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.
Good evening, Mayor, Councilmembers, and City Officials.
I will get right to the point. On Monday morning, October 6, Federal Immigration Agents entered the campus of Allan Hancock College and abducted a man who was dropping his daughter off for classes. Additionally, federal agents arrested 15 others in various locations in Santa Maria and one person in Guadalupe. Minutes after the abduction in Parking Lot 2 at Allan Hancock College, the Communications Director for the college made the following statement, and I quote: “Allan Hancock College did not participate or assist in the enforcement action”. I submit these remarks here tonight to give the Santa Maria City Government, Including Chief Chris Williams and the Santa Maria Police Department the opportunity to make a similar public comment. Given the abysmal record of the Santa Maria City Council while dealing with the protection of our immigrant community in Santa Maria, the time to make your position absolutely clear to the residents of Santa Maria is now. It is not lost on anyone that the day of this attack on our community was also the first day of early voting in California. Would you put it past the Trump Administration to use immigration raids as a tactic for voter intimidation? I certainly would not. Now that the federal government has escalated their attacks to include our most sacred of public spaces, what further immoral actions can the residents of Santa Maria expect next? It is not hard to imagine that Santa Maria High School, Pioneer Valley High School, or Righetti High School being the next target of this violence on our community. And what about our places of worship? Are they fair game as well? I call on the Santa Maria City Government to immediately cease being a participant in the violations of the civil liberties of our residents by their actions or inaction. Many cities in our state have taken concrete steps to protect their residents from the immoral, unamerican immigration policies of the Trump Administration, and our city, that relies heavily on immigrant labor for our economy, should and must not be the exception. Failure to act transforms our city government from unconcerned bystander to active participant.
Refuse ICE Detainers, like Los Angeles, San Francisico and San Diego have done. Cease to honor ICE detainer requests for nonviolent offenders solely on the basis of immigration status.
Barr all resource sharing. Do not allow the use of city funds to investigate, detain, or detect individuals for civil immigration violations.
Protect Public Spaces. Restrict ICE agents from entering non-public municipal buildings, school campuses, or public healthcare facilities. Prohibit federal agencies from using city-owned properties or parking lots to stage immigration sweeps.
Make clear now and forever to the residents of Santa Maria that our tax dollars are not being used to perpetrate violence on our community. -Danny K. Mogg
Good afternoon , Mayor and Councilmembers,
My name is Fernanda Ambriz, and I am a proud resident of Santa Maria living in District 1. I am writing today to strongly urge this Council to address our community's concerns on the increasing ICE activity within Santa Maria. The recent surge in immigration enforcement operations in our neighborhoods has many Santa Maria residents on edge and in fear. Parents are afraid to drop off their children at school, students are afraid federal agents will target their parents on their school campus, and immigrant community members are afraid to leave their homes. We need action from our city so Santa Maria residents feel safe in their day to day life.
I also want to express my deep disappointment with my councilmember Ricardo Batalla, who on multiple occasions has said that he and this council can do nothing about the issue. Not only is this not true, but this statement sends the message to thousands of immigrant community members that our city will only stand by as they are targeted and terrorized by these masked thugs. As someone in a position of power, saying the only thing they can do for our community is to "just be there for them" is just the bare minimum and does not make you a respectable councilmember.
Below are some actions this council can take to keep our community safe. • Provide public funds towards legal aid and relief for families impacted by the recent kidnappings
• Sending FOIA requests to ICE director to receive more information on how many arrests have been made in Santa Maria and ICE activity within city limits • Motion to establish ICE-Free Zones across City-owned and City-controlled properties, require clear signage on City properties, establish a permit process for civil enforcement operations, similar to an ordinance already approved in Los Angeles. • End the city's contract with Flock which is known to be used by ICE to target immigrant community members.
We understand there are limitations to the city’s jurisdiction on this matter, however this does not mean our city leaders should stand by with arms crossed and turned heads. We ask that this council take a stance, provide our community with resources, work alongside community organizations working on to provide support and relief, and continue to raise awareness on the issue. Now more than ever, the community of Santa Maria turns to their elected representatives to take action.
Lastly, to Mayor Patino who has taken time form her schedule to attend festivities for Mexican Independence Day, but has refused to condemn the unconstitutional actions of these ICE agents. Who has continuously voted against providing support or relief for immigrant families, and who over the least year continuously criminalized the Latino community - referring to them as drunk drivers and labeling rapid responders and protestors of this fascist administration as aggressive - you are not fit to represent this city as Mayor. I call for your resignation, nobody with such antiquated beliefs should represent a beautiful and diverse city like Santa Maria. Shame on you.
Best,
Fernanda Ambriz
Good evening, Mayor and Councilmembers,
My name is Michelle Ambriz, and I am a proud resident of Santa Maria living in District 1. I am writing today to strongly urge this Council to address our community's concerns on the increasing ICE activity within Santa Maria. The recent surge in immigration enforcement operations in our neighborhoods has many Santa Maria residents on edge and in fear. Parents are afraid to drop off their children at school, students are afraid federal agents will target their parents on their school campus, and immigrant community members are afraid to leave their homes. We need action from our city so Santa Maria residents feel safe in their day to day life.
I also want to express my deep disappointment with my councilmember Ricardo Batalla, who on multiple occasions has said that he and this council can do nothing about the issue. Not only is this not true, but this statement sends the message to thousands of immigrant community members that our city will only stand by as they are targeted and terrorized by these masked thugs. As someone in a position of power, saying the only thing they can do for our community is to "just be there for them" is just the bare minimum and does not make you a respectable councilmember.
Below are some actions this council can take to keep our community safe. • Provide public funds towards legal aid and relief for families impacted by the recent kidnappings • Sending FOIA requests to ICE director to receive more information on how many arrests have been made in Santa Maria and ICE activity within
city limits
• Motion to establish ICE-Free Zones across City-owned and City-controlled properties, require clear signage on City properties, establish
• a permit process for civil enforcement operations, similar to an ordinance already approved in Los Angeles.
• End the city's contract with Flock which is known to be used by ICE to target immigrant community members.
We understand there are limitations to the city’s jurisdiction on this matter, however this does not mean our city leaders should stand by with arms crossed and turned heads. We ask that this council take a stance, provide our community with resources, work alongside community organizations working on to provide support and relief, and continue to raise awareness on the issue. Now more than ever, the community of Santa Maria turns to their elected representatives to take action.
Lastly, to Mayor Patino who has taken time form her schedule to attend festivities for Mexican Independence Day, but has refused to condemn the unconstitutional actions of these ICE agents. Who has continuously voted against providing support or relief for immigrant families, and who over the least year continuously criminalized the Latino community - referring to them as drunk drivers and labeling rapid responders and protestors of this fascist administration as aggressive - you are not fit to represent this city as Mayor. I call for your resignation, nobody with such antiquated beliefs should represent a beautiful and diverse city like Santa Maria. Shame on you.
Best,
Michelle Ambriz.
Good afternoon , Mayor and Councilmembers,
My name is (your name), and I am a proud resident of Santa Maria living in District 1. I am writing today to strongly urge this Council to address our community's concerns on the increasing ICE activity within Santa Maria. The recent surge in immigration enforcement operations in our neighborhoods has many Santa Maria residents on edge and in fear. Parents are afraid to drop off their children at school, students are afraid federal agents will target their parents on their school campus, and immigrant community members are afraid to leave their homes. We need action from our city so Santa Maria residents feel safe in their day to day life.
I also want to express my deep disappointment with my councilmember Ricardo Batalla, who on multiple occasions has said that he and this council can do nothing about the issue. Not only is this not true, but this statement sends the message to thousands of immigrant community members that our city will only stand by as they are targeted and terrorized by these masked thugs. As someone in a position of power, saying the only thing they can do for our community is to "just be there for them" is just the bare minimum and does not make you a respectable councilmember.
Below are some actions this council can take to keep our community safe. • Provide public funds towards legal aid and relief for families impacted by the recent kidnappings
• Sending FOIA requests to ICE director to receive more information on how many arrests have been made in Santa Maria and ICE activity within city limits
• Motion to establish ICE-Free Zones across City-owned and City-controlled properties, require clear signage on City properties, establish a permit process for civil enforcement operations, similar to an ordinance already approved in Los Angeles.
• End the city's contract with Flock which is known to be used by ICE to target immigrant community members.
We understand there are limitations to the city’s jurisdiction on this matter, however this does not mean our city leaders should stand by with arms crossed and turned heads. We ask that this council take a stance, provide our community with resources, work alongside community organizations working on to provide support and relief, and continue to raise awareness on the issue. Now more than ever, the community of Santa Maria turns to their elected representatives to take action.
Lastly, to Mayor Patino who has taken time form her schedule to attend festivities for Mexican Independence Day, but has refused to condemn the unconstitutional actions of these ICE agents.
Who has continuously voted against providing support or relief for immigrant families, and who over the least year continuously criminalized the Latino community - referring to them as drunk drivers and labeling rapid responders and protestors of this fascist administration as aggressive - you are not fit to represent this city as Mayor. I call for your resignation, nobody with such antiquated beliefs should represent a beautiful and diverse city like Santa Maria. Shame on you.
Best,
Grace Ambriz
Hello council,
First I would like to Thank Miss Gloria Soto for holding the press conference and addressing the immoral kidnapping of our community member that was taken at our local college this week and taking action to make sure the community feels supported. I am here to remind the rest of you to take positive actions in protecting your community. They are grabbing people that are on their way to work, just to make a quota! All so they could lock us up in their FOR PROFIT DETENTION CENTERS!! Come on they are just trying to live! That’s all we are all trying to do. Please believe me y’all are blaming the wrong people for the problems that Greedy Billionaires are responsible for. Your neighbor is not your enemy. Don’t let hate guide your decisions.
Also, I wanted to address the recent news articles about the city council meeting you all called off on Tuesday. Safety reasons? Safety for whom? Are ICE agents allowed in here? Are you all at risk for deportation to your original country? Tell me AM I at risk for deportation for coming to a council meeting?? Otherwise what possible safety concerns could you have. Because we know you four: Maribel Aguilera, Richard Batalla, Gloria Flores, Alice Patino do not see us immigrants as human beings, why else would you not do ALL you possibly can to oppose this immoral operation the federal government is unleashing on our streets.
So I wonder, safety concern for whom? From who?
Thank you for your time.
Your humble constituent
Sofia Estrada Navarro
Yesterday the unthinkable happened in our community. ICE agents detained the father of a college student on the Hancock campus! According to Kevin Johnson, a national immigration law professor from UC Davis, it is the first he has heard of ICE action on a college campus. And it happened here at our own Allan Hancock College campus.
We want to be first in the country for strawberry production. We want to be first in California for tri-tip barbecue. But to be first to have an illegal ICE raid on a college campus is not a FIRST we want.
ICE has heavily targeted the Santa Maria community since January 2025, ranking our city among the highest at-large “arrests” in the region. And now, they are targeting school campuses where our young adults have felt safe to learn and thrive, until now. We can t let this happen.
This action by ICE is the continuation of intimidation, terror and chaos they create in California and beyond. Now, they have breeched sacred grounds of refuge, our schools and churches. It’s time for you to stand up for our community members and create spaces of safety for their education and their families. AND keep ICE out of 805. The time is NOW for you to uphold the law, protect the people of Santa Maria and most of all, find your moral courage to do what is right.
Fact, federal agents were on the Allan Hancock College campus on October 5, 2026, the same day of the start of early voting and the site of one of ONLY three ballot drop box locations in Santa Maria.
This is an Illegal action and opens the door for future illegal voter intimidation at all ballot drop boxes and polling places throughout Santa Barbara County.
Fact, California ballots went out yesterday. Ballot drop boxes are protected by law and that must be enforced locally.
Fact, students and campus community voters, were intimidated by ICE s action. Students must be free and safe to exercise their right to vote on their own campus. It is their right by law.
Fact, our Santa Maria City Council, with the exception of Council Member Gloria Soto, has not stood up for any Santa Marians in the cross hairs of ICE. They won t even vote to form an ad hoc committee on immigration! The Santa Maria local government is failing its people.
Please take this complaint seriously for our future and our children s future. For our community's growth and safety, Santa Maria needs election protection and a robust response to the illegal ICE raids terrorizing our communities. As public servants, we are calling on you to uphold the duties of your office to serve and protect our communities. Do your job.
-Shirlee Heitman