Three-Way for Santa Barbara County’s 3rd District Goes from Odd to Weird

[Updated: Wed., Jan. 31, 2024, 2:25pm]

This year’s race for the Santa Barbara County Board of Supervisor’s 3rd District seat was odd enough to start with; this week, it got downright weird.

For newcomers to Santa Barbara’s political checkers board, the 3rd District has been the key swing district in determining which way the Board of Supervisors tilts. Whichever factions controlled the 3rd — which now runs from Lompoc to Goleta — controlled the board. For 60 years, Republican operatives complained about the undue influence exerted by Isla Vista’s reliably lefty-leaning, eco-minded student voting bloc. But in the county’s most recent redistricting exercise in 2021, the 3rd found itself stripped of Isla Vista altogether, its boundaries shifted to encompass more northern — and presumably more conservative — voters.

In this context, incumbent supervisor Joan Hartmann — a solidly Democratic environmentalist from the valley now running for her third term — fully expected to face a serious challenge from the right. To her surprise, the race has been pleasantly underwhelming. Last week, when the first spate of campaign finance disclosures was released, it got even more so. 

Hartmann reported having $168,529 in the bank, most of which having been raised in prior campaigns. With a month to go before the March primary election, Hartmann’s Republican challenger, a political newcomer and valley resident named Frank Troise, reported a cash balance of only $2,517.31. It was expected that Troise, who described himself as “an investment banker” on his ballot statement to voters, would be able to self-finance his road from political obscurity to the ballot box. Hartmann’s other challenger, Lompoc Mayor Jenelle Osborne — a decline-to-state candidate with no party affiliation — took the DIY road to political advancement to new lengths, reporting only $100 in campaign contributions.

With Santa Barbara’s Republican apparatus reportedly experiencing serious factional fissures, perhaps this desultory showing is not surprising. Hartmann — hardworking, smart, cordial, and responsive — is not a fire-breather and does not incite the seething opposition that fire-breathers do. 

Still, Troise’s poor financial showing was enough to inflame Mike Stoker, now the grand old man of Santa Barbara’s Grand Old Party. This past weekend, Stoker, who served as regional administrator for the EPA in the Trump administration until being terminated, dropped a political letter bomb on Troise for lack of effort. Headlined “Frank Troise Is a Sham,” Stoker’s letter accused Troise of pulling off “a political con job,” adding, “In my 40 years in politics, I have never seen anything like this.” Stoker blistered Troise for describing himself as an “investment banker” in his ballot statement instead of a “small businessman,” adding, “He may get the vote of ‘investment bankers’ in the 3rd but that’s about it.”

Stoker expressed confidence that his letter bomb achieved the desired results and that Troise was taking meaningful steps to turn his campaign around. Stoker emphasized that his greatest concern was that Hartmann would win outright in the March primary, and to prevent that, he indicated he would be taking steps to highlight her voting record, which he said was not sufficiently pro- business, pro-agriculture, or pro–North County for his  political inclinations. Stoker did not say exactly how he would be doing this — or with whom — but did say it was too late for him to create an independent expenditure committee. He noted that the Republican Central Committee could accept unlimited donations and use it how it saw fit.

Troise — who speaks in public forums with a rat-a-tat pugilism prefaced liberally with exclamations of “Ladies and gentlemen!” — appeared not the least fazed by Stoker’s vituperation. In response to Stoker’s attack, Troise wrote, “Mike certainly needs more help learning how to write better cover letters for job interviews.” 

Even with all this, the 3rd District contest remains the most politically pivotal and up for grabs. In the 1st District race between incumbent supervisor Das Williams — bulwark of the Democratic Party apparatus — and Carpinteria City Councilmember Roy Lee, Williams reported having $225,809 in the bank, while Lee, a registered Democrat and restaurant owner, reported a cash balance of $17,543. In the 4th District race, incumbent Bob Nelson — a seasoned Republican player who does not galvanize the Democratic opposition — reported having $46,671 on hand. His Democratic opponent, Krishna Flores, reported a cash balance of $2,378. 

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Nick Welsh and Jerry Roberts will co-moderate a discussion with the 3rd District candidates on Monday, February 5, 6 p.m., at the Corque Hotel (400 Alisal Rd., Solvang). Submit your questions at tinyurl.com/3rd-district-questions.