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MADISON PARK NEIGHBORHOOD ASSOCIATION <br />SANTA ANA, CALIFORNIA <br />August 18, 2020 <br />Mayor Pulido and City Council Members <br />City of Santa Ana <br />20 Civic Center Plaza <br />Santa Ana, CA 92701 <br />Re: OPPOSITION to Agenda Item 7511: AMENDMENTS to Housing Opportunity <br />Ordinance and Affordable Housing Funds Policies and Procedures <br />Dear Mayor Pulido and City Councilmembers, <br />Madison Park Neighborhood Association was established in 1987 as a vehicle for <br />residents to strengthen neighborhood bonds and work collectively on neighborhood <br />improvement issues (e.g., traffic mitigation, improving schools, etc.) of mutual <br />interest. The aim of our work has been, and remains, supporting activities that increase <br />personal health, enhance family well-being, and bolster neighborhood safety. <br />Our letter of opposition to the proposed amendments to the Housing Opportunity <br />Ordinance and Affordable Housing Funds Policies and Procedures is joined by <br />over 80 letters of opposition sent to the Planning Commission on Monday, August <br />3rd from Santa Ana residents and organizations that serve Santa Ana residents. <br />All those in opposition understand that as working families continue to face economic <br />uncertainty because of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic it is crucial that the City <br />preserve its Housing Opportunity Ordinance (HOO) as a funding source for creating <br />new affordable housing. The creation of housing at all income levels is vital to our <br />recovery. Creating new affordable housing needs to continue to be a top housing <br />priority in Santa Ana. <br />The City of Santa Ana is a renter majority city and despite the City's progress towards <br />meeting its Regional Housing Needs Assessment(RHNA) allocation for very low and <br />income housing there continues to be a great need for housing that is affordable to its <br />residents. The current pandemic has increased the economic and housing pressures on <br />low-income families in Santa Ana. As incomes are decreasing and jobs are being lost, <br />many low income families are struggling to remain housed. This is especially true for <br />the majority of Santa Ana's low-income households that are suffering with the impacts <br />of housing cost and economic uncertainty. As an example, according to the City's <br />