Housing Is Public Policy, not Politics

I found the comments made by 1st District Councilmember Alejandra Gutierrez most interesting regarding rent stabilization. It is hard to accept her response that she is “not going to play politics with this issue because we don’t know how this would play out in our community.” The fact of the matter is that the urgent housing crisis in Santa Barbara is not a political issue but a matter of public policy, community safety, and economic survival that the City Council is charged by the voters to solve.

Councilmember Gutierrez’s statement also explains why she has surprisingly not become involved in the matter of the 30-room keyless hotel development on Garden Street that will impact the serenity of Laguna Cottages, a low-income retirement community immediately adjacent to it where many elderly Spanish speakers live.