Her parents both served in Congress. Now she’s running for Santa Barbara County supervisor

Laura Capps, daughter of two former members of Congress, is running to unseat First District Santa Barbara County Supervisor Das Williams, and she declared her candidacy on Tuesday in front of more than 100 people — many of them children — at the Santa Barbara Mission Rose Garden.

Capps cast herself as a candidate for families.

Rather than the typical noontime political press conference, she held the event just after 3 p.m. so that parents and families from Roosevelt Elementary School could attend after class got out.

Before Capps took the microphone, her third-grade son, Oscar Burton, spoke to introduce her mother.

“My name is Oscar. I am 8 years old. I go to Roosevelt Elementary School. I go to third grade, and I hope you vote for my mom for county supervisor,” he said, handing the microphone to his mother.

Capps talked about the Rose Garden, calling it a “special place” where her son holds his birthday parties and she walks her dogs. She talked about growing up just two blocks from the garden, and how she would “roll down that hill” as a child and thought it was “very steep.”

She complimented the volunteers who take care of the roses at the garden.

“To me that is just a wonderful symbol of how this community is filled with such caretakers,” Capps said. “We really believe in this special place that we call home.”

Capps thanked her mom, Lois Capps, a retired nurse who served in the U.S. Congress.

She mentioned her late father, Walter Capps, who also served in Congress and regularly spoke about “restoring the bonds of trust between the government and the people.”

She said her father taught her the phrase “there is far more that unites us than divides us.”

It’s a philosophy she said is especially important given the current political climate.

“Especially now, with our national government in despair, with our administration that could not be more alienating or out of touch,” Capps said.

“Our local leaders need to be in touch with us,” Capps said. “They need to be connected. They need to listen to us, especially now. They need to listen to us regardless of our status within the community. They need to listen to us regardless of our political affiliation.”

Although she made no direct mention of her opponent Williams, she did make an oblique comment, saying that elected officials need to listen “regardless of whether we can donate a campaign contribution.”

Capps jumped into the contest to challenge Williams, a fellow Democrat, over the issue of cannabis.

Williams has been widely criticized by Carpinteria residents for his support of cannabis cultivation farms in the Carpinteria Valley. He also has taken $16,500 in donations from members of the CARP Growers, officially the Cannabis Association for Responsible Producers.

Shortly thereafter, Capps penned an opinion commentary in the Los Angeles Times that criticized county officials’ support of marijuana cultivation centers near schools.

But during Tuesday’s announcement, Capps attempted to distance herself from the cannabis issue, and present herself as a mother, a volunteer and a community activist with deep roots.

“As supervisor, I will provide a leadership that listens with integrity and not to outside interests, but to the people who I serve,” Capps said.

Williams was first elected to the Santa Barbara City Council in 2003, and also served three terms in the California Assembly before getting elected to the county Board of Supervisors in 2016.

Even though the county seat is technically nonpartisan, the parties play big roles helping candidates getting elected through contributions, literature, phone banking and walkers.

Williams has been endorsed by the Santa Barbara Democratic Party for the seat. Capps in her speech attempted to erode the partisan portion of the contest.

“You’ll probably notice when you vote, there’s no “D” or “R” behind anyone’s name,” Capps said. “And that is for a very important, intentional reason. That is because local government serves the people. We’re on the front lines.”

She said that as a current member of the Santa Barbara Unified School District Board of Education, she serves the people, including children, and that she’s a progressive “through-and-through.”

She also noted that she has concerns about the high numbers of children living in poverty in the county, which is a problem she hopes to continue addressing.

“The role of the county, first and foremost, is to keep us safe,” Capps said. “The county provides our sheriff, our mental health department, our public health department, our first responders. That is what, really, county government is for.

“And with this changing climate, we need to be as innovative and laser-focused-focused on strategies, adaptive planning to make sure our kids are safe, our homes are safe, our communities are safe, and that is something I want to dive into as much possible on the county level.”

Former Santa Barbara County Supervisor Susan Rose was one of the many supporters in the crowd.

“She’s going to be a powerful voice for children, families and minorities,” Rose said. “She will listen.”

Noozhawk staff writer Joshua Molina can be reached at jmolina@noozhawk.com. Follow Noozhawk on Twitter: @noozhawk, @NoozhawkNews and @NoozhawkBiz. Connect with Noozhawk on Facebook.