In the News

Indy reporter Nick Welsh quotes housing advocate: “Deborah Schwartz praised what she called the project’s ‘livability factor’ when it came to residents’ air and light."

While the world begins returning to “normal”, the Santa Barbara Association
of REALTORS® has been busy looking to the future. We participate in the policy process throughout the year, but this is the time of year when we go through a rigorous process to decide who SBAOR will endorse as its REALTOR® Party candidates.

Choosing which candidate to endorse was not an easy process since there are four candidates and several of them understand and agree with our positions on various issues. This process involved reviewing candidate questionnaires and multiple hours of interviews and deliberations. We evaluated the candidates based on their qualifications, viability, and position on REALTOR® Party issues such as tenant protections, land use policies, increasing the housing supply, and private property rights. In addition to our issues, we evaluated what a candidate will do with the position – consensus building, making positive change for the community, and
working with the State on issues. After careful deliberation, SBAOR is proud to endorse Deborah Schwartz as SBAOR’s REALTOR® Party candidate.

Deborah Schwartz, longtime Santa Barbara Planning Commissioner, is looking to unseat incumbent Cathy Murillo and knock off two challengers in her bid for the Santa Barbara mayor's seat.

“The mayor must forge collegial respectful productive relations with the other six district council members, because left to their own devices, the six members, with no leadership or no one helping them to build consensus across their districts, leaves a city faced with multiple crises.”

"Expect changes, from the top down, if Deborah Schwartz is elected mayor of Santa Barbara."

"Current city Planning Commissioner Deborah Schwartz has announced she will run for Santa Barbara."

"Schwartz said she made her decision only recently, after being urged to run by "community members from all walks of life, expressing not only concern and frustration, but also even anger, which really jolted me."