The City of Santa Barbara is moving forward with a proposed ban on natural gas with little public input. A ban on natural gas would jeopardize energy reliably and could result in the loss of good-paying union jobs. Make sure your voice is heard so your Santa Barbara City Council Member is answering the tough questions on this proposed ban.

City officials appear determined to push this ordinance through with little consideration for the long-term ramifications of a natural gas ban. Tell Council Member Harmon to consider key exemptions to the ordinance:

Exempt Commercial Development: Our economy is still recovering from the COVID-19 pandemic and now is not the time to impose regulations that will slow that recovery. Commercial development is complicated and needs flexibility to ensure a building fits the needs of a prospective tenant. For example, a restaurant looking to move into an old commercial retail space would be prohibited from building the infrastructure needed to operate under the current draft of the proposed reach code. This would add another costly barrier to attracting business and revitalizing downtown while creating unintended consequences – especially without an appeals process.

Exempt Residential Remodels and Tear Downs: Neighborhoods throughout Santa Barbara have older houses, meaning significant remodels and tear downs and rebuilds are prevalent. These properties already have gas service and infrastructure. Prohibiting gas would only add to the cost of these project and further impact the housing affordability crisis. Research of building permits suggests there are hundreds of remodels and rebuilds that will be affected, in addition to new housing. In 2020, alone there were over 900 building permits issued in Santa Barbara.

Include an Appeals Process: This type of ordinance can never account for all the variables that come with commercial development and the residential housing sector. Citizens and business owners should have the ability to make a hardship case to the city.