Sneddon’s Achievements on Council Are Legion

The race for Santa Barbara mayor is drawing sharp opinions in its final weeks, and the latest salvo comes from local historian and commentator Shelley Bookspan, who published a pointed rebuttal on October 19 to the Santa Barbara Independent's endorsement of Eric Friedman. In her opinion column, Bookspan argues that Councilmember Kristen Sneddon — not Friedman — is the candidate whose record and preparation best suit her for the city's top job.

The Case for Sneddon

Bookspan's central claim is straightforward: Sneddon, a sitting councilmember, has compiled a substantive record of accomplishment that she says the Independent's editorial underplayed. She takes particular issue with the paper's characterization of Friedman as a "moderate's moderate," suggesting the phrase could be read as a euphemism for a lack of firm principles, and with the editorial's own acknowledgment that Friedman could have "articulated a more passionate response" to the city's challenges — a quality the paper conceded Sneddon possesses. Bookspan wryly calls this "praise with faint damnation."

The column lays out a detailed, if partial, inventory of Sneddon's council tenure. Among the achievements Bookspan credits to her:

• Leading the establishment and funding of the city's Local Housing Trust Fund — a measure she notes Friedman, despite voicing support for affordable housing, voted against funding.
• Spearheading creation of the Coast Village Business Improvement District, which Bookspan says became the template for the State Street Business Improvement District downtown.
• Rejecting an early "take it or leave it" proposal for Paseo Nuevo, a stance Bookspan says produced a stronger revitalization agreement with Yardi Systems.
• Working alongside Mayor Rowse to support the Santa Barbara International Film Festival's Film Center project in the heart of downtown.
• Pushing to protect homes in High and Extreme High Fire Severity zones, including restrictions on short-term rentals, securing vegetation-clearing funding, and serving on the county's Fire Safe Council.
• Partnering with humanitarian organizations on social justice and immigrant protection efforts.
• Pressing for greater transparency in city budgeting.

Bookspan also notes that the Democratic Party of Santa Barbara endorsed Sneddon over Friedman — a decision, she writes, that came quickly because Sneddon arrived knowing the party platform in detail.

The Rent Stabilization Flashpoint

The sharpest division Bookspan identifies between the two candidates is the rent stabilization ordinance the City Council recently passed on a one-vote margin, with Sneddon voting yes and Friedman voting no. The ordinance has emerged as a defining issue in the mayor's race, pitting tenant advocates against a well-organized real estate industry opposition.

Bookspan writes that much of Friedman's financial support comes from the real estate community — the same sector, she argues, that opposes any form of rent regulation — while Sneddon is "beholden only to the principle of equity." She acknowledges the ordinance has flaws but argues the Independent's editorial ignored the constraints councilmembers faced, including a looming deadline for passage, the fact that an ordinance can be amended more readily than a ballot measure, and the urgency of preventing homelessness among vulnerable renters. Sneddon, she writes, expects the incoming council to modify the measure as needed rather than leave tenants unprotected in the meantime.

Bookspan also pushes back on the editorial's suggestion that Sneddon should have mentored newer councilmembers on the measure. Friedman, she notes, is himself an experienced councilmember and chaired the Budget Committee — and if he disliked the draft ordinance, she asks, why didn't he lead the effort to write a better one before the deadline?

What's at Stake for Residents

For Santa Barbara voters, the column crystallizes the choice at the top of the November ballot: a race between two incumbent councilmembers with sharply divergent approaches to housing, downtown revitalization, and fiscal oversight. Sneddon is portrayed as a detail-oriented policy maker — one who, in Bookspan's telling, "reads every word of every document" — with a vision of a 21st-century city built around a thriving downtown core, environmental protection, and housing affordable to families, seniors, and the middle class, all while preserving the city's aesthetic and cultural character.

Friedman's backers, by contrast, point to his moderation and his leadership on the Budget Committee as evidence of steady, consensus-oriented management — though Bookspan contends he becomes defensive when asked to explain budgets she describes as often internally contradictory.

The Bigger Picture

The exchange underscores how consequential this mayoral election is for Santa Barbara's direction on housing policy. With rent stabilization now on the books but likely headed for revisions under the next council and mayor, the winner will help determine how the ordinance is amended — or whether it survives at all. Downtown's ongoing State Street redesign, the Paseo Nuevo redevelopment, and wildfire resilience in the city's hillside neighborhoods all remain live issues that the next mayor will shape.

Bookspan's column is, by design, an advocacy piece rather than a neutral assessment, and her characterization of both candidates reflects that. Friedman's campaign has its own record to point to, and the Independent's editorial board stood by its endorsement. Voters will render the final judgment at the ballot box in November.

The original opinion piece, "Sneddon's Achievements on Council Are Legion," was published by the Santa Barbara Independent on October 19, 2026. Residents can review the Independent's own endorsement editorial and the September 30 candidate debate it sponsored for a fuller picture of both candidates' positions before casting their votes.