Party Endorsements for 2017 City Elections

Introducing City Council & Mayoral Candidates

Santa Barbara will be electing a new mayor and city council members for Districts 4, 5, and 6 in November. In an effort to assure the success of progressive values in a city that heavily favors Democrats among registered voters, the county’s Democratic Central Committee has endorsed the following candidates:

For Mayor: Cathy Murillo
Now in her second term on the city council, Cathy is well-known to city voters and has built an impressive record of involvement and achievement in District 2 (Westside), which she now represents. Cathy has a strong record of promoting and defending affordable housing, job creation, protecting our environment, and strong fiscal management. She is council liaison to the Santa Barbara Youth Council, Housing Authority Commission, Library Board, Rental Housing Mediation Board, Living Wage Ordinance Committee, Sustainability Committee, Neighborhood Advisory Council, among others.

For District 4: Jim Scafide
A private practice attorney with municipal and state government experience, Jim moved to Santa Barbara in 2009, though he’d gone to SBCC in the 1980s. Immediately prior to moving to Santa Barbara, he was a Division Chief for the Massachusetts Attorney General and had served as the General Counsel for a publicly-traded company in Boston, Massachusetts. He is now an adjunct Professor of Law at Santa Barbara College of Law. His most recent public service experience was as the City of Santa Barbara’s representative on the Central Coast Commission for Senior Citizens. In the past, he was a two-term Mayor and City Councilman in the City of East Liverpool, Ohio.

For District 5: Eric Friedman
Eric has lived in Santa Barbara County since 1980, graduating from Lompoc High School in 1995 and going on to receive a B.A. in history from the University of Notre Dame and a Masters in Public Administration from Cal State Northridge. From 2002 to 2016 he worked as a district representative for 1st District Supervisors Naomi Schwartz and Supervisor Salud Carbajal. Highlights of that service include being lead staff to Supervisor Carbajal on President Obama’s State, Local and Tribal Leaders Task Force on Climate Resiliency and Preparedness, working on the current effort to implement a Tri-Countues Community Choice Energy Program, staffing the 2013 Countywide Poverty Study, and contributing to the 10-Year Plan to End Homelessness in Santa Barbara County.

For District 6: Gregg Hart
Having served two previous terms on the city council (elected in 1995 and re-elected 1999), Gregg returned to the council in 2013. A life-long Santa Barbaran, he entered public service as a legislative aide to State Assemblyman Jack O’Connell. He owned and operated Transitions Preschool for 20 years and besides holding a seat on the city council is currently employed as the Government Relations & Public Information Manager for the Santa Barbara County Association of Governments. He has served both as a City Planning Commissioner (1988-95) and a California Coastal Commissioner (2000-04).