Today’s guest is First District Supervisor – Das Williams. He was elected to represent the First District of Santa Barbara County in June 2016 and took office on January 2, 2017. Williams previously represented the area, along with over half of Santa Barbara County and a quarter of Ventura County in the California State Assembly from 2010-2016. Prior to his service in the Assembly, Williams served 7 years on the Santa Barbara City Council from 2003-2010 and also served as a trustee for Peabody Charter School in Santa Barbara.
Das grew up and attended local schools in Santa Barbara and Ventura Counties. He split his time between his mother who lived in Ojai and his father who lived in Isla Vista. Developing into adolescence, Das chose to spend more and more time in Isla Vista, where his father was involved in governance issues causing Das to develop an interest in local politics and start volunteering on campaigns. He dropped out of high school during his senior year after he had to transfer from Dos Pueblos High School because of his mother moving to San Luis Obispo County. Instead of attending high school in San Luis Obispo County, Das opted to move back to Santa Barbara, having to live in his van, and attend Santa Barbara City College.