HomeMy WebLinkAboutCORRESPONDENCE - CS-3
Orozco, Norma
From:Allegra Ringo <allegraringo@gmail.com>
Sent:Sunday, August 16, 2020 10:40 AM
To:council@santa-ana.org; Villegas, Juan; eComment
Subject:Comments for 8/18 City Council meeting
Hello City Council members,
My name is Allegra Ringo, and I'm a resident of Mr. Villegas' ward in Santa Ana.
I'd like to comment on the following items for the upcoming meeting on 8/18:
Item 3: NO: Please do not approve the sale to Mike Harrah. The community has called for the old YMCA to be
turned into a community center. We do not need further gentrification by Mike Harrah.
Item 20A: YES: Please vote to bring mobile library services back to Santa Ana.
Item 22B: NO: We do not need armored vehicles. The fact that "civil unrest" is cited as one of the reasons this
vehicle is "needed" is a huge red flag. As the city calls for the police to be defunded, this would be a huge move
in the wrong direction. Please vote no.
Item 25A: NO: Again, we do not need any more gentrification by Mike Harrah.
Item 25E: NO: We do not need to increase revenue to cite parking violations during a time of national crisis,
nor do we need any more money to go toward the police department in any capacity. This, again, is the opposite
of what your constituents are calling for.
Item 75B: NO: We need affordable housing more than ever, and this proposed change to the HOO would make
it easier for developers to avoid building their required number of affordable units. As rental prices skyrocket
and people lose their housing during a pandemic, this is absolutely not what we need.
Thank you,
Allegra Ringo
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Orozco, Norma
From:Ruth Linnert <ruthielinnert@gmail.com>
Sent:Monday, August 17, 2020 5:22 PM
To:Penaloza, David
Cc:eComment; Pulido, Miguel
Subject:Public Comment- Items 85B, 25A, 22B, and 25E
Dear Councilman Penaloza,
I am a life-long resident of Santa Ana and currently reside in ward 2. I am addressing you today in preparation
for tomorrow's city council meeting. I am asking for your attention on several agenda items. Your attention is
urgent and I ask that you please consider these concerns regarding the following:
Item 85B: In support of Item 85B, we are asking for an extension on signature gathering for rent control in
Santa Ana. As a proponent of rent control, I feel that we must see this petition through for a vote on the ballot.
Due to the pandemic, organizers have lost 133 of the 180 days we were legally entitled to gather signatures. I
urge you to grant an extension for signatures during this crucial time when many are receiving abusive rent
increases. We need protections now more than ever with real and permanent rent control in our city.
Item 25A (and closed item 3): I urge you to REJECT the purchase and sale agreement of 203- 204 W. Civic
Center Dr. It's a disgrace to see how a gentrifiers' money has been sent to City Council with intent to garner
support for business over the needs of our community. Keep community land in community hands! The citizens
of Santa Ana have continually suffered due to gentrification efforts that have only displaced individuals and
families. We would like to see the land be utilized for community development and efforts that directly benefit
the residents- instead of displacing and extracting resources from the community. This community does not
benefit from a boutique hotel or any other business model that does not directly fulfill the needs of the
community. Let's collectively create spaces and resources for the underserved (including our youth).
Item 22B: I urge you to REJECT the purchase order for a "Specialized Response Vehicle" that further instills
fear and perpetuates a divide between the community and the authoritarian tactics of the police force. This
infringes on the people's right to assemble and demand progress. Members of the community are simply asking
for our voices to be heard and our needs to be met, yet the city's funds are perpetually supporting fear tactics
and absurdly expensive vehicles and equipment for COPS. STOP supporting the violent and aggressive police
presence in our community. Utilize the city's funds to actually aid the people and benefit marginalized groups
instead of policing and dividing us.
Item 25E: I urge you to REJECT the requested increase in funds for parking enforcement services. Residents
are continually facing obstacles with parking, especially since the pandemic. Many of us are now home during
the day in households that do not provide adequate parking for the number of vehicles per household. Enforcing
parking and creating more challenges for us when we need to shop or park in areas outside of our residence
hinders movement and flow within our city. The constant policing and funneling of our hard earned wages
makes it nearly impossible to thrive in a city that BELONGS TO THE PEOPLE, not to the systems that profit
from our hardships.
Lastly, I have continually observed police officers (sheriffs, deputies, and highway patrol) responding to
incidents and pulling people over WITHOUT MASKS ON. I live at a busy intersection and in the past several
days I've seen a response to a traffic accident and a few drivers being pulled over by cops who are not wearing
protective coverings. THIS IS NOT OK during a pandemic in a city that has one of the highest number of
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COVID-19 cases in the county. This continues to make citizens feel unsafe in the presence of police officers
and I urge you to address this concern for our community.
Thank you,
Ruth Linnert
714-328-0929
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Flores, Dora
From:Nathaniel Greensides <mynci90@gmail.com>
Sent:Tuesday, August 18, 2020 9:33 AM
To:eComment
Subject:Public Comment closed session item 3
Dear City Council,
Please do not sell the vacant building at 203-205 W Civic Center to Mike Harrah's Caribou Industries. Please
consider converting it into affordable housing or a shelter. If you must sell it, please consider selling it to
community led developers such as THRIVE CLT. Private development, especially by Mike Harrah's Caribou
Industries, has never been in the interest of current low income residents. Similarly, when new developers
create new housing, it is generally unaffordable for current residents and sits vacant - a shameful sight to see
when there are families stacked three deep in one unit just to remain housed and far too many homeless families
on the streets.
Best regards,
Nathaniel Greensides
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