Sheila Lodge 1929-2026

Mayor Lodge composed her obituary before her death, here in her own words.

Sheila Lodge, mother, housewife, gardener, cook, and former mayor of Santa Barbara, died on July 8, 2026. She was 97.

Sheila was born at home on her parents’ dairy in Arcadia, California, and spent her early childhood in Ojai, where her parents had a small dairy. She attended Stanford for one year, then San Jose State College for another. She married a St. John’s College, Annapolis, student and lived in Annapolis, MD, where she taught elementary school and then did social work. She moved to Santa Barbara in 1952.

After her first child was born in 1951, she was mostly a housewife and mother until her youngest child was in school full-time. She went back to college and completed a BA in English at UCSB.

Her first marriage ended in divorce in 1960. She married then Justice Court Judge Joseph Lodge in 1961.

She was active in the League of Women Voters, “a great place to learn about government.” Having observed the Santa Barbara Planning Commission in action, she decided that she could do that. She was appointed to it in 1973. She successfully ran for city council in 1975 and again in 1979. She was elected three times as mayor and served in that capacity from 1981 to 1993.

While in office, she worked for major planning initiatives, including the 85,000 optimum population goal and Measure E to manage non-residential growth. The State Fair Share goal for construction of affordable housing was met by 700 percent, the cross-town freeway was completed, and Paseo Nuevo was built. Believing that details are important, she fought for a strong sign ordinance and high architectural standards.

She was passionate about preserving Santa Barbara’s high quality of life. She loved being mayor and serving the
people of Santa Barbara.

She cherished the comments the Independent made in endorsing her for her third term as mayor in 1989: “Her virtues and her values seem almost old-fashioned, small-town ones even: peace, decency, respect for others, hard work, substance and not image. Her detractors criticize her for being old-fashioned — to which we say, ‘More power to you, your honor!’ ”

In November, 2005, she was referred to as “motherly and tough” in the Independent in connection with the very civil council meetings during her terms as mayor. She liked that, too!

After leaving office, Sheila was a volunteer with numerous organizations, including Planned Parenthood, Santa Barbara Botanic Garden, Citizens Planning Association, and the Santa Barbara County Courthouse Docent Council.

She loved gardening and maintained her one-acre garden by herself, calling it her gym. She loved her annual hiking trips in the Canadian Rockies.

In 2005, the City of Santa Barbara began a General Plan Update. Sheila became very concerned about the direction it was taking and feared that Santa Barbara would not retain the qualities that make it so special. She applied to the Planning Commission again and was appointed in 2008, 35 years after the first time. She was pleased to have a hand in shaping the new plan. She was reappointed in 2012, 2016, and in 2020.

In 2020 her book, Santa Barbara; An Uncommonplace American Town, a history of its urban planning, was published. Sheila urged the people of Santa Barbara to get involved and work to protect and enhance Santa Barbara’s special qualities.

Her husband of 46 years, Joseph Lodge, a Superior Court judge, died in 2008. She is survived by her four daughters — Anne Nadler, Rachel Lodge, Amy Mattison (Kevin), Helen Lodge — and her grandson, Dashael Nadler-Fennell.

Sheila Lodge (from Pearl Chase with love)

by Luis Moreno, October 29, 1992

Presented at a Museum of Natural History Día de los Muertes performance of political humor, Calaveras, a
Mexican Día de los Muertos tradition, by the Santa Barbara Theater Company.

Dearly beloved
We are gathered in prayer
To pay our last respects
To Santa Barbara’s Mayor.

Through thick and thin 
She paid her dues —
At ribbon cuttings
and Barbecues.

Most politically correct
Was Ms. Sheila Lodge
I believe she recycled
Out of her garage.

But she angered some motorists
When she tried to close off State;
They weren’t going to be “malled”.
They would retaliate.

She tried to convince them
That it would reduce air pollution,
But they considered this
A pedestrian solution.

So they took this matter
Into their own hands,
And organized squadrons
Of cars, trucks, and vans.

As they descended upon her
She made gestures as if to talk.
Then she fell down before them;
She was caught in the crosswalk.

That familiar smiling face
That once graced our stage
Was now slightly out of focus
On the News-Press’s front page.

The County Coroner declared
Right after the cremation
That Mayor Sheila Lodge succumbed
Due to poor circulation.