Skip to main content

Carpinteria City Council, District 1

This is a sample · See your full ballot

✕

City of Carpinteria

Carpinteria City Council, District 1

This person would hold your district's seat on Carpinteria's five-member City Council. They vote on city laws, the budget, and land use. Carpinteria is a Santa Barbara County city of 13,264 residents. A professional city manager runs day-to-day operations. The council picks the Mayor and Vice Mayor from among its own members. Voters do not elect the Mayor or Vice Mayor directly. The term is four years.

Two candidates are running for Carpinteria's District 1 Council seat. They are incumbent Vice Mayor Monica Solorzano and challenger Aja Forner. Forner is a Library Commissioner. Whoever gets the most votes on November 3 wins, with no primary or runoff.

This is one of Carpinteria's five City Council districts. Council members set city ordinances, the budget, and land-use policy. They serve this Santa Barbara County beach town of 13,264 residents, per the 2020 Census. A professional city manager runs day-to-day operations. Carpinteria's Mayor and Vice Mayor are not elected directly. The Council chooses them from among its own members, customarily for two-year terms. This seat carries a four-year term.

Solorzano is completing their first term. They have also served as Vice Mayor. Forner has not held elected office. She currently serves as an appointed Library Commissioner. Both candidates filed an official ballot statement with the city. Carpinteria's own paper, Coastal View News, covered both campaigns in its roundup of the November ballot. Independent news coverage beyond that roundup is uneven. A Santa Barbara Independent feature covers Solorzano's candidacy announcement in depth. No comparable dedicated profile of Forner was found. That is a difference in the available public record. A sitting Councilmember leaves more of one than a first-time challenger does.

Monica Solorzano

Monica Solorzano is the incumbent and Vice Mayor for District 1. They run on affordable housing and coastal resilience. They also run on public safety and support for families. They helped launch the city's AgeWell senior services program.

Aja Forner

Aja Forner is a first-time candidate. She is the city's appointed Library Commissioner. She would protect the Carpinteria Bluffs, cut unnecessary spending, and repair roads. She works as a Program and Volunteer Manager for Therapy Dogs of America.

Your pick

A nonpartisan office: candidates do not run as Democrats or Republicans, and no party appears on the ballot.

This is one race on your ballot. Vote or Else shows every contest you will vote on — Congress, the Legislature, your county, city, and school board — each broken down the same way. Enter your address to see your full ballot.