Santa Barbara City Council Votes 4-3 in Favor of Temporary Rent Freeze
Tracy Lehr
SANTA BARBARA, Calif. (KEYT) Renters and landlords packed a marathon meeting that resulted in a 4-3 votes to pass an ordinance to establish a temporary rent increase moratorium and a Just Cause Eviction code update.
Santa Barbara City Council member Meagan Harmon made the motions.
“The ordinance will become effective in 30 days, it is just a temporary rent freeze during this interim period while we move forward to develop a rent stabilization ordinance,” said Harmon,” one thing to note is that there is a rollback date that increases are not allowed as of December 16th, so even though it becomes effective in a month, it goes back to Dec. 16.”
It’s was proposed to stop a rush of rent increases while the city works on a program.
“It is really just about stabilizing and sort of maintaining the state of play as it currently exists, while we go forward and develop this program, it is not about setting a permanent rent freeze or stopping increases forever, it is just about stabilizing the here and now, while we develop this program together,” said Harmon.
Mayor Randy Rowse , Council member and Mayoral candidate Eric Friedman and Council member Mike Jordan were not swayed by more than three hours of mostly supportive comments.
Many critics of interfering in the free market agreed with the no votes.
“We have 3 city council members that are renters, they are going to benefit by this vote,” said Mike Stoker, a former Santa Barbara County Supervisor who works with the nonprofit Santa Barbara Taxpayers Advocacy Center.
Another speaker thought they should recuse themselves and another asked if any council members were landlords.
None of them currently rent out property.
Council member Wendy Santamaria reminded the crowd that this does not apply to single family homes or Section 8 housing.
Supporters are pleased, although many including Stanley Tzankov, with the Tenants Union and CAUSE, recognized a 5th yes vote would have made it an urgent ordinance.
“I wish they would have acted with urgency because people are hurting and I guess this is better than the alternative but we need to get something good to protect tenants and stabilize rents,” said Tzankov.
Emily Pelstring said she supported the yes votes even though she plans to move in about six months due to her high studio rent.
“When you are paying into rent it is not going into any investment,” said Pelstring, ” and property values in Santa Barbara always continue to go up, you are sinking away a good portion of your money to live an area where you work.”
In July, the council plans to consider a permanent rent stabilization program that the city staff was asked to work on following a presentation on Dec. 16, 2025.
Rent stabilization or control is likely to be a hot topic during the upcoming mayors race.
The agenda’s first recommendation that passed included the introduction and adoption of an emergency ordinance that establishes a temporary rent increase moratorium during the preparation, consideration and potential adoption of a permanent rent stabilization program.
The second item that passed included the adoption of an amendment to the Santa Barbara Municipal Code relating to additional requirements for Just Cause Evictions for the purpose of removing rental units from the market
For more information visit, https://santabarbaraca.gov