Louise Smith was appointed to vacated District 3 seat in January
When she moved to Santa Barbara County two decades ago, Louise Smith quickly gained an affinity for the town of Solvang, soon moving here in 2009.
She has also had a love of service her whole life, whether being a family counselor and child advocate in Pennsylvania or a member of the Tourism Advisory Committee in 2023, along with serving on multiple volunteer organizations and as president of her own homeowner’s association.
Now Smith, who makes her living as a caterer and owner of Louise’s Kitchen Table, can combine those two passions into one as Solvang’s newest City Councilmember.
Smith was appointed to the vacant District 3 seat during the council’s Jan. 13 meeting. She actually ran for the seat in 2022, when the City Council began its conversion to a district-based council, and narrowly lost to David Brown. Then, the same opportunity opened up last November, when Brown was elected mayor and vacated the District 3 seat.
“I love this town, and I’m appreciative for the opportunity, and appreciative of everybody who spoke for me [at the meeting],” Smith said in an interview at Solvang Park, which is in the middle of her district. “I was overwhelmed — if the cameras were on, you could see I was emotional, and the support of the City Council who appointed me unanimously, was great.”
And Smith really appreciates the area that she now represents.
“This is just the most amazing district,” she said of the downtown region that is probably the best known area of Solvang. “We’ve got businesses. We’ve got a lot of apartments. We have renters; we have owners. I keep trying to go around and say ‘what do you want?'”
Of course, with a diverse district that draws a large number of visitors, there is a challenge according to Smith.
“I think we have strike a balance with the residents and businesses,” she said. “And Solvang relies on tourism, right? I understand that about 65% of our budget comes from tourism. How do we maintain that? And how do we listen to what the residents want?”
Smith can see that issue from both sides: She has been a resident since 2009, after coming to Santa Barbara in 2005 to run their telephone answering service.
“I was a family counselor in Pennsylvania and I loved it,” she said. “But my parents had moved from Pittsburgh back to California, and they kept asking me to move here to manage their business, and the last time they had to ask was when I had just dug my car out of 2 feet of snow, so that convinced me to make the move.”
However, her passion for food, and then wine brought Smith to her current profession.
“I’ve always had a passion for food,” she said. “It’s just when I was growing up, everything was in a can, or bag, or box. And when I was in college, that’s when I learned to cook and, you know, deal with fresh vegetables. It became my passion, and you follow your passion.”
And that passion for food, led to her passion for the wine industry when she got a job with a local winery shortly after moving to Santa Barbara, and those both continue.
In addition to Louise’s Kitchen Table, which offers catering for events and private dinners, Smith also works three days a week at Vega Vineyards in Buellton.
“I love meeting new people and talking to them, and teaching them about wine and food,” she said. “So, that’s just my way of nurturing.”
And it those things that she plans to put into play as Smith, along with her City Council colleagues, helps shape city policy over the next 20 or so months. She said she’s ready to tackle the issues.
“I think a new issue that has come up is with the fires in LA. I think we’re learning that cities can catch on fire,” she said. “So that was not an issue for me a few months ago, but now it’s almost become a top priority, like, what can we do? And we realize that we don’t have many exits out of this town. If something catastrophic does happen, how do we protect everybody and get them out?”
Other topics Smith notes are water independence and housing.
“My understanding is that we have plenty of water, but it’s just making sure our wells are in good shape, and accessing and making sure everyone has enough,” she said. “And housing; we really need more housing, but it’s a contentious issue. With everything, it’s being available and talking to people.”
And Smith will be looking at economic issues as she and fellow Councilmember Elizabeth Orona have been appointedas the city’s Ad Hoc Budget Comittee.
“I really just want to take a deep dive into what our budget looks like and see where we’re spending our money,” Smith said. “If there’s any type of, I don’t want to say waste — that’s not the right word — but see if we need to readjust what our priorities are.”
But for now, with four meetings under her belt, Smith is just aiming for what the rest of the council and the city as a whole is shooting for.
“I think we just have to continue focusing on the residents and making this a desirable place for people who want to live here and work here,” she said.
