AlyssaR
The race for Santa Barbara mayor is heating up as we inch closer to the November elections. There are currently five hats thrown in the ring as current mayor Helene Schneider wraps up her term. Read about the candidates below:
Hal Conklin
Hal is the former Mayor of Santa Barbara who lost the fight to remain in office after an attempt to challenge the local term limit law was refused. He resigned on January 3, 1995. Currently, Hal is the President at USA Green Communities and is Corporate Board Co-Chair, Environmental Media Association, Hollywood, CA. He sits on many boards locally and statewide.
Hal’s policy interests include youth and families, the arts, historic preservation, energy conservation and solar energy development. A key contribution Hal has made to the effectiveness of the Institute board has been the priority he places on people connecting on a personal level.
Angel Martinez
Angel graduated from UC Davis, where he was All-American in cross-country and track. Prior to being named the CEO of Deckers Outdoor Corporation in 2005, he served 21 years as the president and CEO of The Rockport Company, a subsidiary of Reebok. He left Deckers in 2016.
Angel currently serves on the boards of AHA! and the Santa Barbara International Film Festival (SBIFF).
The economic issues that plague downtown Santa Barbara are what inspired Angel to run for mayor. His desire to address transience and vacant storefronts are amongst his top priorities. He is also in favor of updating the police station and keeping taxes for citizens low.
For more information, visit his Facebook page.
Frank Hotchkiss
Frank is a Vietnam veteran as well as a Yale graduate. In 1984, he founded his own public relations firm, Hotchkiss/Associates. In addition, Frank is an actor, journalist, current city council member and agent with Sotheby’s International Realty. He was re-elected to a 4 term in November 2013
Frank sits on various advisory groups and city council committees, such as the downtown parking committee (alternate) and the ordinance committee. Community focused, Frank hopes to increase public safety by rehabilitating gang members, encourage growth for large and small businesses in Santa Barbara, and enhance the waterfront.
For more information, visit Frank’s Facebook page.
Cathy Murillo
Cathy is a current member of City Council and was endorsed by former candidate Maiza Hixson. Prior to serving as a City Counselor, she was the News and Public Affairs Director of KCSB, UCSB’s student run radio station.
A self-described community advocate for youth and seniors, Cathy is heavily involved with local community groups and organizations, from the arts to law enforcement.
She believes in supporting local businesses and fostering economic development and revitalizing our neighborhoods and environment.
For more information, visit Cathy’s campaign site.
Harwood “Bendy” White
Bendy White is a current city councilmember elected to a 4-year term ending in 2017.
A lifelong Santa Barbara resident, Bendy White is hoping to maintain the upkeep of City streets, parks, buildings. He also promotes slow growth and neighborhood preservation. He is committed to protecting the character, quality of life, and resources that Santa Barbara has to offer.
Currently, he sits on the committees for Finance and Sustainability and has served on the County and City planning commissions.
For more information, visit his Facebook page.
For more on the candidates and their stances, visit The Chamber and read the attached PDF for the candidates answers on local issues.
Bad people are lying about Cathy Murillo.
Unfortunately, with 4 decent liberals and 1 gawdawful radical right winger to split the vote, the latter may win.
Yes, they are lying and are bad people. And free speech has nothing to do with it except for the sort of hypocrites who think that criticizing what they say is a violation of their free speech.
Of course. Like I said, bad people lying.
Murillo would be a disaster. She would be a disgrace to the office. If you’ve ever seen her in action at meetings you’d note that she hates being on the losing side and almost always votes last.
I’ve seen her call Planning Commissioners, who were not on the committee, up to vote at the Housing Task Force because one of the members was absent and she didn’t like the way the vote was going. Really? After 6 years she knows better, but it showed exactly who she is. Someone who only cares about getting her way. I’ve also seen her ask such uneducated questions you’d think she was activity trying to sabotage a meeting… Finally, she’s told people I know and trust for years that she can’t do anything for them until she is Mayor. – Does this sound like someone we want in office, let alone to be our Mayor?
Martinez is supported by the downtown businesses, the Drunk Zone, the Short Term Vacation Rental Lobby and AUD Developers. – I don’t think I need to say that he has no plan or you need to be very careful about him.
Conklin wants to bring more tourism to the City. It’s the last thing we need and putting him in office would be a terrible mistake because he doesn’t know much about what is going on in the City. He want’s a light rail system from downtown to UCSB and an incentive program for property owners downtown not to leave store fronts vacant. – There isn’t a plan for the downtown and what we want it to look like and he’s already talking about giveaways to property owners when we don’t know what is best for State St and our economy. – Retails certainly isn’t the future…
I think Cathy Murillo would bring a fresh spirit to the city. She is always available, energetic, caring and logical. I don’t see what the previous person is saying but so be it….she has my vote.
For those of you who have voted for Angel Martinez or are thinking about it, consider this:
Under his watch as CEO of Deckers, he allowed every single pair of UGG boots to come from extreme cruelty to animals. Even faux UGGs were revealed to be made out of raccoon dog fur, with these animals raised in cramped, filthy fur farms in China and skinned alive, all for a pair of shoes. UGG boots are made from the skin of terrified and tortured sheep. The ubiquitous clothing item causes unimaginable suffering and death to countless innocent animals. A PETA investigation shows sheep allegedly being stomped on and punched while being shorn for their wool, before they are sent off to be slaughtered for their skin. Lambs’ tails are often sliced off, males are castrated without anesthesia and sheeps’ ears are hole-punched, merely so that they can be identified.
Now ask yourselves, if this is someone who is CONTINUALLY preaching how much he cares about people and situations, why did he allow such atrocious acts of animal cruelty under his watch as CEO?
His actions are absolutely unconscionable and dispicable and this is the type of person you want leading Santa Barbara as Mayor?
It’s “Cathy” with a “C,” actually. Also, what does her appearance have to do with anything? So she’s a bit beefy, so what? You can be in perfect health and have some weight on you. People in SB make me sick with their fake “skinny is holy” attitude! Get a brain!
Finally the truth is being told. Thank you a-1510042542, for letting people know what really has been going on at Deckers, a place of torture and devastation for living beings, with no regard whatsoever to their suffering… And, Deckers was run by Martinez.
Martinez’s right hand man spoke on Martinez and his company’s behalf, and said Deckers didn’t torture and cause excessive suffering for living things to make Decker’s products, the people that supplied them the carcasses did that. It’s like saying, “We don’t beat our employees, our subcontractors do.” We asked if they could tell their suppliers they would not purchase from them if they were so horrible and caused the animals such agony, and they said he could not do that, they were on the stock exchange.
Martinez is a: No Thought, No Substance and No Plan Candidate. Vote NO! I agree with SB County Local. How could you vote into Mayoral office a person who fostered slave labor, and openly supported torturing animals, for his Decker’s firm? Search Deckers and Uggs on Google with the word torture, and you will see article after article about this Martinez man’s morals and practices that he supported and profited from as CEO of Deckers. Martinez is Reprehensible, deplorable, and wrong for SB.
This is who Martinez is and what he supports. Thank you for exposing the true facts about Martinez’s devastatingly horrific background and ethics. People have been begging Deckers to stop. Articles, Meetings, Conferences, and more, and Martinez would not stop mutilating, torturing, and killing animals to make their boots, when numerous other options were available. It is this unconscionable and outrageously disgusting behavior that Martinez should not be allowed to be our Mayor or serve in any capacity ever, for others. Please help share the information so we can get a candidate with some kind of a moral compass.