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Press Kit
Bio, key facts, quotes, and downloadable assets for reporters covering the District 1 race.
Celest Mendoza is a candidate for Santa Maria City Council, District 1, in the November 2026 special election. She has lived in District 1 for all 27 years of her life. Mendoza currently works as a program manager in workforce development, overseeing state, county, and federally funded programs that help Santa Maria residents find employment and return to school. She began her career as an administrative assistant before advancing to case manager and then program manager. Mendoza is running on a three-part platform: affordability, opportunity, and accountability. If elected, she would fill the District 1 seat on the Santa Maria City Council for the remainder of an unexpired term ending in 2028.
Celest Mendoza grew up in Santa Maria's District 1, attending Antiveros Elementary, Tommie Kunst Jr. High, and Pioneer Valley High School before spending her adolescence and adult life in the same neighborhoods she now hopes to represent. She has lived in the district for all 27 years of her life.
Mendoza’s professional background is in workforce development. She began her career as an administrative assistant, a role that regularly brought her into contact with community members seeking help navigating online job applications — assistance outside her formal job description that she provided anyway. She was later promoted to case manager and now serves as a program manager, overseeing state, county, and federally funded workforce programs. That work has taken her beyond Santa Maria, serving communities in Lompoc and Santa Barbara as well. Running for City Council, Mendoza says, is a chance to bring that same work — and the impact it’s had elsewhere in the county — back to the district where she grew up.
Mendoza decided to run for City Council after being contacted by a colleague about the District 1 vacancy shortly before the filing deadline. She is running on a platform built around three priorities: affordability, opportunity, and accountability. Throughout the campaign, Mendoza has drawn a deliberate distinction between promises and commitments — describing a promise as a statement of intent and a commitment as something paired with a specific, trackable action. Her platform is built around the latter, including a personal pledge to canvass District 1 in person on a weekly basis throughout the campaign.
If elected, Mendoza would represent District 1 for the remainder of a term that concludes in 2028.
| Candidate | Celest Mendoza |
| Office Sought | Santa Maria City Council, District 1 |
| Election | November 2026 (special election) |
| Term | Unexpired term, ending 2028 |
| District Residency | 27 years |
| Current Occupation | Program Manager, Workforce Development |
| Platform | Affordability · Opportunity · Accountability |
“I read the city’s budget from every angle, line by line, instead of taking the numbers at face value.”
“I set real, public milestones — and I have the uncomfortable conversations it takes to hit them.”
“In the next two to four years, I want people to walk around District 1 and notice the change — cleaner streets, actual greenery. We used to have trees. We don’t anymore.”
For interview requests or additional information: celestmendozaforcitycouncild1@gmail.com, or use the Press Inquiry option on the Contact page.