The Santa Barbara City Council officially adopted a temporary moratorium on rent increases in a 4-3 vote on Tuesday. The pause on rent increases will go into effect in late February, and will last through the end of the year or until the city approves a permanent rent stabilization ordinance.
The temporary rent freeze was previously discussed and moved forward with the same 4-3 margin after a lengthy hearing packed with landlords and tenants on January 13. At Tuesday’s meeting, the item was pulled from the council’s consent agenda to allow for some last-minute public comments and council deliberation.
Councilmember Mike Jordan, one of three to vote against the moratorium, said he had concerns about unanswered questions in the ordinance and messaging to the public on policy changes. “I think there’s work to do there,” he said. “And I’m willing to do the work, and I hope some of you that are just happy to be passing something that meets your criteria of solving the problem will recognize there’s work to do there, and get into the details also.”
Councilmember Kristen Sneddon wanted to make sure the city prioritized public messaging by providing updated information on which property owners would be affected by the temporary moratorium. This would include a “Frequently Asked Questions” page — which is already in the works — and a clear list of what units would be exempt, such as single-family homes and any units built after 1995.
Sneddon said she had already met with many housing providers and other groups to start drafting ideas for the permanent ordinance and emphasized that this was not a permanent freeze on rent but “just a very temporary moratorium on increases while we can collect and establish all of these really meaningful and good ideas to be able to protect the local, small-scale property owners and tenants.”
Mayor Randy Rowse voted against the moratorium and said he worried the city was making a major economic decision that broadly applied to a large group of property owners without consideration of individual circumstances. He asked the council to wait until there was a better understanding of how many units and tenants would be affected by the moratorium. “We do not have the facts,” he said.
Councilmember Wendy Santamaria has been one of the most vocal supporters of rent stabilization, and she said the temporary pause on rent increases was necessary to allow the city to draft the permanent ordinance. “I don’t see the option of sitting idly by, and not voting on this, and not taking a stand on this issue,” Santamaria said.
The temporary rent moratorium will go into effect on February 27, 2026, and is expected to last through December 31. The city will provide updates on the development of a permanent rent stabilization ordinance on its website.
