My Analysis of the Central Coast and Southern California (Part 4: Santa Barbara County)

Santa Barbara County

Demographics (2019): 45.8% Hispanic, 44.1% Non-Hispanic White, 6.0% Asian, 2.4% Black

Population (2010): 423,895

Growth rate: Moderate (12% since 2000)

President: 53.2% D/45.2% R (2004), 60.2% D/37.4% R (2008), 57.4% D/39.4% R (2012), 59.9% D/31.5% R (2016)

MHI (2000): $46,677

% Bachelor’s (2019): 33.8%

Like most of coastal California, Santa Barbara County voted strongly Republican for most of the 20th century, only voting Democratic in landslides (Woodrow Wilson, Franklin Roosevelt, Lyndon Johnson) before becoming bluer in 1992, and roughly a microcosm of California as a whole. Even though Santa Barbara is fairly liberal, voting very similar to the state, divisions exist between the conservative north (with an economy based on agriculture, oil, and Vandenberg Air Force Base) and liberal south (tech, tourism, and University of California, Santa Barbara). Because of these divisions, two county splits have been proposed, “Los Padres County” in 1978 and “Mission County” in 2006, but were both overwhelmingly defeated.

South

Santa Barbara

Demographics (2010): 52.2% Non-Hispanic White, 38.0% Hispanic, 3.5% Asian, 1.6% Black

Population (2010): 88,410

President: 69.5% D/29.0% R (2004), 75.2% D/22.9% R (2008), 71.5% D/25.7% R (2012), 74.8% D/18.9% R (2016)

MHI (2000): $47,498

% Bachelor’s (2019): 45.2%

Historically known as the “American Riviera”, Santa Barbara was known for its charm as early as 1850, when settlers from the east and from the Gold Rush came. This led to the rapid development that would lead to Santa Barbara’s incorporation April 9, 1850, 5 months before California gained statehood. The arrival of the prospectors brought racial violence against the local Spanish/Mexican population, and Santa Barbara was known as the “most dangerous town between Los Angeles and San Francisco”. Another factor that led to Santa Barbara’s rapid growth was the founding of the Santa Barbara Gazette in 1855. The newspaper was bilingual, half English and half Spanish not because the residents were bilingual, but because some spoke English and some spoke Spanish. Slowly English overtook Spanish, though Spanish remained in use until 1870.

In 1859 Santa Barbara recorded the world’s highest temperature at the time, 133 °F, which stood for more than 50 years. Residents sought relief from the heat in their adobe homes. The heat is thought to have come from a freak “simoom”, though this incident is disputed.

The new settlers preferred to build their homes out of wood instead of the Spanish/Mexican adobe. The local oak trees weren’t suitable for lumber, so the building material had to be shipped in from Oregon. Thus the port of Santa Barbara was developed, and greatly enhanced by the building of Stearns Wharf in 1872. Later in the 1870s, Charles Nordhoff praised Santa Barbara as pleasant and delightful, especially for those with illness. As a result, many travelers came to stay. The completion of a railroad connecting Santa Barbara with Los Angeles and eventually San Francisco resulted in Santa Barbara becoming the famous resort city it is still known as today.

Before Hollywood, Santa Barbara was the center of the silent film industry in the early 20th century. The American Film Company was at the time the world’s largest movie studio. In Santa Barbara’s heyday as a film center, over 1,200 movies were made before the studios moved south so they could have more room to continue to expand.

Like many cities in California, Santa Barbara itself continued to rapidly grow in the early and mid-20th century. The city selectively recruited businesses to set up shop in the area, especially “clean” tech, over the oil industry that used to be prevalent in the area because the abandoned wells and sumps were seen as unsightly. Relations between Santa Barbara and oil companies further deteriorated after a major spill in 1969 greatly hurt tourism. Consequences of this spill were the passage of the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) and California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) in 1970. Later in the 1970s, anti-growth forces became strong enough that the council passed a resolution that would limit Santa Barbara’s population to 85,000. To control growth in adjacent cities such as Goleta, those cities were denied county-approved water meters. This predictably led to a housing shortage. Voters later approved connections to state water sources so growth picked up, though far less than in decades past.

It should surprise no one that Santa Barbara is deeply Democratic, and has been for a long time.

Carpinteria

Demographics (2019): 49.0% Non-Hispanic White, 45.0% Hispanic, 4.8% Asian, 0.5% Black

Population (2010): 13,040

President: 59.4% D/39.4% R (2004), 65.8% D/32.2% R (2008), 64.4% D/32.9% R (2012), 67.7% D/25.9% R (2016)

MHI (2000): $47,729

% Bachelor’s (2019): 33.0%

Situated about halfway between Santa Barbara and Ventura, the oceanside city of Carpinteria was named “carpentry shop” in Spanish after a missionary witnessed the local Chumash building canoes. The Chumash used naturally occurring asphalt from the petroleum seeps in the area, which are still visible today, to seal their canoes. The California Avocado Festival is held in Carpinteria every October.

Goleta

Demographics (2019): 51.8% Non-Hispanic White, 34.7% Hispanic, 8.0% Asian, 2.3% Black

Population (2010): 29,888

President: 58.5% D/39.8% R (2004), 65.1% D/32.7% R (2008), 62.0% D/34.7% R (2012), 67.0% D/26.7% R (2016)

MHI (2000): $60,314

% Bachelor’s (2019): 46.2%

Goleta (Spanish for “schooner” or “sailing ship”) only became a city very recently, incorporating in 2002. It was named after a sailing ship that wrecked just offshore sometime in the late 18th/early 19th centuries and remained visible for some time. Agriculture, especially lemons, dominated the area’s economy. There was also a sizable extraction industry. After World War II, the artificial Lake Cachuma was developed as a water source, and Goleta also experienced a population boom. The economy also shifted from agriculture to aerospace and tech. The University of California, Santa Barbara moved close by, to a former Marine base.

After several unsuccessful attempts, Goleta residents voted to incorporate in 2002. Some of the area between Goleta and Santa Barbara to the east remains unincorporated because these areas voted against incorporation. There has been some talk in Santa Barbara of annexing that area, sometimes called “Noleta”, into that city. Including the unincorporated community of Isla Vista has also been discussed, with residents voicing concern about how the impact of the student population there on tax revenue and voting patterns.

Isla Vista

Demographics (2019): 48.1% Non-Hispanic White, 23.8% Hispanic, 20.5% Asian, 3.2% Black

Population (2010): 23,096

President: .% D/.% R (2004), .% D/.% R (2008), .% D/.% R (2012), .% D/.% R (2016)

MHI (2000): $16,151

% Bachelor’s (2019): 63.0%

The unincorporated community of Isla Vista is home to a large college student population from UCSB and Santa Barbara City College along with working-class Hispanics. Before the students moved in, Isla Vista was sparsely populated, with only a few dirt farmers, because of a lack of water sources. During World War II, the Marine Corps set up an Air Station for flight training purposes. After the war, the airport was given to the City of Santa Barbara, and the rest of the land was to be used to build a new UCSB Campus, which opened in 1954.

When Lake Cachuma was developed, thousands of students were expected to move in and development went in the direction of large dormitory complexes. Later, the frustration of students with the highly regulated nature of these dorms resulted in the rapid construction of unregulated apartments. The 1960s brought the rise of counterculture as was common in colleges at the time. Some students formed an “IV League” as a community organization. Major unrest from anti-Vietnam War protests led to the FBI being very active in the area. The second free health clinic in the state after San Francisco’s Haight-Ashbury clinic was set up here.

Later in the 1970s and 1980s, several attempts to incorporate Isla Vista failed, and the growing presence of well-off college students drove out not-so-well-off non-student residents. With few commercial amenities, Santa Barbara has been trying to draw business from the students.

I haven’t yet been able to find data on unincorporated areas, but considering the population is predominantly college students I would expect Isla Vista to vote Democratic at close to Berkeley levels.

Mission Canyon

Demographics (2019): 84.5% Non-Hispanic White, 6.4% Hispanic, 4.5% Asian, 0.4% Black

Population (2010): 2,381

President: .% D/.% R (2004), .% D/.% R (2008), .% D/.% R (2012), .% D/.% R (2016)

MHI (2000): $61,415

% Bachelor’s: 37.8%

Named after the Mission Santa Barbara, this Santa Barbara suburb is home to the Santa Barbara Botanic Garden and several popular hiking trails to La Cumbre Peak. This area probably leans Democratic, though not so much for southern Santa Barbara County standards.

Montecito

Demographics (2019): 85.7% Non-Hispanic White, 7.1% Hispanic, 4.4% Asian, 0.7% Black

Population (2010): 8,965

President: .% D/.% R (2004); .% D/.% R (2008); .% D/.% R (2012); .% D/.% R (2016)

MHI (2000): $110,669

% Bachelor’s (2000): 35.9%

Montecito (Spanish for “little mount”) was originally unsettled and home to many bandits that attacked traffic going between the towns near the missions. Later, in the 1860s, Italian settlers arrived and built the area to look like the land they left behind.

Around the turn of the century, wealthy Easterners and Midwesterners arrived, pleased with the area. It had the convenience of being close to Santa Barbara’s amenities while being situated decently far from the hustle and bustle. The local hot springs helped, and the Montecito Hot Springs Hotel was built. The hotel burned in 1920, and the Hot Springs Club took its place.

Montecito was home to the famous architect George Washington Smith, who brought the Spanish Colonial Revival style to the area. Smith modeled his home after farmhouses he had seen in Andalusia. The home became so famous it was used to sell building materials.

Many celebrities have called Montecito home, including Douglas Adams, Julia Child, Tom Cruise, Michael Douglas, Tipper Gore, Christopher Lloyd, Thomas Steinbeck (John’s eldest son), John Travolta, Bruce Willis, and Oprah Winfrey.

Montecito likely is very Democratic even for southern Santa Barbara County standards.

Summerland

Demographics (2019): 95.6% non-Hispanic White, 4.4% Hispanic

Population (2010): 1,448

President: .% D/.% R (2004); .% D/.% R (2008); .% D/.% R (2012); .% D/.% R (2016)

MHI (2000): $53,964

% Bachelor’s: 59.5%

Summerland was founded in 1883 by spiritualist H.L. Williams, who sold land to fellow Spiritualists. The local Spiritualist Church was demolished decades later, in the 1950s when Highway 101 was built.

Oil played a significant role in the community, with the development of the Summerland Oil Field. A blowout in the Dos Cuadras Field was responsible for the major oil spill in 1969 that helped trigger the modern environmental movement.

Toro Canyon

Demographics (2019): 66.4% Non-Hispanic White, 33.3% Hispanic, 0.7% Asian

Population (2010): 1,508

President: .% D/.% R (2004); .% D/.% R (2008); .% D/.% R (2012); .% D/.% R (2016)

MHI (2000): $68,789

% Bachelor’s (2000): 27.5%

This sparsely-populated community is home to Toro Canyon Park. With a bachelor’s degree attainment below the county overall, I would expect Toro Canyon to be less blue than the county as well.

North

Santa Maria

Demographics (2019): 80.2% Hispanic, 13.5% Non-Hispanic White, 6.2% Asian, 2.8% Black

Population (2010): 99,553

President: 58.0% R/41.3% D (2004); 50.2% D/48.1% R (2008); 51.7% D/46.3% R (2012); 55.8% D/33.6% R (2016)

MHI (2000): $51,739

% Bachelor’s (2000): 12.8%

Agriculture historically dominated Santa Maria’s economy and continues to do so today. The Santa Maria Valley was one of the most productive agricultural areas in the state, and today is one of the biggest wineries in the country. Oil also played a significant role later, in the early 20th century, and peaked with the Santa Maria Oil Field in the 1930s. These economic developments led to Santa Maria’s rapid growth, which led it to pass the county seat of Santa Barbara in population in the 2000s. Santa Maria was Republican-leaning in the early 2000s and is now Democratic-leaning, though less so than the county and the state.

Buellton

Demographics (2019): 63.6% Non-Hispanic White, 32.4% Hispanic, 0.8% Asian, 0.4% Black

Population (2010): 4,828

President: 57.9% R/40.7% D (2004); 50.7% D/47.2% R (2008); 51.2% R/45.9% D (2012); 47.4% D/45.7% R (2016)

MHI (2000): $83,023

% Bachelor’s (2000): 16.4%

A haven for tourists, Buellton is known as the “Home of Split Pea Soup” and was part of a Danish colony that included nearby Solvang. The restaurant Pea Soup Andersen’s was founded here in 1924 by Danish immigrant Anton Andersen and his French-born wife Juliette. The restaurant only began serving split pea soup a few months after it was opened. Later the Andersens built a hotel and dining room to serve tourists from San Francisco and Los Angeles.

Buellton is one of very few cities in Santa Barbara County that had a majority (now plurality) Republican registration among its voters.

Guadalupe

Demographics (2019): 90.4% Hispanic, 5.1% Non-Hispanic White, 3.7% Asian, 0.5% Black

Population (2010): 7,080

President: 59.8% D/39.3% R (2004); 71.3% D/26.8% R (2008); 73.4% D/24.0% R (2012); 73.0% D/21.6% R (2016)

MHI (2000): $31,205

% Bachelor’s (2000): 7.8%

Named after the Virgin Mary, “Our Lady of Guadalupe”, Guadalupe was settled by pioneers from a wide variety of backgrounds including European, Mexican, and Filipino. It is very closely connected with Santa Maria and its land is mostly used for agriculture and oil production.

Lompoc

Demographics (2019): 61.1% Non-Hispanic White, 17.8% Hispanic, 12.7% Black, 5.4% Asian

Population (2010): 42,434

President: 57.3% R/41.8% D (2004); 51.3% D/46.8% R (2008); 51.1% D/46.2% R (2012); 51.8% D/40.9% R (2016)

MHI (2000): $47,587

% Bachelor’s (2000): 8.6%

Named after “stagnant water” or “lagoon” in the Chumash language of Purisimeño, Lompoc started out as a temperance colony that was originally going to be named “New Vineland”, after the temperance-based city of the same name in New Jersey. During World War II, Lompoc became a military town with the opening of nearby Camp Cooke, which would later be renamed to Vandenberg Air Force Base.

Space shuttles were actually planned to be launched from Lompoc in the late 1980s, and residents prepared for the tourists coming to watch the launch by building many hotels and restaurants. However, after the Challenger disaster in 1986 the West Coast program was discontinued, dashing any hopes of space shuttles being launched from the West Coast like on the East Coast (Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral) and near the Gulf Coast (Johnson Space Center in Houston). Thus Lompoc fell into a severe recession.

In 2016, when running to succeed the retiring Lois Capps (D) in the 24th congressional district, Salud Carbajal (D) made a gaffe when he called Lompoc “the armpit of Santa Barbara County”. Carbajal won 57% of the vote in Santa Barbara County in 2016 while winning 53% overall, so I would not be surprised if he lost Lompoc then.

Today Lompoc is well-known for arts and flowers, being the “Flower Seed Capital”. Lompoc is also home to a Federal Correctional Institute.

Solvang

Demographics (2019): 64.1% Non-Hispanic White, 29.8% Hispanic, 2.2% Asian, 0.8% Black

Population (2010): 5,245

President: 60.0% R/39.2% D (2004); 51.1% R/46.8% D (2008); 55.5% R/42.5% D (2012); 47.9% R/46.7% R (2016)

MHI (2000): $45,799

% Bachelor’s (2000): 27.2%

Solvang was founded in 1911 by Danish immigrants who had founded the Danish-American Colony Company in San Francisco a year earlier. They originally built in a similar style to other buildings in the area until 1928, when the Bethania Lutheran Church was built Danish-style.

The 1939 visit of Crown Prince Frederik and Princess Ingrid began tourist interest in Solvang. Interest in “Danish Villages” there grew after World War II. These buildings were built in a half-timbered style that later attracted tourists, along with the Danish-styled windmills and statues of Hans Christian Andersen and The Little Mermaid. The Danish Days Festival has been celebrated since 1936.

Los Alamos

Demographics (2019): 51.2% Non-Hispanic White, 39.6% Hispanic, 5.3% Asian

Population (2010): 1,890

President: .% R/.% D (2004); .% D/.% R (2008); .% D/.% R (2012); .% D/.% R (2016)

MHI (2000): $47,321

% Bachelor’s (2000): 11.5%

Named after “cottonwoods” in Spanish like the city and National Laboratory of the same name in New Mexico, Los Alamos California started out in the late 19th century as a rest stop for stage coaches! After oil was discovered at the turn of the 20th century, the economy boomed further. In recent years the growth of wineries in the area has contributed to Los Alamos’ prosperity. No street delivery is available for mail, so residents pick up their mail at the post office. The last Pacific Coast Railroad Station is also located here.

Demographics (2019): 58.4% Non-Hispanic White, 32.2% Hispanic, 6.2% Asian, 2.8% Black

Population (2010): 3,576

President: .% R/.% D (2004); .% D/.% R (2008); .% D/.% R (2012); .% D/.% R 2016)

MHI (2000): $57,000

% Bachelor’s (2000): 29.5%

Mission Hills is right next to Lompoc and the La Purísima Mission State Historic Park. La Purisma Mission is the most fully restored mission in California. The mission was destroyed in an 1812 earthquake, but materials saved from the wreckage were used to construct the new buildings.

Demographics (2019): 65.2% Non-Hispanic White, 25.2% Hispanic, 3.8% Asian, 1.5% Black

Population (2010): 35,262

President: .% R/.% D (2004); .% D/.% R (2008); .% D/.% R (2012); .% D/.% R (2016)

MHI (2000): $53,251

% Bachelor’s (2000): 20.0%

The community of Orcut was named after William Warren Orcutt, the manager of the Geological, Land and Engineering Departments of the Union Oil Company. Orcutt started out as a townsite for oil field workers. Now it is a suburb of Santa Maria.

Demographics (2019): 71.4% Non-Hispanic White, 10.2% Hispanic, 4.7% Asian, 0.8% Black

Population (2010): 4,418

President: .% R/.% D (2004); .% D/.% R (2008); .% D/.% R (2012); .% D/.% R (2016)

MHI (2000): $80,284

% Bachelor’s (2000): 31.6%

Santa Ynez was named after the old spelling of Saint Agnes in Spanish. (The current spelling is “Santa Inés”.) It is known for its wineries. Michael Jackson’s Neverland Ranch, now owned by Colony Capital, is located 8 miles north of the community.

Vandenberg Air Force Base

Demographics (2019): 46.0% Non-Hispanic White, 23.4% Hispanic, 10.8% Black, 5.7% Asian

Population (2010): 3,338

President: .% R/.% D (2004); .% D/.% R (2008); .% D/.% R (2012); .% D/.% R (2016)

MHI (2000): $39,444

% Bachelor’s (2000): 25.9%

The base is named after Air Force Chief of Staff General Hoyt Vandenberg. The land was first acquired and the base set up as Camp Cooke by the Army in 1941, before Pearl Harbor. The camp was named after Major General Philip St. George Cooke. Cooke’s 40+year military career included the Mexican War, the Indian Wars, and the Civil War (Union, despite being from Virginia), as well as leading a Mormon battalion from Missouri to California, the first wagon trail to the state.

Later during World War Two, German and Italian prisoners of war were kept in Camp Cooke. The German POW’s also worked agriculture to alleviate the severe labor shortage. After the war, the camp’s lands were given to ranchers until the early 1950s, when Camp Cooke served as a training site for soldiers during the Korean War. A memorial for the Korean War soldiers was dedicated in 2000. The camp was again closed in 1953.

During the Cold War, the need arose for a strategic missile base and Camp Cooke was chosen, for the same reasons the Army chose the site: remoteness, small population, coastal location, and mild year-round climate. The camp was transferred to Air Force control and renamed Cooke Air Force Base. It was renamed again, to Vandenberg, in 1958.

Vandenberg was also involved in space exploration, with the launch of the world’s first polar orbit satellite (Discoverer I) in 1959. In the 1970s, Vandenberg was selected to be the West Coast’s space shuttle launch center, its answer to the Kennedy and Johnson Space Centers, but was never used as such. After the West Coast shuttle program was scrapped, they went back to polar-orbit satellites.

Vandenberg Village

Demographics (2019): 61.7% Non-Hispanic White, 22.7% Hispanic, 4.1% Black, 3.1% Asian

Population (2010): 6,497

President: .% R/.% D (2004); .% D/.% R (2008); .% D/.% R (2012); .% D/.% R (2016)

MHI (2000): $58,700

% Bachelor’s (2000): 25.9%

Home to Vandenberg Air Force Base, Vandenberg Village has some local shops, but most of its residents commute to Lompoc just to the south.