Low-income tenants will have access to legal counsel through a new partnership between the City of Santa Barbara and the Legal Aid Foundation of Santa Barbara County.

The City Council voted 7-0 on Tuesday to spend $250,000 in reserves for a pilot program to allow very-low-income tenant households who live in Santa Barbara access to legal
advice and proper representation in litigation.

“This was a pipe dream a long time ago, and to be here today is really cool,” Councilwoman Meagan Harmon said. “It’s really necessary. It’s vital.”

The services will range from legal advice to representation at an unlawful detainer trial.

Santa Barbara and the South Coast have experienced a wave of “renovictions,” where property owners evict tenants under the guise of a renovation of the building and then, after making some repairs, jack up the rent to a level that the original tenant cannot afford.

In some cases, tenants and activists say, landlords intimidate renters into voluntarily leaving their homes. Faced with mounds of legal paperwork, they often give in and move, even if they don’t legally have to.

Services will be provided regardless of a resident’s citizenship or documentation status.

“As most people know, if you are poor and accused of a crime, you are entitled to a lawyer,” said Jennifer Smith, an attorney with the Legal Aid Foundation. “But in civil court, if you are facing an unjust eviction, or you need a civil restraining order against an abuser, or you have any other civil matter that is impacting your shelter, your income or your safety, you are not entitled to counsel.

“This is known as the civil justice gap.”

Firms such as the Legal Aid Foundation aim to fill that gap, she said.

Eligible clients will include families or individuals who earn 50% of Santa Barbara’s area median income, which is about $109,000 for a family of four.

Lower-income residents would be at higher risk for homelessness, housing instability and displacement, according to Legal Aid.

The money will go toward hiring a full-time program attorney, a .65 full-time bilingual (Spanish/English) legal assistant or intake coordinator, and administrative personnel as needed.

Legal Aid will provide legal advice or representation for a minimum of 80 households through the financial partnership. The organization also will submit quarterly financial and program progress reports and will host one outreach event at project inception to educate the community about the new program.

Smith cited the Sargent Shriver Civil Counsel Act, established in 2009, which provides legal services to low-income people in cases involving critical livelihood issues such as housing, child custody and family guardianship.

Between 2011 and 2019, 39,461 low-income tenants were served across the state. About 71%
were people of color and 61% were female.

“This is such an incredible day,” Councilwoman Kristen Sneddon said. “We have been talking about this for a long time, and it’s been a multiple-year process.”