In 2007, Dale Francisco stunned political observers when he won election to the Santa Barbara City Council. Francisco didn't win by talking about national issues or appealing to people's fears or sense of morality. The conservative won by focusing on a core issue important among many Santa Barbara residents: traffic calming devices. He spoke out about a flurry of street sweeping signs that the city of Santa Barbara's public works department wanted to install on the upper Eastside. He also pushed back against mini-roundabouts and sidewalks extensions and street narrowing, suggesting that weren't safe and the the newly hired urban planners were out of touch with the needs of local residents. He won a spot on the council and opened the door to two other conservatives to win seats. While the Santa Barbara City Council is now dominated by 7 Democrats, in 2010, three Republicans served on the City Council. Francisco served eight years on the council and remains an influential person is conservative politics. In this great podcast, Francisco talks about the Superintendent of Santa Barbara County schools contests featuring Susan Salcido and Christy Lozano, Gregg Hart vs. Mike Stoker for Assembly and other contests. We also talk about the role of religion and Christianity in politics and elections, and the psychology of candidates. Josh asks Francisco about the Republican Party's lack of presence in local politics and Francisco offers insight on why it's so hard for Republicans to win in Santa Barbara County. Francisco also comments on the recent preliminary opinion from the U.S. Supreme Court about Roe vs. Wade. And is the original Bachelor Andrew Firestone the future of the Republic Party in Santa Barbara County. It's all here in the latest episode of Santa Barbara Talks with Josh Molina, Santa Barbara's No. 1 podcast.