Candidates for Goleta Council’s District 1 Seat Outline Visions for Safer City

Voters in Goleta's District 1 will choose this November between an incumbent who made history four years ago and a hometown business owner promising to be an unfiltered "voice of reason" on the City Council — with both candidates framing their campaigns around making the Good Land safer.

District 1 covers Goleta's northeast and the Fairview corridor, and its council seat is one of two on the November ballot, alongside the District 2 seat, which also features a two-candidate contest. The original Noozhawk report profiles both contenders as they make their case to voters.

The Incumbent: Luz Reyes-Martín

Luz Reyes-Martín was elected in 2022 as the first Latina to serve on the Goleta City Council, and she is seeking a second four-year term. Before joining the council, she spent eight years on the Goleta Union School District Board of Education. A Los Angeles native and longtime Goleta resident with degrees from Stanford University and the University of Southern California, she serves as vice president of advocacy and engagement for Planned Parenthood of California Central Coast. She previously directed public affairs and communications at Santa Barbara City College.

"I really feel like I am making a positive difference and the work is really meaningful, and I really enjoy working on behalf of residents in the city," Reyes-Martín told Noozhawk.

Her platform centers on continuing to build what she calls a "safe, welcoming and high-functioning city." Among her priorities: shepherding long-running projects to completion, including the Goleta Valley Library and the Stow Grove Park master plan.

She also points to climate resilience as a growing concern, particularly for older residents in her district. "There are a lot of seniors in my district who are impacted by prolonged power outages or excessive heat," she said.

Reyes-Martín touts what she describes as the "not so sexy" fundamentals of local governance — maintaining parks, repairing sidewalks and fixing roads. She noted that in the past year or two, the city has made its single largest investment ever in pavement repair.

Community communication has become a flashpoint in the district. The city's outreach practices drew criticism from residents upset over the lack of notice when Goodland Guns relocated next to a preschool on Hollister Avenue. Reyes-Martín acknowledged the episode as a lesson. "My lesson learned was that there's never enough education you can do," she said. "There are so many things that don't require public notice; that doesn't mean we can't do it."

She also sits on the city's public safety committee, where she said she sees opportunity to address e-bike safety — a growing concern across Santa Barbara County communities as e-bike ridership has surged among students and commuters.

The Challenger: Rollin Gartzke

Rollin Gartzke, a Goleta native and product of Goleta public schools, is mounting his first run for local office after what he described as encouragement from community members and former council members. "It was not on my radar whatsoever," he told Noozhawk.

Gartzke owns 805 Pool Table Services, which recently relocated to Calle Real near the Calle Real Shopping Center, and has an accounting background, frequently helping his father with his CPA practice. He is also a former president of the Noontime Rotary Club.

His campaign slogan — "Bring back common sense" — signals the tone he intends to bring to the dais. "I think it's the thing that everybody's thinking but is afraid to say," he said. "I like to be that voice. I like to stir the pot."

"I don't go along with the pack; I am here to listen to the people of the community," he added. "I don't have a filter. I say the quiet part out loud."

Gartzke's policy priorities include public safety, schools and road maintenance. He singled out Calle Real as a particular hazard, citing missing sidewalks and inadequate street lighting. He also expressed concern about the pace of the Stow Park master plan and what he characterized as the park's deterioration, calling for better preservation and security there.

While Gartzke acknowledged he has watched only a couple of City Council meetings, he assessed the current council as "keeping the city on a good track" — though he said he sees neither major improvements nor decline under its leadership.

Why the Race Matters for Goleta

The District 1 contest lands at a consequential moment for Goleta, a city of roughly 30,000 that incorporated in 2002 and has since grappled with rapid growth, aging infrastructure and questions about how development and public safety are managed in the Goleta Valley.

Both candidates converge on some of the same territory — safer streets, better-maintained parks and improved infrastructure — but offer voters distinct styles. Reyes-Martín pitches continuity and institutional experience, pointing to record pavement investments and long-range projects she helped advance. Gartzke pitches disruption and transparency, arguing the city needs a louder dissenting voice and faster action on neighborhood-level safety concerns like the Calle Real corridor.

The outcome could also shape how the council navigates ongoing public frustration over outreach and notice — an issue that flared in the district over the Goodland Guns relocation — as well as how aggressively the city pursues e-bike regulation, climate resiliency planning for seniors, and completion of the Stow Grove Park master plan.

District 1 voters, along with those in District 2, will weigh in on Election Day in November. Whoever wins the District 1 seat will serve a four-year term representing northeast Goleta and the Fairview area.

This article is based on candidate interviews originally reported by [Noozhawk](https://www.noozhawk.com/candidates-for-goleta-councils-district-1-seat-outline-visions-for-safer-city/).