Ricardo Valencia was leading the race for Santa Barbara County’s 5th District Supervisor on Election Night, but it’s a close race with opponent Maribel Aguilera.
Valencia, a teacher and Santa Maria-Bonita School District board member, had 50.65% of the vote as of 10 p.m. on Nov. 3, compared to Aguileras 48.85%, a less than 100 vote difference.
With topics like immigration, housing affordability and homelessness top of mind for voters, the two candidates pushed very different messaging to mobilize their bases. Valencia showed strong support for initiatives preventing homelessness, seeking to prop up mental health services, as well as employment and addiction programs. Aguilera spoke in favor of speeding up the approval process for families, connecting new homeowners with affordable housing.
The key difference between the candidates, and perhaps a point that stuck out to voters, was differing opinions on ICE activity in the district.
In an interview with KSBY, Aguilera said she would not regulate ICE, calling it a federal issue that can be addressed with members of Congress. On the other hand, Valencia advocated against using county resources and taxpayer dollars to support ICE.
The race is too close to call as of Election Night. The June primaries showed Valencia with a 10-point lead, but as votes continue to be counted, the position could be up in the air.