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Letter to the City Council
<br />RE: Opposition — Zoning Ordinance Amendment No. 2020-03.
<br />August 18, 2020
<br />housing in the City of Santa Ana and that aligns with the purposes of the HOO, as we have set
<br />forth in this letter.
<br />As the Citv Council is aware, many of our clients are working families in the City of Santa Ana
<br />who are facing a housing affordability crisis and are in desperate need of safe, stable, and
<br />affordable places to live. In Santa Ana, there is a significant need to address and provide housing
<br />opportunities for all economic segments of the community. Families in the City of Santa Ana are
<br />extremely cash strapped and rent burdened, as many of them are severely overpaying, using over
<br />50% of their limited income to pay for their housing costs. As residents struggle to find available
<br />and affordable housing in Santa Ana, rents have continually increased. In the City of Santa Ana,
<br />the 2020 average rent for a large rental complex was $1,982, which a three percent (3%) increase
<br />from the year before.' Furthermore, housing costs continue to skyrocket in California, as a
<br />resident in Orange County must now work an average of 3.3 jobs to afford fair -market rent.6 "fhe
<br />rents are far out -of -reach for many lower -income working families in the City of Santa Ana, and
<br />if they are priced out of Santa Ana, there are not many places they can relocate to in Orange County, as
<br />the County is becoming more and more unaffordable. Hence, to protect the low-income residents of the
<br />City of Santa Ana, particularly during the Coronavirus pandemic, the City Council should not amend the
<br />HOO as proposed.
<br />Moreover, there is a scarcity of quality affordable housing units in the City of Santa Ana. The
<br />HOO Amendment does not support the efforts by the City of Santa Ana to meet the Strategic
<br />Plan Goal No. 5, Objective No. 3.7 If the City Council votes to approve the Amendment, it
<br />will halt the development of diverse housing opportunities and it will not support efforts to
<br />improve livability in the City of Santa Ana, at a critical time for the City of Santa Ana's
<br />residents of lower -income means who are vulnerable due to devastating effects of the
<br />Coronavirus. Additionally, the proposed Amendment to the HOO undermines the efforts of the
<br />City of Santa Ana to accomplish Goal 2 of its current Housing Element, as follows:
<br />"A diversity of quality housing, affordability levels, and living
<br />experiences that accommodate Santa Ana's residents and workforce of
<br />all household types, income levels, and age groups to foster an inclusive
<br />community."s
<br />The City of Santa Ana can only accomplish this goal with the funding created by the HOO and
<br />cutting that funding undermines the ability of the City of Santa Ana to accomplish this Housing
<br />Element goal. For these reasons, we urge the City Council to vote against approving the
<br />Amendment.
<br />https://www.rentcafe.com/average-rent-market-trends/us/ca/santa-ana/ (last visited on August 1, 2020).
<br />s Out of Reach 2020, National Low Income Housing Coalition
<br />https://reports.nlihc.org/sites/default/files/oor/files/reports/state/CA-2020-OOR.pdf (Califoniia) (last visited on
<br />August 1, 2020).
<br />7 Santa Ana Strategic Plan, Goal 5, https://www.santa-
<br />ana.org/sites/default/files/Documents/CommunityHealthLivabilityEngageinentandSustainability,pdf (last visited on
<br />August 1, 2020).
<br />s City of Santa Ana Housing Element (2014-2021), Goal 2, p. 45.
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