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Orozco, Norma From:Valeria Esqueda <valeria.esqueda97@gmail.com> Sent:Tuesday, August 04, 2020 1:50 PM To:eComment Subject:AGENDA ITEM 60A - Public Support for Eviction Defense Fund & Rental Relief Fund Hello Council Members and Mayor, My name is Valeria Esqueda and I have lived in Ward 3 for the last 16 years. In the past, the council agreed that you all would use CARES package funding to support and assist low income renters in Santa Ana. In the proposed spending plan of the $28.6 million, it was extremely upsetting to see that Rental AND Child Care assistance is lumped into one category. Child care is expensive and deserving of its own category as it is for the development of our future and community. Rent relief is much needed by individuals and families all across Santa Ana. Rent relief deserves its own category - renters must earn 3.7 the state minimum wage to afford the base median rent of $2,261 for a two bedroom. Santa Ana continues to be a 56% majority renter city and 64% are rent-burdened, paying a disproportionate amount of their income to rent. With the uneven impacts of the pandemic affecting low income and immigrant communities the most, I ask that you all: 1. Allocate the funding from CARES to establish an Eviction Defense Fund of 1 million dollars that will protect a Tenant's Right to Counsel. Many renters do not seek out legal aid during an eviction case because of financial inaccessibility and thus are excluded from our right to due process. Legal representation in court ensures vulnerable tenants have an opportunity to defend themselves otherwise the case leans in favor of the property owner. 2. Expand the "Coronavirus Emergency Rental Relief Fund" by 2 million dollars. As you must all be aware, the fund that was set up in May for Santa Ana renters was flooded with applications and shortly closed after a brief week. I do not understand how you all thought it sufficient to only allocate 500,000 whereas Anaheim allocated 3 million to theirs. Low income renters continue to be harassed and evicted for rent payment even though the conditions of unemployment have been raging in response to economic shutdown and shelter-in-place. The lack of social safety nets have been in decline for decades as a result of increasing police spending and slashing of social programs. Please, as representatives of Santa Ana's people, use the CARES funding compassionately and intentionally, otherwise, we will never move forward with short-sighted planning. Thank you, Valeria Esqueda 1