S.B. City Council District 5 Candidate Forum

Join the Santa Barbara Independent for a forum on Thursday, September 17 at 5:30pm with the candidates running for the District 5 seat for Santa Barbara City Council. This forum will be held in the banquet room at Harry's Plaza Cafe. 

We host these forums each election season to help our readers get to know all the candidates better. This discussion will be moderated by news reporter Ryan P. Cruz, and will include the candidates Ian Baucke, James Zurlinden, and Margaret Cevin Cathell.

Live translation services will be available at the forum. We are collecting questions for candidates before the forum, please enter yours at this link here.

The forum is currently at capacity. This forum will be livestreamed to our Youtube Channel and will be recorded and posted to our website for anyone who is unable to attend the forum in person.

Meet Cevin Cathell:
A compassionate, pragmatic democrat, Cevin Cathell started work on staff at the Texas Legislature, later honing leadership, fiscal and business skills as a producer in LA. Arriving in Santa Barbara 26 years ago, she was moved to contribute her expertise and experience to this community, with SBIFF and in nonprofit leadership.

Meet Ian Baucke: 
Ian Baucke is a born and raised Santa Barbara local, graduating from San Marcos before earning his Bachelor's and Master's at The George Washington University. He serves as Chair of the City's Transportation and Circulation Committee and works as a District Representative for State Senate President Pro Tempore Monique Limón, working on constituent services as well as childcare, healthcare, housing, and transportation policy. Ian is running for City Council to make sure Santa Barbara is a city where all people are included and can afford to put down roots. His priorities include affordable housing, street safety, environmental justice, and support for local small businesses.

Meet James Zurlinden:
I’m James Zurlinden. I work in media buying and accounting, and prior to that I spent more than 15 years in hospitality as a chef. My career has taught me how to manage budgets, solve problems under pressure and work alongside people from many different backgrounds. Although I’m new to politics, I’m not new to the challenges facing Santa Barbara and the people who call it home. Like many residents, I’ve experienced firsthand the pressure of our high cost of living and understand how decisions made at City Hall can affect people’s everyday lives. I believe our city can benefit from an outside perspective grounded in real world experience, financial responsibility and practical problem solving. My focus is on fiscal responsibility, housing affordability, supporting the local businesses that make our community unique and ensuring residents have a strong voice in the decisions that affect them. For me, public service is about listening, showing up and treating taxpayer dollars with the same care and responsibility I would expect with my own.