As City Council Liberals Seek Strict New Regulations On Landlords And Property Owners, SB’s Mayor Foresees Economic, Legal And Fiscal Ills, As He Discloses Latest Details On Downtown Quagmire
Mayor Randy Rowse on Friday delivered a blistering critique of a proposed rent control package backed by his liberal City Council colleagues, forecasting a batch of economic, administrative and legal tribulations and trouble for city government, landlords and tenants alike.
On Tuesday, the left-wing council majority on a 4-to-3 vote submitted a sweeping set of “rent stabilization” proposals to City Hall administrators to be shaped into legislative language and returned to members early next year. Included on the menu is the notion of imposing a rent freeze – perhaps retroactively – while elected officials ruminate on further restrictions and regulations to impose on property owners.
Rowse, who plans to seek re-election in 2026, in an interview with News-Press Editor Josh Molina and the genial host on Newsmakers TV, assailed the scheme as part of an ideologically-driven, statewide campaign, targeting the city of Santa Barbara as the first “domino” in a bid to thrust rent control on communities throughout the county.
“This is not a Santa Barbara issue – it’s a movement,” Rowse said. “And it’s a domino effect. And I think the folks, the tenants union and whatnot, they’re fighting to make this the first domino in the county.”
Citing problematic rent control experiences from Stockholm to St. Paul, San Francisco to Santa Monica, the mayor argued that the policy consistently fails to achieve its stated aims, invites legal action on Fifth Amendment grounds, and costs local governments enormous sums to administer and attempt to enforce.
“We’re not doing the math, we’re not paying attention to facts, we’re doing things on emotion, we’re doing things for political position,” the mayor, the only City Hall official who must win citywide under Santa Barbara’s district election system, said of his pro-rent control colleagues.
“And I’m not exactly the Webster’s definition of ‘political’ when it comes to how I run and how I see things. And if it were beneficial to tenants, I could maybe see a light at the end of the tunnel, but it has never been beneficial to a rental climate anywhere. And so at the end of the day, it’s going to hurt tenants.”
Paseo update
Addressing another consequential and hotly-contested issue now simmering at City Hall, Rowse also disclosed that representatives of AB Financial, owners of the leasehold for much of the Paseo Nuevo mall, is still speaking to City Hall administrators about a possible deal, despite reported earlier threats to walk away if council rejected a controversial development agreement that was roundly rejected on Dec. 2. Rowse was the only council member to back the proposal, which calls for 200+ units of new downtown housing as part of the plan.
“AB is in constant touch with the city administrator, Kelly McAdoo,” Rowse told Newsmakers.
“That’s not what I understand from talking to them myself,” he added, when asked about claims by other council members that representatives of the developers had presented the agreement as a take-it-or-leave-it proposition.
“But I mean, AB’s a big, company. This is a gnat on the elephant’s rear end as far as they’re concerned. And they could just walk away, take the haircut and just say, ‘We’ll just sit on it. We don’t have to do anything. We’ll put a 99 cent store in Macy’s and call it good,’ which is not what we want. We want to go forward with this. “
“Job 1” in getting talks back on track, Rowse said, will be seeking broad agreement on a three-way deal going forward from negotiators for the city, AB and the owners of the lease under the old Nordstrom building.
Ouch. Asked for an update on his re-elect campaign, the mayor said he is still getting enforced rest after a recent knee surgery.
“I’m still recovering from my knee surgery. So my normally sunny attitude is also affected by the fact this thing hurts,” he said “And I sat in a chair for 11 hours on Tuesday to talk about (rent control).
“But yeah, my intention is to run. As far as getting things fired up and rolling and doing all that stuff, there are people out there that love to campaign. I’m not one of them. I like my job. I like to serve. But running for office and asking people for money, not really,” the mayor added.
“And this is it. My political future is behind me. But I intend to continue in the job,” he said. “As for all these folks jumping in for mayor… like the hemophiliac that falls overboard and is swimming around with the sharks said, ‘Come on in, the water’s fine.’ And that’s where I’m at right now.”
For our full conversation with Mayor Randy Rowse, check out Episode 537 via YouTube below or by clicking through this link. Our podcast is available on Apple, Spotify, or on Soundcloud here. TVSB, Channel 17, airs the show every weeknight at 5 p.m. and at 9 a.m. on weekends. KCSB, 91.9 FM, broadcasts the program at 5:30 p.m. on weekends.
Also Read
- Driver Escapes Injury After Rollover Crash on Castillo Street in Santa Barbara
- CDFW Seeks Information Related to Southern Resident Killer Whale
- Corporate Consultant Genevieve Taft-Vazquez: “I’d Bring a Different Perspective” to SB City Council
- Higher-Than-Normal Amounts of Black Tar Cover Parts of the South Coast, Officials Blame Natural Seeps
- Rep. Carbajal Announces Funding for Central Coast Water Projects Passed House Committee
Don’t trust any politician who says they’re not a politician.
So do you support this rent control effort or what?
I oppose stupid troll scum.
Can’t answer. That’s what I thought. Cool.
No one, I mean NO ONE, owes you an answer for anything. You are the King of running away when faced with honest questions about the lies you spew here every single day.
There’s another vote for the rent control experiment, which I believe will be a failure. Good day.
BASIC – explain, using adult level words and thinking, how calling you out for your constant lying and refusal to back your claims as a “vote for rent control.”
Let’s see that “brain” at work. This will be interesting!
C’mon, we know that he is vile dishonest stupid garbage.
I’ve said nothing at all about rent control or my views on it. My comment was about Rowse, who is running for reelection, claiming that he’s not a politician. Trump did the same thing. (I’m not comparing them–Trump’s a monster and Randy’s generally a decent guy, but this sort of nonsense doesn’t reflect well on him.)
Of course you haven’t, because you’re all politics and zero substance with your posts. Never an actual opinion on the issues at hand.
Again I will note that this attack on me is incoherent and dishonest trash.
You mean like when you start crying about news stories thar are posted here that you don’t think are “newsworthy?”
Like that?
We are very fortunate to have Randy leading our city.
Leading? Into the void?
“my normally sunny attitude”
Surely this is sarcasm.
“My political future is behind me.”
Not if he’s running for mayor.
“like the hemophiliac that falls overboard and is swimming around with the sharks said, ‘Come on in, the water’s fine.’ ”
WTF?
Rent control destroys communities. I used to think rent control is a good thing, helps renters and the community at large. It has been proven over and over that that is not the case and unfortunately quite the opposite occurs. It leaves a devastated community in its wake that never recovers.
When rent control is in effect, landlords panic. What do you care? Landlords are not just companies with several buildings, landlords are your neighbors next door. Yes, that friendly old lady who is desperately clinging onto her too small family home for decades and is barely able to do so by renting out a room, the couple who somehow managed to squeeze themselves into a townhome with their kid and only can do so by renting one of their rooms in their home, the old hippie who has this cool guest house he built back in the day that you feel so lucky to live in. Financial struggle is daily reality for many of us and our neighbors, if not most of us.
When rents can’t be adjusted to constant rising costs of property taxes, insurance and upkeep costs and maintenance, your next door neighbor loses money. How long can anyone sustain this? It is fair to say that many small landlords, your neighbors, are beyond stretched if not heavily overextended with their budgets as it is, wiggle room is practically non existent. So what will happen is that so many great people, especially the elderly who worked so hard to build a life in this town, will be forced into this rent control? They will be forced out of the community for good. They will have to sell and move elsewhere. This has already been going on for years and would continue at warp speed if rent control would be in place. The vultures of corporate greed are already circling over Santa Barbara and will be happy to swoop in and gobble up single family housing stock everywhere and force their ever increasing out of touch with reality rents and conditions on you including a hefty downgrade of what you are allowed to do at your sky high rental and an army of corporate lawyers that will hunt you down until they got your last penny.
What made Santa Barbara great was that there was a true community feel. People got some deals when possible because everyone knew each other and kindness was part of this towns fiber. Already so many have been forced to move away due to extreme costs that get only magnified by all the famous and semi famous moving to town. If rent control will be enforced, the fiber of this community will be destroyed to its core and complete gentrification will be unstoppable. I personally already find the incoming pompous crowd unpalatable as it is at present and dream of a chance for many artists, writers and other creatives to find a way back to the city they gave so much to with kindness, spirit and creativity.
Hundreds will loose their home as we all would hand what we worked so hard for, over to corporate overlords.
Do you want to see more elderly homeless? I hope not, but that is what will happen if we put rent control in place. Santa Barbara deserves better than this and small homeowners and small landlords who provide an immeasurable service to this community must be excluded under all circumstances should this destructive idea move forward…but because I still believe the spirit of Santa Barbara can be resurrected again, I trust that the city will do the right thing or face a tidal wave of lawsuits against them as we will not take this and getting our lives destroyed by bad ideas. We ultimately are what makes Santa Barbara the town it is. We are itsfiber and we will fight until justice will prevail and kindness and common sense is reinstalled.
Stop believing the rhetoric of these people, vote what makes common sense. Many of current decision makers are more interested in keeping their cushy jobs and getting votes and hence play the woke handbook rather than believe in it and our community. It is a play by numbers and we all are getting played by them trying to sell to us that rent control would help our lives when in reality, it destroys us and our community.
Long live the community and spirit that is Santa Barbara. Stay Santa Barbara Strong and save our community. No to rent control, period.
Rent Control Isn’t the Solution — Building Housing Is
We already have a real-world experiment that shows what works.
In the Twin Cities, two neighboring cities took vastly different housing policy approaches — and the outcomes couldn’t be more instructive.
In 2022, St. Paul enacted one of the strictest rent-control laws in the country, limiting rent increases to about 3% annually, even on new units. Across the river, Minneapolis instead focused on zoning reform and increasing housing supply. (CRE Daily)
The results were dramatic:
In St. Paul, new housing permits plunged roughly 79%, and developers balked at building in a market where rent increases were capped and investment returns were uncertain. (CRE Daily)
In Minneapolis, permitting nearly quadrupled, attracting new housing stock and activity that helped slow rent growth compared with national trends. (The Real Deal)
Same region. Same housing demand. Very different policy choices — very different outcomes.
This isn’t ideology — it’s data.
As someone who’s been a renter for years and tried to operate rental units, I can tell you this: rent control does not magically solve affordability. Too often politicians lean on it as a quick fix while ignoring the deeper, systemic problem:
We have a severe housing shortage in California.
California has faced an extended housing deficit for decades. The shortage is measured in millions of units, and supply continues to lag demand. (Wikipedia)
Across the last decade, the state has produced fewer than 80,000 new homes annually, far below the roughly 180,000 units per year experts estimate are needed to keep up with growth. (California Housing Department)
That shortage drives higher rents, longer commutes, housing instability, reduced quality of life, and fewer opportunities for workers and families. (CalChamber Advocacy)
Rent control alone won’t fix affordability — especially if housing supply stays constrained.
If rent control were the answer, why not control other prices too — food, gas, insurance, utilities? Those are the very costs that landlords, renters, and workers alike must manage every month.
In California, the cost to operate housing continues to rise:
Insurance premiums have soared in many regions.
Utilities continue to go up.
Property taxes and fees grow.
Compliance and regulatory costs add complexity and expense.
During the COVID pandemic, governments froze rent and rental payments — but did they freeze property taxes, insurance premiums, utility bills, or regulatory costs?
They did not.
Small landlords were expected to absorb those costs while providing housing stability. That isn’t fairness. It’s cost-shifting— and it doesn’t solve the affordability crisis.
The real solution is building more housing — not fighting each other.
California has taken steps in this direction — from fast-tracking housing legislation to revising environmental review rules that have long delayed projects. Recent reforms aim to cut red tape and accelerate approvals, acknowledging that supply constraints are a core driver of high housing costs. (California State Assembly District 14)
But more must be done:
Streamline permitting and environmental review in ways that protect communities and build housing.
Support smart zoning changes that allow more housing types near jobs and transit.
Address operating cost pressures like insurance and utilities thoughtfully, rather than ignoring them.
Ensure that housing growth is paired with quality-of-life improvements for all Californians.
The Twin Cities experiment gives us a clear direction: price controls without supply won’t fix affordability — but building more housing can help.
Our communities don’t need to be divided between renters and landlords. We need safe, clean, affordable housing, and that starts with honest, evidence-based policy — not slogans.
Let’s work together to build more housing, raise quality of life, and strengthen our communities. That’s a solution Californians of all backgrounds can support.
Unfortunately Santamaria and the other progressives on the City Council don’t care about data or real world situations. They want votes, which they are trying to get by pandering to those who want handouts. Cheaper rent sounds great, right?
Unfortunately this a-h troll has no scruples and is happy to throw accusations at people he knows nothing about.
There’s a vote for rent control!
And you’re the reason we should vote for increasing funding for BASIC education and literacy.
I support that. Our school’s are really flailing under our current woke leadership that you support wholeheartedly. Let’s get back to basic literacy in English. Reading, writing, math, science, etc.
If you had basic literacy in English, you would know how to pluralize the word school.
BASIC – “Let’s get back to basic literacy in English.”
Yes, and let’s start with you. Read your 2nd (that’s the one that comes after first) sentence. Now read it again.
Anyone still using “woke” as a pejorative is as uneducated and simple as someone using “TDS” to describe people who oppose rapists, racists and fascists.
Oh wait…….
BASIC – forgot to ask…. every time you talk about education you ALWAYS leave out history, music, and art. Why?
To be an educated person, you need those things.
No, I agree. Those are important too. Absolutely. We had great art and music teachers get canned at our elementary school a few years back and never replaced. So why is that if we’re such a prosperous and wealthy state as you so often point out? Giant tax base. Where’s all that money going? Inefficiencies and misdirected funds favoring Admin’s, that’s where. Let’s hold the likes of Maldonado and her sad Board responsible.
You’re not even from SB. Stay in Goleta.
Randy the RINO. Typical Politician. Thankfully this town is getting easier and easier to live in because 95% of the folks have taken the Liberal Blue Pill and end up becoming more and more confused.
RINO? Like he really isn’t a true Republican? I don’t think he would disagree with that
Randy is an Independent
A former Democrat
*Something* has you extremely confused, Julie.
More strange nonsense.
I give him credit. He’s up against a progressive majority that would love to have him out, and won’t work with him much. They may have a progressive mayor again one of these days. I believe in checks and balances, a true two-party system as opposed to a pure one-sided system. He’s run a very successful business in town. Real world experience making a living in our city. The others on the CC? Nope. They appear to be career politicians in the making, which isn’t admirable.
BASIC – that is interesting. So, with your passion for checks and balances and a 2 party system, why do you blindly support everything the current administration is doing? There are NO checks, NO balances and only ONE party – MAGA. You seem to love. Do tell?
Zero has changed in the way America’s government is structured since Trump took office. We still have a 2 party system. Absurd to suggest we do not. Cry all you want, but the government structure and the way the arms of government work are completely the same as always. It’s very simple – the Dem party got blown out, that’s about it. We still have plenty of Dems in this country and in DC, of course, but they have much less power since they wandered so very far left into the land of extremism and lost fair elections for the Presidency, House, and Senate. Will they learn their lesson? Who knows. I hope they do. But it’s not looking good. Rather than focus on issues that matter, the party seems laser-focused on just reactingto Trump and being haters. There are a few smart ones out there that aren’t so crazy left they might have a shot next time around.
“the way the arms of government work are completely the same as always.” – That’s utter BS. DOGE? ICE? Unilaterally destroying OUR White House? None of this is how this country has wielded its government’s power at any point in modern history.
“Rather than focus on issues that matter, the party seems laser-focused on just reacting to Trump and being haters.” – Opposing blatant fascism, demanding accountability and transparency from a known liar, convicted fraud and adjudicated rapist, attempting to slow the vile, racist tactics of ICE, keeping us from going to war against Venezuela under another pile of GOP lies like Iraq (it was never about drugs) and demanding justice for the victims of child rape by billionaires, likely including your orange idol, is NOT being “haters.”
Dismissing the opposition to this filth as just “being haters,” is absolutely disgusting and portrays one as a vile person who values nothing and has no problem with racism and allowing child rapists to walk free. Is that really how you want to be known? Pshhh, you don’t care. Why do I even ask.
It would be nice to believe that this grump man is actually suffering from his medical problem and not aging into stereotype with paranoid conspiratorial issues (about Antifa I guess). The reason Rouse was selected for this job is that he was seen as amenable to compromise. While he clearly was always a lower State Street business advocate first, it was hoped he would see that there are areas outside of this tourist oriented bar zone that had needs. He increasingly has failed at the first duty of being mayor under the new system: Representing all segments of the town. I can’t see him winning re-election with this attitude for sure.
Rowse was never selected … he won because Cathy Murillo, Deborah Schwartz, and James Joyce III split the liberal vote, allowing Rowse to win with a mere 38.6% of the vote.
MARCEL – well, according to the educationally challenged who support Trump, 38.6% would be a “majority of Americans.”
tHeY kNoW MaThS sO gOOd.
Of course he was “selected”! He won, they lost and were not “selected”. Not that this nit matters.
You didn’t simply say he was selected as in winning the election, you said “The reason Rouse was selected for this job is that he was seen as amenable to compromise.” So your response is made in bad faith.
Ribbon cutting Randy seems to have found the Mad Honey in the panga boats at East Beach again.
Randy is the odds-on favorite to remain mayor of SB for another term. No one else is able to come close to beating him. Of course some can all talk about how bad he is at being mayor, but he’s done a pretty good job by all accounts. Murillo/Schneider/Blum were all good mayors, but I think Randy, overall, has done a much better job at the helm.
Typical of your intellectually dishonest fact-free assertions. The election is more than 10 months away and we don’t even know who the candidates or issues will be. Incumbents run on their achievements but what are his? Mostly he’s known for what he opposes.
Just think if Natalia Alarcon proposed shutting down Linden Avenue from Carp Ave to the beach to all vehicle traffic. Just imagine what would happen to Paula Perotte’s political future if she proposed the same for Old Town Goleta. What we have in Randy is one heck of a powerful politician who is able to work with those who disagree with him. Only time will tell if he will remain mayor, but no one is stepping up to the plate to stop him from remaining our mayor. So, for now, he’s definitely the odd-on favorite as I mentioned in my previous comment. We need a balanced person like Randy as our mayor, more so than someone who is NOT like him. I have no problem if anyone completely disagrees with my assessment and refuse to get “worked up” over such small pertayterz.
What a crock. Bend those knees!
Just think if you offered a couple of grossly dishonest mis-analogies.
” What we have in Randy is one heck of a powerful politician ” Randy is too busy sampling champagne at ribbon cutting ceremonies. He can’t get anything done. Ineffectual.
Be honest – how many times have you seen the mayor at a ribbon cutting where he wasn’t flanked by other councilmembers? He may get the attention as mayor, but they all spend just as much time at it (which is minimal.) I can see that you don’t like the attention he gets, but there must be more important disagreements that you have with him besides that. Yet you seem so focused on ribbon cuttings. Why?
“Yet you seem so focused on ribbon cuttings. Why?” There mayor has done two things to help the city.
1. Jack
2. SH&*&*
And Jack just left the building.
” I can see that you don’t like the attention he gets” What an odd perception – where in the world would you get the idea that I am concerned about the attention a mayor gets? All mayors get public attention. I would put the question back on you Gerry – why are you in the mayor’s pocket? You’ve defended the mayor vehemently on this platform previously.
General Tree: You are correct that he attends ribbon-cutting events, but the guzzling champagne part simply isn’t true. I’m nearly certain that Randy does not drink alcohol or, at most, rarely/minimally.
BEES – how are you “nearly certain” he does not drink? Where do you get that idea? Last time I saw him, he had a glass of wine in his hand.
Let’s not go “full BASIC” with the make believe here please.
Bees – where did I claim Randy was “guzzling” anything?
> the guzzling champagne part
Learn to read … there was no such part.
“I think Randy, overall, has done a much better job at the helm.” With no facts or data to back up feelings….
Some people think Randy is a great person to be leading the city and some people don’t agree with that…fine. I made the comment that he is probably going to remain mayor after the next election cycle. Even people who do not live in Santa Barbara are quite interested in having him stay in office. It’s a fact that decisions made by the SB mayor directly affect places like Santa Maria, Lompoc, Carpinteria, Solvang, Los Alamos, and so on. Living in another city within the county is not a “crime.” Maybe someone will step up to the plate who can actually challenge him, but so far he has zero/zip valid challengers. Please feel free to disagree, but leave the name calling and negative stuff out of it. At the end of the day, we need to get along as best we can and support each other.
Lompoc politics must not be that interesting these days?
Bend those knees!
> Living in another city within the county is not a “crime.”
Yours is the only instance of that word on this page.
“we need to get along as best we can and support each other.”
That’s a little strange and too intimate for anonymous forum members on this platform.