Focus on these Supervisor Races

by Mike Stoker

4th District Supervisor, Bob Nelson, and 1st District Supervisor candidate, Roy Lee (right) Source: Courtesy

While a great deal of attention is on the upcoming presidential election of 2024, it is the local Board of Supervisors that affects our daily lives. So, at this point, that is what we should be zeroing in on. From local street paving, safety on our streets and in our neighborhoods, business regulations and fees, where and when cannabis can be grown, to whether the oil industry is allowed to operate, it all comes down to the ‘local’ level.  Currently, the balance of power leans Democrat and progressive left with a 3-2 majority. March provides a real opportunity to change that.

Here is where we stand: two of the three races will be decided in March. One will most assuredly lead to a runoff with the top two candidates squaring off in the General Election next November. That is because a County Supervisor race is over if one candidate receives 50%-plus-one of the votes. In the 4^th District, County Supervisor Bob Nelson has one unknown challenger. In the 1^st District, Carpinteria City Councilman Roy Lee is taking on progressive incumbent Das Williams.  In the 3rd, businessman Frank Troise and Lompoc Mayor Jenelle Osborne are challenging progressive incumbent Joan Hartman.

All Hands on Deck

Here is what I think you should do:

The 3rd District will go into a runoff so I would focus solely on the 1^st and 4^th District seats between now and the March primary. We wait to see who will emerge to challenge Supervisor Hartman next November. The 1^st and 4^th District races will be over so our sole focus, at that time, should be on the 3rd. Both Mr. Troise and Mayor Osborne would provide a more moderate, pro-small business, agriculture, and taxpayer perspective.

So, in November, it is ‘All Hands on Deck’ for the 3^rd District seat.

In the 4^th District, Bob Nelson is well-known, well-liked, and has done an excellent job and I strongly urge you to support his re-election. If he receives the financial support he deserves, I predict he will win in March by double digits.

You can donate by going to his website: Nelson4Supervisor.com.

As for the 1^st District, this will likely be the big race of the March primary. I believe Supervisor Williams has a very serious challenger in Carpinteria Councilman Roy Lee, who has strong support from both sides of the partisan aisle.

Roy Lee, as a councilman, has proven to be a moderate, accessible, and transparent voice of reason. He is owner of Uncle Chen’s restaurant in Carpinteria and understands what challenges small business owners face. And he is not beholden to any one industry, such as cannabis. And like Troise or Osborne in the 3^rd, Lee will provide a more pro-small business, agriculture, and taxpayer perspective.

With your support, Lee has a real chance to become the next 1^st District Supervisor. If I were going to predict a March Primary upset, it would be Councilman Lee beating Supervisor Williams.

Stay tuned.

You can donate to Councilman Lee’s campaign by going to his website at: RoyforSupervisor.com.

(Mike Stoker is an attorney whose law practice emphasizes environmental, land use, agricultural, and business law. He has also served on the Santa Barbara Board of Supervisors, served as Chairman of the CA Agricultural Labor Relations Board, served as CA Deputy Secretary of State, and most recently served – having been appointed by President Trump – as the Southwest Administrator of the US EPA.)