Edhat Staff
The ongoing controversy surrounding the eviction of tenants from a Santa Barbara apartment complex has escalated into a heated legal confrontation. At the heart of the dispute is 215 Bath Street, where property management and the city find themselves embroiled in a court battle over the contentious issue of ‘renovictions’.
James Knapp, the property manager representing the owners of the 215 Bath Street apartment complex, finds himself facing criminal charges from the City of Santa Barbara. These allegations claim that Knapp illegally attempted to evict tenants, a move the city contends violates its just-cause eviction ordinance.
In counteraction, Knapp lodged his own civil lawsuit against the city, filed on July 18 in Santa Barbara County Superior Court, accusing Santa Barbara of obstructing his legal rights to access the judicial system for resolution of eviction processes.
Amidst this legal tug-of-war, the residents of 215 Bath Street describe a community under threat. Residents have become vocal advocates on social media and to local news outlets claiming eviction notices and subsequent actions by the property’s new management are direct assault on their tight-knit, working-class community. Since the ownership changed hands last year, tenants state the owners seem to prefer leasing to students, potentially displacing long-term residents in favor of more profitable, short-term accommodations.
Chris Parker, the building’s owner, and his representative Knapp have defended the eviction notices as a necessary step for undertaking major $3 million renovations to address the building’s significant infrastructural deficiencies, including critical plumbing and electrical work. Parker has emphasized the investment as a commitment to improving community housing but acknowledges that such an undertaking necessitates vacating the building.
The city’s tenants protection legislation stipulates that evicted tenants have a ‘first right of refusal’ to return post-renovation, yet often at inflated rental rates—a provision that critics argue effectively sidelines the original residents, facing them with financial barriers to return.
In this charged atmosphere, the Bath Street tenants have rallied together, asserting a united front in their struggle for stability and the right to remain in their homes. The legal wrangling between Knapp and the City of Santa Barbara—set against the backdrop of the community’s mobilization—illustrates the broader challenges cities face in balancing developmental ambitions with protections for vulnerable residents.
As parties await the pre-trial hearing scheduled for August 19, the broader Santa Barbara community watches closely, recognizing the outcome could have far-reaching implications for housing policy and tenant rights across the city.
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Santa Barbara Property Manager Faces Criminal Charges Over Just Cause Evictions
The City should be careful with this. Taking too restrictive a stand against renovations and rent increases ultimately leads to run down and unsafe properties once the landlords are unable to complete necessary maintenance renovations and, if they do, get the costs covered by increasing rent.