I’m a new Santa Barbara resident but no stranger, with decades-long ties through family and friends.
Before moving here, I lived in Redwood City, where development ran at “warp speed” under a council overly influenced by developers and their interests. Our community, caught off-guard, were too late to influence the course of too-tall, characterless boxes that did nothing to fix the underlying housing imbalance or serve current residents. The lesson: once a council lets developers drive the pace of growth, it’s hard to undo what’s already in the pipeline.
That’s why I am supporting Kristen Sneddon for mayor. Earlier this year, when the developer behind the Paseo Nuevo redevelopment tried to pressure the council into a rushed, take-it-or-leave-it vote, Sneddon stood her ground publicly and directed the developer to return with a plan for more affordable housing. She told them plainly the city deserved better. Hers isn’t an anti-development stance — it’s a community-centered one, insisting growth serve the people who live here, not developers’ bottom lines. Business and residents thrive together, but too often the pressure on councils comes from those with no lasting stakes — outside investment firms and contractors with teams of people organized and paid to influence.
Santa Barbara needs leadership that has the strength and foresight to ask hard questions before deals are struck. Kristen Sneddon has shown she has that strength, and I hope you’ll join me in voting for her this November. The choice we make now will shape this city for decades.
