HomeMy WebLinkAboutCorrespondence - Non-Agenda
Orozco, Norma
From:Jeff Jensen <jj@chapteronetml.com>
Sent:Tuesday, September 07, 2021 3:50 PM
To:eComment
Subject:Support for Police Chief
Dear City City Council and Administration,
I am speaking for myself and on behalf of Chapter One in beautiful Downtown Santa Ana.
We are in full support of Police Chief Valentin. The Chief has been very active in combating all of the issues
that our big city has. The Chief truly cares about the City of Santa Ana and the well being of every person who
lives in this city.
The City of Santa Ana is in a better place since Chief Valentin took the position. Let him do his job and get to
work to keep the city moving forward.
FULL SUPPORT OF POLICE CHIEF VALENTIN!!!!!!!!!!!
Thank you,
JJ
Jeffrey Jensen
Chapter One: the modern local
227 N. Broadway
Downtown Santa Ana, CA 92701
(714) 352-2225 MAIN
www.chapteronetml.com
1
August 31, 2021
www.kennedycommission.org
17701 Cowan Ave., Suite 200
Mayor Sarmiento and Council Members
Irvine, CA 92614
949 250 0909
City of Santa Ana
20 Civic Center Plaza
P.O. Bo 1988, M31
Santa Ana, CA 92701
Re: Support: City of Santa Ana Community Preservation, Rent Stabilization, Tenants’ Rights
Act
Dear Mayor Sarmiento and City Council members,
The Kennedy Commission (the Commission) is a broad-based coalition of residents and
community organizations that advocates for the production of homes affordable for families
earning less than $27,000 annually in Orange County. Formed in 2001, the Commission has
been successful in partnering and working with Orange County jurisdictions to create effective
housing and land-use policies that has led to the new construction of homes affordable to lower-
income working families.
Our letter is supporting the proposed ordinance, City of Santa Ana Community
Preservation, Rent Stabilization, Tenants’ Rights Act presented by Tenants United Santa
Ana. Many working families in Santa Ana continue to be impacted by the rising cost of housing
and the scarce housing available at rents they can afford. In addition, many continue to face
economic uncertainty because of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and loss of jobs. It is crucial
that the City pass the Community Preservation, Rent Stabilization, Tenants’ Rights Act to ensure
that residents in Santa Ana are protected during the ongoing pandemic.
The City of Santa Ana is a renter majority city. There continues to be a great need for housing
that is affordable and accessible to all Santa Ana residents. The current pandemic has increased
the economic and housing pressures on low-income families in Santa Ana. As incomes are
decreasing and jobs are being lost, many low-income families are struggling to remain housed.
This is especially true for the majority of Santa Ana’s low-income households that are suffering
with the impacts of housing cost and economic uncertainty. 80% of renters in Santa Ana fall into
the moderate, low, and very low-income category and 84 percent of residents hold low-income
occupations that pay less than $53,500 per year. Santa Ana’s households are predominantly
families comprising 81% of households. These households are also rent-burdened and live-in
overcrowded conditions.
Due to financial hardship caused by the covid-19 pandemic, tenants have accumulated rental
arrears, debts elsewhere to avoid arrears, or housing situations that could be cause for evictions.
The City of Santa Ana will see a wave of evictions at the end of eviction protections for the
tenants on September 30, 2021. This impact will not only leave Santa Ana families in a
vulnerable housing crisis and at risk of becoming unhoused but will also lead many families to
acquire more financial hardships beyond the financial challenges they experienced due to the
COVID-19 pandemic and vulnerable to the spread of the virus. As the COVID-19 infection
continues to rise once again in Santa Ana, we urge you to protect tenants from being unjustly
evicted and from predatory rent increase during an ongoing pandemic.
The need is much greater as the COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated needs that were already
existing in our communities. Housing costs in Santa Ana have been out of reach and will
continue to be out of reach in this current economic climate. Households in Santa Ana must earn
$44.83 an hour to afford two-bedroom housing. The proposed ordinance protects tenants from
rising rents that are already not affordable to the majority of the City’s residents.
We urge you to support the proposed Community Preservation, Rent Stabilization, Tenants’
Rights Act and enact it before the state moratorium ends on September 31, 2021. The city council
must prioritize the City of Santa Ana Community Preservation, Rent Stabilization, and Tenant
Rights Act over any other ordinance to ensure a more equitable and affordable Santa Ana. Santa
Ana tenants deserve to be protected from further harm and suffering due to the COVID-19
pandemic and the housing affordability crisis.
Sincerely,
Cesar Covarrubias
Executive Director
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