Seven candidates are competing for three seats on the Santa Maria City Council in the Nov. 3 election, with two incumbents seeking to retain their seats and one open race.

Facing a multimillion-dollar budget deficit, aging infrastructure and growing pressure to make housing more affordable, Santa Maria is now turning to voters for additional revenue. Measure C, a proposed half-cent sales tax increase that’s projected to generate $13 million annually, will make its way onto the ballot this upcoming election. 

Voters in Districts 1, 3 and 4 will elect representatives to four-year terms, with the District 1 winner serving the remainder of a term ending in 2028.

Against that financial backdrop, the next City Council will soon have to make some difficult decisions about what services the city can maintain, where it can afford to grow and how it can meet the needs of its residents.

District 1

Three candidates are competing for the District 1 seat left vacant by former Councilmember Carlos Escobedo earlier this year. 

Ricardo “Richard” Batalla, a yought director at the Santa Maria Valley YMCA, was appointed to the council following Escobedos resignation. 

Batalla is looking to defend his seat against challengers Celest Mendoza and Gary Janek Michaels and places emphasis on the importance of youth programs, neighborhood safety and housing affordability.

Some of his other key focuses include the improvement of roads, sidewalks and street lighting, supporting local businesses and increasing government accountability. And when it comes to housing, Batalla favors streamlining the city’s development approval process to help reduce construction costs. 

Mendoza, a workforce development program manager as well as lifelong District 1 resident, is centering her campaign around affordability, opportunity and accountability.

She has pointed to deteriorating roads, parking shortages and homelessness as some of District 1’s neighborhoods’ primary concerns. Mendoza has also called for the exploration of additional renter protections while still balancing the interests of tenants and property owners. 

Michaels campaign has centered largely on Santa Maria’s fiscal difficulties. 

As a small business owner and telecommunications consultant, he’s criticized the city’s spending decisions, arguing for stronger fiscal oversight. He also feels Santa Maria should expand its economic base rather than relying on its existing sources of revenue. 

A few notable proposals of his include attracting agricultural technology businesses, creating higher-paying jobs, and strengthening the city’s partnerships with local educational institutions. 

District 2

Incumbent Gloria Soto is now looking to secure a third term representing District 3 against challenger Corby Poulis Sr.

Soto, who was initially elected in 2018 and now serves as executive director of Future Leaders of America, has centered affordable housing and support for working families in her campaign. 

She advocates for further development of affordable housing, the pursuit of rent stabilization policies, and the expansion of residents’ access to care and youth development programs.

Given the budget constraints the city is currently facing, Soto has emphasized her plans to preserve essential services and avoid cuts that weigh more heavily on municipal employees and working families.

Similar to Soto, Poulis stresses the importance of the city’s investment in its youth. A small business owner and longtime martial arts instructor, he prioritizes public safety.

Not only does he feel the city should do more in support of local businesses – he also calls for more intensive scrutiny of the city’s spending. He says he wants to bring a new, different perspective to the council as they address Santa Maria’s financial difficulties.

District 4

District 4 is the only open seat in this year’s election.

With incumbent Maribel Aguilera-Hernandez seeking a seat on the Santa Barbara County Board of Supervisors instead of running for reelection, Vincent Martinez and Tyler Barksdale are competing to replace her. 

The two candidates running to fill the vacancy are Santa Maria attorney and county planning commissioner Vincent Martinez and retired military veteran Tyler Barksdale.

Martinez has been involved in local public safety initiatives, most notably his contribution to the establishment of the Santa Maria Police Council.

He also reflected on his business experience when explaining his interest in local government. 

In contrast to the rest of the candidate field, Barksdale has maintained a very limited public campaign presence.

He has declined interview requests from other news outlets and did not participate in the Oct. 1 candidate forum at Allan Hancock College; in doing so, he has left very little publicly documented information about his policy priorities.

The winners of the three races will come to join Mayor Alice Patino and District 2 Councilmember Gloria Flores on the City Council. Together, they will be responsible for steering Santa Maria through its financial struggles and planning for its future.