Capps Rumored to Challenge Williams in District 1 Race

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Capps Rumored to Challenge Williams in District 1 Race
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Laura Capps and Das Williams (Photos: Twitter / Santa Barbara County)

By edhat staff

Laura Capps is reportedly ready to challenge current District One Supervisor Das Williams in his 2020 re-election race.

Capps, whose mother and father served in the 24th congressional district, is currently the Vice President of the Santa Barbara Unified School District Board of Education. She has experience working with President Bill Clinton, Senator Edward M. Kennedy, and Secretary John Kerry’s presidential campaign. Locally she's been involved in numerous boards for non-profits including the Community Environmental Council, Planned Parenthood Action Fund, and the Interfaith Initiative of Santa Barbara County. 

Williams took office on January 2, 2017 to represent the First District of Santa Barbara County after previously being elected to the California State Assembly from 2010-2016. Prior to his service in the Assembly, Williams served 7 years on the Santa Barbara City Council from 2003-2010 and also served as a trustee for Peabody Charter School in Santa Barbara.

According to Newsmakers with Jerry Roberts, sources close to Capps confirm she will challenge Williams and is expected to make an official announcement in the next month.

Williams has come under fire after a recent Los Angeles Times article puts him in the center of the marijuana farm boom in Santa Barbara County. The article reports that Williams received campaign contributions from marijuana growers and consorted with marijuana lobbyists. Local residents have voiced their frustration with the rapid increase of marijuana farms where elected officials opened the door for Santa Barbara County to hold 35% of all issued cultivation licenses. As a comparison, Humboldt County has 22% of all issued cultivation licenses.

About a week later, Capps wrote an opinion article published by the Los Angeles Times. "I support the legalization of marijuana for adult use and the establishment of cannabis businesses, but my county has opened the pot floodgates too far," wrote Capps. She went on to state her biggest concern is the proximity of marijuana farms to children. "It’s a particularly egregious problem in Carpinteria, the school district that neighbors mine, where multiple cannabis cultivation operations have been set up nearby — in some cases, almost next door to — two high schools, an elementary school and two youth centers," she wrote.

Regardless of the recent articles, the Democratic Party of Santa Barbara endorsed Williams for the First District seat. 

“We are proud to endorse Supervisor Williams’ re-election campaign. Throughout his career, he has exhibited strong environmental leadership, support for working people, and sought solutions for mental health and homelessness issues. He has demonstrated a commitment to public service,” said Democratic Party of Santa Barbara County Chair Gail Teton-Landis.

The election for the Board of Supervisors will take place during the Primary election in March of 2020.

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SBREADER
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Jul 27, 2019 03:11 AM
Capps Rumored to Challenge Williams in District 1 Race

Laura Capps is a nice person and a good School Board Member. She would be completely out of her league as a Supervisor. I have lived on the South Coast all my life. I am retired after working in County related matters throughout my career. The most important roles in my view of the Board of Supervisors is as final arbiter of Land use issues. It also often plays an important role in Water. Ms. Capps has absolutely no experience in either forum. She is not ready because she is not qualified to be on the Board. Maybe in 10 or 12 years after she gains some practical experience on these important issues. She knows absolutely nothing about the technicalities of local land use and she has demonstrated that in some of her recent Commentary. She is being promoted by a small group of wealthy whites in Montecito and the Foothill mansions of Montecito. If she runs it will be a brutal, ugly fight that she can't win. Outside of the radical anti-Cannabis faction, she has no standing or support in Carpinteria. Das will overwhelm her in the City of SB. She can't win just on votes from Montecito and a few hundred in Carpinteria. We shall see apparently. Unfortunate for our community!

gilrun1
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Jul 26, 2019 07:22 PM
Capps Rumored to Challenge Williams in District 1 Race

Ms. Capps - put me on your list to vote for you and to work for your campaign. My recent meeting with Supervisor Williams has convinced me that we might do better with some new blood - and with someone who has excellent experience and background! Congratulations - I hope you do run !

SantaBarbaraObserver
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Jul 26, 2019 04:43 PM
Capps Rumored to Challenge Williams in District 1 Race

Both of these candidates are decent people but really bad for our future. Both are puppets of the same marionette. Neither have led any semblance of an independently successful life as both have been fostered by the current political machines and both have been feeding on the teet of the democratic party for their entire adult lives. I'd like to see a change from the shills and puppets that fall in line with their bosses at our expense. I'd like to see someone with real life experiences, actual business management experience and true perspective. If you want things to be the same, than vote for either one of these shills but if you're interested in doing what's best for your kids future, your future, be independent and dump the two party stronghold. >>>>>> P.S. It matters not what they say they will do as they will do what they are told by their party bosses and benefactors. Their records are solid in this regard. These people DO NOT REPRESENT YOU, they represent the interests of their party and their big money donors. Please consider your children's future and dump your party affiliation and act as the independently minded person you are. The parties are the problem. We dont need them in our town, our county or our lives. They've proven themselves to be incapable time and time again. Please think for yourself and be your own person. Let's put someone new into these roles. Its time to end the party stranglehold on our community and take back our future.

OAITW
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Jul 26, 2019 03:51 PM
Capps Rumored to Challenge Williams in District 1 Race

Is it no longer possible in Santa Barbara to have a candidate that is not part of the knee-jerk liberal local Democratic machine.? These people are destroying our community as fast as they can. One issue that has not gotten enough attention is Mr William’s support while he was in the assembly for the bill that outlawed single family zoning in California. Without any input from homeowners throughout California, this bill mandates that local governments allow second units in single family zones, effectively doubling the density of these neighborhoods. This has been forced on us at the same time as California’s birth rate is the lowest it has been in a century. Of course the real reason for this is payback to his masters in the real estate and development industry by providing price support for an increasingly unaffordable housing market.

OAITW
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Jul 26, 2019 04:47 PM
Capps Rumored to Challenge Williams in District 1 Race

You’re right MISS, I prefer to look at outcomes of their policies. Das’s policies are destroying Santa Barbara with overdevelopment all to the benefit of people who have given him tens of thousands of dollars.

Miss
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Jul 26, 2019 04:02 PM
Capps Rumored to Challenge Williams in District 1 Race

Both Laura and Das are incredibly good people that care deeply and work tirelessly for our community. They live here, are raising their children here and are devoted to the common good. You may disagree with their views but ascribing devious and dastardly motives is just ridiculous.

a-1576040418
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Jul 26, 2019 10:27 AM
Capps Rumored to Challenge Williams in District 1 Race

"Sizable donation" is an understatement. The cannabis lobby in SB County "owns" Das. He is, after all, the head Doobie Brother on the Supes board. Pun heavily intended too.

a-1576040418
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Jul 26, 2019 08:18 AM
Capps Rumored to Challenge Williams in District 1 Race

Ha ha “rigorous” endorsement process...not. The DCC didn’t even decide to do the endorsement meeting on this race until the news about Laura emerged. Then, they scrambled within less than a couple weeks to get it done, KNOWING she, and possibly others, were seriously considering entering the race. Same old same old. Those who know, know.

a-1576040418
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Jul 26, 2019 10:51 AM
Capps Rumored to Challenge Williams in District 1 Race

The DCC is for insider's only. People who could run rings around the DCC's picks and represent residents much better are never chosen to be endorsed. It is past time to reduce the influence of the DCC in the election process. - For what it is worth, I am a Progressive Democrat and believe the DCC picks are simply based on who you know what you will promise them and not what you can do, your values or your integrity.

SantaBarbaraObserver
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Jul 26, 2019 07:32 AM
Capps Rumored to Challenge Williams in District 1 Race

Both of these candidates are decent people but really bad for our future. Both are puppets of the same marionette. Neither have led any semblance of an independently successful life as both have been fostered by the current political machines and both have been feeding on the teet of the democratic party for their entire adult lives. I'd like to see a change from the shills and puppets that fall in line with their bosses at our expense. I'd like to see someone with real life experiences, actual business management experience and true perspective. If you want things to be the same, than vote for either one of these shills but if you're interested in doing what's best for your kids future, your future, be independent and dump the two party stronghold. >>>>>> P.S. It matters not what they say they will do as they will do what they are told by their party bosses and benefactors. Their records are solid in this regard. These people DO NOT REPRESENT YOU, they represent the interests of their party and their big money donors. Please consider your children's future and dump your party affiliation and act as the independently minded person you are. The parties are the problem. We dont need them in our town, our county or our lives. They've proven themselves to be incapable time and time again. Please think for yourself and be your own person. Let's put someone new into these roles. Its time to end the party stranglehold on our community and take back our future.

CoastWatch
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Jul 26, 2019 07:28 AM
Capps Rumored to Challenge Williams in District 1 Race

The local Democratic Machine has the power to decide who gets their funds and the seat.... Of course with Das, he gets his from the Chumash / California Indian Casino INC.

aragorn
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Jul 26, 2019 06:37 AM
Capps Rumored to Challenge Williams in District 1 Race

I hate the Local Democratic Machine, just like the way Indiana Jones hates Nazis. And I am not even a Republican. I am NPP (Non Partisan Party.) I never cared for Lois Capps, but if Laura Capps runs for SB County Board Supervisor, District 1, I will vote for her. I just might volunteer on her campaign if she does run against Das Williams.

a-1576040418
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Jul 25, 2019 07:51 PM
Capps Rumored to Challenge Williams in District 1 Race

Capps didn't apply for the Democratic Party endorsement, because as usual, they wanted to just hurry up and endorse whoever can fog a mirror and will do their bidding, and didn't wait for better candidates to get on the field. 2015, 2017, and again in 2019. Maybe someday they'll learn.

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