All this argues for is more Government jobs and intrusion into private affairs. Tragic. In an economic climate where the pensions and wages of Government employees soar above those of the private sector, this will take yet more rental housing out of the market and put it into short term rentals for tourists, undermining the hotels and bed tax.
Pat: Don't forget all that "workforce" housing that'll be created in a controlled market for the overpaid city and county employees whose ranks continue to multiply regardless of want (by taxpayers) or need (by taxpayers)!
Pat, legal STR, do pay TOT, aka bed tax. Next time the report comes out, I will share it. But you are correct, this will take more housing off the rental market.
And it was capitalism which created the conditions where class warfare and Marxist theory could even be conceivable, not to mention attractive to many people left out of the enrichment capitalism offered to the bourgeois.
G.K Chesterton, a traditionalist thinker himself said of capitalism; "Too much capitalism does not mean too many capitalists, but too few capitalists" - he was condemning the reality that for most people, land ownership and private property that could be passed down was simply non existent for most people. Wealth was concentrated in the upper echelons of society, be it with corporations or individuals which is why he supported a third alternative - distributism as an economic system which respects private property and the common good, not just wealth accumulation.
Property was to supposed to be shared, *distributed* among people's to avoid the pitfalls of capitalism where there is no regard for one's fellow man and his well being, and socialism where property is simply confiscated by the state.
What we have now is not freedom but wage slavery and dependence, giving your salary away to rent is not freedom and the socialists while remaining condemned at least recognize this system cannot sustain itself forever.
A 'system' is only as 'good' as the people who 'inhabit' it. How people 'conduct' themselves is a matter of 'culture' and 'education.' Look around and you'll see why any 'system' fails. Plus ca change, plus la meme chose.
More like some people *them, Monica* don't like it when people shatter their comfortable worldview and rely on others to defend it for them. The only arrogance is on those who can't engage others while pretending to be correct.
Robert, respectfully I have no idea what you're going on about or how it relates to my comment in any capacity. Address distributism as a third alternative and how capitalism is superior, or don't bother comment at all. All I sense is "boomer wisdom" that lacks in substance.
Some look to themselves to improve their lot in life, others blame it on a rigged system, racism, anything but taking personal responsibility. Taking personal responsibility means learning new skills, working harder, being productive. Playing the blame card foments division, tribalism, societal decay. Socialism never works because it does not reward productivity and hence results in less of it.
"Some look to themselves to improve their lot in life, others blame it on a rigged system, racism, anything but taking personal responsibility. Taking personal responsibility means learning new skills, working harder, being productive. Playing the blame card foments division, tribalism, societal decay. Socialism never works because it does not reward productivity and hence results in less of it."
This standard conservative defense of capitalism is not surprising but it is annoying. "Just work harder bro. It's your fault bro. It's a moral failing on your part bro." Why do you condemn the person and not once raise a finger against the system? Is the system moral or the best? Is it aligned with Catholic social teaching?
You have played the blame game yourself, and this rhetoric from older generations is what my generation, but the leftists and progressives especially see as tone dear and only emboldened their resistance to your ideals.
Why don't you tell us why it's the individuals fault, I'm dying to hear the blame game continue...
Try this, learn a trade let's say plumbing, learn Spanish and take a few classes at community college in small business management. Answer the phone, show up on time, be courteous and respectful and you will make more money than you know what to do with. The plumber that just did a repair at my home charged me $165/ Hr. You will be a home owner and a landlord before you turn 35 and will retire in comfort without a government handout. Alternately, you could major in environmental studies, sociology, psychobiology, Carlist philosophy and graduate in debt with the only employment option being a job in government.
I guess a PhD can do simple math, even from UCLA. Take a plumber making $165 an hour probably billing 60% of that time. Now go figure out what you can buy with that money, assume a low overhead, and you're still lucky to get a million-dollar condo here. Sure, move somewhere else. Landlord? Yeah, if you count your sofa....
I was not suggesting pounding nails forever but just to learn the trade. That was the point of the business management classes at community college. You learn the trade, hire tradesmen and become a septic, electric, plumbing, welding, contractor. The money is in being a business owner not in salary. Think about it, one would think 200k is a good salary. After taxes take home 100k, save half and in 20 years you have 1M. Not the smart way to get there. My father took that route as a plumbing contractor and was very successful. Capitalism rewards risk taking. I quit a good job as principal scientist at Raytheon to start my own company fabricating infrared detector arrays. I invested my entire savings and spent every penny just before my devices tested favorably. I was able to sell the process and retire early. I spent every penny I had to get there. I took a risk. The possibility to succeed today absolutely exists but all i hear from youth is excuses.
A typical tone deaf response. I work full time, at night in a physically engaged job. Why must people take a trade? Why must people do something they have no desire nor talent for and what makes you assume this will magically grant me home ownership?
You know it's funny you mock my politics when yours are quite literally dying out with your generation, I don't pretend to think I possess any power, yet you insist on a model from a world that ceased to exist decades ago. This boomer mentality has next to no appeal among my generation, and even the conservatives my age who would nominally side with the "anti woke" crowd like you sound nothing like you.
"A Harvard Youth Poll (2025) found that support for capitalism among young Americans is declining, with only 19% of young people identifying as “capitalist” — down from 29% in 2020.
This reflects a broader generational retreat from traditional ideological labels like “capitalism” and “socialism.”
Broader U.S. polling shows that capitalism’s positive image has fallen, especially among younger adults: only 43% of 18–34-year-olds view capitalism positively, and a majority in that age group view it negatively."
"A Cato/YouGov survey found that about 62% of Americans aged 18–29 say they have a “favorable view” of socialism, and around 34% say the same about communism — much higher than older age groups.
Past Gallup and YouGov polls showed that in earlier years, young people were more likely to view socialism positively than capitalism (e.g., 51% vs. 45% in some 18–29 samples)."
Now that we've established your beliefs have been tried and found wanting, let me demolish your bootstrap fantasy; becoming a carpenter is no some luxurious job, it pays barely above minimum wage as an apprentice/carpenter assistant in CA [18-25 dollars an hour], you need around 1,500 dollars to have a full set of equipment, which will inevitably break down/be replaced. You need a truck [so add another few thousand dollars - I'll stick to between 5-10 thousand for a used truck]. Oh and let's not forget about the competition between people who have connections to carpenters, and this assumes you have a free schedule [which I don't have as a full time night shift employee [11 P.M-7 A.m]
Apprenticeships last up to 4 years, where you strain your body lifting lumber and expose your lungs to dust and chemicals, and you're likely to be injured in your back and knees especially.
When it comes to unions, it's time consuming to get in and it favors seniority and layoffs are common during downturns [day, workers security] and to forgo entering a union incrsaes your risk of injury and wage theft becomes common.
Becoming the "homeowner and landlord [perpetuating the cycle, how lovely" as a master carpenter without account for the time it takes to acquire a reputation, the years of labor to become skilled in a trade, the insurance, being licenses, the cost of tools and of course the wood you'll work with, and endure the lack of consistent work during downturns... yeah your vision is pure fantasy rooted in boomernomics and protestant work ethic moralizing.
Jeff, any white guy your age did just fine. Especially if you got your inheritance and bought a house. Everyone on my street your age would get eaten alive in today's market. Your ineptness just feeds friction from the younger generations. Again, you sound like the disconnected old white guy yelling at kids to get off his lawn.
No inheritance, no pension just hard work. Your obsession is creepy. I spent 40 hours a week just on solving every problem in my physics books. Your ilk are expert excuse makers.
I can't be surprised by such a comment, you didn't engage anything I said insisting your fantasy is not only respectable but those whole fail to uphold it must have failed in terms of virtue.
The youngest boomers are 60-61, I am 22. Who's going to be around in 30 years Jeff?
Jeff, Theo should be 10 or 20 years younger than your kids - which I don't think you had. Hence the cat. So I'm guessing you don't have any touch points of what being 20 is like today. Fun to see a 22-year-old scold the ancient PhD.
Thank you, Bonnie. I’m actually against some landlords — the whole STR group who often don’t live in the neighborhoods where they own their STRs. In my neighborhood, they are bullying towards the residents, they don’t care who parties in their STR, or the damage they do to the neighborhood. We used to have more long term rental houses here. Why aren’t these ATUN members grateful for the landlords who will rent long term and go after the STR craziness?
Funny how the commies never acknowledge that “capitalism” (or whatever economic system it is we have) has created 145.4 million housing units in the U.S., as of 2023, per ChatGPT. That’s a pretty impressive number to me but to the mad lefties it’s a sign of crisis and failure, of a housing market that needs structural reform from the bottom up. Disagree and you’re a Nazi, as usual. Anything to institute their agenda, I guess.
Does the Santa Barbara Tenants Union have much impact on the local scene, does anyone know?
Yes, both the Santa Barbara Tenants Union and CAUSE will speak during public comment at tonight’s City Council meeting. They regularly participate when rental and housing matters are on the agenda.
"Funny how the commies never acknowledge that “capitalism” (or whatever economic system it is we have) has created 145.4 million housing units in the U.S., as of 2023, per ChatGPT."
Has your precious capitalism allowed the poorest among us to own a home? You know Sawbilly the left will only continue to grow more popular among my generation, Gen Z the more the older generations tout the glory of capitalism while we see no fruits.
1/3 of Americans rent, is this truly sustainable - is it moral for such a large number of people who are hardworking to never be able to own property and pass it off to their children?
Or are the material metrics of capitalism your only concern as you neglect the common good - the world wonders...
Data check - rental vs home ownership In Switzerland, 56.6% of the population rents their home, followed by Hong Kong at 49%, Germany at 48.1%, and South Korea at 44.8%. Other notable countries with high rental populations include Japan (38.7%), Denmark (37.3%), and the United Kingdom (36.5%) among others.
Mexico has a very high rate of homeownership according to online data, along with most post Soviet countries. Opportunities for home ownership abound around the world, nor are those countries with high rental rates considered unsustainable.
Cambral- interesting all the countries you mention, have strict rent control laws already on the books. Theo does have a point on the lack of home ownership in the USA. Case in point; Mamdami being elected as mayor of NYC. Trump further validating his victory by inviting him to the “gold room”, formerly known as the Oval Office.
You are right, rentals are strictly controlled in Switzerland - what you can rent depending on numbers in household, and when you can move if your application is approved. But prices for rentals are comparable to what one finds in this area.
Post Soviet "ownership" is high because the government got out of maintaining their post WWII slap dash housing construction projects and allowed the renters to purchase their units. They had a lot of persons to house quickly after the massive destruction and dislocation they suffered at the hands of the Germans in WWII. So home ownership in these countries is of dubious value.
An interesting topic to explore - here is a prior HUD study on housing and changing percentages for renters and owners over past many decades, but not up to the present .Who we were, and where we were going before Biden opened the borders to the alleged overnight need for 20 million new households.
Opening of multiple Levitttowns, and other large tract divisions in outlying suburbs requiring long commutes, changed home ownership demographics post WWII. I watch my own hometown go from semi-rural to dense track home infill block, by block just on my own walk to school. But no snow.
Everyone walked or rode bikes to school in those days. Worth a laugh now, but yes as a five year old I walked a mile to our downtown school to go to kindergarten, alone. And back. Forgive my nostalgia about the good old days.
Tenant and rent control activists dragged new council member Wendy Santamaria over the finish line, to gain the Eastside "protected majority-minority" district vote on city council, in a race of that brought out only a few hundred voters to make this difference.
Santamaria was a former SEIU operative, which also generated election help as well. Assume both these organizations operate hand in glove, since they both share expanding government control over everything. Capitalism is anathema to both of them; confiscation of private property for their own selective benefit is their mother's milk.
An in-depth article as usual, Bonnie! Back in the 1980's I was able to afford purchasing rental property. But today it seems "government" believes if you currently own or have the BIG money to purchase HIGH priced property, then you should be able to rent property for nothing. The rental market can now be crowded with investors more interested in property value increases ... they can probably be the ones maybe not bothering to rent out the property but simply care about the property increase values. If they do rent property, then probably for very high amounts. I find it all vert fascinating. SB is simply continuing to create a higher cost of living threshold of the haves and have nots. As usual, follow the money trail needs back to the people running the governments ... they want more of your money.
"We want a list of units, we want a board for just cause evictions, and the list goes on"
The Council who champion this and the Socialist Control of property already have a bunch of what they want. The RPA with the city has a board for evictions. The City already has a list of rental units. The City already has a list of rental property owners. The City is already forcing government owned and operated housing that is squeezing the private property owners (aka Housing Authority).
Isn't Socialism grand?
The other day a city employee walked on to my property to inspect a leak. All he had to do is call and ask is there a problem? I would have given him the answer.
A couple of years back I had another "civil"(?) servant walking around my property taking pictures. I asked who he was and who gave him the right to do this? His comment was the City of SB had decided to do an inventory of property and publish it on line. I a) made the point he could get his sorry @$$ off my property, b) made the point that there had been no Council agenda stating this action, and it was a sorry excuse for a man in housing that made a unilateral decision for his trespass, and c) I asked of the Mayor Schneider and the City Attorney who was going to compensate me and my tenants for B&E Crimes; since the City obviously was going to hand a blue print of how to break in and steal.
The above came to legal halt. Was there ever an explanation or apology? Not even close.
What we have is an attempt to solve the issue of a unique location on the West Coast of California that will "always" attract more people than the square footage of land and resources can sustain.
"I want, I demand, How can you be so mean" will never solve this attraction. It shows the intellectual failure of these people. My suggestion is you find a nice piece of land, call yourselves Luddites, and run it the way you want. When you fail do not come to me or any other taxpayer to save your failure.
Oh that is right the Luddites already did this and they did in fact fail.
This goes well beyond "socialism"; it is down right command and control scary. It is authoritarian, despotic and draconian. No other way to paint this demand for unilateral control. So noted, since these totalitarian demands come from the No Kings crowd.
"Sacramento" is in fact our local voters support for Gregg Hart and Monique Limon. They enforce their arbitrary demands on us, only as long as they collectively remain in office.
I have long recommended we always insert their two names, instead of complaining generically about "Sacramento". Gregg Hart and Monique Limon create and support this thing called "Sacramento"....in our names. And we pay them handsomely to do this to us.
A town, where tax-dollar funded government is the largest employer, should never embark on micromanaging private property.
It needs instead to support, independent non-government economic engines like energy production, before ever rotting out and extracting all value from the remaining private property ownership. Who on the current city council even has the acumen to explore these options?
When (1) increased taxation and (2) private property confiscation are seen as the sole solutions by our current elected representatives, it is time for voters to throw everyone off every public decision making body they now hold.
When someone with a family household annual income of $750,000 a year, funded solely from tax dollars, intends to run for mayor promising even more draconian private property rent control and confiscation, this city is in for a world of hurt.
Where do they expect the money will come from required to support their own lavish and lifetime government benefits?
I learned about ATUN and SBTU’s affiliation with them over a year ago. I find it ironic they fight for destruction of a symbiotic relationship between landlords and tenants without offering any solutions. Is socialized housing the solution? Are they against the Housing Authority, as they are landlords too?
Rent stabilization/control has failed everywhere it’s been tried, and the results are abysmal. It’s not needs based. Anyone in place when an RSO is passed has essentially won the lottery, whether they are a financially struggling, local worker, or a wealthy individual wanting a part time vacation unit. It hurts tenants in the long run.
My guess is that most everyone is/was a tenant at one point. If you don’t own rental property and think this doesn’t affect you, think again. If you own your home, you will be next for them to target your assets.
I hope everyone reading this will come tonight to speak to council. No one is safe from this ideology.
Housing is a commodity; not a right. It is the duty of one seeking housing to live within their own chosen circumstances, within the realities of the locale they have chosen.
The city is very much interested in the abolition of private property. Rent-control and the attendant demands placed on the landlord is a taking of private property.
How does this nebulous claim of local a "housing crisis" differ from a hotel putting out a no vacancy sign. Question first the motivation of those demanding something for nothing.
Any claim today there is a local "housing crisis" is simply a refusal to commute to a more affordable area.
Pushback is also getting galvanized. Prepare for that too.
America has always stood for protection of private property. Free and competitive markets, rule of law and limited government. Nattering and greedy socialism will never prevail.
Timely article on CREdaily.com entitled Rent Control Lessons from Twin Cities Housing Policies.
Rent "stabilization" is a train wreck. Data vs. the hype from our Socialist friends locally.
Government should stay the hell out of the housing business, except to regulate responsible zoning thais designed to preserve the quality of life for the citizens of the community.
Chasing the forever elusive "affordable housing" unicorn is not only absurd it is destructive.
"Government should stay the hell out of the housing business, except to regulate responsible zoning thais designed to preserve the quality of life for the citizens of the community."
And that's because... what exactly? Give us a traditionalist answer for why the government has no duty to act? Oh wait, you can't because Catholic Social Teaching supports, no demands the state work towards creating a just society and defending the poor and vulnerable.
Bonnie, great write write up! What's left out of increasing rents is the shortage of housing. What is the cause of that shortage? is UCSB that will not provide sufficient on campus housing for its ever growing student population. How many students are renting tin SB? It is possible to pay $5,000 for a 2 bedroom when four roomies split it, especially is Mom and Dad are paying. Is it partially caused by the influx of non-citizens into SB. How may housing units do they occupy? Of course we will never get that information from any unit of our government. While those are definitley contributing factors to the high rents, ie supply vs demand= price. the decades long restrictive housing shortage can be directly traced to government regulation and feed. It was so bad that the Dem governor activated mandatory " you will build this many units". Now both the city and county are scrambling to find room for this mandate. Groups like ATUN are using this government created problem to move us to Communistic structure and eliminate private ownership of property. Now we have at least 2 city council member who champion basically what ATUN wants. Can you guess which 2? Cheers
Santa Barbara should never be subject to housing demands created outside its own jurisdiction. Including the need for private property service workers in Montecito and Hope Ranch.
The curiosity of the Solara downtown high rise apartments, in the former Staples parking lot now being sold to UCSB for student housing? What was that all about. What happened to their targeted clientele, that was begging for housing downtown. What were their promises to the community as they went through the permitting process.
I see Madam Livingston is continuing her amoral rhetoric;
"Housing is a commodity; not a right. It is the duty of one seeking housing to live within their own chosen circumstances, within the realities of the locale they have chosen."
Sounds like social darwinism, wonder why she blocked me...
ATUN is pure bunk. Read its policy statement line by line.
It needs to be rejected out of hand and not given even the courtesy of a hearing or consideration by our city council members, let alone their full-throated advocacy.
All this argues for is more Government jobs and intrusion into private affairs. Tragic. In an economic climate where the pensions and wages of Government employees soar above those of the private sector, this will take yet more rental housing out of the market and put it into short term rentals for tourists, undermining the hotels and bed tax.
Pat: Don't forget all that "workforce" housing that'll be created in a controlled market for the overpaid city and county employees whose ranks continue to multiply regardless of want (by taxpayers) or need (by taxpayers)!
Pat, legal STR, do pay TOT, aka bed tax. Next time the report comes out, I will share it. But you are correct, this will take more housing off the rental market.
Communism has never worked.
Communism works, Lynn, provided there’s enough suffering to make it work.
And where and when did it work?
China has done rather well economically and in terms of world power.
And it was capitalism which created the conditions where class warfare and Marxist theory could even be conceivable, not to mention attractive to many people left out of the enrichment capitalism offered to the bourgeois.
G.K Chesterton, a traditionalist thinker himself said of capitalism; "Too much capitalism does not mean too many capitalists, but too few capitalists" - he was condemning the reality that for most people, land ownership and private property that could be passed down was simply non existent for most people. Wealth was concentrated in the upper echelons of society, be it with corporations or individuals which is why he supported a third alternative - distributism as an economic system which respects private property and the common good, not just wealth accumulation.
Property was to supposed to be shared, *distributed* among people's to avoid the pitfalls of capitalism where there is no regard for one's fellow man and his well being, and socialism where property is simply confiscated by the state.
What we have now is not freedom but wage slavery and dependence, giving your salary away to rent is not freedom and the socialists while remaining condemned at least recognize this system cannot sustain itself forever.
A 'system' is only as 'good' as the people who 'inhabit' it. How people 'conduct' themselves is a matter of 'culture' and 'education.' Look around and you'll see why any 'system' fails. Plus ca change, plus la meme chose.
Good comment, Robert, although some people have a hard time seeing what is really going on and can be very arrogant in their ignorance of such.
More like some people *them, Monica* don't like it when people shatter their comfortable worldview and rely on others to defend it for them. The only arrogance is on those who can't engage others while pretending to be correct.
Robert, respectfully I have no idea what you're going on about or how it relates to my comment in any capacity. Address distributism as a third alternative and how capitalism is superior, or don't bother comment at all. All I sense is "boomer wisdom" that lacks in substance.
Some look to themselves to improve their lot in life, others blame it on a rigged system, racism, anything but taking personal responsibility. Taking personal responsibility means learning new skills, working harder, being productive. Playing the blame card foments division, tribalism, societal decay. Socialism never works because it does not reward productivity and hence results in less of it.
"Some look to themselves to improve their lot in life, others blame it on a rigged system, racism, anything but taking personal responsibility. Taking personal responsibility means learning new skills, working harder, being productive. Playing the blame card foments division, tribalism, societal decay. Socialism never works because it does not reward productivity and hence results in less of it."
This standard conservative defense of capitalism is not surprising but it is annoying. "Just work harder bro. It's your fault bro. It's a moral failing on your part bro." Why do you condemn the person and not once raise a finger against the system? Is the system moral or the best? Is it aligned with Catholic social teaching?
You have played the blame game yourself, and this rhetoric from older generations is what my generation, but the leftists and progressives especially see as tone dear and only emboldened their resistance to your ideals.
Why don't you tell us why it's the individuals fault, I'm dying to hear the blame game continue...
Try this, learn a trade let's say plumbing, learn Spanish and take a few classes at community college in small business management. Answer the phone, show up on time, be courteous and respectful and you will make more money than you know what to do with. The plumber that just did a repair at my home charged me $165/ Hr. You will be a home owner and a landlord before you turn 35 and will retire in comfort without a government handout. Alternately, you could major in environmental studies, sociology, psychobiology, Carlist philosophy and graduate in debt with the only employment option being a job in government.
I guess a PhD can do simple math, even from UCLA. Take a plumber making $165 an hour probably billing 60% of that time. Now go figure out what you can buy with that money, assume a low overhead, and you're still lucky to get a million-dollar condo here. Sure, move somewhere else. Landlord? Yeah, if you count your sofa....
I was not suggesting pounding nails forever but just to learn the trade. That was the point of the business management classes at community college. You learn the trade, hire tradesmen and become a septic, electric, plumbing, welding, contractor. The money is in being a business owner not in salary. Think about it, one would think 200k is a good salary. After taxes take home 100k, save half and in 20 years you have 1M. Not the smart way to get there. My father took that route as a plumbing contractor and was very successful. Capitalism rewards risk taking. I quit a good job as principal scientist at Raytheon to start my own company fabricating infrared detector arrays. I invested my entire savings and spent every penny just before my devices tested favorably. I was able to sell the process and retire early. I spent every penny I had to get there. I took a risk. The possibility to succeed today absolutely exists but all i hear from youth is excuses.
A typical tone deaf response. I work full time, at night in a physically engaged job. Why must people take a trade? Why must people do something they have no desire nor talent for and what makes you assume this will magically grant me home ownership?
You know it's funny you mock my politics when yours are quite literally dying out with your generation, I don't pretend to think I possess any power, yet you insist on a model from a world that ceased to exist decades ago. This boomer mentality has next to no appeal among my generation, and even the conservatives my age who would nominally side with the "anti woke" crowd like you sound nothing like you.
"A Harvard Youth Poll (2025) found that support for capitalism among young Americans is declining, with only 19% of young people identifying as “capitalist” — down from 29% in 2020.
This reflects a broader generational retreat from traditional ideological labels like “capitalism” and “socialism.”
Broader U.S. polling shows that capitalism’s positive image has fallen, especially among younger adults: only 43% of 18–34-year-olds view capitalism positively, and a majority in that age group view it negatively."
"A Cato/YouGov survey found that about 62% of Americans aged 18–29 say they have a “favorable view” of socialism, and around 34% say the same about communism — much higher than older age groups.
Past Gallup and YouGov polls showed that in earlier years, young people were more likely to view socialism positively than capitalism (e.g., 51% vs. 45% in some 18–29 samples)."
Now that we've established your beliefs have been tried and found wanting, let me demolish your bootstrap fantasy; becoming a carpenter is no some luxurious job, it pays barely above minimum wage as an apprentice/carpenter assistant in CA [18-25 dollars an hour], you need around 1,500 dollars to have a full set of equipment, which will inevitably break down/be replaced. You need a truck [so add another few thousand dollars - I'll stick to between 5-10 thousand for a used truck]. Oh and let's not forget about the competition between people who have connections to carpenters, and this assumes you have a free schedule [which I don't have as a full time night shift employee [11 P.M-7 A.m]
Apprenticeships last up to 4 years, where you strain your body lifting lumber and expose your lungs to dust and chemicals, and you're likely to be injured in your back and knees especially.
When it comes to unions, it's time consuming to get in and it favors seniority and layoffs are common during downturns [day, workers security] and to forgo entering a union incrsaes your risk of injury and wage theft becomes common.
Becoming the "homeowner and landlord [perpetuating the cycle, how lovely" as a master carpenter without account for the time it takes to acquire a reputation, the years of labor to become skilled in a trade, the insurance, being licenses, the cost of tools and of course the wood you'll work with, and endure the lack of consistent work during downturns... yeah your vision is pure fantasy rooted in boomernomics and protestant work ethic moralizing.
Bruh.
“If it’s too hard, it’s not worth doing” Homer Simpson
https://youtu.be/1G8XQA9QFS0
"Pecador Contempla"
https://youtu.be/YTcW9X7D3u8?si=h7aLPjFpef8BL2fd
"O Sinner behold: the final day
In which the children of Adam must give account
In a green valley that belongs to Josefat
Wrapped in cinders. The world you will see.
Once the world is finished, You must contemplate
That the body and soul will seek their union-"
Wow, Jeff can work Google!
Your generation are adept at making excuses for your failure and laying blame on others. Plus, as a carpenter you might get a splinter.
Jeff, any white guy your age did just fine. Especially if you got your inheritance and bought a house. Everyone on my street your age would get eaten alive in today's market. Your ineptness just feeds friction from the younger generations. Again, you sound like the disconnected old white guy yelling at kids to get off his lawn.
No inheritance, no pension just hard work. Your obsession is creepy. I spent 40 hours a week just on solving every problem in my physics books. Your ilk are expert excuse makers.
I can't be surprised by such a comment, you didn't engage anything I said insisting your fantasy is not only respectable but those whole fail to uphold it must have failed in terms of virtue.
The youngest boomers are 60-61, I am 22. Who's going to be around in 30 years Jeff?
Jeff, Theo should be 10 or 20 years younger than your kids - which I don't think you had. Hence the cat. So I'm guessing you don't have any touch points of what being 20 is like today. Fun to see a 22-year-old scold the ancient PhD.
Thank you, Bonnie. I’m actually against some landlords — the whole STR group who often don’t live in the neighborhoods where they own their STRs. In my neighborhood, they are bullying towards the residents, they don’t care who parties in their STR, or the damage they do to the neighborhood. We used to have more long term rental houses here. Why aren’t these ATUN members grateful for the landlords who will rent long term and go after the STR craziness?
Funny how the commies never acknowledge that “capitalism” (or whatever economic system it is we have) has created 145.4 million housing units in the U.S., as of 2023, per ChatGPT. That’s a pretty impressive number to me but to the mad lefties it’s a sign of crisis and failure, of a housing market that needs structural reform from the bottom up. Disagree and you’re a Nazi, as usual. Anything to institute their agenda, I guess.
Does the Santa Barbara Tenants Union have much impact on the local scene, does anyone know?
Yes, both the Santa Barbara Tenants Union and CAUSE will speak during public comment at tonight’s City Council meeting. They regularly participate when rental and housing matters are on the agenda.
"Funny how the commies never acknowledge that “capitalism” (or whatever economic system it is we have) has created 145.4 million housing units in the U.S., as of 2023, per ChatGPT."
Has your precious capitalism allowed the poorest among us to own a home? You know Sawbilly the left will only continue to grow more popular among my generation, Gen Z the more the older generations tout the glory of capitalism while we see no fruits.
1/3 of Americans rent, is this truly sustainable - is it moral for such a large number of people who are hardworking to never be able to own property and pass it off to their children?
Or are the material metrics of capitalism your only concern as you neglect the common good - the world wonders...
Data check - rental vs home ownership In Switzerland, 56.6% of the population rents their home, followed by Hong Kong at 49%, Germany at 48.1%, and South Korea at 44.8%. Other notable countries with high rental populations include Japan (38.7%), Denmark (37.3%), and the United Kingdom (36.5%) among others.
Mexico has a very high rate of homeownership according to online data, along with most post Soviet countries. Opportunities for home ownership abound around the world, nor are those countries with high rental rates considered unsustainable.
Cambral- interesting all the countries you mention, have strict rent control laws already on the books. Theo does have a point on the lack of home ownership in the USA. Case in point; Mamdami being elected as mayor of NYC. Trump further validating his victory by inviting him to the “gold room”, formerly known as the Oval Office.
Rentals -Basel Switzerland. Location, location, location.
You are right, rentals are strictly controlled in Switzerland - what you can rent depending on numbers in household, and when you can move if your application is approved. But prices for rentals are comparable to what one finds in this area.
Post Soviet "ownership" is high because the government got out of maintaining their post WWII slap dash housing construction projects and allowed the renters to purchase their units. They had a lot of persons to house quickly after the massive destruction and dislocation they suffered at the hands of the Germans in WWII. So home ownership in these countries is of dubious value.
https://www.immobilier.ch/en/rent/apartment-house/bale-ville/basel/page-1?t=rent&c=1;2&p=c9084&nb=false&gr=1
An interesting topic to explore - here is a prior HUD study on housing and changing percentages for renters and owners over past many decades, but not up to the present .Who we were, and where we were going before Biden opened the borders to the alleged overnight need for 20 million new households.
Opening of multiple Levitttowns, and other large tract divisions in outlying suburbs requiring long commutes, changed home ownership demographics post WWII. I watch my own hometown go from semi-rural to dense track home infill block, by block just on my own walk to school. But no snow.
Everyone walked or rode bikes to school in those days. Worth a laugh now, but yes as a five year old I walked a mile to our downtown school to go to kindergarten, alone. And back. Forgive my nostalgia about the good old days.
https://www.huduser.gov/portal/Publications/pdf/HUD-7775.pdf
Ms. Livingston; apples and oranges come to mind.
That was the point.
Tenant and rent control activists dragged new council member Wendy Santamaria over the finish line, to gain the Eastside "protected majority-minority" district vote on city council, in a race of that brought out only a few hundred voters to make this difference.
Santamaria was a former SEIU operative, which also generated election help as well. Assume both these organizations operate hand in glove, since they both share expanding government control over everything. Capitalism is anathema to both of them; confiscation of private property for their own selective benefit is their mother's milk.
All housing providers are showing up at the city council today at 5 WEARING BLACK. See you there.
An in-depth article as usual, Bonnie! Back in the 1980's I was able to afford purchasing rental property. But today it seems "government" believes if you currently own or have the BIG money to purchase HIGH priced property, then you should be able to rent property for nothing. The rental market can now be crowded with investors more interested in property value increases ... they can probably be the ones maybe not bothering to rent out the property but simply care about the property increase values. If they do rent property, then probably for very high amounts. I find it all vert fascinating. SB is simply continuing to create a higher cost of living threshold of the haves and have nots. As usual, follow the money trail needs back to the people running the governments ... they want more of your money.
Wow, is the first comment.
"We want a list of units, we want a board for just cause evictions, and the list goes on"
The Council who champion this and the Socialist Control of property already have a bunch of what they want. The RPA with the city has a board for evictions. The City already has a list of rental units. The City already has a list of rental property owners. The City is already forcing government owned and operated housing that is squeezing the private property owners (aka Housing Authority).
Isn't Socialism grand?
The other day a city employee walked on to my property to inspect a leak. All he had to do is call and ask is there a problem? I would have given him the answer.
A couple of years back I had another "civil"(?) servant walking around my property taking pictures. I asked who he was and who gave him the right to do this? His comment was the City of SB had decided to do an inventory of property and publish it on line. I a) made the point he could get his sorry @$$ off my property, b) made the point that there had been no Council agenda stating this action, and it was a sorry excuse for a man in housing that made a unilateral decision for his trespass, and c) I asked of the Mayor Schneider and the City Attorney who was going to compensate me and my tenants for B&E Crimes; since the City obviously was going to hand a blue print of how to break in and steal.
The above came to legal halt. Was there ever an explanation or apology? Not even close.
What we have is an attempt to solve the issue of a unique location on the West Coast of California that will "always" attract more people than the square footage of land and resources can sustain.
"I want, I demand, How can you be so mean" will never solve this attraction. It shows the intellectual failure of these people. My suggestion is you find a nice piece of land, call yourselves Luddites, and run it the way you want. When you fail do not come to me or any other taxpayer to save your failure.
Oh that is right the Luddites already did this and they did in fact fail.
Thank Bonnie.
This goes well beyond "socialism"; it is down right command and control scary. It is authoritarian, despotic and draconian. No other way to paint this demand for unilateral control. So noted, since these totalitarian demands come from the No Kings crowd.
RHNA is exactly this. Sacramento demands and you better knuckle under.
"Sacramento" is in fact our local voters support for Gregg Hart and Monique Limon. They enforce their arbitrary demands on us, only as long as they collectively remain in office.
I have long recommended we always insert their two names, instead of complaining generically about "Sacramento". Gregg Hart and Monique Limon create and support this thing called "Sacramento"....in our names. And we pay them handsomely to do this to us.
A town, where tax-dollar funded government is the largest employer, should never embark on micromanaging private property.
It needs instead to support, independent non-government economic engines like energy production, before ever rotting out and extracting all value from the remaining private property ownership. Who on the current city council even has the acumen to explore these options?
When (1) increased taxation and (2) private property confiscation are seen as the sole solutions by our current elected representatives, it is time for voters to throw everyone off every public decision making body they now hold.
When someone with a family household annual income of $750,000 a year, funded solely from tax dollars, intends to run for mayor promising even more draconian private property rent control and confiscation, this city is in for a world of hurt.
Where do they expect the money will come from required to support their own lavish and lifetime government benefits?
Great article, Bonnie.
I learned about ATUN and SBTU’s affiliation with them over a year ago. I find it ironic they fight for destruction of a symbiotic relationship between landlords and tenants without offering any solutions. Is socialized housing the solution? Are they against the Housing Authority, as they are landlords too?
Rent stabilization/control has failed everywhere it’s been tried, and the results are abysmal. It’s not needs based. Anyone in place when an RSO is passed has essentially won the lottery, whether they are a financially struggling, local worker, or a wealthy individual wanting a part time vacation unit. It hurts tenants in the long run.
My guess is that most everyone is/was a tenant at one point. If you don’t own rental property and think this doesn’t affect you, think again. If you own your home, you will be next for them to target your assets.
I hope everyone reading this will come tonight to speak to council. No one is safe from this ideology.
Victimology is their sole message. Tenants are victims; landlord as oppressors.
Housing is a commodity; not a right. It is the duty of one seeking housing to live within their own chosen circumstances, within the realities of the locale they have chosen.
The city is very much interested in the abolition of private property. Rent-control and the attendant demands placed on the landlord is a taking of private property.
How does this nebulous claim of local a "housing crisis" differ from a hotel putting out a no vacancy sign. Question first the motivation of those demanding something for nothing.
Any claim today there is a local "housing crisis" is simply a refusal to commute to a more affordable area.
Same old arguments, different day. The cycles repeat. The eternal recurring same. A new cycle is forming. Be prepared.
Pushback is also getting galvanized. Prepare for that too.
America has always stood for protection of private property. Free and competitive markets, rule of law and limited government. Nattering and greedy socialism will never prevail.
Timely article on CREdaily.com entitled Rent Control Lessons from Twin Cities Housing Policies.
Rent "stabilization" is a train wreck. Data vs. the hype from our Socialist friends locally.
Government should stay the hell out of the housing business, except to regulate responsible zoning thais designed to preserve the quality of life for the citizens of the community.
Chasing the forever elusive "affordable housing" unicorn is not only absurd it is destructive.
"Government should stay the hell out of the housing business, except to regulate responsible zoning thais designed to preserve the quality of life for the citizens of the community."
And that's because... what exactly? Give us a traditionalist answer for why the government has no duty to act? Oh wait, you can't because Catholic Social Teaching supports, no demands the state work towards creating a just society and defending the poor and vulnerable.
Bonnie, great write write up! What's left out of increasing rents is the shortage of housing. What is the cause of that shortage? is UCSB that will not provide sufficient on campus housing for its ever growing student population. How many students are renting tin SB? It is possible to pay $5,000 for a 2 bedroom when four roomies split it, especially is Mom and Dad are paying. Is it partially caused by the influx of non-citizens into SB. How may housing units do they occupy? Of course we will never get that information from any unit of our government. While those are definitley contributing factors to the high rents, ie supply vs demand= price. the decades long restrictive housing shortage can be directly traced to government regulation and feed. It was so bad that the Dem governor activated mandatory " you will build this many units". Now both the city and county are scrambling to find room for this mandate. Groups like ATUN are using this government created problem to move us to Communistic structure and eliminate private ownership of property. Now we have at least 2 city council member who champion basically what ATUN wants. Can you guess which 2? Cheers
Santa Barbara should never be subject to housing demands created outside its own jurisdiction. Including the need for private property service workers in Montecito and Hope Ranch.
The curiosity of the Solara downtown high rise apartments, in the former Staples parking lot now being sold to UCSB for student housing? What was that all about. What happened to their targeted clientele, that was begging for housing downtown. What were their promises to the community as they went through the permitting process.
I see Madam Livingston is continuing her amoral rhetoric;
"Housing is a commodity; not a right. It is the duty of one seeking housing to live within their own chosen circumstances, within the realities of the locale they have chosen."
Sounds like social darwinism, wonder why she blocked me...
If that's the definition of Darwinism...sign me up. Also know as common sense, personal responsibility, etc.
I can't expect a reasonable response from you aligned with the Gospel can I?
ATUN is pure bunk. Read its policy statement line by line.
It needs to be rejected out of hand and not given even the courtesy of a hearing or consideration by our city council members, let alone their full-throated advocacy.
**ATUN -Autonomous Tenants Union