Suspected Santa Barbara election sign thief says he was paid to remove signs

After numerous election signs were stolen from people’s yards and a local gathering place on Santa Barbara’s east side, residents began sharing information and footage on Nextdoor in hopes of catching the thieves.

“One person probably went to get a sign from here and another person went to get the sign from there, then they both went to the vehicle and they left, then we saw over and over again that it was the same vehicle and there was one or two passengers,” Santa Barbara resident Nick Gonzales said.

Gonzales says 20-50 signs are taken each night.

“We physically confronted him the next night while we were out and that’s when he handed over some signs and banners,” Gonzales said.

He says they found more than 30 signs, a banner and a confession.

The man told Gonzales that someone paid him a few hundred dollars to pick up the signs.

“They’re giving me cash,” the man told Gonzales during an interaction captured on cellphone video.

“How much did they give you?” Gonzales asked.

“They gave me $200,” the man said.

Santa Barbara police say they have identified a 43-year-old Santa Barbara man as a potential suspect.

All of the stolen signs belong to the campaign of District 1 Councilwoman Alejandra Gutierrez. He faces two opponents in the November election.

Gutierrez said someone has been damaging and stealing signs since August.

“This cost the campaign a lot of money and made community members feel unsafe because of people trespassing,” Guiterrez said. he said.

He says the campaign spent more than $8,000 on signs, and three-quarters of them were damaged or stolen.

Gutierrez says the Eastside is a close-knit community and he hopes people feel safe expressing their opinions heading into the election.

“I want people to feel comfortable supporting whoever they want to support,” Guiterrez said.

Police have not yet released a possible motive for the thefts because it is so early in the investigation.

Petty theft and possession of stolen property under $950 are misdemeanors.