As a longtime Santa Barbara resident and former president of the Eucalyptus Hill Improvement Association, I have spent years working on emergency preparedness, wildfire prevention, traffic safety, and neighborhood concerns. That experience taught me that leadership is measured not by promises or résumés, but by whether elected officials listen, respond, and deliver.
That is why I support Monte Wilson for the District 4 City Council seat and Eric Friedman for mayor.
Before the District 4 candidates announced, I met individually with all four. Monte stood out for his willingness to listen, ask thoughtful questions, and understand issues before proposing solutions. A former executive with a record of results, he favors encouraging new housing over mandates and balancing affordability, public safety, and neighborhood needs with fiscal responsibility. Our city needs a representative who scrutinizes spending and protects essential services.
Eric Friedman has been accessible and responsive to me and our neighborhood on traffic safety, emergency preparedness, and other issues. He responds to emails, unlike our own councilmember.
Consider Alston Road. Residents offered to fund a radar speed sign, asking only that the city maintain it. Years of effort through Councilmember Kristen Sneddon went nowhere. The proposal advanced only after residents sought broader council support. With encouragement from Friedman and Mayor Randy Rowse and help from City Administrator Kelly McAdoo, the agreement was secured and the sign installed this year. That is the difference between expressing concern and delivering results.
Fiscal responsibility matters too. As Finance Committee chair, Friedman has challenged budgets that rely on reserves, even as the city faces commitments like the State Street Master Plan and rent stabilization. Sneddon expressed surprise that those reserves were depleted, and later at how complicated the rent ordinance’s fair-rate-of-return provisions would be. Tenant protections matter, but so does honest accounting for their legal, administrative, and financial costs. An overly restrictive ordinance could discourage rental investment and new construction, shrinking housing supply. We must protect tenants without diverting resources from the streets, parks, libraries, and police and fire protection all Santa Barbarans rely on.
Ask: Who has listened, who has acted, and who has delivered?
