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Santa Barbara tenants strike over alleged harassment and eviction threats

Protestors with the Santa Barbara Tenants Union pictured in November 2022.
@sbtenantsunion / Instagram
Protestors with the Santa Barbara Tenants Union pictured in November 2022.

Tenants at a Santa Barbara apartment complex are going on strike by refusing to pay rent until the property owners meet their demands.

The strike is the latest escalation in an ongoing dispute between residents and the new owners of 215 Bath Street, who took over in 2023. Tenants still living on site said that hostile living conditions have reduced the 52-unit apartment building to just 14 remaining residents.

Attorney Lacy Taylor represents the property owners at 215 Bath. In a written statement, Taylor said the remaining tenants were notified of pending construction and “expected and unexpected” power outages.

Some tenants also turned down offers of relocation fees and the option to move into a fully renovated unit, according to Taylor. Meanwhile, the attorney said other tenants were offered temporary housing in a nearby building until renovations in their building could be completed.

Corina Svacina, a resident of nearly a decade, said conditions have worsened under the new ownership, and tenants demand changes.

“Recently, they filed three unlawful detainers against our neighbors, and we want them to drop that,” Svacina said. “We want them to also just make this place habitable, restore access to basic things, like the laundry room and our parking spaces, and we just don't want to be treated like second class citizens here.”

In a demand letter, tenants said they have endured months of disruptions, including construction noise, the removal of amenities like laundry and parking, and eviction threats. They also say they experienced prolonged power outages and a lack of response to health and safety concerns.

Under California law, renters can legally withhold payment if landlords fail to maintain livable conditions.

KCBX Reporter Amanda Wernik graduated from Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo with a BS in Journalism. Amanda is currently a fellow with the USC Center for Health Journalism, completing a data fellowship that will result in a news feature series to air on KCBX in the winter of 2024.
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