Hartmann said she wants to hear from the community.
“I am planning to hold a community meeting in western Goleta, possibly at Dos Pueblos High School, in the new year to hear community concerns and also to have the developers present what they are considering for the property,” Hartmann said.
The county’s Housing Element has been met with fierce opposition from some county and Goleta residents because of the concentration of proposed housing on agriculture land on both sides of Goleta.
The state has mandated that the county find land to build 5,664 units of housing between now and 2031. Of the 5,664 new housing units, 4,142 must be on the South Coast and 1,522 in the North County.
County Planning & Development was under political pressure from the South Coast members of the Board of Supervisors to find sites for housing to make up for their years of approving most new housing development in the North County instead of the South Coast.
Hartmann, with Second District Supervisor Laura Capps, worked to find additional housing sites other than agriculture land after the county staff’s first iteration of the Housing Element.
“I focused energetically on identifying properties in Isla Vista and other parcels outside of the Goleta Valley,” Hartmann said. “I’ve also focused on UCSB and their role in our housing crisis.”
She said the county is pursuing litigation against UCSB for failing to provide promised student housing.
Hartmann said her personal priorities are “low-income housing, workforce housing, and community benefits such as child care, as well as trails and parks available to the public.”
She added that “the rezone is a benefit, and I believe the board should make clear what we are seeking in exchange for that benefit.”
Darcel Elliott, chair of the Santa Barbara County Democratic Party, said this year’s election is “a bit of a toss-up” than previous years because Isla Vista is no longer in the Third District.
The registration breakdown is about 21,560 Democrats, 14,501 Republicans and 10,952 voters with no party preference. However, in 2020, the March primary turnout was 62% Democrats and 65% Republicans. No party preference turnout was 37%.
Hartmann is a Democrat, Troise a Republican and Osborne a no party preference candidate.
“Although the Third District has changed significantly, 60% of the district has never voted for [Hartmann] before. She began work immediately in getting to know her new constituents and delivering for them, including new funding for the Lompoc Theatre Project, which is critical to the revitalization of Lompoc’s downtown,” Elliott said.
Elliott also cited Hartmann’s efforts to develop the county’s first-ever Recreation Master Plan and directed funding to critical projects throughout her district designed to get the chronically homeless off the street and into housing permanently.
“Joan Hartmann is a true public servant and the best option to continue getting results for the people of the Third District,” Elliott said.
Hartmann said she is confident about her re-election. She noted that she supported Osborne in her last campaign for Lompoc mayor and sought endorsements on her behalf. She also said she wrote her a campaign check from her personal account and encouraged others to donate to her campaign.
Still, Hartmann said she told Osborne during that brief exchange at the Santa Barbara County Association of Governments meeting that she will continue to work with her.
“We are both accomplished and intelligent women who will continue to carry out our overlapping responsibilities during the campaign and conduct ourselves respectfully,” Hartmann said.