Santa Barbara Mayor Randy Rowse announced Monday that he is not running for re-election, making this his last year at City Hall. 

Rowse has been mayor since being elected in November 2021, and previously served nine years on the City Council — from 2010 to 2019. 

He said he made the decision for personal reasons. 

“It’s time to move on and do other stuff,” he told Noozhawk. 

Reflecting on his time in city leadership, Rowse said a lot of positive things got done, and there have been controversial issues, too, but that’s “part of the game.” 

“I still care a lot about the city,” he said. “I’ll stay engaged with the city. I’m not going anywhere.” 

Now he can do his job without trying to run a campaign at the same time, he said. 

Before he goes, Rowse said he hopes to get State Street open to vehicles, decide on rent control, and find a stable, sustainable financial future for the city. 

His term ends at the end of the year, and voters will choose the next city mayor in the November 2026 election.

City Council members Eric Friedman and Kristen Sneddon have already announced their intent to run for the seat. 

Rowse wouldn’t say whether he plans to endorse a candidate. 

“My litmus test is, do you really care about the city? That’s how I decide who I support,” he said. 

Rowse reiterated that his decision not to run for re-election was made for personal reasons. 

“The main thing is that my decision is made strictly on my personal life and things I want to do, and nothing to do with any kind of issue or any individual,” he said. “It’s all about my future going forward.” 

He won a five-year term in the 2021 mayoral election as a no-party-preference candidate, beating James Joyce III and one-term mayor Cathy Murillo.

He was the biggest fundraiser in that election with $309,000 for his campaign. The current term is five years since the city switched to even-year elections.

Rowse started his political career by being appointed to a vacant sea from a field of 46 applicants, when Das Williams was elected to the state Assembly and left his council spot. 

Rowse has lived in the area since attending UC Santa Barbara in the 1970s and owned Paradise Cafe, down the block from City Hall, until he sold it in 2020. It is now La Paloma.