honor and tradition.

jonathan castañeda Gallardo sorgman

Jonathan comes from a long line of craftspeople from Mexico to California. He started working at his father’s sign shop, Signs By Ken, when he was 12 years old. After school he would skateboard to the shop and sand letters by hand. Minimum wage was $5.15 and that’s what he was paid. He learned from his family how to work with his hands. He learned how to paint, how to hand carve, how to work with wood, how to operate power tools, how to focus, and how to be safe. He learned how to work hard and he learned how to care. He learned the value of tradition, honesty and compassion. He learned how to work with others, how to climb real high on ladders and how to make a sign look straight when nothing else does. 

As a third generation sign maker he cares about tradition and heritage. His father, Ken Sorgman, owned and operated Signs By Ken in Santa Barbara for over 40 years and is currently the Chair of the Sign Committee. His grandfather, Jose Gallardo, was a sign installer in Guadalajara, Mexico before becoming a master welder for military aircraft in Santa Barbara. His mother, Elizabeth Castañeda Sorgman, is an award winning architect and worked as a Plans Examiner for the City of Santa Barbara for 17 years as well as being a CASp (Accessibility Specialist). His grandmother, Cecilia Castañeda, immigrated from San Nicolás de Ibarra, Mexico and started working in the fields at age 5. She eventually found success working in textiles and established the family in Santa Barbara in the 1950’s. His uncle, Mario “Beto” Castañeda also continues the tradition of hard work and craftsmanship as General Contractor and proud small business owner of MC Construction here in Santa Barbara.

Jonathan comes from a family of artists, makers, fabricators, skilled laborers and entrepreneurs. He knows Santa Barbara and how to get things done. He cares deeply about creativity, self-expression and supporting the community.