Santa Barbara County’s District 3 Supervisor seat is up for grabs in the Presidential Primary Election on March 5, and KSBY met with each candidate to find out more about their platforms.
“Well, I have some business I would like to finish up — an ag enterprise ordinance, our recreation master plan,” said incumbent Supervisor Joan Hartmann. "I think I have a lot of experience to help us through the next few years, and I would really like to take advantage of that.”
Supervisor Hartmann has represented District 3 since 2017. In her first two terms in office, Hartmann says she improved county finances, advocated for more employee housing options, and helped address homelessness issues.
“One thing that the county is really invested in with our COVID relief money is homelessness. We have reduced veterans homelessness by two-thirds over the last three years. I aim to get it down to zero in the next 18 months. We have done a lot of encampment resolution,” she told KSBY.
She says she has endorsements from dozens of local officials and agencies; however, one of her competitors, Jenelle Osborne, also comes with experience holding public office, as she is in her third term as mayor of Lompoc.
“I have experience managing many of the things the county does, as well as having to deal with some of the things the county hasn’t really addressed here,” Mayor Osborne said.
On the issues, Osborne says if she is elected District 3 Supervisor, she too would continue efforts to tackle the homeless crisis, while also working to balance housing development plans across the county and improving the local economy.
“If we don’t work to make sure that as a county, we are addressing job availability and shortages or jobs coming in and lack of housing, if we are not reducing the commuter population by actually encouraging jobs to exist in the communities where the commuters live, then we are not solving the problems,” she said. “So economic development goes back to housing and homelessness.”
Political newcomer Frank Troise is also on the District 3 Supervisor ballot. Troise says he comes with many years of financial experience, having overseen budgets at the federal level, which is why his platform is focused on boosting county revenue.
“Our plan is $200 million per annum in recurring revenue. First stop for us in terms of fixing and addressing, is planning and development. We need to collapse the time cycle that it takes for projects that have been pre-approved to get through the county,” Troise explained.
He adds that by improving the county’s budget through the private sector, funding will be available to tackle other local issues as well.
“With $200 million per annum, the county will be fully funded,” he explained. “We will be able to address education, we will be able to address homelessness, we will be able to address housing, we will be able to address public safety. So here, I think the real problem for the county during my role as supervisor, will be, 'What will you do with all the money we have just presented you with?'"
If one candidate does not receive more than 50% of the vote on March 5, the two candidates with the most ballots will move on to the November election.
The new term for the winner of the District 3 Supervisor race will begin next January.
