Candidate for
Council Member; City of Santa Barbara; Council District 1

Andria Martinez Cohen:

Born and raised in Long Beach, CA, Andria moved to Santa Barbara in 2005 after living & working abroad in Mexico for a few years post graduating university. She holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Economics with minors in Spanish and Portuguese from the University of California Los Angeles. Shortly after marrying her husband, Eric Cohen, in 2013 they purchased a home on the eastside of Santa Barbara near Salinas & Indio Muerto streets.

Andria Martinez Cohen has worked as a professional in the field of economic development for more than a decade. She joined the National Development Council (NDC) as a loan officer for their CDFI affiliate, the Grow America Fund, in late 2009 after working for a regional non-profit organization dedicated to micro-enterprise development called Women's Economic Ventures (WEV) located in Santa Barbara, CA for nearly 4 years. NDC is a national non-profit dedicated to increasing the flow of capital to underserved urban and rural areas for job creation and community development. In addition, Andria has 10 years of small business experience as co-owner and manager of her family's business Expert Strokes Swimming, a home-based swim school located in Long Beach, California.

Andria's community involvement in Santa Barbara includes volunteer work with the Housing Authority of the City of Santa Barbara providing free income tax preparation services to low income families and teaching financial literacy in Spanish. Her passion is to help entrepreneurs, minorities and women overcome adversity and achieve success through education, opportunity and financial empowerment. Her skills include a background in technical assistance & securing federal funds for community & economic development programs for other cities in California, budget management experience and structuring financing for business & real estate development projects that result in job creation and increased wealth to local communities. Her background in underwriting economic & community development projects will bring a unique skillset to the Santa Barbara City Council as well as provide a more diverse perspective to the local decision-making process. She is a strong advocate for underrepresented communities and working class families.