Speak up on rent control Tues; People's Hearing on Oil Drilling Fri.

Speak up for a Temporary Moratorium on Rent Increases in the City of Santa Barbara

Santa Barbara City Council Meeting
Tuesday, January 13
City Hall, 735 Anacapa St., Santa Barbara

The meeting starts at 2 p.m. The agenda item is #14. What time it will come up is uncertain.

As an organization that advocates for sustainable growth in our cities, Santa Barbara County Action Network advocates for affordable housing and tenant protections that protect our workforce and Santa Barbara's vitality. We encourage you to give your own personal reasons for supporting this item.

For those of you who may not have time to attend the meeting, we encourage you to send in a written comment TODAY by 5 PM to [email protected] and share this information with your neighbors and friends.

You can use this template to advocate for your community:

Good evening Mayor and Councilmembers,

My name is [Name], and I [live/work/own a business] in Santa Barbara.

I support affordable housing for our workforce and urge you to adopt the temporary rent increase moratorium and just-cause Ellis Act protections. Building housing takes years, but displacement happens quickly. Without these protections, working residents—[teachers, healthcare workers, service workers, longtime tenants]—can be forced out by sudden rent hikes or no-fault evictions.

This affects more than individuals: local businesses struggle to hire, commutes increase, and our community loses stability and diversity. These ordinances are temporary, reasonable, and give us time to develop long-term housing solutions.

I respectfully urge you to support these protections to keep Santa Barbara livable for the people who keep it running. Thank you.

The item is #14 on the Agenda: Tenant Protection – Temporary Rent Increase Moratorium Ordinance and Ordinance Adding Requirements for Just Cause “Ellis Act” Evictions [Ordinance Introduction; Ordinance Adoption]

Recommendation: That Council:

A. Introduce and adopt, as an emergency ordinance after reading in full, an Ordinance of the Council of the City of Santa Barbara Establishing a Temporary Rent Increase Moratorium During the Preparation, Consideration, and Potential Adoption of a Permanent Rent Stabilization Program; and

B. Introduce and subsequently adopt, by reading of title only, an Ordinance of the Council of the City of Santa Barbara Amending the Santa Barbara Municipal Code by the Addition of Section 26.50.100 Relating to Additional Requirements for Just Cause Evictions for the Purpose of Permanently Removing a Unit from the Rental Market.

HOW TO REMOTELY OBSERVE AND/OR SPEAK LIVE AT A MEETING

Web: https://santabarbaraca-gov.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_iFna2EZ2TFG8K4nMrRCZmA
(Participation via Zoom)
Telephone: Dial 1-669-900-6833, Enter Webinar ID: 894 0718 1596
(press *9 to raise/lower hand; press *6 to mute/unmute)
Online Streaming: Council meetings are streamed live at www.SantaBarbaraCA.gov/CAP
TV: Each regular City Council meeting is broadcast live in English and Spanish on City TV Channel 18 and rebroadcast in English on Wednesdays and Thursdays at 7:00 p.m. and Saturdays at 8:00 a.m., and in Spanish on Sundays at 3:00 p.m. Each televised Council meeting is closed captioned for the hearing impaired. Check the City TV program guide at www.santabarbaraca.gov/citytv for rebroadcasts of Finance and Ordinance Committee meetings.

WRITTEN PUBLIC COMMENT: Public comments may also be submitted via email to [email protected] 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.

People's Hearing on Offshore Oil Drilling

Friday, January 16th
4:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m.
CEC HUB, 1219 State Street, Santa Barbara

RSVP TODAY!

Please join us in Santa Barbara on Friday, January 16th to show your support for protecting California from the federal administration’s plan to open our coast to new offshore oil and gas development. The People's Hearing will include an educational presentation from Maggie Hall at the Environmental Defense Center; comments from local representatives, community leaders, tribal representatives, and industry professionals; and opportunities for public engagement in the federal process.

Local organizations will also be tabling for you to learn more about their work and how you can get involved. And did we mention there will be live music by Brengrass and free pizza and drinks?!

In November, the Department of the Interior announced its draft plan to open up the California Coast, including fragile regions like the Santa Barbara Channel, to new oil and gas development. The 60-day comment period ends on January 23, 2026, and we need your voice. Increased drilling in the ocean not only threatens more oil spill disasters on the California coast. It would also significantly harm air quality, public health, the Earth’s climate, and wildlife in one of the most biodiverse marine areas in the world. Please join us in advocating for the protection of our favorite beaches, local surf spots, wildlife, coastal economy, and a clean energy future.

Speak up to say no new drilling off our coast!

If you can't make the People's Hearing, click here to submit your comments before January 23 to the BOEM online portal.

WILL YOU JOIN US?

SPEAKERS WILL INCLUDE:

Congressman Salud Carbajal
Actor, Advocate, and Oceana Board Member Ted Danson
Assemblymember Gregg Hart
Santa Barbara Supervisor Laura Capps
Chumash Leader Mia Lopez

If you find these action alerts useful, please help us continue this work with a donation. Any amount is helpful. Thank you.

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For more information about SBCAN's activities in 2025, download these documents: