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Exhibit 2 <br />F. The Orange County Board of Supervisors and Department of Public Health declared <br />a local emergency and local public health emergency to aid the regional healthcare <br />and governmental community in responding to COVID-19. <br />G. On March 17, 2020, the Santa Ana City Council proclaimed the existence of a local <br />emergency to ensure the availability of mutual aid and support an expedient <br />response to the COVID-19 pandemic. <br />H. As a result of the public health emergency and the precautions recommended by <br />health authorities, City Hall and the public counters for development processing and <br />permit applications in Santa Ana were closed to the public from March 18 through <br />June 1, 2020, thereby limiting the processing of development applications, delaying <br />development projects that were already approved, and thereby impacting <br />development activities in the city for over 10 weeks. <br />The City Council of the City of Santa Ana is concerned about the unplanned <br />detrimental effects caused by COVID 19 on the local economy and the development <br />and construction of housing in the City. These unforeseen issues are of grave <br />concern as it is imperative for the City to maintain a steady stream of housing units <br />in the pipeline at all times. <br />J. As a result of current world events, construction of single-family homes plummeted <br />to its slowest pace in several years. Single-family housing starts dropped 17.5 <br />percent while multifamily housing starts (5 or more units in a structure) fell 32.1 <br />percent in April and were down 3.9 percent from a year earlier. <br />K. Lack of housing units in the City of Santa Ana is a threat to public health and safety <br />and requires urgent intervening action by the City Council. <br />L. In an effort to combat the anticipated severe negative effects that a reduction in the <br />availability of housing units in the City of Santa Ana will cause to the City and its <br />residents, the City Council has determined that a reduction in the HOO fee will serve <br />as an incentive and a catalyst for builders to initiate construction of housing in the <br />City and for the City to continue providing quality housing opportunities in the City. <br />M. The Santa Ana City Council finds that the construction of new housing units will also <br />stimulate the economy by providing jobs and the City is committed to encouraging <br />that end result. <br />N. The Santa Ana City Council finds that requiring projects with over twenty units to pay <br />the full $15.00 per square foot in -lieu housing fee would pose a serious threat to the <br />public interest, health, safety and welfare for the following reasons: <br />(1) It would adversely impact the development of housing projects in the city; <br />11 C-20 <br />