Santa Barbara Residents Wary of Petition Against Rent Stabilization

People running around town may have noticed the clipboard-bearing signature gatherers standing outside grocery stores, marketplaces, and public spaces, urging city residents to sign a petition sponsored by rental property owners opposed to the city’s recently passed rent stabilization ordinance.

Signature-gathering campaigns became a familiar sight starting in September, when another petition to reopen State Street gained traction and earned more than the 5,400 signatures needed to qualify for a ballot referendum. But while the State Street referendum reached its goal in just more than three weeks, this second petition asking to repeal the citywide rent cap has been met with far more resistance from city residents, who have expressed concerns about the aggressive and misleading tactics seen from the paid signature gatherers.

A coalition of property owners supported by the Santa Barbara Rental Property Association joined forces to fund the referendum effort through the newly formed Help Save Santa Barbara Housing Committee (HSSBHC). The group raised more than $113,000 to fund the referendum, with more than $18,400 coming from donors associated with Meridian Property Group President Robert Kooyman.

The referendum earned support from real estate groups and city landlords opposed to the rent stabilization policy, which was adopted in October after a series of 4-3 votes and a long and polarizing planning effort. According to a statement published on the committee’s website, the referendum is “not just a fight about rent control,” but about “fairness, property rights and whether major decisions affecting Santa Barbara’s future should be made by City Hall alone or by the voters.”

But city renters and housing advocates who led the push for the rent cap are pushing back against the petition, and raising questions about the on-the-ground efforts to get the signatures needed to send the matter to a ballot.

Firsthand accounts and video recordings show the paid signature gatherers using vague statements or providing inaccurate information to convince prospective signers. One signature gatherer at a downtown grocery store told an Independent reporter that signing would “lower the rents,” while another told a community member to sign to “keep rent control going.”

Residents noted that the signature gatherers often drove in from out of town and were unable to answer detailed questions about the ordinance or the referendum. One responded to questions by simply reading from the flyer in his hand, explaining that, as he understood, the petition was to “get rent control on the ballot.”

Members of the Santa Barbara Tenants Union have since launched efforts to educate the public about the referendum, posting flyers across the city and providing information through the group’s social media platforms. The group has been ringing the alarm about “misinformation” from the signature gatherers, some of whom have been showing up outside ballot boxes and polling places and pressuring voters to sign. On Election Day, one signature gatherer was stationed near the polling location at the Westside Neighborhood Center.

Tenants expressed frustration about the signature-gathering efforts outside political rallies or near voting locations. A signature gatherer showed up at the October No Kings rally and reportedly told attendees they needed to sign to participate; and at the County Elections Office, another petitioner allegedly told a community member to sign or risk being placed back on probation.

Signature gatherers did not want to speak on the record, though one man confirmed he was paid $9 per name. Community members said some seemed open to learning about tenants’ concerns, while others were more threatening or aggressive. One interaction ended with a signature gatherer packing up and expressing empathy for city renters; another ended with a signature gatherer calling the police on a community member who was asking people not to sign.

Volunteers with the Tenants Union have also noticed a number of city residents who signed the petition without fully understanding its purpose. While canvassing around the neighborhood, the group found tenants who were enthusiastic about signing a petition they mistakenly believed was to support the rent cap.

“They are sure they were supporting the tenant protections by signing, then are frustrated to hear about what the signature gathering effort would do, and are grateful when we handed them information about how to rescind their vote,” said Santa Barbara Tenants Union cofounder Stanley Tzankov. “They were supportive of rent stabilization and enthusiastic supporters, yet totally misled.”  

Similar complaints have been lodged on online forums such as Reddit and Nextdoor, with city residents feeling deceived or pressured into signing the petition. Tenant advocates urge anybody who wants to rescind their signature to contact the city clerk to withdraw their name before the petition is filed. The final day before the 30-day deadline is November 9.

Should the petition meet the required number of signatures and pass through verification, the City Council would have to repeal the ordinance or place the issue on a future ballot. This could cause complications with the city’s temporary rent freeze, which would effectively be lifted at the end of the year, leaving city tenants vulnerable to increases as high as 8.6 percent unless the City Council institutes an emergency measure.

The City Council is expected to discuss the ramifications of the rent stabilization referendum on Tuesday, November 10.