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SBAOR President’s Message: City Council Advances Eviction Control

…On Tuesday, April 16th, after hours of testimony, the Santa Barbara City Council rejected two years’ worth of negotiations and compromise conducted by the council-appointed Landlord/Tenant task force, which cost approximately $30,000. The Council voted 6-1 to approve the creation of an eviction control ordinance, commonly known as “Just Cause”. Council-member Rowse seemed to be the only one who understood the negative impacts of ordinances such as these on both the landlord and tenant communities. Although it sounds innocuous, “just-cause ordinances” create conditions which make it very difficult to remove tenants who have no regard for their neighbors, destroy the property, or are involved in illegal activity. As a result, communities suffer heavy consequences, as nuisance conditions are not easily remedied. Full article…