It is no secret that renters have been struggling for years in Santa Barbara, with homelessness growing and many more on the edge of displacement.
Over a year ago, Councilmembers Kristen Sneddon and Meagan Harmon introduced the Community Stabilization Initiative calling for a 2 percent per year rent cap. Since then, the pandemic has caused rents and home prices to spiral to new levels of chaos, disrupting the lives of people living paycheck to paycheck, looking for a solution to survive the housing crisis.
Santa Barbara is notorious for its powerful real estate interests who want to avoid this conversation at all costs. These interests have pushed back this conversation over and over again, even though in every election, our community has made our choice clear for candidates who favor stronger tenant protections.