Santa Barbara City Mayoral Forum

Join the Santa Barbara Independent for a forum on Wednesday, September 30 at 5:30pm with the candidates running for Mayor of the City of Santa Barbara. This forum will be held at the Alhecama Theatre. 

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 Eric Friedman, Kristen Sneddon, and Wendy Sims-Moten.

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 the Mayoral candidates:

Eric Friedman

Eric Friedman grew up in Santa Barabra County where he is raising his sons with his wife, Julie. He has 25 years of local public and volunteer service that includes serving on the Santa Barbara City Council since 2018 and fourteen years as a staff assistant to County Supervisors Naomi Schwartz and Salud Carbajal. He earned a Master’s in Public Administration from Cal State Northridge and a B.A. in History from the University of Notre Dame. His leadership created the Local Housing Trust Fund that has invested millions in truly affordable housing, prioritized the transformation of the award-winning Library Plaza renovation to set the standard for future downtown revitalization, and he has made fiscal disciple and the protection of Measure C a foundation of his service. Eric also serves on regional and statewide committees focused on increasing water security and coastal planning policies in the face of Sea Level Rise and more frequent climate events, such as the upcoming Super El Nino. He also works at Trader Joe’s where he enjoys frequent interactions with residents from throughout the city.

Kristen Sneddon

Kristen Sneddon has been the City Council representative for District 4 for two terms. She teaches environmental geology and has fought for Santa Barbara’s water security, disaster resilience, fire safety, coastal protection, and housing affordability. She has worked to expand the blue and green economy and believes in a safe and welcoming Santa Barbara.

Wendy Sims-Moten

Wendy Sims-Moten has been a pillar of the County of Santa Barbara for 30 years. she now holds the position of Executive Director of First 5 Santa Barbara County -focus on children prenatal to 5. Her academic credentials include a bachelor’s degree from Pacific Oaks College.   Wendy's passion extends beyond her professional life, a 40-year resident of Santa Barbara County she is deeply invested in the growth and prosperity of her community and its residents. Her civic engagements are diverse and numerous, Wendy has served on a range of local and regional boards and initiatives, reflecting her deep commitment to community collaboration. In her role as Executive Director of First 5 Santa Barbara County, Wendy is leading a collaboration with the Annie E. Casey Foundation to convene 35 cross-sector leaders—including public servants, nonprofit leaders, healthcare professionals, and educators—in a leadership development initiative.