A coalition of housing providers, small business owners, renters and residents have formed the Help Save Santa Barbara Housing Committee (HSSBHC) to give voters the final say on the city’s rent control and rental registry ordinance.

The City Council, on Sept. 22, advanced an ordinance creating a new city program projected to require seven to nine staff and cost up to $2.4 million a year, before a fee study has determined what it will charge, the committee said.

“City staff acknowledged that fees are not expected to fully cover costs, and that the gap will be filled with Measure I funds, dollars that could otherwise go to homelessness programs,” the committee said.

“The council is building a $2.4 million bureaucracy and asking Santa Barbara to sign a blank check,” said Rick Lang, committee spokesperson. “Voters deserve to know what this costs, and who pays, before it becomes law.”

“The ordinance goes far beyond apartment buildings,” the committee said. “Every rental in the city, including single-family homes, accessory dwelling units and properties exempt from state rent control, must register and pay an annual fee, even when the unit sits vacant.

“Owners who fail to register cannot advertise their unit, raise the rent, or recover their property through a no-fault eviction.”

Owner-occupied duplexes, once exempt, are now covered.

“This hits the retiree renting a granny unit and the young family that bought a duplex to afford a home here,” Lang said. “They’re being treated like corporate landlords.” A slow, costly and one-sided system.”

Some points:

• A new Rent Stabilization Board that writes the rules and hears appeals must have a tenant majority, with no seats reserved for housing providers.
• City staff estimate each fair-return petition costs about $27,000 to process, and cases with appeals can take more than a year.
• Staff has recommended understaffing the program to limit costs.
  
  Once the City Council gives final approval, expected in the coming weeks, the committee will collect signatures to refer the ordinance to voters, HSSBHC said. A qualified referendum requires the council to either repeal the ordinance or place it on the ballot. For information on joining and contributing, visit SaveSantaBarbara.com.