Women now hold majority on Carpinteria City Council

CARPINTERIA, Calif.-The Carpinteria City Council took a break for cake on Monday night.

The city has plenty to celebrate.

The council congratulated and bid farewell to longtime member Roy Lee.

Lee will be sworn in as a Santa Barbara County Supervisor in early January.

Lee was given a plaque and joked that he would have to find something to do on the Mondays he used top spend at City Hall.

"It is emotional, it is bittersweet, just incredibly grateful for the whole experience of being on the city council," said Lee.

Lee gave a special pin to Julia Mayer who took his seat and is the newest face on the council.

Mayer was sworn in with re-elected council members Natalia Alarcon and Wade Nomura.

The third generation Carpinterian said said she is grateful for the opportunity to preserve and enhance the community where she is raising two sons.

"I'm a little nervous but mostly just really excited and ready to get to work, " said Mayer, "The Big thing about Carpinteria is this is a place that is very intentional we have kept it this way, we have developed it to be a place that is so welcoming and wonderful to raise a family in and I am just ready to continue that legacy, you know, keeping my children and my children's children in mind when I think about what we do."

Her college friends came in from out of town to watch the ceremony.

They joined her parents, husband, sons, and local soccer players in the celebration.

The new council that is now made of three women and two men was also tasked with choosing a new mayor.

The council voted unanimously to elect Natalia Alarcon.

Former mayor Al Clark passed her his gavel.

They also voted unanimously to name Monica Solórzano as Vice Mayor.

The new and reelected council members will be serving 4 year terms.

The council also certified the recent election that included the voter approved increase of the Transient Occupancy Tax from 12 to 15 percent.

After serving slices of a giant cake from Reynaldo's Bakery on Linden Ave., they got back to work.