Voter guide · Nov 3, 2026

Goleta City Council Election 2026

2 of 5

council seats up

2 contests

4 candidates

Updated Oct 5, 2026. Every claim links to its source. How we check →

The candidates

Listed alphabetically by last name. Every position links to its source.

City Council District 1 · 1 seat

Rollin GartzkeOwner of 805 Pool Table Services in Goleta and past president of the Goleta Noontime Rotary Club. He has been a member of the club for nine years.3sourced
Luz Reyes-MartínIncumbentGoleta City Councilmember and former Santa Barbara City College communications director. She served on the Goleta Union School District board for eight years and holds master's degrees in land use planning and public administration from the University of Southern California.9sourced

City Council District 2 · 1 seat

Voters in District 1 elect one council member and voters in District 2 elect one; the mayor and Districts 3 and 4 are not on the ballot this year.

2 notes on these statements

Rollin Gartzke’s entry on the city’s candidate list marks “Candidate Statement” as “No.” City of Goleta

Both council seats on the ballot have two candidates: Luz Reyes-Martín and Rollin Gartzke in District 1, James Kyriaco and Phebe Mansur in District 2. City of Goleta

Already on the council, not on the ballot

Whoever you elect will govern alongside these members.

Stuart KasdinCouncilmember, District 47sourced Paula PerotteMayor (elected at large)7sourced Jennifer SmithMayor Pro Tempore; Councilmember, District 37sourced

Officeholders' pages compare what they've said with how they've voted, with sources.

Start here

Match quiz4 questions · answers stay on your phone Seat the CouncilPick winners, see the council What council decidesHollister Avenue in Old Town, Firearms retailer on Hollister Avenue, Support for families affected by immigration enforcement Key datesDeadlines and vote centers

Next date

Election day

Tue, Nov 3, 2026

All key dates

What the next council decides

Hollister Avenue in Old Town

Where it standsProject Connect construction in Old Town is due to be finished by spring 2027 because of grant deadlines.

What's on the tableThe next council will oversee the end of construction and any changes to turns and parking on Hollister Avenue.

Construction in Old Town must be finished by spring 2027 because of grant deadlines. Santa Barbara Independent · Oct 3, 2026
Phebe Mansur says the lane reduction has hurt her business and that she would re-open left-hand turns and add pull-in diagonal parking. Candidate statement
James Kyriaco says Project Connect is nearly completed and that its circulation, bike and pedestrian improvements are working. Candidate statement

Firearms retailer on Hollister Avenue

Where it standsOn August 12, 2026 the council asked staff to return with a review of the applicable ordinance after public comment on the Goodland Guns business license.

What's on the tableThe next council may decide whether to change the rules on where firearms retailers can locate.

Mayor Perotte asked staff to return to the council to review the applicable ordinance; Councilmembers Kasdin, Kyriaco, Reyes-Martín and Mayor Pro Tempore Smith supported the request. Goleta City Council special meeting minutes, August 12, 2026 · Aug 12, 2026
At the August 18, 2026 meeting, public speakers raised concerns about the Goodland Guns location at 7443 Hollister Avenue and asked the council to consider relocating the business. Goleta City Council special meeting minutes, August 12, 2026 · Aug 12, 2026

Support for families affected by immigration enforcement

Where it standsIn July 2025 the council reallocated $100,000 from its Childcare Initiatives fund toward support for affected families.

What's on the tableThe next council will decide whether and how the city continues to fund this support.

The council voted 5-0 to move $100,000 from the Childcare Initiatives fund to the Human Services Standing Committee to release for this purpose. Goleta City Council minutes, July 21, 2025 · Jul 21, 2025
The council voted 5-0 to adopt Resolution No. 25-30, a call to action to federal representatives on behalf of immigrants in Goleta. Goleta City Council minutes, July 21, 2025 · Jul 21, 2025

Senior mobile home parks

Where it standsThe council adopted an urgency ordinance in February 2026 creating a senior mobile home park overlay and a moratorium on conversion to all-ages parks.

What's on the tableThe next council will decide on longer-term changes to the city's mobile home park rules.

In December 2025 the council voted 4-1 to direct staff to return with an urgency ordinance for a 55-and-over senior housing overlay and options for longer-term changes to the Mobile Home Park Ordinance. Goleta City Council minutes, December 16, 2025 · Dec 16, 2025
The urgency ordinance passed 4-1 in February 2026; Councilmember Kasdin voted no. Goleta City Council minutes, February 17, 2026 · Feb 17, 2026

Street repair

Where it standsCandidates in both districts have raised road condition and repair methods.

What's on the tableThe next council will approve the city's annual street repair spending and priorities.

James Kyriaco says the city invested over $10.5 million last year toward fixing roads. Candidate statement
Phebe Mansur argued that slurry seals do not last and that spending more up front on chip seal is cheaper over time. Santa Barbara Independent · Oct 3, 2026
Rollin Gartzke said the city's roads need a serious revamp beyond patches that last for weeks. Santa Barbara Independent · Oct 3, 2026

Who matches you?

Answer any of these questions. We compare your answers with each person's sourced record, and nothing is stored. Questions where no one has a sourced record yet are left out. Tap a selected answer again to skip it.

1. Project Connect reduced Hollister Avenue in Old Town from four lanes to two and added roundabouts. What should the next council do about the lane layout and turns?
2. After the city approved a business license for a firearms retailer at 7443 Hollister Avenue, the council asked staff to review the ordinance. What should the next council do?
3. In February 2026 the council adopted an urgency ordinance protecting senior mobile home parks from conversion to all-ages parks. What should the next council do?
4. Goleta spends on street repair every year. How should the next council approach it?

Seat the Council →

Pick a winner for each open seat and see where the resulting council stands on each issue.

Key dates

Election dayCity of GoletaNov 3, 2026

The seat math

3 stay (not up this year): Stuart Kasdin, Paula Perotte, Jennifer Smith2 on this ballot

5 council seats. The council decides by a 3-vote majority.

Goleta is a general law city governed by a five-member City Council, including a directly elected mayor, and is divided into four districts. City of Goleta
Councilmembers serve staggered four-year terms and must live in the district they represent. City of Goleta
The District 1 and District 2 seats are each up for a full four-year term expiring November 2030. City of Goleta

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