Eric Friedman: Santa Barbara’s future belongs to all of us

I grew up in Santa Barbara, raised by two English teachers who taught me that every story matters. So, when I think about what a city should be, I think about our public library. It is one of the few places in town that truly belongs to everyone. It doesn’t matter what you earn, where you’re from, or whether you rent or own, because everyone walks through the same door and gets the same welcome. That is the kind of city I want Santa Barbara to be, and it is how I will run City Hall.

That belief has guided my twenty-five years in local public service, including eight on the Santa Barbara City Council. As a past Board Member and President of the Santa Barbara Public Library Foundation, I was part of the public-private partnership that raised nearly $10M to create the Children’s Library and Library Plaza. Today, these two cherished public spaces are gathering places for everyone. Neither of these achievements happened because of one person. They happened because people who don’t always agree found a reason to build something together.

No one group gets to decide Santa Barbara’s future. The people supporting my campaign reflect that, from longtime residents, small business owners and nonprofit leaders, to physicians, nurses, environmental leaders, and the men, women and veterans of our construction trades who are building the affordable housing our city needs. They don’t all agree with me on every issue, and I wouldn’t want them to, but they share a belief that this city works best when every neighbor has an equal voice.

Caring for something that belongs to everyone starts with its finances, and I firmly believe the city should manage its money the way families manage theirs. As Chair of the Finance Committee, I worked with our Finance Director and Finance Committee to put $17 million in one-time funds into the city’s rainy-day savings and create a Pension Trust Fund to start paying down long-term pension costs instead of handing them to future generations. I also voted against using emergency reserves for things that aren’t emergencies, even when the cause was a good one, because a city that borrows against its future eventually runs out of options.

Responsible budgeting lets us invest in the people who keep our city running. I partnered with Councilmember Meagan Harmon to create the Local Housing Trust Fund, the most pro-affordable housing policy the Council passed this decade, with support from local philanthropic leaders and a unanimous City Council. Today it is building affordable homes, including a 45-unit project with the Housing Authority under construction in my neighborhood, without touching our emergency reserves. As we create more affordable housing, I will prioritize projects that have neighborhood compatibility with strong labor standards and sustainable funding.

A city that belongs to everyone must also keep us safe. I voted to move our new police station forward, delivering on the promise of Measure C, even though it was not a unanimous vote. I supported the Regional Fire Communications Center, so the closest crew responds no matter which city or county line it must cross, and the updated Community Wildfire Protection Plan. I learned what a fast response means when I had a heart attack on the water. When every second counted, our first responders reached me in time to save my life.

State Street belongs to everyone, too, so I did my homework. I called other cities with successful pedestrian malls to learn what worked and what didn’t, then proposed a four-block interim plan as a middle path based on those conversations. When that compromise didn’t pass, I still voted for the Master Plan, even though not everyone who supports me agreed, because decisions need to be based on research, data and public input. A more collaborative approach from the Council would have avoided the referendum we now face. As Mayor I will bring people to the table early to achieve consensus. 

Like our library, Santa Barbara belongs to all of us, and we hold it in trust for the next generation. As a Mayor for Everyone, I will listen, learn and collaborate to make City Hall as open and welcoming as our library, a place where every resident has a voice. I would be honored to have your vote on November 3.

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