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February 6, 2018 <br />The Honorable Miguel Pulido <br />Mayor, City of Santa Ana <br />22 Civic Center Plaza <br />Santa Ana, CA 92701 <br />Re: Santa Ana Chamber Opposes Rent Control; Alternative Rental Housing Policies <br />Dear Mayor Pulido and Council Members: <br />The Santa Ana Chamber of Commerce, which represents more than 500 businesses, educational institutions <br />and nonprofits organizations, has serious concerns regarding rent control or rent stabilization in Santa Ana. <br />Numerous studies indicate that fixing the price of rent does not help solve an affordable housing crisis. <br />Many leading economists agree rent control increases the severity of the housing problem. <br />Rent controls can also lower the quality of life within communities. While rent control may or may not affect <br />the value of existing apartments, it can deter new rental projects when neighboring cities do not have rent <br />control ordinances. If home and apartment values decline, revenue from the county also declines. This would <br />jeopardize the long-term health of schools and city infrastructure such as police, fire, and other important <br />services for residents. <br />The Chamber is supportive of working with the council and city staff to explore ways to increase the supply of <br />affordable housing. The long-term solution is to build and increase the city's housing supply; however, we do <br />recognize there are current challenges between tenants and rental housing owners. Until housing supply <br />catches up to demand, we would like to offer our support and expertise on working with the community, city staff <br />and the City Council on measures that will ease the pressures felt by all members of our community <br />We support the recommendation by the California Apartment Association to establish a Housing Task Force <br />comprised of advocates, businesses, local landlords and others to review and recommend policies to better <br />serve Santa Ana. <br />The Chamber and our members appreciate the city tackling this tough issue and we want to be part of the <br />solution. <br />We look forward to working closely with you, your staff and the community in the coming months to discuss this <br />issue further and identify mutually agreeable solutions to promote attainable and diversified housing options in <br />Santa Ana. <br />Sincerely, <br />David Elliott <br />President <br />Santa Ana Chamber of Commerce <br />1631 W. Sunflower Ave #C-35, Santa Ana, CA 92704 (714) 541-5353 <br />