Santa Barbara City Councilwoman Alejandra Gutierrez says rent control doesn’t work, and she won’t support it, in the latest episode of Santa Barbara Talks with Josh Molina.
“I don’t think rent control is the solution for our housing,” Gutierrez says. “It’s a temporary Band-Aid. The only ones who will benefit are the ones that have a home now.”
Gutierrez is running for re-election to represent Eastside District 1 on the City Council. She faces a challenge from Wendy Santamaria, a labor organizer. Also in the November contest is Cruzito Herrera Cruz, who has run for office several times.
The issue of rent control is a clear difference between Gutierrez and Santamaria.
In a previous episode of Santa Barbara Talks, Santamaria said she supports rent control, a 2% increase annually, as part of a package of housing reforms needed to protect working-class families.
Gutierrez outlines her position on rent control in the podcast, and talks about affordable housing, her first term on the council, and her personal background. She also discusses her views on the proposed sales half-cent sales tax on the ballot.
Gutierrez has raised about $16,600 in campaign contributions, including several donations from property owners, so far.
“Those who are pushing the 2% rent cap, they like to say ‘oh, the Latino community is going to be pushed out.’ There’s actually a large Latino community that still lives here,” Gutierrez says. “A lot of them say ‘yes, I will pay that high rent because the city is safe, it has a lot of resources.'”
She said when she was working at Franklin Elementary School she would ask many of the parents why they stay in Santa Barbara when it is so expensive.
“They would say, ‘señorita Alejandra, I don’t want to live in another city, I know that it is expensive, but I know my kids are safe,'” Gutierrez says on the podcast.
Gutierrez on the podcast says she does what she believes is in the best interest of her constituents and voters citywide.
“You need a leadership that is not going to be putting a political agenda before the needs of people,” Gutierrez said. “It takes a lot of courage to make decisions that you know are not going to be very popular.”
Check out SantaBarbaraTalks.com for more content and podcasts from journalist Josh Molina. Molina covers education, Santa Barbara City Hall and business for Noozhawk.com. He formerly worked at the San Jose Mercury News covering government, neighborhoods, City Hall and redevelopment. Consider a contribution to support this podcast at santabarbaratalks.com. The audio version of the podcast can also be found on Spotify, Apple Podcasts and all podcast platforms.