“When Lois [Capps] wins, I.V. wins,” Doreen Farr, incumbent Santa Barbara County 3rd District Supervisor, said. “When Hannah-Beth [Jackson] wins, I.V. wins. When Das Williams wins, I.V. wins. And when I win, you win.”

Farr joined incumbent U.S. congresswoman Lois Capps (D-CA) at their new Isla Vista campaign office above Silvergreens yesterday to speak to a crowd of over 50 volunteers, supporters and community members for the office’s kickoff ceremony. Capps and Farr, who both rely heavily on voters in the Isla Vista and UCSB communities, discussed their respective re-election campaigns and priorities as local representatives.

Capps said one of her top priorities will be increasing the government’s support of public education.

“I stand firmly with you with the belief that you share — that if we cannot strengthen higher education, we are never going to get our economy back on track,” Capps said. “It is your jobs; it is your future.”

In November, Capps will face former Lt. Gov. Abel Maldonado in the race for California’s 24th Congressional District seat in the House of Representatives. Capps currently serves as the representative for the 23rd district, but extensive redistricting in 2010 placed her constituency — spanning the Central Coast areas of San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara and Ventura counties — in the 24th Congressional District for the November general election.

Farr presides over an area of Santa Barbara County encompassing Isla Vista, Goleta and Santa Ynez. She previously defeated her chief opponent, local businessman Steve Pappas, in 2008. Pappas is running for the Third District seat in 2012 for the fourth time.

According to Farr, Isla Vista is the largest unincorporated area in Santa Barbara County. Farr said Isla Vista’s atypical city structure makes its representation in county government particularly crucial.

“I have cities in other parts of my district that are two and three times smaller than Isla Vista, but still have the whole apparatus of city government,” Farr said. “But when you live in the unincorporated area what you have is county government, so it is really that much more important that you have a representative that is very responsible, very accessible and very transparent.”

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