As part of a protracted campaign to regain the Santa Barbara City Council majority in November, the local Democratic Party held a day-long organizing fest at the Goleta Community Center, where attendees heard from two definite council candidates, one very big maybe, and three newcomers who were thinking a lot about it.
The definite candidates were Cathy Murillo — former reporter for The Independent — and Deborah Schwartz, a city planning commissioner and daughter of former county supervisor and political warhorse Naomi Schwartz. The big maybe was former Santa Barbara councilmember Iya Falcone, who was forced to drop out of the last mayoral race because she failed to collect enough valid signatures for her nomination petition. Also speaking were Blanca Flor Benedict; Daniel Ramirez, who works for El Puente school and as a K-LITE disc jockey; and Robert Burke, known best for his philosophical soliloquies before the City Council.
All three had asked to be appointed to the council this winter to fill the vacancy created when Das Williams left the council after seven years to take his seat in the State Assembly. The council opted to replace Williams with restaurant owner Randy Rowse, much to the consternation of many Democratic Party activists, who have since focused on fielding a formidable slate this November. That’s when Councilmembers Dale Francisco, Michael Self, and Rowse — more politically conservative — must run for reelection.
Comments
Oh its gonna be fun. Francisco and Self are gonna wish they'd never even heard of Santa Barbara by the time this is through.
EZK (anonymous profile)
March 11, 2011 at 12:48 a.m. (Suggest removal)
So smug EZK. How about we check back in on that later on? The conservatives are restless... and the wind is rising...
maximum (anonymous profile)
March 11, 2011 at 1:37 a.m. (Suggest removal)
What difference does this make in the lives of those who are working three jobs just to hang on to their squalid apartments that they are renting?
Can Santa Barbara ever return to the time when the working-class have a shot at home ownership? If not, what difference does it make if a Democrat or a Republican gets elected?
billclausen (anonymous profile)
March 11, 2011 at 2:19 a.m. (Suggest removal)
How about the moderates are restless, who cares about the conservatives
pointssouth (anonymous profile)
March 11, 2011 at 10:18 a.m. (Suggest removal)
The conservatives are anxious because everyday their fraud is getting clearer and clearer to more and more people. I actually hesitate to call them conservatives because they are in reality NeoCons.
And Bill is right, but we have a shot at that with ethical, intelligent people winning seats.
EZK (anonymous profile)
March 11, 2011 at 1:29 p.m. (Suggest removal)