Santa Barbara County Supervisor Hart announces bid for State Assembly
SANTA BARBARA, Calif. – Santa Barbara County Supervisor Gregg Hart is running for State Assembly.
The District 2 Supervisor announced his intentions Thursday.
Hart, a Democrat, will be running in the 37th District which is currently represented by Assemblyman Steve Bennett.
In 2018 he was elected to the Santa Barbara County Board of Supervisors in an uncontested race. Hart is arguably the most well-known and visible public figure to put his hat in the race for assembly. In 2020 he served as the chair of the board of supervisors and was the board's representative during the county's daily – and later, less frequent – coronavirus news briefings.
He, along with representatives from the Santa Barbara County Public Health Department and a slew of rotating guests and experts provided regular updates on air and online about what the county was doing to combat the spread of COVID-19.
In addition to his years of service as a supervisor, Hart has served as a city councilman in Santa Barbara.
Hart told NewsChannel 3-12's John Palminteri that he looks forward to "continuing the tradition of environmental protection, responding to individuals in need, and to make decisions that bolster the economy."
Bennett, also a Democrat, was elected in 2020 but due to changes in statewide district maps, will not hold the position beyond 2022. Bennett is a Ventura County resident and recent changes to assembly lines means the 37th District will no longer include Ventura County. The 37th will now include all of Santa Barbara County, as well as a sliver of southern San Luis Obispo County.
Bennett confirmed that he intends on running for the new 38th Assembly District, which covers the majority of Ventura County.
Santa Barbara City College trustee Jonathan Abboud and Santa Barbara planning commissioner Gabe Escobedo have also announced their intentions to run for the updated 37th Assembly District.
The primary election for the assembly is in June.
