85B - ORD JUST CAUSE EVICTION - Laserfiche WebLink

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(s) Additionally, homelessness in Orange County rose at a faster pace since 2015, ticking up eight (8%) since the last one-night count. The most recent Point -In -Time Count & Survey, a federally mandated snapshot, conducted on January 28, 2017, showed that there are approximately 4,792 homeless persons in the county, more than half living in a shelter. (t) Furthermore, tenants who are displaced by landlord actions are subject to serious adverse impacts. Such actions can include evictions, which impose unfair burdens on tenants when they are evicted through no fault of their own. The financial impacts of displacement, include, but are not limited to: packing, moving, and storage costs, as well as lost wages and time due to taking time off of work or missing school to search for alternative housing, which includes finding a comparable school, if the tenants have school-age children. It also includes the cost of applying to alternative housing, change of address expenses, and temporary housing expenses required until the displaced tenants locate and obtain suitable long-term alternative housing. Additionally, landlords often require that prospective tenants pay the equivalent of three months' rent up front to secure a lease—generally representing the first and last month's rent, and a security deposit. The total accumulated cost imposed on a displaced household generally exceeds $10,000 and can frequently reach $20,000 or greater. Tenants who are seniors, persons with disabilities, or have children incur even higher costs due to their particular circumstances. Low- and moderate -income tenants cannot afford such sudden and costly expenses, and they often experience homelessness as a direct consequence of eviction, which itself imposes further financial, social, health, and emotional costs. The severe financial impacts of displacement on tenants pose a threat to the public health, and safety, and welfare of the residents in the City of Santa Ana. (u) Based upon the above-described facts and circumstances, and for these same reasons, the City Council for the City of Santa Ana finds that this Ordinance is necessary as a measure to preserve public peace, health and safety, and therefore that it may be introduced and adopted at one and the same meeting, and shall take effect immediately upon its adoption. SECTION 2 DEFINITIONS Unless further defined elsewhere in this Ordinance, the following words or phrases as used in this Ordinance shall have the following meanings: (a) City Council. The term City Council refers to the City Council of the City of Santa Ana. (b) City Attorney. The term City Attorney refers to the City Attorney for the City of Santa Ana. (c) Covered Rental Unit. All Rental Units not specifically exempted under Section 3 (Exemptions - Fully Exempt) or Section 4 (Additional Homeowner Protections) herein. (d) Disabled. A person with a disability. The term "disability" is defined in California Government Code Section 12955.3. 4