Housing "Crisis" City Council Meeting 

On November 12, the City Council, after seeing our group show up for comments, promptly changed the date for comments on Rent Control to Tuesday, 12/3/2024.

Some City Council members are pushing for more rent control, lower rent caps, and the creation of a rent registry and registry board, ignoring what the community truly needs. We need your help to protect your rights as a housing provider.

For nearly a decade, we’ve fought against increasing rent control in Santa Barbara County, advocating for real solutions to the housing crisis: 

• Education
• Expanding affordable housing    
• Public-private partnerships    
• Employer-sponsored housing

Now is the time to ACT!

1. Participate in the December 3 Council Meeting. Time approximately 2:30PM, we will update as soon as we have more info.

Item #18 Housing Crisis. Click to read:

Subject: Presentation on the Findings and Recommendations from the Housing Crisis Ad Hoc Committee (170.01)

The "Housing Crisis Committee" is composed of 3 City Council members that have been "investigated" the City's housing crisis for the past year. City Council member Sneddon has already announced that her investigation shows  that the community wants increased rent regulation.  A lower cap on rents and a rent registry. However, the Committee did a poll of participants which shows rent regulations are the LAST thing wanted by the community.

Below is the survey conducted by the Housing Committee and the results. The community said the City Council should prioritize

1. Increasing the affordable housing supply
2. Educating

The Committee's finding did NOT show the community wants more rent regulation.  

Click here for talking points and letters to use at the 12/3/2024 City Council Meeting.

ATTEND  the City Council meeting on December 3rd to make your voice heard. It’s time to speak up!Housing Crisis report is LAST on the Agenda, so the City Administrator estimates it will be 3:30 before our item is called.

If you are not able to attend in person: HOW TO REMOTELY OBSERVE AND/OR SPEAK LIVE AT A MEETING

REMOTE PUBLIC COMMENT: Members of the public wishing to speak must “raise their hand” in the Zoom platform by selecting the virtual hand icon when their item is called. The keyboard shortcut for this is Alt+Y for Windows and Option+Y for Macs. City staff will activate the speaker’s microphone when the speaker’s name is called. The speaker will then need to unmute themselves. The keyboard shortcut for this is Alt+M for Windows or Command-Shift-A for Macs.

• GO ONLINE TO ATTEND: 
  (Participation via Zoom) link TBD
• Telephone: Dial 1-669-900-6833, Enter Webinar ID: 894 2384 2846
  (press *9 to raise/lower hand; press *6 to mute/unmute)

WRITTEN PUBLIC COMMENT: Public comments may also be submitted via email to Clerk@SantaBarbaraCA.gov prior to the beginning of the Council Meeting. All public comments submitted via email will be provided to City Council and will become part of the public record. 

2. Contact City Council Members by phone & email

(Sample letters & talking points here: click here)

Santa Barbara City Council 

Randy Rowse, Mayor
Email: RRowse@SantaBarbaraCA.gov
Phone: (805) 564-5322

Click here to use the online calculator to find out How Much Will Rent Control affect me?