Santa Barbara Unified School District releases list of candidates to replace Virginia Alvarez

SANTA BARBARA COUNTY, Calif. — The Santa Barbara Unified School District released a list of candidates to replace former Board of Trustee Virginia Alvarez on Friday.

In a press release SBUSD say, a total of 16 candidates were selected for interviews after January 3rd's deadline to apply for the vacant seat on the district board. Interviews for candidates will take place January 9th and 10th starting at 5.p.m.

According to the press release, interview times for all candidates were created by a randomized digital name generator, with only three candidates requesting accommodations to their scheduled time.

The vacant role will see SBUSD assess each candidate’s vision, dedication and suitability.

Members of the public are invited to attend the interviews to observe the proceedings.

SBUSD say, following the interviews, the board will carefully deliberate and make the final selection to fill the vacancy — with the swearing-in ceremony taking place right after the board member is selected.

Alvarez, the former trustee, was elected during the Covid-19 pandemic in December 2020, serving the SBUSD board for three years.

According to a press release from SBUSD, she was elected as an at-large representative before the district converted to "Trustee Area elections" in 2022 in order to comply with California's Voting Rights Act.

Alvarez resigned from the board on November 27th, 2023, telling Noozhawk she wanted to focus on her family.