Public Comment Regarding Measure C2026
Mayor, Councilmembers, and City staff,
My name is Mike Ashmore, and I am submitting this comment in support of Measure C2026.
I understand why many people are hesitant to support another tax. I share some of that hesitation. None of us are looking for more things to pay for.
For me, though, the larger question is this: What kind of city do we want to live in? Parks, libraries, recreation programs, senior programs, youth programs, and facilities like the Paul Nelson Aquatic Center are part of the answer. We may not personally use every service our tax dollars support, but we all benefit from living in a community where children have safe and positive places to go, seniors have opportunities to remain active and connected, families have access to parks and recreation, and residents have places to gather and be physically active.
The Paul Nelson Aquatic Center is a good example. It is not simply a pool for competitive swimmers. It provides swim lessons, recreation, lap swimming, fitness opportunities, and other community programming. Measure C specifically identifies the aquatic center, parks and recreation, youth programs, the library, and streets among the community services it could support.
I have also seen firsthand how often our community has had to fight simply to maintain access to the pool. I do not believe continually allowing public facilities to deteriorate, reducing access, and then fighting over whether they can remain open is a sustainable way to build a strong community.
At some point, we have to decide which community assets are worth maintaining. I believe these are.
My support, however, comes with a very important expectation.
If voters are being asked to pay more because they are being told these dollars will help support the aquatic center, parks and recreation, youth and senior programs, the library, streets, and other community services, then the City needs to honor that commitment.
Measure C includes public reporting, an annual spending plan, independent citizen oversight, and a requirement that the funds remain local. I strongly encourage the Council to make that accountability meaningful, transparent, and easy for residents to follow.
People should be able to see where the money went and what it accomplished.
I support Measure C because I believe a strong community requires investment in the places and programs that bring people together, provide opportunities for our young people, support our seniors, and improve the quality of life for everyone who lives here.
And if the community agrees to make that investment, I believe the City has an obligation to use those funds for the purposes residents were told they would support.
Thank you for considering my comments.
Mike Ashmore
Santa Maria, California (93455 - City resident)
Dear City Leaders,
I am writing to you not only as a teacher, but as someone who cares deeply about the students and families who walk through our school doors every day.
In recent days, the ICE activity in our community has created a growing sense of fear and uncertainty among many of our students and families. As educators, we see the effects of this fear firsthand. Students are coming to school worried about their parents, their siblings, their relatives, and what might happen to their families while they are away from home.
School should be a place where children feel safe, supported, and able to learn. Yet it is difficult for a student to focus on a lesson when they are wondering whether their family will still be together when they return home.
I am deeply concerned about the emotional toll this situation is taking on our students. Some children are afraid to speak openly. Others are carrying worries that no child should have to carry. Families are making difficult decisions because they are afraid of being separated from one another. The possibility of a parent being detained or a family being torn apart creates fear that extends far beyond the individual who is directly affected.
As leaders, we have a responsibility to recognize that our students are not simply students—they are children, family members, friends, members of our community, our next generation….our next teachers, businesspeople and leaders.
When a family is living in fear, that fear inevitably reaches the classroom.
I believe our city government has a responsibility to listen to the concerns of the residents it serves and to speak up when members of our community are experiencing fear and uncertainty. Our families deserve to know that their local leaders see what is happening, understand the impact it is having on our community, and are willing to take meaningful steps to support and protect the well-being of all residents.
Silence is especially difficult for families who are already feeling vulnerable. Our city leaders have an important role in providing clear information, connecting residents with available resources, and ensuring that families know where they can turn for help and support. At a minimum, our residents deserve to hear from their elected and civic leaders during a time when so many are afraid.
As an educator, I will continue to stand beside my students, listen to their concerns, support their emotional wellbeing, and remind them that they are not alone. But teachers and schools cannot carry this responsibility by ourselves. We need our community leaders to step forward as well.
Our children are watching how the adults and leaders around them respond during difficult times. This is an opportunity for our city to demonstrate compassion, courage, leadership, and a commitment to the people who call this community home.
With sincere concern for our students, families, and community, Maria Garcia
SMBSD Teacher and concerned Santa Maria community member My name is Marisol Olivera. I am a proud Mixtec-Indigenous family advocate, a Cal Poly student, a mother, a wife, and a resident of Santa Maria, California. I am speaking today because I can no longer remain silent about what I see happening to families in our community.
As a family advocate working for a nonprofit organization in Santa Maria, I interact daily with families who are experiencing hardship because of the ongoing ICE activity in our community. Today, I am sitting in my office preparing for my next home visit. Before I leave, I make sure my U.S. passport is in my bag and my phone is fully charged because, even as a U.S. citizen, I live with fear.
I fear for myself, but even more, I fear for the families I serve.
For the few hours that I am able to meet with these families, I try to support them in accessing basic resources. But every time I get into my car to make a home visit, I am taking a risk. I risk my safety driving to campus to pursue my education. I risk my safety picking up my children from school. And I carry the fear of what I might see happening in my own community—and what I may have to explain to my children.
This should not be normal.
No parent, student, community worker, or child should have to live this way.
I understand that there are things the City Council cannot control. But there are things you can do. You have the power to listen to the people in your community. You have the power to support families who are afraid. And you have the power to establish or expand funding for organizations that are on the ground providing resources, education, legal referrals, and support to families affected by this crisis.
So I am asking you today: Please use your power to support our families. Invest in the organizations serving them. Listen to community members who are experiencing this firsthand. And take meaningful action to make Santa Maria a safer and more supportive community for everyone.
We should not have to live in fear in the place we call home.
Thank you for your consideration.
Sincerely,
Marisol Olivera, advocate and voice for my community.