The change we need in Santa Barbara.
Ready to make your voice heard?
Get in touch with Wendy!
(805) 724-5336
contact@wendyforsb.org
226 E. Canon Perdido #D Santa Barbara, CA 93101
A HISTORY OF ACTIVISM.
This is Wendy. A community organizer, tenant organizer, and full time union rep -- Wendy knows the only way we get the protections we need is by talking to our neighbors, our coworkers, and organizing collectively. In recent years Wendy has been at the heart of countless battles at our local city council, mobilizing our neighbors for stronger tenant protections such as stronger eviction protections, anti-harassment laws for tenants, and more. And we’ve had some success. But we keep falling one vote short in our city council to achieve the housing reform we need for tenants. Wendy is the last vote we need.
With the majority of District 1 being renters, Wendy knows our housing crisis needs to be approached through a community-first lens — more affordable housing, tenant protections, and homeownership made accessible. As the only working class renter in the race this November, Wendy knows firsthand the dire need for housing reform. That’s why she’s been doing this work for years.
Although housing is one of the largest issues in our city, Wendy’s work in our community has been intersectional: she has worked tirelessly to advocate for workers rights, environmental justice, reproductive rights and more in our region. Scroll down to read more about our community-centered vision for Santa Barbara.
A community-centered vision for santa barbara
affordable HOUSING
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Limit rent increases to 2% every 12 months, excluding single family homes unless owned by a corporation in accordance with state law. In other cities such as Oxnard and Pasadena, rent stabilization has proven effective at preserving the housing supply and protecting tenants from unjust rent increases.
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One central location for your next housing search: a registry of all rentals in the city to streamline the housing search for tenants, keep track of rent increases, and monitor habitability status of housing units (i.e. mold, need for repairs, etc.).
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In 2022, Wendy worked with a coalition of tenants, policy experts and our local city government to allocate funding for a Right to Counsel program, but the program has yet to begin. One of Wendy's priorities as your next city councilmember is to get this program off the ground. A right to counsel program would provide tenants with the right to legal representation in eviction proceedings.
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Houses should available for people who need housing, not sitting empty.
Public Safety and wellbeing
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Empower mental health professionals and crisis responders to respond to situations involving individuals in mental distress, instead of relying on law enforcement to handle these situations.
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Promoting a walkable community starts with making our neighborhoods safe and easy to walk through. Let's fix our roads, sidewalks, and improve lighting in all our Eastside neighborhoods.
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In a year with budget deficits, social services such as our libraries are the first to go. Our local libraries provide a wealth of resources for our senior citizens, our local children and our neighbors experiencing housing insecurity. Let's prioritize protecting our libraries and other essential social services for our community. Libraries and social services should be the first to be saved, not the first to be cut.
protecting our Environment
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Facilitate the creation of tenant co-ops to make solar power and other methods of clean energy accessible not just to homeowners, but to renters as well.
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Our community deserves safe, clean parks for our families to enjoy. On the Eastside, our beautiful Ortega Park is still missing picnic tables and park benches. This might seem like a small issue for some people, but for our neighbors, we know what it is to feel like the access to your green space was cut off. Let’s ensure our green spaces are maintained and accessible to our community year round
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The impacts of climate change are already being felt in our community -- with increased flooding in the Eastside year after year, we need to work in partnership with our Department of Public Works and the County of Santa Barbara to update storm drain facilities and infrastructure.
our local economy
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Local businesses are the energy that drives this city forward. Let's meet folks where they are simplify our regulatory requirements for businesses, to ensure public safety and enable entrepreneurship in our community.
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Milpas and State street are the largest business corridors in our district. Let's make sure any changes made to our business hubs are placing the needs of local businesses and our neighbors above corporate profit. Cars or no cars, our priority needs to be in helping our local businesses thrive and establish themselves as a staple in our neighborhoods.
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Project Labor Agreements (PLAs) are a great way to make sure city projects are done with skilled labor while providing well paying jobs with benefits. This is one way we can create good, sustainable jobs for our local community.
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As a union representative, Wendy knows first hand that union jobs provide stability, good benefits and a retirement plan for its members, but many in Santa Barbara do not belong to a union. Wendy is committed to extending resources to working families to empower them to advocate for their pay and working conditions in Santa Barbara.
GET INVOLVED
SUPPORT WENDY
Make a donation by going to our donation page on Syndon.
TAKE ACTION
Check out our upcoming events: city council votes, community events, demonstrations, and more.
Join Team wendy
Contact us to volunteer and join our movement!