CityofSantaBarbaraSource: City of Santa Barbara
The nomination period has opened for candidates filing to run for Mayor, Fourth District Councilmember, Fifth District Councilmember, and Sixth District Councilmember in the City of Santa Barbara. These seats will be filled on Election Day on November 2, 2021. The nomination period is open from July 12, 2021 – August 6, 2021. Candidates should contact the City Clerk’s office at 805-564-5309 to schedule an appointment to receive candidacy documents. The City Clerk’s office is located at Santa Barbara City Hall at 735 Anacapa Street.
Zerohawk, Those landlords that had affordable rents have been raising them due to actions by Council members like Harmon and Sneddon wanting to bring harsher rent control to SB, more than what the state legislators have been doing. These rising rents are a direct result of rising costs for landlords with legislation restricting landlords from raising rents. Harmon, Sneddon, and Murrillo tripled the Just Cause relocation assistance from the state’s law, (Murrillo thought it should be at least 5x’s the rent) which has had a chilling effect on rental criteria. Agreed with the fact that you cannot build affordable housing, but Harmon, Murrillo, and Sneddon still believe in that fantasy. As for Measure C, it was not meant to house the homeless and is a misappropriation of funds. Water mains are in dire need of repair and are part of infrastructure. It’s not all road repair. I think we agree that numerous council members and the mayor need replacement.
Definitely NOT a conservative, but rather someone who believes in balance and compromise. I’m just reiterating a tagline that Harmon seems to take pride in. I’d like to see a city council that wants to work on real issues that our city is facing rather than issues at a national and global level. Once we have solved our local issues, we can focus outwards. It’s called priorities and this council has gone off the rails led by some up for reelection.
Harmon needs to stop frittering away her time on her political ambitions, get a real job and stop complaining about not being able to live in Santa Barbara. Anyone who lives in her district can run against her, because she started out knowing nothing just a few years ago herself. No skills needed, but at least stay in touch with your district voters – something she has failed to do since no one has ever voted for her.She is totally out of touch with the district she was appointed to represent. Yes, you can fight the machine in these smaller vote districts. Getting a free pass into this city council seat like Harmon, has not created and engaged office holder, only and entitled one. Anyone who lives in this district who is unhappy with the direction is has been going (more density, loss of open space, vagants, parking and traffic), just go down to city hall and sign up – you only need to get a few hundred votes in this district – very low voter participation because so many are disengage renters. Harmon has built no local neighborhood networking. Hit the pavement, go door to door, that is the old fashion way people used to get elected in this city – shoe leather and truly getting to know the voters, not just the special interests in this town.
SBTownie: You asked about the role of the mayor. Seven people on city council – takes four votes in any combination to pass most items, some special items take five votes – supermajority. Mayor is just one of those necessary majority four votes. The mayor also has ceremonial duties and is the official voice and signature for the city and the direction, but only after items are approved by the majority of the other city council members – at least three others plus the mayor, or four others without the mayor. Mayor sets the agenda, runs the meetings, and interfaces most directly with staff and city manager. And nominally is the lead voice giving directions for the interests of city tax payers during collective bargaining with the city employee unions. The mayor expresses the collective will of the other elected city council members during collective bargaining which is charged with allocation of city revenues. Problem with this mayor is she, along with her other sole political party city council members, is too compromised by the city employee unions who are major campaign supporters. This leaves little to no protection for the city tax payers or other private city residents. Reason number one, city council elections and those running for city council must be scrupulously non-partisan. Shouldn’t be able take funds or support from city employee groups and then the very next day negotiate their salaries, benefits, perks and pensions. But that is the way things work today. There have have been too many decades of non-arms length negotiations between city councils and employee groups, which is why we are in the growing fiscal distress this city is now facing. The only way out is more taxes. And finally electing truly non-partisan, non-special interest beholden city council members. And of course, electing a few conservatives like we always had on prior city councils which will charts a far better future path for this city than we are currently on. Put a range on voices on city council – not just this deadly monotone of tax and spend yet always be in debt to the future.
Sneddon married into a politico family – remember District Attorney Tom Sneddon and the Michael Jackson case fail? Sneddon is more of the same old political insider crowd, as much as Harmon is on the politically ambitious outside. Two different districts – both badly served currently by each of them. They are not running against each other, but are a single-minded two vote block for more of the same inside game politics that has failed this city. City employee unions hand them their talking points and tell them how to vote – that is the fundamental corruption in this city – follow the campaign dollars. Neither Sneddon nor Harmon are independent voices for city residents – otherwise we would not be facing so many chronic problems over and over – before these two get term-limited and they move on leaving us with the same mess they started with. Except the same problems have grown ,and opportunities to at least halt the growth have passed. They leave, having only added to city staff and employee expenses which now get passed on to a new generation of city taxpayers. This is hardly a recommendation for sending either of them on to higher offices. But that seems to be the local revolving door in this town – fail here or on the local school board – is qualification to keep moving up the party food chain. Let’s stop this self-inflicted wounding.
District elections and term limits has been a total fail in this town. Needs to be a movement to get rid of both of them .District elections got forced on us by extortion -do it or we will sue you using the CVRA. But look at the disinterested mess they have become some city council members elected by only a few hundred voters, one seat never once even having to face any election, some have to engage several thousand voters but still get only one vote on city council, plus a mayor elected by less than 30% of the voters – that is as far from “democracy” as you can get. What provisions in the CVRA allow undoing district elections – since they failed materially to even come close to improving voter participation. The only way we can really take back this city is by getting rid of district elections and have all voters engaged in choosing the make-up of the entire city council – plus a primary election and final election for mayor when you have more than three people running and non get over 50%.
Measure C was intentionally manipulated to be a “general purpose” tax; not a dedicated project tax .Took fewer votes to pass and basically just handed a blank check to the city council to spend anyway they wanted. This ruse was disclosed upfront, but got buried in voter disinterest. Again, taxation by extortion – if you don’t pass this tax you will not get pot holes fixed. Pay us or else. Overlooking totally the rest of the city budget was getting used to pay off growing city employee costs and increase city pension contributions. Now it has come to pass – exactly as predicted it would – a city council spending free for all while our city infrastructure continues to decay. A few years of infrastructure spending upfront to show their good intentions, but now it is simply used for handing out political favors – this time for Homeless Inc – it is not the cost of the motel rooms, but the huge percentage of that monthly cost handed directly over to Homeless inc for “wrap around services”. This too was disclosed buried in the fine print. One more city council personal slush fund created with our tax dollars, which voters created with eyes wide open. Spent just so those running for re-election could say they “did something ” about this city’s number one problem – vagrants. Don’t let any of them get away with this, this November. They did nothing but pay off political cronies, who are always down at city council with their hands out making endless demands, while this city falls apart.
Meagan Harmon and Kristen Sneddon need to go. Harmon has ambitions for higher office wanting to be a US representative, if not Senator. This is just a stepping stone and SB has had too many of those leaving SB in their dust. She’s SB’s version of AOC and takes pride in that association! Sneddon isn’t the ‘smartest tool in the shed’ always needing to ask staff for clarification and to do research and then often ignoring them. Both have voted to increase restrictions on the supposed ‘greedy landlords’. If you’re a renter, you can thank them for your rents increasing and more intense rental criteria to qualify to rent housing because of them, and renters wonder why it is so hard to find places to rent! At least Friedman has been more temperate there. If you’re a landlord Harmon and Sneddon want to keep you from raising rents over 2% per year, IF that, of course while they have no problems voting to increase your taxes and operating costs such as your water, sewer and trash bills. No understanding or connection in understanding how businesses operate. They need a class in Economics 101. Both are more concerned with National and Global issues, than the issues that truly matter to SB residents such as our roads falling apart, (Measure C taxes were to improve infrastructure, roads, etc., not put up homeless in hotels) and homeless taking over our parks, State Street, etc. Harmon and Sneddon would rather spend more attention and the Council’s time with issues such as restricting natural gas in homes. Ask yourselves what really matters to your quality of life in SB and then when new candidates run for these seats, ask yourselves who will better work to improve your life in SB.
I agree. I’d really like to see a sane (read: not a crazy wingnut) challenger to Harmon. I think she’s a good person and passionate (and I agree that she has higher ambitions, which isn’t bad, but we want someone committed to the long haul), but her brand of woke is detached from what people actually want and need here. I think our councilmembers should be non-party affiliated. In a perfect world, we’d get a bunch of independents capable of actual rational analysis rather than party hardliners obsessed with scoring points with the DNC.
Well said SBTownie,
I agree. I’d really like to see a sane (read: not a crazy wingnut) challenger to Harmon. I think she’s a good person and passionate (and I agree that she has higher ambitions, which isn’t bad, but we want someone committed to the long haul), but her brand of woke is detached from what people actually want and need here. I think our councilmembers should be non-party affiliated. In a perfect world, we’d get a bunch of independents capable of actual rational analysis rather than party hardliners obsessed with scoring points with the DNC.
Rag, your ramblings are contradictory. Its hard to find places to rent becuase there are very few places in town that are affordable if you make less than 50K a year. The demand is high and the openings are very low. They are building a lot of new apartments downtown, none are affordable at all. What does the homeless population have to do with our roads? Also, the areas I drive in town, the roads are just fine. Small and narrow, but not falling apart as you claim. While i agree we need ALL new council members, i don’t agree with most of what you stated, there is a lot of hype and fuzzy logic there. Gutierrez Harmon Murrillo Sneddon and Freidman need to go. They are awful.
Ragtop: You and other conservatives need to reread Aesop’s “The Boy Who Cried Wolf.” They’re going to take your guns! The terrorists and Sharia law is coming! Everything is falling apart! Socialism! Frankly, after listening to my older relatives work themselves into frenzies after listening to Rush, Tucker, Don the Con, or other carnival hucksters I just don’t believe a word they’re saying anymore. I used to be a card-carrying Reagan Republican. Now Democrats are shockingly the only sane ones in the room. And what’s with the AOC obsession? I saw an old friend for the first time in 6 years and that’s all he was talking about! Nobody cares!
If you like the downhill direction of our city, vote for the incumbents. We have been here over 40 years and this is the worst council in our history here! We will not vote for any incumbent. and this is a first for us. Murillo is not a leader. She has proven this fact over and over again. Murillo, Harmon and Snedden have been in a race to waste millions of taxpayer’s hard earned money. $10,000 per homeless person, per month for four months, housing just 50 homeless in a motel at a cost of almost $2 million from Measure C money? This, while we don’t have enough cops, have lousy and dirty streets? More and more liquor licenses in a city that has far too many already!
A dangerous and dirty downtown and rising crime all over our city. All three of these officials have to go! Don’t give them another four years to further wreck our city
The city you live in sounds terrible! Nothing like my City of Santa Barbara where my house has appreciated 40% in the last few years. Too bad you can’t live here.
Murillo IS the cause of a lot of our problems.