Retiring but not shy, Mayor Randy Rowse says that partisan politics and ideological agendas have overtaken Santa Barbara City Hall, forecasting referendum campaigns and expensive litigation as the costs of recent contentious city council actions.
“Politics has taken over the practicality,” the outgoing mayor said in a return “Ask the Mayor” episode of Newsmakers TV.
Rowse, who surprised the local political world by announcing in April that he would not seek re-election, has been consistently on the losing end of high-profile decisions in recent months — from his opposition to a sweeping new rent control ordinance and antagonism to an absolutist no-cars plan for State Street, to his votes against new spending on liberal pet projects at a time when the budget is awash in red ink.
Answering questions from News-Press editor Josh Molina and the genial host about recent controversies — as well as his long-term perspective on how politics and policy have changed during the 15 years he has been in and around City Hall — Rowse blamed a “zero compromise” attitude from progressive council members for triggering a new referendum campaign to repeal the State Street plan, and rued the legal costs already incurred over the rent law, with more to come, he predicted.
“We’re going to be in court a lot,” Rowse said.
Since taking office in 2022, Rowse has been accessible and obliging in accepting Newsmakers’ invitation to respond to questions from local reporters on “Ask the Mayor” editions. The new episode is his 12th appearance on the program.
Check out our complete conversation with Mayor Randy Rowse via YouTube below or by clicking this link. Our podcast is available on Apple, Spotify, or on SoundCloud. TVSB, Channel 17, airs the show every weeknight at 5 p.m. and at 9 a.m. on weekends. KCSB, 91.9 FM, broadcasts the program at 5:30 p.m. on weekends.