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HomeMy WebLinkAboutCORRESPONDENCE - NON AGENDASalas, Diana From: Sent: To: Subject: Dear City of Santa Ana, CraigJulie Smith <cjsmithfamily@gmail.com> Tuesday, April 21, 2020 1:12 PM eComment Recall ballot for City Council Our household was appalled at the latest mailing expense of new ballots for a recall of a City Council member. After reading the ballot literature of a situation we knew nothing about, we realized the recall was about a council member who disagreed with the others and thus, should go. In these tough times during the CONVID-19 unemployment and the City of Santa Ana trying to raise our refuse rates it would seem to be more prudent to wait until this council member's tenure was up instead of wasting so much money on a special election of one item. I would hope the city council could use money wisely, liken to as they would their own family budget. Thank you, Craig and Julie Smith Salas, Diana From: Maria Ceja <ceja.maria95@gmai1.com> Sent: Tuesday, April 21, 2020 2:25 PM To: eComment Subject: Public comment Hello, I am demanding that the Mayor and City Council members extend the current rent freeze. As a volunteer tenant counselor, I have been taking cases across the city which have informed me that even in the midst of a global pandemic, landlords are acting very hostile toward tenants about the payment of rent and even forcing them to sign a their version of a payment plan. Their stories and their experiences matter; they have taught me that we always need to put the people and their livelihood over profit. I am seared for what is to come after the rent freeze is lifted. If landlords have no sympathy and have the audacity to demand rents when tenants have lost their stable source of income, I will not be surprised if they raise the rents on them despite COVID-19's detrimental effects. We need the rent freeze to be extended to match the timeline of the eviction moratorium's payback period! No one should face a rent increase while trying to pay back the rent they were unable to pay. Tenants did not choose to be under these circumstances, they should not be placed under the burden of a rent increase after surviving a global pandemic and are trying to regain stability of their lives. It is the Mayor and City Council's job to work for the best interests of the community that voted for them to occupy these positions. With that being said, Extend the Rent Freeze NOW! Thank you, Maria 2� Salas, Diana From: Yoselinda Mendoza <yoselinda.mendoza@gmail.com> Sent: Tuesday, April 21, 2020 3:23 PM To: eComment Subject: Public Comment Dear City Council Members, I hope this message finds you safe and well. My name is Yoselinda Mendoza and I am a Santa Ana resident. The COVID-19 pandemic has been absolutely devastating across the globe, including for our residents in Santa Ana where there are over 1,600 COVID-19 cases confirmed. This pandemic has demonstrated the effects of structural inequities that have left some communities particularly vulnerable in experiencing the catastrophic impacts of COVID-19. Indeed, Black folks, immigrant communities, and low-income people have been the most impacted from COVID- 19. Which is precisely why I am very concerned for my community in Santa Ana, as a large share of our community members are immigrants who are extremely low-income and are renters. Many of my family members, friends, peers, and colleagues here in Santa Ana have been negatively impacted by COVID-19. A lot of them have lost theirjobs or have experienced a significant reduction of work, leaving them financially unstable and susceptible to precarity in housing. Even more worrisome, for some, the possibility of getting back to work will not be possible. Many of these folks have whole families where they help provide for other essential basic needs like food. No family should have to ever worry about whether they should pay rent or feed their families. Housing should be understood and treated as a basic human right. But there are simply not enough adequate protections for folks to navigate housing, let alone navigating and maintaining stable housing during a global pandemic. Because of this I worry for my community. Without adequate housing, our community is significantly at -risk to the virus. I have appreciated the efforts that have been made at the local level here in Santa Ana such as the enactment of an eviction moratorium for residents impacted by COVID-19 and establishing a rent freeze. But we can do better and should do better for our community in Santa Ana. We need to extend the rent freeze. We can't expect people to catch up on rent if rent continues to be increased, especially if folks lose their jobs. I ask for you all to extend a rent freeze beyond May 31at. I ask for a moratorium on rent increases/rent freeze for residential and commercial tenancies during emergency declarations related to COVID-19, and for at least 6 months thereafter. I also urge you to implement an emergency rental assistance fund for Santa Ana folks to use, regardless of citizenship status. As someone that has experienced housing instability, I stand in solidarity with folks who are experiencing precarity in housing right now. And I hope you do too. Best, Yoselinda I Orozco, Norma From: Luis Sarmiento<luis@elcentroculturaldemexico.org> Sent: Tuesday, April 21, 2020 4:42 PM To: eComment Subject: In support of 6-month Rent Freeze Dear Mayor and Santa Ana City Council, I'm writing to express my support for the expansion of the City's "Rent Freeze," for an additional 6 months after emergency orders are lifted. Many are concerned that, as emergency orders are lifted, residents will be impacted by increased rents -- on top of rental debt for the months in which so many have lost income. Please consider this extension of the existing Rent Freeze, to allow time for Santa Ana residents to recover from this unprecedented crisis. Thank you for continued support of resident -driven initiatives that are malting life in Santa Ana possible for so many low-income families, and for everyone. Best wishes, Luis Sarmiento (714)425-5562 I