Seven of the eight candidates running for new district seats on the Santa Barbara City Council have accepted invites for face-to-face televised sit-downs with their foes on Newsmakers TV.
The key dates:
Sept. 21. All three candidates from the closely contested race in District 4 – Jay Higgins, Jim Scarfide and Kristen Sneddon – have agreed to appear together for a conversation with Jerry, to discuss their political beliefs, the micro-local issues of their district and, oh yeah, the future of the city. As always, following post-production work by our dedicated TVSB staff, the show will be posted about 24 hours later, on our You Tube channel and the TVSB site, while also showing endlessly on Channel 17.
Oct, 5, At least the top two candidates in District 5 – Warner McGrew and Eric Friedman - will bring their contrasting styles into the studio. Aaron Solis, the third candidate in the contest, by post time had not responded to several email invites. (One caveat; workin’ family man Friedman currently has a scheduled shift at Trader Joe’s that conflicts with his date with Warner, but we’re confident it will get worked out).
Oct. 19. (Updated with Hart acceptance) Insurgent challenger Jack Ucciferri has confirmed that he'll be there for a head-to-head with incumbent Gregg Hart, who graciously accepted moments after the early edition of our piece posted.**
“We are encouraged that these district council candidates are willing to speak directly to voters by participating on Newsmakers,” said Hap Freund co-producer of the program. “Their comments and interviews with Jerry will be accessible to the community on our website, on YouTube and on Channel 17 until the election.”
FAQs:
Who can vote?
All Santa Barbara voters are eligible to cast a ballot for mayor. Those in Districts 4, 5 & 6 also will be able to vote for a city council representative.
What district am I in?
Here is link that will help lead you to your council district (they really need a simpler “what city council district do I live in?" search function).
Huh?
Here is a map that shows the districts (may load slowly)..
Sorry, I'm not a visual learner.
Here is a head-scratching boundary description of each district.
Isn't there just somebody I can call?
Here is the Santa Barbara Registrar of Voters information page on the election, including how to reach them.
When is the election?
Election Day is Tuesday, Nov. 7, 2017. BUT REMEMBER this is entirely a vote by mail deal and...
...Mail-in ballots are to be sent out Oct. 9, 2017. BE CAREFUL NOT TO THROW OUT YOUR BALLOT, thinking it’s just more campaign junk mail. Deadline to register is Oct. 23.
Who's running?
Bottom line. In partnership with TVSB and the Independent, Newsmakers is providing special coverage of the 2017 municipal election, in an effort to boost voter turnout and registration, at a time when local politics increasingly is in the spotlight because, well...Trump.
We’ll keep you updated on the air times and links to our You Tube page next week.
The Newsmakers site and TVSB currently feature half-hour one-on-one interviews with the five mayoral candidates
** (Sources say Hart's late-breaking acceptance ensures he will not be represented by Resusci Annie (right), which had been the Newsmakers contingency plan).
JR
Email us at newsmakerswithjr@gmail.com or join the conversation about our stories on our Facebook page - SB City Desk. Thanks for reading.