Santa Barbara District 6 Candidates Clash Over Housing and State Street Plans
By Anja Firestone
With the Nov. 3 election days away, four candidates are competing for Santa Barbara City Council District 6 in the Nov. 3 midterm election, hoping to replace the outgoing council member Meagan Harmon. District 6 encompasses much of Santa Barbara’s downtown core, including State Street, the Oak Park neighborhood and portions of the lower West side representing residents and businesses in the heart of the city. The candidates, Gabe Escobedo, Alexander Stoeber, Annabella Lehne, and Jason Carlton all discussed housing affordability, State Street revitalization, and city finances during a candidate forum that took place on Sept. 21. Their differences were especially clear in their approaches to renter protections and the future of Santa Barbara’s State Street.
Gabe Escobedo, who is on the Board of Education for Santa Barbara Unified School District, and former chair of the city’s Planning Commission, is emphasizing affordable housing and tenant protections. He supports the city’s rent stabilization ordinance, arguing that renters need a better backboard when it comes to displacement. He also wants to expand affordable housing, including through city-owned land and housing funds. For State Street, he supports the city’s revitalization plan and proposes helping small businesses by speeding up the permitting process and offering incentives to occupy vacant storefronts. Gabe Escobedo has endorsements from outgoing Councilmember Meagan Harmon, Santa Barbara County Democratic Party and CAUSE Action Fund. His campaign has also received support from labor and community leaders, including financial contributions from SEIU Local 620 and County Supervisor Laura Capps.
Alexander Stoeber, a UCSB graduate and real estate advisor who has spoken publicly about experiencing homelessness growing up, believes that the solution to housing affordability is increasing the housing supply. He does not support the rent stabilization ordinance and feels that the city should be investing more time into construction of new housing and direct cash assistance for those struggling to pay their rent. He also wants to improve downtown infrastructure and ease the process for business owners and developers to open up and build. Alexander Stoeber proposed greater transparency for large city projects, including public reporting of project costs, timelines and long-term maintenance needs. His campaign website currently states that endorsements will be announced soon.
Anabella Lehne, a Santa Barbara native and loan signing agent, is focused on making City Hall more accessible and improving the city’s financial responsibility. She does not support the current rent stabilization ordinance, arguing that the city already has tenant protections and that the program could create additional costs for renters and landlords. During the forum, she emphasized the importance of helping families by connecting them with resources and legal assistance. She also supports moving forward with the State Street Master Plan but believes there should be flexibility instead of making the street permanently closed to cars. She wants downtown to be a place where the community and local businesses can thrive. Anabella Lehne questioned the city’s expenditures, saying reserves should be emergency funds rather than used to pay for ongoing operating expenses, to help pay for downtown improvements. Her campaign website does not currently feature any listed endorsements.
Carlton, an electrician and small business owner who has lived in Santa Barbara for 25 years, believes that the city should have more practical leadership and better financial planning. He opposes rent stabilization because he is concerned that it could make it harder for smaller landlords to afford property maintenance. He also wants to make it easier for small businesses to operate and believes that the State Street revitalization plan could potentially cost more than the city expects it to. At the forum, Carlton said, “There needs to be rules in place that govern that speed,” in response to concerns regarding the e-bikes downtown. He also emphasized his experience in construction and believes his background could help the city make better decisions about infrastructure and spending. Like other candidates, he said he would like to see improvements to Santa Barbara’s downtown economy but questioned whether the city could afford proposed changes without further straining its budget. His campaign does not currently have any publicly announced endorsements.
All four candidates want to improve the city of Santa Barbara, but have very different plans on doing so. Housing affordability, renter protections, downtown businesses, and city spending remain some of the most prominent issues that these candidates want to address, and that differentiate these four candidates, as voters prepare for the Nov. 3 election.
The election is Tuesday, Nov. 3, and ballot drop boxes have been open since Oct. 6. Read more election coverage here: https://www.unmutedyouth.news/101-guide-to-the-2026-midterm-elections/
Sources & Reporting:
Santa Barbara City Council District 6 Election: Who Will Lead the Downtown District?
https://www.independent.com/multimedia/santa-barbara-city-council-district-6-candidate-forum/
