed higher density.
“Sheila’s love for Santa Barbara was unlike anything I’ve ever seen,” said Gregg Hart, 37th District Assemblyman, D-Santa Barbara. “It wasn’t simply something she talked about—it was who she was. She leaves behind a legacy that will endure every time we look around and see the Santa Barbara she loved so deeply.”
And her influence will continue going forward with a new generation of leaders.
Devon Wardlow, a member of the Santa Barbara Planning Commission, served with Lodge, and said she learned immensely from her.
“Sheila understood that protecting our open spaces, preserving our natural beauty, and safeguarding the architectural character that makes Santa Barbara so unique is a responsibility we owe to future generations,” Wardlow said. “Her vision, thoughtfulness, and unwavering commitment helped preserve the qualities that define our city today.”
Wardlow said the Santa Barbara Planning Commission will observe a moment of silence for Lodge at Thursday’s meeting.
“I am grateful to have learned from her and to have had the opportunity to serve alongside her,” Wardlow said. “Her legacy will continue to inspire all of us who care deeply about Santa Barbara.”
Even into her 90s, Lodge was vibrant and active. She frequently attended the Santa Barbara Farmers Market and was an active gardener.
For Sneddon, the loss runs deep. The two were more than friends—they were family.
“She gardened up until last week,” Sneddon said. “She was picking every orange off her tree.” Sneddon recalled how she would walk from her home on Las Alturas Road to the Riviera Homeowners Association meetings.
“She made me jaywalk on Cabrillo Boulevard,” Sneddon said. “She said ‘it’s legal now.'”
Sneddon was at Lodge’s side for the final week of her life.
Lodge, who had her hip replaced a year ago, had experienced extreme hip pain in recent days and decided to end her life on her own terms, sources told the News-Press.
“She embraced life and lived out her values,” Sneddon said. “She had a love for the city.”
Leslie Wiscomb, who also served on the Planning Commission with Lodge, said she was “tough and brilliant,” and dedicated to Santa Barbara.
“She left this world in her way, which is how Sheila did everything,” Wiscomb said.
Lodge appeared on an episode of Santa Barbara Talks with Josh Molina in 2021. Click on the show below.
