One-Sided Reporting

Reporting on housing is one-sided. There may be, as a recent article in the Independent says, “no question” there is a lack of affordable rental housing, but there is rarely an effort to put numbers on this sort of statement. Take a look at Craigslist, which is the largest source of rentals for many, perhaps most, renters. Every day, there are many single room and one-bedroom rentals from about $1,100 to $1,900 per month listed.

Regarding “renovictions,” there have really only been two examples mentioned in the local media during the past year — one near UCSB and the other close to SBCC. What are other examples, if this is widespread? Santa Barbara’s rental housing issues won’t be solved by stigmatizing and punishing (much less jailing) providers of housing or promoting gentrification housing projects on ag land — the current approach of policy-makers. A better plan is to encourage more room rentals and ADUs.