Members express concern over comments by renters
The City Council sat in silence Tuesday as nearly a dozen Santa Barbara residents poured their hearts out, pleading with the board to do something – anything – to stop their landlords from evicting them so they could charge new tenants higher rent.
Council members listened quietly as their constituents – most of them longtime Santa Barbarans – complained how their landlords refused to give them leases and how they tried to evict them so they could make bogus “safety” and “habitability” repairs – all so they could raise the rent.
And still, nary a word from the council.
But there’s a reason for that. The speakers were talking during the time for public comments, when council members aren’t supposed to talk, only listen to whatever anyone wants to say.
But in subsequent interviews with the News-Press, it quickly became clear from their empathetic yet practical comments that they were listening – intently – and that they had plenty to say, about enforcing existing rules and regulations, about changing them if necessary, and about making sure people know what resources are currently available for them to utilize.
Councilmember Oscar Gutierrez wasn’t even at the meeting. He was in his office watching the meeting online because of a cold. But what he heard clearly upset him, as it did his colleagues.
“My heart goes out to those struggling to find housing in our community,” he said. “As a council member, I am here to listen to them and try to address their issues within our power. It is a complicated issue that will take the involvement of many agencies and community members.”
Councilmember Meagan Harmon called the tenants’ testimony “incredibly impactful.”
“It is no easy thing to share such difficult experiences in a public forum, and the honesty and vulnerability that these residents showed was commendable,” she said.
“I do believe that the council should move forward to close the ‘renovation loophole’ — the intention behind our ordinance was to ensure that unjust evictions are stopped. If that intention is not being honored under the ordinance as written, if loopholes in the law are being exploited to circumvent its purpose, it is incumbent on our council to revise the ordinance so it is effective.”
Councilmember Harmon said she’s heard many “renovation stories” over the last few months.
“That they are now reaching council in the form of public comment is reflective of how acute the problem has become. I certainly believe our residents when they say they will be back week after week. Even if they are not able to return, however, now that the City Council knows of the problem, I believe we have a duty to respond and I will continue to advocate for us to do so.”
Councilmember Kristen Sneddon said the issue of “rental renovations” has been escalating for some time.
“I believe the Council is taking this seriously,” she said. “There are a few changes to the ordinances that could make the threshold higher in justifying an eviction, such as actually applying for or pulling a permit for substantial work, rather than the currently lower threshold of just intent,” she said.
“Of course property owners need to be able to maintain units and keep them habitable, but the speakers were talking about being evicted for major renovations that never happen. We will be looking at ways to address this, and I expect that we will continue to hear from the public, as we should.”
Councilmember Eric Friedman divulged that when he was 12 years old, his family moved from Santa Barbara to Lompoc due to housing affordability.
“Through my experience leaving Santa Barbara, I understand the similar struggles and fears that many residents currently face,” he said.
He noted that over the past few years, the council has implemented a number of renter protections, supported the creation of new housing units and conducted enforcement.
“Unfortunately, some of the protections are under litigation and enforcement is costly in terms of staff resources and the time it takes to resolve an issue,” he said.
“In addition, it is a challenge to allocate limited staff resources for enforcement and compliance of existing local ordinances due to constantly changing state laws on housing, the current Housing Element Update and the need for compliance with both, as well as other factors. Enforcement of illegal vacation rentals is a prime example.
“Going forward, I am working to ensure that the new Affordable Housing Fund that I brought forward with Councilmember Harmon, which was unanimously approved by Council, will be an effective new tool to create affordable housing and provide critical assistance for those in immediate need.”
According to Mayor Randy Rowse, the common theme voiced by the residents, members of the Santa Barbara Tenants Union, was that they were seeking some regulatory help from the council.
“The stories mostly, as I recall, dealt with violations of standing law. What seemed to be lacking was enforcement and, in some cases, reporting of violations,” he said.
“The State of California already provides robust tenant protections, along with rental rate acceleration regulation in the form of AB 1482,” he said. “City regulations provide that landlords must provide written contracts as leases. In addition, we are one of the few agencies that provides legal and mediation assistance in the form of the Rental Mediation Task Force.
“Efforts to enforce existing regulations and take advantage of legal renters’ advice should be exhausted before writing yet more legislation. Tenants need to feel confident and protected in their rights under law, and landlords should have their rights memorialized in lease agreements.”
email: nhartsteinnewspress@gmail.com
