I’ve lived in Santa Barbara since 1975 and have worked on campaigns ranging from Walter Capps and Bill Wallace to Bob Lagomarsino. Coming from New York, what I always admired here was that our local races were respectful. Candidates told us what they would bring to the table, not what was wrong with the other person.
This year’s Santa Barbara City Council District 4 race presents both approaches.
Devon Wardlow has stayed focused on what voters actually care about: housing, fire preparedness/neighborhood safety, a downtown that works, and a Council that can get things done. She hasn’t taken the bait.
Genevieve Taft-Vazquez has gone the other way. I saw it firsthand when I attended one of her campaign events, where much of the focus was on tearing Devon down. Her supporters have followed suit, including letters on this page attacking Devon’s work history with clearly misleading information.
Meanwhile, voters have heard little about Ms. Taft-Vazquez’s own background: a career at Coca-Cola and, until January of this year, Goldman Sachs. Her mailers state “No More Consultants,” yet she runs a corporate consulting firm based in Virginia. Ms. Taft-Vasquez has not identified her clients, but a deep dive found that her clients are the VA, DOJ, DLA, DOE, USDA, and the Interior Department.
Negative campaigns don’t work in Santa Barbara, and they shouldn’t. When a candidate spends her energy tearing someone down, it tells you more about her than the person she’s attacking.
Devon has kept her eyes on the job. That’s the kind of leadership I want on City Council.
