List of mayors of Santa Barbara, California

This is a list of mayors of Santa Barbara, California since the city's incorporation in April 1850.

Mayor Santa Barbara
Flag of Santa Barbara
Incumbent
Randy Rouse
since January 11, 2022
Term length4 years
Formation1850
First holderLewis T. Burton
Name Term Description Notes Ref
1 Lewis T. Burton 8/26/1850-11/21/1850 Burton was born in 1809 in Tennessee and moved to California in 1831. He was a storekeeper and owned the Rancho Jesús María and a portion of the Rancho Bolsa de Chamisal. He was elected to the Common Council and was selected as its first president and acting mayor. The minutes of the Common Council first meeting recorded Burton's election: "In the City of Santa Barbara, on the 26 of August, 1850, the persons elected to the Common Council assembled and proceeded to elect a president. Lewis T. Burton having received a majority of the votes was declared elected. Luis Carrillo was then elected Clerk. The Council then adjourned." Burton died in 1879 and was buried in the Santa Barbara Cemetery. [1]
2 Francisco de la Guerra 1850-51, 1852–54, 1866–70 Born in Santa Barbara in 1817, the son of José de la Guerra y Noriega. Elected as mayor three times, on 11/15/1850, on 2/28/1852 for a two-year term, and on 3/7/1866 for a four-year term; first person to officially hold the title of "mayor". Died in 1878 and was buried in the Mission Santa Barbara Cemetery. [2]
3 Joaquín Carrillo 1851-1852 Grandson of José Raimundo Carrillo, he was born in 1813. Elected as mayor on 5/6/51. He was also Santa Barbara's first county judge, then judge of the Second Judicial District, and a member of the committee that named Santa Barbara's streets. [2][3]
4 Isaac J. Sparks 1853 Born 1804 in Maine. Moved to Santa Barbara where he became an otter trapper and acquired Rancho Huasna and Rancho Pismo. Elected as mayor on 5/5/1853. Died 1867. [2]
5 Jose M. Covarrubias 1853-1854 Born c. 1809. Elected as mayor on 11/6/1853. He was also a delegate to California Constitutional Convention in 1849 and represented Santa Barbara in the California State Assembly from 1849 to 1862. Died 1870. His home the Covarrubia Adobe (715 N Santa Barbara St.) is a California Historic Landmark. [2]
6 Joaquin de la Guerra 1854-1855 Elected as mayor on 5/8/1854 [2]
7 Pablo de la Guerra 1855 Elected as mayor on 5/8/1855; resigned from office on 6/18/1855 for health reasons [2]
8 Jose Carrillo 1855 Elected on 7/24/1855 to replace mayor Pablo de la Guerra [2]
9 H. B. Blake 1856 Elected as mayor on 3/24/1856 [2]
10 Antonio Maria de la Guerra 1856-1858, 1859-1864 Elected as mayor on 5/6/1856 for two-year term; elected again in 1859 and 1860 for one-year terms and again in 1862 for a two-year term [2]
11 Guillermo Carrillo 1858-1859 Elected as mayor on 5/15/1858 [2]
12 Mortimer Cook 1874-1875, 1876-1878 Born 1826 in Mansfield, Ohio. Elected as mayor on 3/2/1874 for a one-year term and in 1876 for a two-year term. Later settled along the Skagit River in Washington. Died in 1899. [2]
13 Jarrett T. Richards 1875-1876 Elected as mayor on 4/8/1875 [2]
14 R. L. Chamberlain 1878-1880 Elected as mayor on 4/4/78 [2]
15 Peter J. Barber 1880-1882, 1890-1892 Elected as mayor on 4/15/1880 [2]
16 Charles Fernald 1882-1884 Elected as mayor on 4/6/1882 [2]
17 G. W. Coffin 1884-1888 Elected as mayor on 4/7/1884 [2]
18 John P. Stearns 1888-1890 Born 1828. Builder of Stearns Wharf; elected as mayor on 4/2/1888. Died 1902. [2]
19 Edward W. Gaty 1892-1894 Elected as mayor on 4/4/1892 [2]
20 John M. Holloway 1894-1896 Elected as mayor on 4/2/1894 [2]
21 Frank M. Whitney 1896-1898 Elected as mayor on 4/6/1896 [2]
22 Charles A. Storke 1900-1902 Previously the Santa Barbara District Attorney [4]
23 George S. Edwards 1901-1905 Elected as mayor on 12/3/1901; reelected in 1903. [2]
24 Thomas D. Wood Jan. 1906 Served as mayor for 16 days; resigned because he did not want to attend city council meetings at night [5]
25 Elmer J. Boeske 1907-1909, 1911-1914 Elected as mayor on 12/31/1907. Dentist and organizer of the Santa Barbara Motion Picture Company. [2]
26 Clio Lloyd 1909-1911 Elected as mayor on 12/7/1909 [2]
27 Frank Smith 1915-1917 Elected as mayor on 12/7/1915 [2]
28 Willis M. Slosson 1917-1918 Elected as mayor on 5/3/1917 [2]
29 Harvey T. Nielsen 1918-1921 [2]
30 J. E. Sloan 1921- [2]
31 Charles M. Andera 1925-1926 [2]
32 H. A. Adrian 1926-1927
33 T. R. Finley 1927-1931 [2]
34 Harvey Nileson 1931-1935
35 Edmond O. Hanson 1935-1936 Resigned in December 1936 despite prevailing in an election for his recall
36 Patrick Joseph Maher 1936-1945 Born in Ireland. Died in 1985 at age 101.
37 Herbert E. Weyler 1945-1947
38 Norris Montgomery 1947-1953 Died in 1966.
39 John T. Rickard 1953-1957
40 Floyd O. Bohnett 1957-1959 Died in 2017 at age 93.
41 Edward L. Abbott 1959-1963
42 W. Don MacGillivray 1963-1968 Resigned in 1968 after being elected to the California Assembly
43 Gerald Firestone 1969-1973
44 David Shiffman 1973-1981
45 Sheila Lodge 1981-1993 She was the first woman to serve as mayor of Santa Barbara and also held the position for longer (12 years) than any other person in the city's history.
46 Hal Conklin 1993-1994 Served on City Council 1977–1993. He was sworn in as mayor in 1993 but was forced to step down after a year when a court ruled that he was prohibited from serving by a law limiting city council members to four consecutive terms. Died in 2021 in Santa Barbara. [6][7]
47 Harriet Miller 1995-2001 Born in 1919 in Idaho. Died 2010. [8][9]
48 Marty Blum 2001-2009 A former teacher [10]
49 Helene Schneider 2010-2018 Born in 1970 in New York City. Served 14 years on City Council and 8 years as mayor. [11]
50 Cathy Murillo 2018-2022 The first Latina to serve as mayor. First mayor of Santa Barbara to serve less than four years since Hal Conklin in 1994. [12]
51 Randy Rouse 2022–present See official Santa Barbara Mayoral website. [13]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ Hal Conklin (2006). City Leadership in Santa Barbara: A History of the Santa Barbara City Council from 1826 to the present (6th edition). pp. 1, 3, 9 – via Available through Santa Barbara City Clerk's Office.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z aa ab ac Hal Conklin (2006). City Leadership in Santa Barbara: A History of the Santa Barbara City Council from 1826 to the present (6th edition). pp. 9–16 – via Available through Santa Barbara City Clerk's Office.
  3. ^ "The Carrillo Family". Santa Barbara Independent. October 26, 2010.
  4. ^ Dockter, Brooke Dykman. "Guide to the Charles Albert Storke Papers, 1856-1936". California Digital Library: Online Archive of California. The Bancroft Library (University of California, Berkeley). Retrieved 27 November 2020.
  5. ^ "Santa Barbara Mayor Resigns". Los Angeles Times. January 19, 1906 – via Newspapers.com.
  6. ^ "Hal Conklin Enters Mayor's Race: Announcement Comes After 22-Year Hiatus from Politics". Santa Barbara Independent. March 30, 2017.
  7. ^ "Former SB Mayor Hal Conklin dies at 75". Santa Barbara Newspress. May 22, 2021.
  8. ^ "Winter for the Matriarch: Former Mayor Harriet Miller Dies". Santa Barbara Independent. January 7, 2010.
  9. ^ "Former Santa Barbara Mayor Harriet Miller Dies". Noozhawk. January 6, 2010.
  10. ^ "Santa Barbara Mayor Marty Blum Ready for Change of Scenery". Noozhawk. December 9, 2009.
  11. ^ "Helene Schneider Leaves a Solid Legacy After 14 Years on Santa Barbara City Council". Noozhawk. January 22, 2018.
  12. ^ "Murillo Sworn In as Santa Barbara Mayor". Santa Barbara Independent. January 10, 2018.
  13. ^ Santa Barbara Mayoral Website Official Website of Mayor Rouse