Santa Barbara Mayoral Race Heats Up with Endorsements, Candidate Forum

With less than two months until Election Day, the race to become Santa Barbara's next mayor has shifted into high gear, as the leading candidates rolled out high-profile endorsements and squared off in the campaign's first public forum on September 3 — an event that drew roughly 220 people to the New Vic Theatre and laid bare the policy divides separating the contenders vying to lead the city.

The Santa Barbara Independent reported that councilmembers Kristen Sneddon and Eric Friedman — both sitting members of the City Council — emerged as the frontrunners over the course of the evening, while former school board member Wendy Sims-Moten positioned herself as a strong third option with a performance that emphasized collaboration and a "people-centered" approach to the city's most divisive issues.

Candidates Clash Over the City Budget

The forum, moderated by Santa Barbara News-Press Editor Josh Molina and Jerry Roberts of SB Newsmakers, put the candidates through a range of topics, but the city budget drew some of the sharpest exchanges — a reflection of the conflict that consumed the council during this year's budget planning season.

Friedman, a moderate Democrat who chairs the council's Finance Committee, called the budget the "single most important thing" the City Council does, according to the Independent. He argued the city needs to expand its economic base and urged voters to think about how Santa Barbara will pay for big-ticket commitments — including the recently approved $96 million State Street Master Plan.

Sneddon, a self-described progressive Democrat, agreed that the city's reserve fund needs to be replenished as quickly as possible. But she pushed back on the notion that council overspending alone was to blame, pointing instead to inflation, tariffs, and cuts to federal and state funding as added pressures on the city's finances.

Both candidates agreed on at least one point: the city should not dip further into its reserves.

Rent Stabilization Takes Center Stage

Housing policy produced the forum's most dramatic moments. Friedman said the city must make the planning and permitting process faster and cheaper for developers, arguing the current process is "flawed" and drives up costs enough to make projects financially infeasible — prompting some would-be builders to walk away entirely.

He was sharply critical of the city's proposed rent stabilization ordinance, calling it "one of the most extreme" policies in the state and warning it could push property owners to sell, take units off the market, or raise rents broadly. "In terms of rent stabilization itself, I've never said that there won't be those that benefit," Friedman said, according to the Independent. "The initial people that get into those units will benefit, but for everybody else, the rents will go up."

Sneddon, who was among four councilmembers to vote in favor of rent stabilization, agreed the review process for developers should be streamlined but defended rent stabilization as one necessary piece of a broader response to the housing crisis.

In an especially heartfelt moment, Sneddon publicly apologized to her council colleagues over the way the ordinance advanced. In November 2025, she and Councilmember Wendy Santamaria authored a two-person memo that included a sample ordinance. "I regret that," Sneddon said, adding that she wished she had ensured her fellow councilmembers were on board before filing the memo. "I learned something very valuable that I won't do again."

Sims-Moten, meanwhile, framed her support for rent stabilization in medical terms: "We need to make the patient stable before we go to the next step." She also lamented what she described as increasingly divisive city politics and urged leaders to keep asking, "What do the people who are most impacted think?"

Endorsements Split the Democratic Establishment

The week before the forum, the endorsement picture crystallized — and it revealed a split within local Democratic politics. The Independent reported that Friedman landed the backing of Congressmember Salud Carbajal, one of the most recognizable political figures on the Central Coast. The endorsement carries personal weight: Friedman worked as a staffer when Carbajal served as a county supervisor.

Carbajal's support for Friedman marks a notable departure from the Santa Barbara County Democratic Party, which unanimously awarded its official endorsement to Sneddon. Sims-Moten, whose leadership background is rooted in the education sector, rounds out the field with a long record of school board service.

What's at Stake for Santa Barbara

The next mayor will inherit a city grappling with a strained budget, a landmark State Street redesign, and an ongoing housing affordability crisis — issues that surfaced repeatedly at the forum. The debate over rent stabilization in particular has divided residents and councilmembers alike, and whoever wins in November will help determine how, or whether, the ordinance is implemented.

For voters, the race offers a clear contrast: Friedman's fiscal caution and skepticism of rent regulation, Sneddon's progressive, multi-pronged approach to housing, and Sims-Moten's promise of a less divisive, community-first style of governance.

Election Day is November 2026, and with the campaign now entering its final stretch, residents can expect more forums, more endorsements, and sharper exchanges as the candidates make their closing arguments for the city's top job.

This article is based on reporting by the [Santa Barbara Independent](https://www.independent.com/2026/09/04/santa-barbara-mayoral-race-heats-up-with-endorsements-candidate-forum/).