Immigration activist Jacqueline Inda Karlsen elected to the Santa Barbara Unified School Board

Third time’s a charm: Jacqueline Inda Karlsen, an immigrant rights activst, was elected to the Santa Barbara Unified School Board Tuesday night after beating her finance-savy opponent, Mark Philibosian. She will represent trustee area 1, which encompasses Downtown and the Eastside.

With support from the Santa Barbara County Democratic Party, Inda Karlsen emerged as the winner in this race after two previous bids for school board in 2008 and 2023.

Inda Karlsen could not be immediately reached for comment.

As of 10:41 p.m., Inda Karlsen had 64.4 percent of the vote. Philibosian had 35.1 percent. Check the News-Press Voter Tracker for complete results.

Santa Barbara Unified School District

Returns as of Nov 4, 1:58 am PST

Governing Board, Trustee Area 1

Precincts reported: 19 of 19 (100%)

1. Jacqueline “Inda” Karlsen Nonpartisan✓ Winner64.0%3,362 votes
2. Mark Philibosian Nonpartisan35.5%1,866 votes
3. Write-in votes0.5%26 votes

5,254 total votes

Full results →

Reload this page for the latest published returns.

Inda Karlsen is the director of the Restorative Justice Education Center at La Casa de la Raza and the co-founder of the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce.

She is a well-known name around the community for her immigrant rights advocacy, previous bids for public office and her push for district elections in Santa Barbara. Inda Karlsen grew up in the foster care system and later became a foster parent and family advocate in schools.

On the campaign trail, she prioritized upgrading classroom facilities and working with feeder school districts such as Goleta Union to address test scores.

In a majority-minority district, Inda Karlsen said the school board needs someone who knows and advocates for minority communities. She took jabs at her opponent, Philibosian, for his conservative values, but Philibosian disputed those claims by saying he is registered as “No Party Preference.”

Philibosian was raised in Goleta worked as a consultant for EY and product strategist for BlackRock in New York City. Earlier this year, he founded a real estate consulting group in Santa Barbara.

His wife, Tiffany Philibosian, was a teacher in Santa Barbara for 12 years, which he said gave him a front-row seat to understanding education.

Philibosian, with a strong financial background, wanted the district to create a plan for addressing its $5 million deficit and setting goals for student test scores. He was endorsed by the Santa Barbara Independent and supported by School Bridge Board, an organization preparing community members to run for school board.

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