2021-054 - Directing Further Study of the Additional Regulatory Framwork

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RESOLUTION NO. 2021-054 A RESOLUTION OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF SANTA ANA DIRECTING FURTHER STUDY OF THE ADDITIONAL REGULATORY FRAMEWORK AND INFRASTRUCTURE NECESSARY TO IMPLEMENT RESIDENTIAL RENT STABILIZATION, JUST CAUSE EVICTION, AND OTHER PROTECTIONS FOR RESIDENTS FACING HOUSING INSTABILITY WHEREAS, a shortage of decent, safe, affordable, and sanitary housing exists in the City of Santa Ana, causing the displacement of long-term residents, 54% of whom are renters according to the 2019 American Community Survey; and WHEREAS, eviction creates extreme hardships for individuals and households of limited means in Santa Ana, given the shortage of affordable housing within the City and Orange County in general; and WHEREAS, the COVID-19 pandemic has taken an enormous physical, economic, and psychological toll on the residents of Santa Ana, many of whom are lower -income renters experiencing either reduction of work hours and job loss, or heightened risk of contracting COVID-19 where they have continued to work in service -sector and other positions that cannot be performed from home; and WHEREAS, the City of Santa Ana, with a majority Latino population, has experienced nearly 50,000 confirmed COVID-19 cases, the highest in Orange County, and over 800 deaths from COVID-19, leading to even greater housing instability; and WHEREAS, housing instability threatens the public peace, health, and safety, because eviction from one's home can lead to prolonged homelessness, increased residential mobility, loss of community, strain on household finances due to the necessity of paying rental application fees and security deposits, stress and anxiety experienced by those displaced, increased commute times and traffic impacts if displaced workers cannot find affordable housing within the city in which they work, and interruption of the education of children in the home; and WHEREAS, since 2016, the Santa Ana City Council has considered and received public testimony at multiple meetings from residents threatened by eviction without good cause and rapidly escalating rental rates who have advocated for the adoption of rent stabilization and just cause eviction regulations, among others; and WHEREAS, displacement from eviction has been an acute risk for many tenants in Santa Ana, who are largely Latino and work in occupations most impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic; and Resolution No. 2021-054 Page 1 of 3