Santa Barbara City Council decided not to discuss the potential extension of the city’s temporary rental increase moratorium, instead choosing to delay deliberation another week following threats of litigation over the legality of extending the rent freeze.
The decision comes in light of the recent petition to place rent stabilization on the ballot, sponsored by property owners opposed to the recently approved and heavily debated citywide rent stabilization ordinance. The Help Save Santa Barbara Housing Committee (HSSBHC), supported by the Santa Barbara Rental Property Association, announced that its petition reached 9,000 signatures this week, meeting the preliminary minimum requirement for a referendum, despite a wave of public pushback over the alleged misleading tactics employed by paid signature gatherers.
Property owners who support the petition are looking to get the item on the ballot for a special election in 2027. They oppose the rent stabilization, which was approved in a series of 4-3 votes, following a drawn out and highly polarized planning process…