Win District 1, Defend District 3!
Santa Barbarans have a real shot at a progressive, pro-working tenant majority on the Santa Barbara City Council this November. To get this, we need to elect Wendy Santamaria to District 1 (Eastside) and re-elect Oscar Gutierrez to District 3 (Westside).
As a labor organizer for the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME), Wendy works tirelessly on behalf of employees at her alma matter, UCSB. Previously, she worked as an organizer for Central Coast Alliance United for a Sustainable Economy (CAUSE). She is also a renter herself and a long-time member of the Santa Barbara Tenants Union (SBTU). As such, she knows full well the plight of working tenants on the Eastside. Her opponent, incumbent Alejandra Gutierrez, is backed by mostly by landlords and has a history of turning her back on the community as well as frequently being absent from city council meetings. If victorious, Wendy would be a powerful voice for the working class in Santa Barbara.
In his six and a half years on the council, Oscar has been a reliable advocate for working people on issues including safer streets, green space access, and of course, rent stabilization. Going door to door in the city’s densest neighborhoods, he’s seen firsthand the hardships faced by working-class renters. His challenger, Tony Becerra, was by all appearances fielded by the local Republican Party and landlord lobby, who are perhaps spooked by the level of attention and excitement generated by Wendy’s campaign on the Eastside. Becerra has publicly stated his opposition to rent stabilization, dropping tired conservative talking points about letting “the market” (i.e. wealthy landowners) set the rents.
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