Lisa Sloan for SBCC Trustee
Lisa Sloan is a retired Environmental Health Specialist with the Santa Barbara County Health Department. She and her husband have been longtime homeowners in Goleta where they raised two sons now living elsewhere in Southern California. Lisa matriculated at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo and graduated with a degree in Biochemistry. Since retiring in 2020, she has worked in her father’s family business in addition to running three political campaigns.
Her passion the last couple decades has been the quality — or lack of it — offered by public education institutions across California, particularly in Santa Barbara County. At one time, SBCC was highly ranked for quality education. It has recently slipped to #77 while hanging on to the number one spot only for its oceanside location and great weather. She’s particularly distressed by the falling enrollment and fewer in-person classes for local students. To bring in revenue, the current board is catering more and more to foreign students paying full tuition, who in turn are jacking up local rent rates. She believes the mission of a community, or city, college is to give job and career training to county young adults, not to lure children of wealthy foreigners for educational tourism.
Lisa does not believe the current guardians of this jewel on the Mesa are fulfilling its mission. In fact, she believes SBCC is not only grossly mismanaged but is rushing headlong toward the abyss through reckless spending. Which is why Sloan is in opposition to passing Measure P on the ballot in a few short days. She agrees with the assessment laid out by former city councilmember Dale Francisco that revenues are shrinking but the administration keeps on spending at increasing levels, relying on reserves to cover the deficit. Without a midcourse correction, reserves will eventually run out, forcing a number of uncomfortable financial decisions to be made. Better to limit and redirect resources now than later under duress.
In summary, I recommend a vote for Lisa Sloan in Trustee Area 2 — and a no vote on Proposition P.