Housing Crisis Takes Center Stage in Santa Barbara District 5 Race
KEYT News Channel 3-12
September 25, 2026
If you live in District 5 — the Mesa, the Westside, and the neighborhoods stretching toward downtown — you already know the rent conversation isn't abstract. It's the text from your landlord, the lease renewal that jumps again, the math you do every month.
That's why this City Council race matters so much. All three candidates — Cevin Cathell, James Zurlinden and Ian Baucke — are tying the city's housing decisions directly to whether rent stabilization has a future here, according to KEYT News Channel 3-12. Housing has become the defining issue of the race, and honestly, it's about time.
District 5 is home to renters, longtime families, students, and seniors on fixed incomes — the people most squeezed when housing costs climb. Whatever you think about rent control, this election will shape what Santa Barbara looks like for the next generation. Get informed, and vote.
This summary was written by AI based on the original article from KEYT News Channel 3-12.
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KEYT News Channel 3-12Published
September 25, 2026
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