The City of Santa Maria is looking to temporarily fill former councilmember Carlos Escobedo's seat. It has been a week since Escobedo resigned from his role representing District 1.
At the time of his resignation, Escobedo still had two years left in his term. He said he was resigning because he was moving out of the district and his new address now longer meets residency requirements.
Escobedo told KSBY News the move is for family reasons and he had been thinking about the decision for months.
“It was the right thing to do," Escobedo said. "I will not break the law to stay, since I am legally required to leave my position."
Santa Maria City Manager Chuen Wu said the resignation leaves a vacancy that must now be filled at least until November of this year. They're asking District 1 residents who are interested in serving on the council to fill out an online application.
The city council is expected to review potential candidates at its next meeting in April. Interested residents have until 5 p.m. on March 26, 2026, to submit their application.
“They will have the option of appointing somebody from this list onto the city council," Wu said. "Or they could move forward with not appointing one. It's really up to the council to provide that direction."
Any appointment made by the council would be temporary. Voters will ultimately decide who fills the seat long-term during the November General Election. Whoever is selected by voters will serve the remainder of Escobedo's term through 2028.
