Countywide County

Santa Barbara County Politics

The whole county — government, elections, and the issues that cross every city line.

Santa Barbara County stretches from the surf towns of the South Coast to the farm fields of the Santa Maria Valley and the vineyards of the Santa Ynez Valley. It is home to roughly 440,000 residents across a handful of incorporated cities and many unincorporated communities, governed at the top by a five-member Board of Supervisors.

The county is defined by its split personality: a wealthy, tourism-and-university South Coast and an agricultural, working North County, with the Santa Ynez Valley wine country in between. That divide shapes nearly every countywide fight — over housing, water, public safety, cannabis, and how tax dollars get spent.

This hub pulls together countywide political news, video, discussion, the officials who run the place, and the elections that decide its future.

Governance

Governed by a five-member Board of Supervisors (one per district), plus countywide elected officials including the Sheriff, District Attorney, Auditor-Controller, and Assessor. Cities run their own councils.

Elections

Board of Supervisors seats are elected by district on staggered four-year terms. Countywide offices (Sheriff, DA) and state/federal seats also appear on county ballots.