Correspondence - Non-Agenda - Laserfiche WebLink

Home Browse Search

Orozco, Norma From: Jesus Santana <jesus.santana@charitableventuresoc.org> Sent: Wednesday, August 18, 2021 4:00 PM To: eComment Subject: Public comment on non -agenda item in support of rent stabilization and tenant rights Good afternoon, My name is Jesus Santana and I am a Community Organizer in the City of Santa Ana, working closely with residents who have been severely impacted by the COVID 19 Pandemic. As COVID 19 infection numbers are on the rise again and our community is still attempting to recover from the heavy impacts of the ongoing pandemic, we ask that the Santa Ana City Council prioritize community based solutions to address the housing crisis. A coalition of community organizations under the guidance of Tenants United Santa Ana have proposed to this city council the "City of Santa Ana Community Preservation, Rent Stabilization and Tenants' Rights Act" which would limit rent increases to a maximum of 3% once a year to residents who lease the land below their mobile homes and residents who rent inside of multi -family building built prior to 1995. Likewise, this ordinance would extend just cause eviction protections to all renters in the city. Under the state of California's emergency housing policies we currently have similar just cause protections, but these are set to expire at the end of September. With this in mind and with the knowledge that our community has been disproportionately impacted by COVID-19, we respectfully request that the city council act boldly and swiftly to enact rent control and just cause as soon as possible. Arriving to a vote on the ordinance by no later than the end of September. This is an urgent matter that must not be put -off any longer. Although we applaud your efforts to amend the H.O.O (Housing Opportunity Ordinance) and to bring to Santa Ana more affordable housing these moves are insufficient to ensure housing stability for our most vulnerable residents and to help our community weather the aftermath of COVID 19. It's unconscionable that given our demographics Santa Ana doesn't already have rent control like other cities across the state. 18 cities/counties across the state already have their own version of rent control. Renters with rent debt and renters who have exhausted their savings to prevent rent debt cannot shoulder excessive rent increases any longer or they will be permanently displaced from our city. Data to draw from: In the last year SAUSD had 5,717 students participate in the McKinney-Vento program. 87.8% of students district wide are categorized as "socioeconomically disadvantaged". According to the Out of Reach report recently published by the National Low Income Housing Coalition, people working on minimum wage ($14) would need to work 89 hrs per week to afford a 1 bdrm apartment. However, in Santa Ana, minimum wage workers at $14/hr would have to work 104 hrs per week to afford a modest 1 bdrm apartment (based on local rent prices). Additionally in Santa Ana, many people are making below minimum wage so that number is even higher. Concrete ask: Hundreds of applicants are still waiting for the distribution of rental relief funds and landlords are already filling eviction cases in court. We all need to come together and respond to the current and t