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Tenants at 215 Bath Street announce rent strike, call for repairs and halt to evictions
Summary
A tenant association at 215 Bath Street declared a rent strike on Feb. 1 and asked the city to force repairs and dismiss unlawful detainer actions; the statement was read to the council by a representative of the Santa Barbara Tenants Union during public comment on Feb. 11.
Stanley Tynckoff of the Santa Barbara Tenants Union read a statement to the City Council on Feb. 11 announcing that the remaining tenants at 215 Bath Street had begun a rent strike.
"We want repairs, not evictions," Tynckoff read on behalf of the tenants, who said they are withholding rent until conditions at the building improve or the city takes action against the landlords. The tenants said the property was sold in September 2023 to 215 Bath LLC, listed in the statement with principals James P. Knapp, Austin Herlihy and Chris Parker.
The statement accused the owners and property managers of ongoing harassment and of delaying repairs while pursuing eviction actions. "We have offered to give the landlords access and let them start repairs, but they have decided to evict us instead," the tenants said in the statement read by Tynckoff. The tenants asked the city to dismiss unlawful detainer complaints and to require electrical and other repairs necessary to bring the property up to code.
Tynckoff said the original group now numbers 14 remaining tenants and that they had organized as a tenant association. He said the city is already taking legal action against the property managers but urged additional local policy measures to protect tenants, including a suggestion to cap rent increases following evictions.
No council motion or formal action followed the public comment. The statement and the tenants' demands were presented to council as public testimony for the record.
