Candidate for
Council Member; City of Santa Barbara

About Me

I grew up in East Los Angeles (Boyle Heights) and came to the Santa Barbara area to attend UCSB. I graduated with a degree in Dramatic Art, after which I worked as an artist-in-the classroom for the Children's Creative Project, teaching theater arts to elementary school children.

I worked as a legal assistant for a few years before deciding to pursue creative writing. That lead to news writing and jobs at a number of newspapers: Ventura Independent, Los Angeles Times, Ventura County Star, and Santa Barbara Independent. At the latter, I worked my way up from reporter to news editor.

In 2005, I expanded into video and radio news production, and took a position as the News and Public Affairs Director at KCSB (currently on a leave of absence). I am a video producer for public access TV and occasionally write freelance news and feature articles.

I have volunteered for various non-profits, including Santa Barbara Children's Theater, Community Recovery Network, Shape of Voice youth newspaper, and Santa Barbara Channels public access television station. As a volunteer for Community Recovery Network, our group successfully fought for a public detox facility at Casa Esperanza homeless shelter.

My social activism includes organizing Take Back the Beach to support a sexual assault survivor who fought off her attacker at More Mesa, participating in the CAUSE (Community Alliance Urging Sensitivity and Equality) campaign that called for the Boy Scouts of America to stop discriminating against gay members and staff, and organizing actions to raise public awareness and pressure the Santa Barbara News-Press to treat its employees fairly.

As for my personal life, I am married to David Pritchett, an ecologist and community activist. We keep a family of pets, all rescued or adopted from shelters, favoring American pitbull terriers for their loving personalities. I practice yoga and enjoy ballroom dancing. I rent a home the Westside neighborhood, and often commute by MTD bus to UCSB.

I am a Mexican-American, speak some Spanish, and am the proud granddaughter of Maria Hurtado Delgadillo, who came from Mexico in 1915 and became a naturalized citizen, voting in every election as long as she lived.