I have grown up in Santa Barbara, am involved in providing entertainment and fundraising concerts, am a Special Olympics Coach, and have worked as a Special Educator helping those with special needs for many years. I have had the privilege to know Mayor Cathy Murillo and watch her contributions to our wonderful City of Santa Barbara. I endorse her serving for the next term as our mayor as do many city leaders. She is trusted, valued, and respected by most of the community, and her diligent work to guide our city through multiple challenging times in our history should be applauded.
There are many people I know who work within the City of Santa Barbara who have spoken of her steady leadership, and positive choices, program development, and votes to better serve Santa Barbara in the short term and long term. She has navigated her position expertly through the Thomas Fire as well as in a pandemic that greatly affected our city, community, and business. She followed the mandates and guidelines set by the State of California and made some tough choices that helped many and affected many. Cathy has a strong love for Santa Barbara, and gives all that she has to our city. She does not make decisions unless she is certain that it is to the benefit of those who live and work in Santa Barbara.
She has been endorsed by numerous agencies and community leaders. Cathy takes on the tough issues of homelessness and offers solutions. She has a plan for affordable housing. She was part of the group of people which has helped to revitalize State Street and has been instrumental in helping small businesses to recover. Santa Barbara is no different than any other city that has been devastated by the pandemic with loss of business and loss of family and friends we love. Sadly, some people have chosen to target her for the pandemic. Cathy did not cause it, nor did any other mayor in any other city. We have all witnessed the hard work of those who work for the city of Santa Barbara to help rebuild. We are still being affected by the pandemic, and the City of Santa Barbara are working diligently to navigate this daily and we are recovering due to the strong leadership in place.
She has also worked hard on helping to protect and strengthen our youth programs, libraries, and parks. Cathy listens to her constituents and does not make decisions alone. She is part of a City Council and many other city leaders who make decisions as a group on how to best help us as a community. We need to vote for Cathy Murillo for Mayor so that her strong leadership and multiple years of experience can continue to help build back Santa Barbara stronger than it’s ever been. She is trusted, and her leadership is valued and respected greatly.