Meet the Santa Maria City Council District 3 candidates: Gloria Soto and Steven Funkhouser

SANTA MARIA, Calif. – There are four candidates on the ballot for Santa Maria City Council in next month's election.

News Channel reporter Keith Carls spoke with the two candidates running for the District 3 seat.

Gloria Soto is seeking a second term on the Santa Maria City Council representing District 3.

"I want to continue serving my city in this capacity. Over the last four years, we've been able to accomplish a great deal such as our fight for housing affordability," said Soto.

Small business owner Steven Funkhouser is challenging Soto for the Third District seat.

"I'm not happy with how things are going in our district," said Funkhouser.

Public safety is one of his top concerns.

"Make sure we have safe streets, we have safety for our families, safety for our children, and that our law enforcement and police officers feel like they have the support of not only the city but the community in general," said Funkhouser.

City Councilwoman Gloria Soto says she's concerned about hardship on working families during these tough economic times.

"Living wage jobs is another issue and that goes hand in hand with housing affordability, and so if re-elected I will be a huge proponent of bringing skilled labor training centers to our community to ensure we can support our residents with upward economic mobility," said Soto.

Other issues include Santa Maria's growing homeless population, youth recreation, community support programs and services.

"We all want the same thing, we want a safe environment for our family, we want a safe environment for our children, we want to be able to walk down our streets without being afraid," said Funkhouser.