I read with great interest the recent memo from Santa Barbara City Councilwomen Wendy Santamaria and Kristen Sneddon proposing a rent stabilization program in Santa Barbara.
Both have long championed affordable housing, and their intentions are admirable, but we must ask the question, “Are we solving the right problem?”
Affordable housing is complex since it touches everyone from students, young families, working professionals to retirees.
Precisely because it’s a complex problem, single-solution fixes such as the rent stabilization concept rarely work.
Too often, we treat symptoms instead of addressing the root cause. Without addressing the root cause, we have little chance of sustained success.
In Santa Barbara, the root cause is abundantly clear: we don’t have enough housing.
When supply is low and demand is high, prices rise. That’s exactly what happened here after years of underbuilding.
The predictable result: soaring rents, shrinking paths to homeownership, and families priced out of the community they serve.
If we continue to restrict growth while introducing new rules, we will only make the problem worse.
Rent stabilization may feel like action, but it does not create homes. In practice, it can discourage new construction at precisely the moment when we need more of it.
Anyone who has tried to build locally knows how challenging the process can be. Even simple projects get bogged down.
At my business on State Street, we applied for a permit to relocate a sink. The process took more than eight weeks, cost more than $1,000 in fees (the sink only costs $210), and after 12 weeks, we still lack final approval.
City of Santa Barbara staff were professional and kind, but even they admitted that the system is slow, understaffed, and overly complex with rules and reviews.
Rent stabilization may feel like action, but it does not create homes.
Now imagine a 20-unit apartment building. Developers tell me that if permits could be secured in weeks or even a few months, they would gladly include affordable units.
Instead, multiyear delays, overlapping approvals, subjective reviews and contradictory regulations often render projects financially impossible.
Time equals money, and promising housing never breaks ground.
The answer isn’t more regulation; it’s smarter regulation and an efficient process. We need a permitting process that is streamlined, transparent and predictable.
This means updating zoning to allow for higher-density housing and embracing adaptive reuse to convert underutilized commercial spaces into homes.
Other cities show that when approvals are clear and objective, housing gets built.
Programs that rely on clear and concise guidelines, where compliant projects are reviewed against objective standards rather than discretionary hearings, have helped convert office and industrial spaces into housing in places like Portland and Denver.
These approaches don’t solve everything, but they make a measurable difference.
Santa Barbara can do the same. We can preserve the charm and character of our city while meeting the demand for homes.
That balance of responsible growth, sensible density, adaptive reuse and objective standards is where durable solutions live.
It’s easy to cast developers as villains. Yes, there have been abuses by developers in housing markets, but the alternative of blocking growth hurts far more people.
Without sufficient housing, rents will continue to rise, businesses will struggle to hire and the middle class will be increasingly pushed out.
Do we want a Santa Barbara affordable only to the fortunate few, or a city that welcomes young families, supports a diverse workforce and sustains a vibrant local economy?
That is our choice.
Rent stabilization treats a symptom, not the disease. Until we address the root cause of the supply shortage problem, meaningful and sustained change will elude us.
With streamlined approvals, thoughtful density, adaptive reuse, and genuine collaboration among residents, businesses, environmental stewards and builders, we can create a balanced path forward.
Ultimately, additional regulation will not resolve our housing crisis. Common sense must prevail.
If we focus on enabling the right kind of growth, Santa Barbara can remain vibrant, inclusive, and livable for generations to come.