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February 19, 2019 Mayor Pulido and City Councilmembers City of Santa Ana 20 Civic Center Plaza P.O. Bo 1988, M31 Santa Ana, CA 92701 Re: 19D - OPPOSITION to Approval of RFP for the Sale of City- Owned Properties Dear Mayor Pulido and Santa Ana City Council Members: www. kennedycommission. org 17701 Cowan Ave., Suite 200 Irvine, CA 92614 949 250 0909 Fax 949 263 0647 The Kennedy Commission is a broad based coalition of residents and community organizations that advocates for the production of homes affordable for families earning less than $20,000 annually in Orange County. Formed in 2001, the Commission has been successful in partnering and working with jurisdictions in Orange County to create effective policies that has led to the new construction of homes affordable to lower income working families. The Kennedy Commission is in opposition to the proposed sale of city -owned properties. The City must (1) clarify its position on compliance with the California Surplus Land Act; and (2) take all necessary steps to ensure that it fully complies with the Act, including following the Act's requirements in the sale or lease of all surplus City -Owned real property. We believe this RFP is in conflict with the Surplus Land Act's requirements and provisions relating to notification and the prioritization of affordable housing. In addition, the City of Santa Ana is undertaking a General Plan Update. As stated in your December 4, 2018 staff report, "The goal of the Land Use Element is to provide a long-range guide for the land use and physical development in the City to reflect the community's vision for a quality of life. This element is a tool to promote public health, reduce infrastructure costs and address long-term environmental issues such as climate change and water resources." Given that Land Use will be one of the elements of the General Plan, the sale of these City -Owned real properties is premature and not in line with the City's intent to best promote the goal of the Land Use Element. A city cannot have a comprehensive vision for its built environment without a General Plan that guides zoning and land use. We believe that selling off public assets without consideration of the Surplus Land Act is absolutely in direct conflict to promoting equitable development. We urge that you not approve item 19D until you can present clear evidence to the community that you will comply with the State of California Surplus Land Act. As our representatives, we call on you to ensure that the city is responsibly stewarding these valuable public assets and guaranteeing Santa Ana residents access to affordable housing and open space, as is required by law before any attempts to sell them off. Sincerely, z" amu... Cmar Covarria nis, Executive Director