With the November election approaching, Santa Barbara County District 5 Supervisor candidates Maribel Aguilera and Ricardo Valencia say housing affordability, homelessness and public safety are among the concerns they hear most from residents. In interviews with KSBY News, they offered different views on how county government should respond, particularly on immigration enforcement and the future of oil and gas operations.
The candidates advanced to the runoff after the June primary. Certified results show Valencia received 41.87% of the vote and Aguilera received 31.15%; Cory Bantilan finished third. The 5th District includes parts of northern Santa Maria, Guadalupe and Tanglewood.
The seat is open because current Supervisor Steve Lavagnino is retiring. Aguilera is a Santa Maria City Council member and attorney. Valencia is a teacher and Santa Maria-Bonita School District board member.
Housing and homelessness
Aguilera says she wants to make housing more affordable by shortening the approval process and working with builders to design homes for local families from the start. She said the county’s current process to approve a project can take about two years.
“If we can have affordability by design — from the moment you design the home, you know how long it’s going to take, how much it’s going to cost, and what we’re going to offer to those families — then we’re years ahead,” Aguilera said.
Valencia wants the county to take a more active role in building housing, including using county-owned land.
“In Santa Barbara, for example, they’re building some affordable housing for educators,” Valencia said. “I want to make sure we’re bringing those same resources to Santa Maria, Tanglewood and to Guadalupe.”
Both candidates also described homelessness as connected to economic pressures and access to services. Aguilera said county mental health services, employment and addiction programs should address some of the causes that can leave people without housing.
Valencia said the county should invest in supportive housing such as Hope Village, an interim housing community developed with the county on county-owned land in Santa Maria. It opened in 2024 with 94 rooms and offers services for residents working toward more permanent housing.
“We have to treat this issue humanely,” Valencia said. “This gives our unhoused population an opportunity to have a place to stay, to have a clean shower, to have a safe home where eventually they can transition out when they’re ready.”
Candidates differ on county’s role in ICE policy
The candidates disagree on how much the county can do to limit federal immigration enforcement.
Aguilera said immigration enforcement is a federal responsibility and argued the county’s authority is limited to its own land and operations.
“We do not regulate ICE,” she said. “That is a federal issue, and I will be glad to talk about those issues with our congressman.”
But Valencia said the Board of Supervisors can adopt policies restricting the use of county resources in immigration enforcement. He supports an ordinance modeled on Los Angeles County’s approach, which he said requires a judicial warrant for certain transfers and information-sharing.
“No county resources should be used to collaborate with ICE,” Valencia said. “No taxpayer dollars should be used to collaborate with ICE.”
At the county’s June 2026 TRUTH Act forum, the sheriff’s office reported that ICE made 221 requests for access to people in county jails in 2025. Officials said 193 requests did not qualify under state law and received no response; 28 qualified for notification, and 12 people were transferred to ICE after their release from custody. A separate federal-data analysis discussed at the forum counted 99 ICE arrests on or around jail property, a figure the sheriff said included different categories of arrests.
Oil and gas transition
The candidates were also asked about the county’s direction to phase out onshore oil and gas operations. In September, supervisors voted 3–2 to advance an ordinance prohibiting new onshore wells in unincorporated areas. That action is the first step in a broader process; it does not immediately close existing operations, and a potential phaseout of current production would require further study and environmental review.
Aguilera said she wants to see a plan for replacement jobs and funding before the county reduces local oil and gas jobs.
“Before we’re going to talk about reducing those jobs, we need to have jobs that are already available,” she said.
Valencia supports a transition to clean energy but said workers should be able to move into new jobs as the industry changes.
“We do that not by eliminating workers, but by transitioning those workers that depend on those oil and gas jobs into green energy,” Valencia said.
Why they say they’re the right choice
Aguilera pointed to her eight years on the Santa Maria Planning Commission, her city council service and her work as a business and real estate attorney. She said that experience has taught her how to move projects through local government.
"I identify with this district. I am a product of Santa Maria, and for me, it's really taking my experience and giving back to the community," Aguilera said.
Valencia cited his experience as a teacher and school board member. He said he has worked with thousands of students and parents and began serving on the school board during the pandemic.
“I know the dreams, and I know the struggles of the people that call Guadalupe and Santa Maria and Tanglewood home,” Valencia said.
The candidates are scheduled to appear at a public forum at Allan Hancock College on Thursday, Oct. 1, at 5:30 p.m. The free event at Boyd Concert Hall will include an opportunity for attendees to submit questions.
