A bold gambit by Cathy Murillo in one of her last acts as mayor paid off this Tuesday with the Santa Barbara City Council supporting a controversial proposal she put forth alongside Councilmember Oscar Gutierrez to cap annual residential rent increases at two percent, plus a yearly consumer price index (CPI) adjustment.
The pending ordinance, which still must be researched, drafted, and adopted by a later vote, goes above and beyond the current state law that caps rents at five percent plus CPI. It would apply specifically to apartments, and not to duplexes or single-family homes.
“It just feels so critical right now,” Murillo said, pointing to reports of dramatic rent increases exacerbated by Santa Barbara’s chronic housing shortage. “People are really feeling the crunch.”