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LOFTIN I BEDELL P.C. <br />Honorable Mayor and Councilmembers <br />City of Santa Ana <br />October 13, 2022 <br />Page 5 of 7 <br />delay, (a) the City apparently failed to include the Tenants United "redline" changes correspondence in <br />the public correspondence posted along with the staff report, (which included other correspondence <br />from other stakeholders sent at the same time), (b) the City considered, discussed, and adopted in part <br />some of those revisions, and (c) the City adopted those revisions upon a first reading without the <br />opportunity of the public to know or respond to the substance and rationale contained in the Tenants <br />United correspondence. <br />Mayor Sarmiento advanced a conflicted theory, effectively disregarding the Brown Act: <br />As many lawyers will do, we will disagree... I do disagree with you <br />Madam City Attorney, on the revisions that were just suggested by <br />councilmember Pham, because I do think that they are an extension of <br />what was just asked of us, especially on the composition of the Board, and <br />some clarity on some of the other provisions on the registry fee, and so I <br />do think they are worthy of qualifying still, or at least being considered a <br />first reading because these are just a revision of the provisions and terns <br />that were provided to us, especially because there was a redline version of <br />changes submitted to us in advance of the meeting. <br />Comments by Mayor Sarmiento, City of Santa Ana City Council Meeting <br />October 4, 2022, <br />5:56.30, available at: <br />https://www.youtube.com/watch?v—Cq.6b2JtGLxl&t=21389s <br />The City Attorney asked the Clerk whether and when the redline [prepared by Tenants United] was <br />circulated with the agenda for "transparency and public notice."' The City Clerk confirmed the redline <br />was not circulated at all to the public. <br />The Mayor failed to acknowledge that the public had not had the benefit of reviewing the revised <br />legislative draft provided to the City by an outside commenter —effectively depriving the public of the <br />opportunity to continent on those changes and the related rationale at the hearing and "first reading."' <br />This oversight both undermines any appearance of an impartial and transparent jurisdiction —where a <br />tenant's rights group apparently has a direct, privileged line of communication to the City Council that <br />is also shielded in part from public review. These grounds are in addition to those grounds previously <br />s Comments by City Attorney Sonia Carvalho, City of Santa Ana City Council Meeting October 4, 2022: <br />5:56:30, available at: litt s://tvww. outube.conv'watch?v=C 6b2JtGLxl&t=21400s <br />9 The Mayor attempted to narrow the redlined changes to "citation" and suggested the redline changes were merely <br />clarifications within the vein of the previous guidance. In response, the City Attorney appeared to re -cast her comments that <br />her sole concern was whether the City Staff could "accurately capture" the comments —but again failing to reconcile that the <br />documents were not made available to the public without delay pursuant to Cal. Gov. Code Sec. 54957.5(a). The Mayor <br />concluded that there was nothing new, despite that changes were being implemented pursuant to a revision sent to the City <br />Council, without the opportunity for the public to review. <br />/VolumeslShared/Kingsley Management Company/700 Litigation/Kingsley V City Of Santa Anal010 Correspondence12022.10-13 Correspondence To <br />City Regarding Implementation OFRent Board V&,Doex <br />