Correspondence - #21 - Laserfiche WebLink

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Alianzalk)p Translating, August 28, 2023 Mayor Amezcua and City Councilmembers 20 Civic Center Plaza Santa Ana, CA 92701 ecomment@santa-ana.org RE: SUPPORT ITEM 21 - Requirement of Supermajority Approval for Certain Future Amendments to the Rent Stabilization Ordinance and Just Cause Evictions Ordinance Dear Mayor Amezcua and City Councilmembers, I write on behalf of Alianza Translatinx to express our support for Item 21, the requirement of supermajority approval of total council members for certain future amendments to the Rent Stabilization Ordinance (RSO) and Just Cause Evictions Ordinance (JCEO). The City of Santa Ana (City) must commit to safeguarding housing stability and the tenant protections that provide it. Alianza Translatinx's mission is protect, defend and advocate for the needs and rights of the Transgender Latinx community as well as other marginalized communities. Our community organizing team works tirelessly to meet with residents and learn about the struggles they are facing day in and day out; we work to connect residents address these struggles in a way that adequately meets the needs of the Trans communities. Through our work, we have seen just how severely the rising cost of housing and rent has impacted our working-class Trans communities across OC. The passage of Santa Ana's RSO and JCEO in 2021 gave residents hope that their local officials were finally listening to them. We urge you to provide direction to amend the City's RSO and JCEO to require a supermajority approval for certain future amendments. It is necessary that these ordinances are protected as the crucial tools they are to maintain and increase housing stability; and that certain amendments are only made with a supermajority vote. The City's RSO and JCEO policies are the result of decades of community advocacy that included support from community members impacted by housing instability, charitable organizations, faith -based organizations, and more. These efforts must be respected, and providing this direction will do just that. The City must do everything in its power to safeguard these policies and follow the requirement of supermajority approval that is required for other City items such as certain budget actions. Renters make up approximately 55% of City residents, and their stability must be prioritized. The City has passed model tenant protection policies with the RSO and JCEO that provide Santa Ana tenants with housing security and protections they would not be afforded otherwise. The Rental Registry that accompanies these polices has received national recognition and has been lauded by the White House. All of this great work must be continued. We applaud this proactive effort to protect the RSO and JCEO. The City must continue to serve as a model and adopt higher standards to protect tenants. For these reasons, we at Alianza Translatinx urge you to provide DIRECTION TO UPDATE the RSO and JCEO to require a supermajority vote for certain amendments. Thank you for your time and consideration. Sincerely, Khloe Rios -Wyatt President and CEO (714) 483-1351 www.alianzatranslatinx.org 206 W. Fourth St. Suite 420 Santa Ana CA, 92701