Task Force meets to improve tenant-landlord relations

A protest outside a Santa Barbara City Council meeting in March led to the creation of a Tenant Protection Task Force.

Santa Barbara organizer Frank Rodriguez said they won’t be talking about rent control because it is too political, but they will be talking about ways to protect renters from evictions.

The task force met for the first time on Thursday at the Franklin Center.

Rodriguez said the task force is looking at “viable options to help with tenants rights including helping against unjust evictions and making sure people don’t live in bad conditions.”

He said Santa Barbara has a housing crisis.

Many service industry workers are being forced to commute because they can’t afford local rents.

“We shouldn’t be pushing people out to Lompoc or to our neighboring county in Ventura, ” said Rodriguez.

He supports an ordinance that would require landlords to explain the reason for evictions.

The task force will meet monthly through November.

The next meeting will be held at the Franklin Center Aug. 24, from 4-6 p.m.