Jennifer Smith was elected to the City Council in November 2024 as the first Councilmember representing District 3. District 3 encompasses the Northwest/Winchester area of Goleta. At the December 16, 2025, Council meeting, she was appointed to serve a one-year term as Mayor Pro Tempore.

To find out what district you live in, click here. 

Meetings with Mayor Pro Tempore Smith are available upon request. Please click here to contact her.

Mayor Pro Tempore Smith serves as the City’s representative to the following organizations:

• California Joint Powers Insurance Authority
• South Coast Affordable Housing Task Force
• Southern California Edison (SCE) Government Advisory Panel

She is the alternate for:

• Beach Erosion Authority for Clean Oceans and Nourishment Board (BEACON)
• Santa Barbara County Air Pollution Control District Board (APCD)

Mayor Pro Tempore Smith also sits on the following committees:

• Finance and Audit Standing Committee
• Fire Station Development Ad Hoc Committee
• Ordinance Review Standing Committee
• Town and Gown Standing Committee

Smith may be a newer face on the City Council, but she is not a new face to Goleta. She is a 12-year resident who served on the Planning Commission for eight years beginning in 2017.

Currently the Executive Director at the Legal Aid Foundation of Santa Barbara County,  she leads a dedicated team of over 20 employees and manages a substantial budget to fulfill the mission to provide free, high-quality civil legal services to low-income and other vulnerable county residents in order to ensure equal access to justice.

She is a proud alumnus of UC Santa Barbara and has a  Juris Doctor from UC Davis School of Law with a certificate in Public Service, where she was named the Outstanding Woman Law Graduate of the school by the National Association of Women Lawyers.

In addition to her current community participation, she has been active in numerous boards and committees, including:

• Past President & Board Member, Santa Barbara Women Lawyers, 2013-2018
• Affiliate Governor, California Women Lawyers, 2014-2016
• Member, Santa Barbara County Advisory Board on Alcohol and Other Drug Problems, 2015-2016
• Chair, Santa Barbara Pro-Choice Coalition, 2016-2017
• Volunteer, Planned Parenthood (various locations), 2001-2007 

Smith lives in Goleta with her husband Carl.

Contact Mayor Pro Tempore Smith: jsmith@cityofgoleta.gov or (805) 961-7537.