Santa Barbara City Councilmembers Kristen Sneddon and Wendy Santamaria filed a two-person memo on Monday, September 29, officially requesting that the City Council agendize a discussion on rent stabilization and consider moving toward passing a citywide ordinance capping annual rent increases.
In the memo, the two councilmembers argue that a rent stabilization policy is a “critical need” to address the city’s ongoing housing affordability crisis and could serve as a guardrail against the displacement of the city’s working-class renters.
“[Santa Barbara] rents are among the highest in California, while wages in key sectors such as education, hospitality, healthcare, and service work have not kept pace,” the joint memo states. “Without protections, long-term tenants who have built their lives and families here can be forced out by rent hikes, destabilizing neighborhoods and weakening the community fabric.”