Here are the candidates who’ve filed to run for the board of the Santa Barbara Unified School District and Goleta City Council. The election is Nov. 3.
Santa Barbara Unified School District
Trustee Area One
Mark Philibosian, financial analyst
Mark Philibosian is looking to fill the seat of Gabe Escobedo, who is running for Santa Barbara City Council. Philibosian is a financial analyst and owner of a real estate consulting group. He works at EY, a global accounting firm, and previously worked at BlackRock, an asset management firm. He is a Goleta native who attended Dos Pueblos High School. He is married to a former teacher in the Santa Barbara Unified School District.
In letters to and interviews with the media, Philibosian has spoken against illegal street vending and raised awareness on declining test scores in the school district. He’s been particularly outspoken about the ways the city of Santa Barbara has been delayed in acting on the future of State Street and its reluctance to develop housing.
Philibosian is currently running unopposed.
Trustee Area Four
Rose Muñoz, incumbent
Rose Muñoz has served on the school board since 2018 and currently serves as vice president. If elected, this would be Muñoz’s third term on the board. She is a social worker who’s worked at CenCal Health, a nonprofit providing low-to-no cost healthcare especially for those on Medi-Cal, for 18 years. She’s an advocate for equity in education and was a supporter of Proposition 15, a tax measure that would’ve increased the share of property tax-revenues going to public schools. Munoz and her husband raised two children who attended Goleta Union and Santa Barbara Unified schools. She is a Santa Barbara native.
Kevin Thomas Guay, history teacher
Kevin Thomas Guay is a father and history teacher. He’s previously worked as a middle school teacher, high school teacher, teacher’s assistant and lecturer. He is married to an elementary arts teacher at Laguna Blanca. He earned his bachelor’s and master’s degree from California State University, Northridge and his PhD from the University of Texas at El Paso, with a specialization in American history and Indigenous history.
Valerie Amparan, sales manager
Valerie Amparan is CEO and president of a nonprofit providing short-term housing for young girls who are survivors of sex trafficking and sex abuse. Amparan was previously a sales manager and also president of the Junior League of Santa Barbara. She attended Santa Barbara City College and UC Santa Barbara, where she studied political science and international relations.
Goleta City Council
District One
Luz Reyes-Martin, incumbent
Luz Reyes-Martin has served on Goleta City Council for four years. She was previously the Director of Communications for Santa Barbara City College and served on the board of the Goleta Union School District for eight years. She holds master’s degrees in land use planning and public administration from the University of Southern California and a bachelor’s in political science and Chicano studies from Stanford University.
Reyes-Martin has served as president of the Santa Barbara Women’s Political Committee and has been involved in several other board of directors and community organizations, such as the Sierra Club, Planned Parenthood Central Coastal Action Fund and Democratic Women of Santa Barbara County. In her bids for city council, she has advocated for enhancing public safety and improving roads and pedestrian accessibility.
She was particularly outspoken about the effects of ICE raids on the community and voted to give $100,000 to nonprofits helping families affected by the raids.
She lives in Goleta with her husband and two children.
Rollin Michael Gartzke, businessowner
Rollin Michael Gartzke owns 805 Pool Table Services in Goleta. He was the past President of Goleta Noontime Rotary Club, where he’s been a member for nine years. He attended Dos Pueblos High School.
District Two
James Kyriaco, incumbent
James Kyriaco has served on Goleta City Council for eight years. He has a professional background working in human resources, nonprofits and local politics. Kyriaco is currently the Human Resources Manager for Pueblo Radiology Medical Group. A Santa Barbara native, Kyriaco attended Santa Barbara High School, Santa Barbara City College and Antioch University Santa Barbara, where he received a bachelor’s in liberal studies. He later obtained his master’s in public administration from California State University, Northridge.
On the council, Kyriaco has advocated for tenant protections and expanding transportation and childcare options. He helped improve Goleta parks with new activities and secure funding for improving sidewalks in Old Town Goleta. He wants to create safer streets for pedestrians and bikers.
He has been an active member on several nonprofits and community organizations. He was a founding member of Goleta’s Public Engagement Commission, a member on the Santa Barbara County Historic Landmarks Advisory Committee and a board member of Central Coast Alliance United for a Sustainable Economy. He was the executive director of the Goleta Valley Historical Society, where he helped open the History Education Center in Rancho La Patera and raise funds for historic gardens and pathways.
Kyriaco and his wife live in Goleta.
Phebe Mansur, business owner
Phebe Mansur is a business owner who also ran for Goleta Water District in 2020 and the Santa Barbara Unified School District in 2022. She previously served as a commissioner for Goleta. She is the 30-year owner of CopyRight Printing Systems in Goleta and founder of Shop Everytown, an online search platform for local businesses. In 2008, Mansur founded the Goleta Old Town Community Association, which strives to revitalize the neighborhood through economic development and community engagement, and has been involved in several local environmental organizations. She graduated from UC Santa Barbara, where she studied political science, film studies and global peace & security.
Correction: An earlier version of this article incorrectly identified Michael Gartzke as running for Goleta City Council. It is his son, Rollin Michael Gartzke, who is running. The New-Press regrets this error.
