Isla Vista Housing Inspection Plan Moves Forward

Santa Barbara Supervisors to Consider Ordinance to Protect Renters from Substandard Conditions

A new pilot program put forward by 2nd District Supervisor Laura Capps would allow the county to proactively inspect rental units in Isla Vista to ensure they are safe and provide reports to the Board of Supervisors on the program’s effectiveness. | Credit: Courtesy Laura Capps's Office

This article was underwritten in part by the Mickey Flacks Journalism Fund for Social Justice, a proud, innovative supporter of local news. To make a contribution go to sbcan.org/journalism_fund.

The Santa Barbara Board of Supervisors unanimously approved a motion on Tuesday that sends the proposed Isla Vista Rental Housing Inspection Pilot Program to its next steps, directing staff to create a plan for the program.

The pilot program, put forward by 2nd District Supervisor Laura Capps, would allow the county to proactively inspect rental units to ensure they are safe and provide reports to the Board of Supervisors on the program’s effectiveness.

“Even if you’re a young tenant, young adult, or low income, you still deserve basic rights, basically cleanliness, basic safety, from your landlord,” Capps told the Independent in an interview.

Supervisor Laura Capps visited Isla Vista earlier this week with Supervisor Bob Nelson, Jonathan Abboud, and Fire Chief Hartwig and his team, as well as Planning & Development Director Lisa Plowman and Assistant Director Jeff Wilson. | Credit: Courtesy Laura Capps’s Office

Supervisor Laura Capps said that the goal of the program is to make sure all rentals in Isla Vista are safe and up-to-code. She said she and her office observed and heard reports of unsafe living conditions including spaces with mold, insects and rodents, exposed electrical wiring, faulty plumbing, unsafe balconies, lack of heat, and more.

In Isla Vista, 87 percent of the population rents, and 96 percent of the population is college-aged, many of whom are living on their own for the first time.

Currently, tenants can file a complaint online, via phone, or in-person with Santa Barbara County if they find their living conditions are unsafe. A building inspector will then evaluate the apartment or home for safety violations and determine whether the property owner is in-compliance with standards.

Supervisor Capps said that many students she’s spoken to are initially unaware of their rights as tenants.

“They by-and-large don’t think they can [file a complaint], or they’re intimidated. They think they might get evicted. It all plays into the reality that they’re being taken advantage of,” she said.

Capps further stated that rents can be exorbitant; she describes visiting a five-bedroom unit on Del Playa Drive that rented for $38,000 a month with a $60,000 security deposit.

At the Board of Supervisors meeting, Supervisors Joan Hartmann and Bob Nelson agreed with Supervisor Capps on the necessity of ensuring safe living conditions in I.V.

“Having represented Isla Vista for a period of time, I couldn’t agree more,” said 3rd District Supervisor Hartmann. “There are some good landlords, but it’s kind of a predatory environment [that] take[s] advantage of students.”

Fourth District Supervisor Nelson said that he had visited Isla Vista at Supervisor Capps’s invitation and seen the housing conditions, which “opened his eyes” to the issue of rental units in disrepair. He also stated he had reached out to the local apartment association and spoke to local owners to inform them of the program and encourage them to become stakeholders in it.

The $600,000 allocated to fund the program comes from the $3.7 million settlement from UCSB, paid to the county for failing to comply with its 2010 Long Range Development Plan. The plan outlined how the university would have supported its growing student population, including providing housing.

In March 2024, as part of the settlement, UCSB agreed to build 3,500 new student beds and up to 1,874 new units for faculty and staff. It also paid the $3.7 million for capital improvement projects to the Isla Vista neighborhood. The rental pilot program falls under this label.

Supervisors Capps said that there is no plan to extend this program outside of Isla Vista. She said county staff are constructing the framework for the program, with the approval from the Board of Supervisors needed for that framework.