New Leaders For Santa Barbara County Association Of Governments’ 60th Anniversary
ORCUTT, Calif. (KEYT) - A new year means new leadership for the Santa Barbara County Association Of Governments, or SBCAG.
It’s marking 60 years of collaboration.
Fourth district supervisor Bob Nelson has been unanimously selected as SBCAG’s 2026 chairman.
“We've significantly spent local dollars on the 101 widening in the south coast,” says Nelson. “That project is now fully funded and has a pathway towards completion. So it's now it's an opportunity for SBCAG and the county to start moving forward with prioritizing North County projects.”
His vice-chair seat will be filled by Buellton’s mayor David Silva.
“I have a big goal with being a small town city, ensuring that the smaller cities have the chance to get their priorities put on the list,” says Silva.
One advantage seen in having both Nelson and Silva leading the new year’s SBCAG charge is that they both grew up in Orcutt.
“The funny thing is, it's two Orcutt kids now running SBCAG, which is really a neat opportunity that hasn't happened ever in the past,” says Nelson. “Obviously, we represent much more than just the Orcutt community, but it is kind of a fun coincidence that that's happening all at once.”
Initiatives on the docket for 2026 include a proposed 9-mile multipurpose hiking path at the Santa Ynez Valley River Trail.
“Growing up in Orcutt, you kind of learn, since it's an unincorporated area that you really rely on SBCAG,” says Silva.
In addition to nearing completion on construction for the U.S. 101 Multimodal Corridor in the south county, a safety study will commence for the State Route 135 corridor between Santa Maria and Orcutt.
“We've really seen how cities can do only so much, but SBCAG has a unique position to be able to leverage resources and government oversight and government reach to partner with areas like Caltrans and with the county to ensure that some priorities that really impact local communities are being taken care of,” says Silva.
SBCAG’s first meeting of the year is January 15th in Santa Barbara.
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