After numerous election signs were stolen from private yards and a local gathering place on Santa Barbara’s east side, residents began sharing information and camera footage on Nextdoor in hopes of catching the thieves.

“One individual went to grab a sign probably here and another individual grabbed the sign from there and then they both went to the vehicle and they drove off and then we saw it was the same vehicle again and still with one or two occupants,” said Santa Barbara resident Nick Gonzales.

Gonzales said 20 to 50 panels were captured each night.

“The next night, while we were outside, we physically hit him and that’s when he returned signs and a banner,” Gonzales said.

He said they recovered more than 30 signs, a banner and confessions.

The man told Gonzales that someone paid him several hundred dollars to take the signs.

“They’re giving me money,” the man told Gonzales in an interaction captured on a cellphone.

“How much did they give you?” » asked Gonzales.

“They gave me $200,” the man said.

Santa Barbara police said they identified a 43-year-old man as a possible suspect.

All of the stolen signs belong to District 1 Councilwoman Alejandra Gutierrez’s campaign. She faces two challengers in the November election.

Gutierrez says someone has been vandalizing and stealing the signs since August.

“It’s cost the campaign a lot of money and it’s causing community members to feel unsafe because of the intrusions,” Guiterrez said.

She says the campaign spent more than $8,000 on signs and three-quarters of them were damaged or stolen.

Gutierrez says the Eastside is a close-knit community and she hopes people feel safe expressing their opinions before the election.

“I just want people to feel comfortable supporting whoever they want,” Guiterrez said.

As the investigation is still in its early stages, police have not yet offered a possible motive for the thefts.

Petty theft and possession of stolen property under $950 is a misdemeanor.