Santa Barbara County Supervisor Joan Hartmann
Joan Hartmann, Ph.D., J.D., has served as the 3rd District County Supervisor since 2017. Before that she served 3 years as a County Planning Commissioner. As supervisor, she has focused on transitioning to a renewable energy economy; protecting open space, especially along the Gaviota Coast; promoting parks, trails and active living; expanding economic opportunities, including Broadband for All, advancing the welfare of children and seniors, and addressing homelessness in our community.
Joan has lived in Santa Barbara County since 1999. She served for six years as a Court Appointed Special Advocate (CASA) for children in the foster care network. She also served on the Wildling Museum’s Board of Directors, the Fund for Santa Barbara’s Grant Making Committee, and the Santa Barbara Foundation’s LEAF Advisory Committee.
Joan began her career in the academic world, serving as Director of the Public Policy Program at the Claremont Graduate School; Assistant Professor of Environmental Studies and Government at Oberlin College; and later as an adjunct professor of Environmental Studies at USC.
She has also worked in the policy and budget offices and as legal counsel for several federal government agencies: the Congressional Research Service, the Department of the Interior and the U.S. EPA, Region 3. She helped found the Southern California Wetlands Recovery Project, a novel public-private partnership to restore coastal Southern California rivers and wetlands.
She spearheaded the Buellton Urban Growth Boundary initiative which requires a vote of the people before the City can expand its boundaries, the first such initiative in Santa Barbara County. She also advised the Goodland Coalition which successfully campaigned for a similar initiative in Goleta.
She is married to James (Jim) Powell, a science writer, and has one adult daughter, two adult stepchildren, and many non-human companions.
Santa Barbara County Supervisor Laura Capps
Born and raised on the South SB County Coast, Laura Capps is a proud graduate of our public schools. She is passionate about combating poverty and forging a more sustainable future, as evidenced by her career in public service. Recently, she has served as Trustee of the SBUSD Board and believes that “when we do right by our children, we do right by us all.
Laura has served as a speechwriter for President Clinton, the western communications director for Senator John Kerry’s presidential campaign, a senior aide to Senator Edward Kennedy, and UC Berkeley’s Director of Government Affairs. Additionally, she worked with Golden State Opportunity; an organization focused on ending poverty by expanding the Earned Income Tax Credit, one of the most vital tools to alleviate poverty. In SB County, she has worked with No Kid Hungry to help provide more food for kids in need. Laura has served as President of the Community Environmental Council, Chair of the Commission for Women, a Trustee of UC Berkeley, and on the Planned Parenthood Action Fund Board.
Laura has a bachelor’s degree from UC Berkeley and a master’s degree from the London School of Economics. Her greatest job is being a mom to her son Oscar.
Senator Monique Limón
Senator Monique Limón was elected to the California State Senate in November 2020 and represents the 19th Senate District, which includes all of Santa Barbara County and more than 60% of Ventura County. Senator Limón served as the Assemblymember from 2016 to 2020. Born and raised in the 19th Senate District, Monique has worked as an educator, leader, and an advocate for causes advancing the quality of life in her community.
For Monique, education has always been a priority. She received her undergraduate degree from UC Berkeley and a Master’s Degree from Columbia University. Prior to being elected to the California State Legislature, Monique served on the Santa Barbara Unified School Board and spent fourteen years working in higher education at UC Santa Barbara and Santa Barbara City College.
Prior to serving in the State Legislature, Monique served as a Commissioner on the Santa Barbara County Commission for Women, where she helped connect private and public resources with women in the community. Monique has a passion for bringing community groups together and building strong coalitions among local nonprofit organizations and civic groups.
In the State Assembly, she served as the Vice Chair of the Legislative Women’s Caucus from 2018-2020. She has been a champion for women and working families ensuring access to paid family leave and early childhood education. She has advanced policies, such as AB 406 (2019) to strengthen access to paid family leave, AB 378 (2019) to create stability in California’s early care and education workforce, and SB 1162 (2022) to increase pay transparency in the workforce and help narrow the wage gap. In 2022 she was selected as the only legislator by Forbes in their Future of Work 50 list. Monique was honored alongside Marc Benioff (CEO of Salesforce), Brian Chesky, CEO of AirBnB, Lisa Gevelber, CMO of Google, Satya Nadella, CEO of Microsoft, Julie Sweet, CEO of Accenture, Eric Yuan, CEO of Zoom, and more.
Monique has been recognized for her work by the Santa Barbara Women’s Political Committee, and Emerge California. Her voting record has received a 100% score from Planned Parenthood. Monique’s roots go deep in the 19th Senate District. Her extended network of family and friends include a range of small business owners and educators in the community.
Honorable Hannah-Beth Jackson
Hannah-Beth Jackson is a former California legislator, practicing attorney, educator and small business owner. From 2012 to 2020, she served in the State Senate, representing nearly one million residents in the 19th Senate District, which includes Santa Barbara County and western Ventura County. From 1998 to 2004, she represented the 35th State Assembly District.
During her legislative career, Hannah-Beth served as Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee and received national recognition as a champion for women’s equality. The Huffington Post identified her as one of 11 women in the United States “blazing new trails” in American politics and she was described as “the state senator shifting California’s workplace culture” by The New York Times.
Hannah-Beth is the author of the California Fair Pay Act, landmark legislation that strengthens the state’s equal pay law, and Senate Bill 826, the first law in the nation that requires publicly-held corporations to include women on their board of directors. She is a joint author of legislation that created the nation’s first affirmative consent standard (“Yes Means Yes”) for the state’s college and university campuses. In response to the #MeToo movement, she authored significant legislation to prevent and respond to sexual harassment. Even as the Trump Administration sought to roll back Title IX protections, she authored legislation to ensure victim-centered processes for responding to sexual harassment and assault on college campuses. These groundbreaking laws positioned California as a national leader in women’s equality and many inspired similar proposals in other states. In addition, she is the author of laws that strengthened and expanded California’s Paid Family Leave program and protect survivors of domestic violence.
A champion for the environment, Hannah-Beth is the author of Senate Bill 188, blocking the Trump administration’s efforts to expand oil development off the California coast, as well as legislation that strengthened the state’s pipeline safety laws, reduced the threat of future oil spills, and capped abandoned oil wells. She has been a leading advocate in the fight against climate change and a strong supporter of developing clean energy sources. She is also the author of the nation’s first industry-funded “take back” program for unused medications and needles, leading the way for extended producer responsibility legislation.
Among Hannah-Beth’s other legislative accomplishments are laws to improve California’s wildfire preparedness and response, reduce gun violence, expand services for aging Californians, and support military veterans struggling with mental illness and drug addiction. She is an outspoken advocate for Internet privacy protection and women’s reproductive rights.
During her California Senate service, Hannah-Beth also served as a member of the Committee on Natural Resources and Water, the Labor and Industrial Relations Committee, the Human Services Committee and the Public Safety Committee. She also served as Chair of the Joint Legislative Committee on Emergency Management. As a Past Chair of the California Legislative Women’s Caucus, she significantly elevated the visibility of the Caucus and helped transform it into an influential voice both in and outside the Legislature.
Hannah-Beth has been recognized as “Legislator of the Year” by a wide range of organizations and is a recipient of the prestigious Fay Stender Award, presented annually by the California Women Lawyer’s Association to an attorney committed to affecting positive change with “zest, humanity (and) personal courage” who serves as a role model for women. An advocate for justice for women, children and victims of crime for more than three decades, she helped establish Santa Barbara Shelter Services for Women (now known as Domestic Violence Solutions) and Santa Barbara’s Women Against Gun Violence (now known as Coalition Against Gun Violence). She is also a founding member and Past President of the Santa Barbara Women’s Political Committee and Santa Barbara Women Lawyers.
A native of Boston and lifelong Red Sox fan, Hannah-Beth was a New England junior tennis champion before attending Scripps College in Claremont, California where she graduated with a joint major in Government and Sociology. She earned her law degree from Boston University School of Law and commenced her legal career as a Santa Barbara County deputy district attorney. She was engaged in the private practice of law for 20 years with offices in Los Angeles, Ventura and Santa Barbara prior to her election to the State Assembly, and was the managing partner for The Law Offices of Eskin & Jackson.
Hannah-Beth is married to retired Superior Court Judge George Eskin, and they share three children and six grandchildren. She and her husband have resided in Santa Barbara for more than 40 years.