By F. Scott Faulkner
November 21, 2025 – Santa Barbara County, CA
Santa Barbara County prosecutors have filed felony charges against Lompoc City Councilman
Stephen “Steve” Bridge, 57, alleging that he submitted a forged construction invoice tied to a
city rebate program.
According to Santa Barbara County District Attorney’s Office spokesperson Jennifer Karapetian,
that invoice from “Turner Construction” marks the earliest offense in an eight-count felony
complaint filed this week in Superior Court.
According to the District Attorney’s Office, the case centers on “misuse of City of Lompoc
funds,” a pattern investigators say stretched from February 2024 through June 2025. According
to the indictment filed, Bridge “continued the deception” months later, submitting another
invoice under the Turner Construction name to Certain Sparks on Oct. 11, 2024.
Certain Sparks Music, operated by Bridge’s son, sits at the heart of one of the transactions cited in the
complaint.
Pursuant to the alleged forgeries, Bridge “obtained more than $10,000 in combined payouts.”
Continuing the pattern of fraud, on June 25, 2025, Bridge allegedly filed “a falsified rebate
application” with the city.
Beyond the forgery and grand theft allegations, the complaint also charges Bridge with identity
theft and unlawful use of a contractor’s license number belonging to Turner and Associates.
While under indictment and facing the aforementioned charges, Bridge remains at liberty on his
own recognizance with his felony arraignment scheduled for December 4, 2025.
