Kristen Sneddon Leads Santa Barbara Mayoral Race as Friedman Concedes

Councilmember Kristen Sneddon is poised to become the next mayor of Santa Barbara after expanding her lead in a shifting mayoral race. While Councilmember Eric Friedman led on election night and in early results released November 5, Sneddon surged into first place by November 11, eventually overtaking Friedman by 296 votes.

By November 13, the latest ballot count showed Sneddon with 16,202 votes (46.2%) and Friedman with 15,623 votes (44.6%). Following these updates, Friedman called Sneddon on Thursday to concede the race. He stated he had no regrets about running and wished Sneddon well as she prepares to take office in January.

The Santa Barbara County Elections Office still has approximately 3,500 unprocessed ballots, with final results due for certification by December 3. In other local contests, Ricardo Valencia maintains a lead for the Santa Barbara County Fifth District Supervisorial seat. Additionally, Measure D, an $80-million school bond for the Santa Ynez Valley Union High School District, is likely to pass after surpassing the 55% support threshold required for facility improvements.