Laserfiche WebLink
*t COOPERACION SANTONA <br />1505 E 17th St. Suite 117, Santa Ana, Ca. 92701 <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 75B: AMENDMENTS to Housing Opportunity <br />Ordinance and Affordable Housing Funds Policies and Procedures <br />Dear Mayor Pulido and City Councilmembers, <br />Cooperacion Santa Ana supports community wealth building through the formation of a network <br />of democratic, worker -owned businesses that provide for the needs of local residents. We <br />support worker cooperatives through training, coaching and incubation and through policy <br />changes that uplift an equitable, regenerative local economy in Santa Ana. <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 over 80 <br />letters of opposition sent to the Planning Commission on Monday, August 3rd from Santa <br />Ana residents and organizations that serve Santa Ana residents. All those in opposition <br />understand that as working families continue to face economic uncertainty because of the <br />ongoing COVID-19 pandemic it is crucial that the City preserve its Housing Opportunity <br />Ordinance (HOO) as a funding source for creating new affordable housing. The creation of <br />housing at all income levels is vital to our recovery. Creating new affordable housing needs to <br />continue to be a top housing priority in Santa Ana. <br />The City of Santa Ana is a renter majority city and despite the City's progress towards meeting <br />its Regional Housing Needs Assessment(RHNA) allocation for very low and income housing <br />there continues to be a great need for housing that is affordable to its residents. The current <br />pandemic has increased the economic and housing pressures on low-income families in Santa <br />Ana. As incomes are decreasing and jobs are being lost, many low income families are <br />struggling to remain housed. This is especially true for the majority of Santa Ana's low-income <br />households that are suffering with the impacts of housing cost and economic uncertainty. As an <br />example, according to the City's local data, 70 percent of Santa Ana renters are low and very <br />low-income renters. While the city has seen increased production of affordable housing there <br />