Correspondence- #26 - Laserfiche WebLink

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Middleton, Samuel From: Vincent Tran <vncent@vietrise.org> Sent: Tuesday, September 6, 2022 12:39 PM To: eComment Subject: Public Comment for Item #26: In Support of Establishing a Rental Registry and Rent Board Dear City Councilmembers, My name is Vincent Tran, the Community Engagement Coordinator at VietRISE. I'm writing to address item #26. 1 am in support of the city of Santa Ana establishing a rental registry and Rent Board as part of the long-term implementation plan for the rent stabilization and just cause eviction ordinances that were passed in 2021. There is no argument to be made about how significantly the ongoing housing crisis has affected Santa Ana residents over the last several decades, and how much the COVID-19 pandemic exacerbated these inequities and injustice which disproportionately affects working class communities of color in our city. Establishing the rent stabilization and justice cause eviction ordinances was a crucial, groundbreaking step in protecting tenants. With these housing inequities continuing to persist, we must ensure that these ordinances are strengthened by enacting a rental registry and a rent board that can oversee their implementation and increases transparency, renter protection, and accountability within the city's rental properties. I urge the city of Santa Ana to implement a rental registry that includes the following information: • Unit address • Number of bedrooms • Current rent • Date of the last rent increase • Move-in date of the current tenant • A general description of the amenities (i.e. a parking spot, a storage space, etc.) • The date of the last inspection by a City's Code The City's registry should also be publicly searchable, which will allow community stakeholders and public officials to more readily identify shifts in the housing market, identify bad actors, and make it convenient for tenants to check if rent increases are legal. Several rent-controlled jurisdictions throughout the state, such as Mountain View, Richmond, Los Angeles County, and Berkeley require landlords to register their residential rental units. Furthermore, I urge the city council to adopt a Rent Board that consists of the following composition with (7) members: • at least four (4) members who are Tenants/Mobilehome Owners/Residents as those terms are defined under [the RSO and JCE]; • at least two (2) members of the community who neither own nor manage a Rental Unit or Property as is defined under [the RSO and JCE]; • (1) member who is either a Landlord or manages a Rental Unit or Property as that term is defined under [the RSO and JCE], • but no more than two (2) Landlords or persons who manage a Rental Unit, Dwelling or Property, shall sit on the Rent Board at any given time. This composition for the rent board best reflects the demographics of the city. Santa Ana is a renter-majority city, with over 53% of the population being renters. i