Santa Barbara Mayor · Nov 3, 2026
Eric Friedman
Candidate for Mayor
Eric Friedman is running for mayor of Santa Barbara in the Nov 3, 2026 election, against Kristen W. Sneddon, Wendy Sims-Moten and Matt Kilrain.
Vote-by-mail ballots mailed and ballot drop-off locations open · Mon, Oct 5, 2026
TodaySanta Barbara City Councilmember for District 5 since 2017 and chair of the city Finance Committee. Also works at a local grocery store and was a district representative for county supervisors from 2002 to 2016.
- Occupation (from candidate statement)
- Councilmember/Grocery Worker
- Endorsed by
- Lists an endorsement from Congressman Salud Carbajal on his campaign website. Eric Friedman for Mayor
- Campaign website
- www.voteericfriedman.com
Eric Friedman (District 5) and Kristen W. Sneddon (District 4) are both on the ballot for mayor, so the seats they hold are open. Noozhawk
Where Eric Friedman stands: positions on the record
Rent stabilization2 sourced positions
Voted no on adopting the rent stabilization and rental registry ordinance (passed 4-3, September 2026).
Council voteSanta Barbara Independent · Sep 30, 2026
as reported by the Santa Barbara Independent; not a direct quote
Called the proposed rent stabilization ordinance "one of the most extreme" policies in the state at the Sept. 3 mayoral forum.
“one of the most extreme”
Forum answerSanta Barbara Independent · Sep 4, 2026
State Street2 sourced positions
Voted no on reauthorizing Title 31 to maintain the State Street promenade until the master plan is implemented (passed 5-2, June 2026).
Council voteKEYT · Jun 30, 2026
Voted for the State Street Master Plan (passed 6-1, September 2026); a motion he made for a shorter four-block closure failed for lack of a second.
Council voteSanta Barbara Independent · Sep 2, 2026
Vacancy tax2 sourced positions
Voted no on directing staff to look into a vacancy tax (passed 5-2, June 2026).
Council voteSanta Barbara Independent · Jun 23, 2026
as reported by the Santa Barbara Independent; not a direct quote
Said a vacancy tax could be "extremely administratively burdensome" during the June 2026 budget hearings.
“extremely administratively burdensome”
Own statementSanta Barbara Independent · Jun 23, 2026
Budget and reserves1 sourced position
as reported by the Santa Barbara Independent; not a direct quote
Called the city budget the "single most important thing" the City Council does, at the Sept. 3 mayoral forum.
“single most important thing”
Forum answerSanta Barbara Independent · Sep 4, 2026
What Eric Friedman said vs. how Eric Friedman voted
Rent stabilization
In their words
Called the proposed rent stabilization ordinance "one of the most extreme" policies in the state at the Sept. 3 mayoral forum.
Sep 4, 2026 ·as reported by the Santa Barbara Independent; not a direct quote ·Santa Barbara Independent · Sep 4, 2026
On the record
Voted no on adopting the rent stabilization and rental registry ordinance (passed 4-3, September 2026).
Sep 30, 2026 ·Santa Barbara Independent · Sep 30, 2026
Also running for Mayor
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