HomeMy WebLinkAbout2021-054 - Directing Further Study of the Additional Regulatory FramworkRESOLUTION NO. 2021-054
A RESOLUTION OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF SANTA
ANA DIRECTING FURTHER STUDY OF THE ADDITIONAL
REGULATORY FRAMEWORK AND INFRASTRUCTURE
NECESSARY TO IMPLEMENT RESIDENTIAL RENT
STABILIZATION, JUST CAUSE EVICTION, AND OTHER
PROTECTIONS FOR RESIDENTS FACING HOUSING
INSTABILITY
WHEREAS, a shortage of decent, safe, affordable, and sanitary housing exists in
the City of Santa Ana, causing the displacement of long-term residents, 54% of whom are
renters according to the 2019 American Community Survey; and
WHEREAS, eviction creates extreme hardships for individuals and households of
limited means in Santa Ana, given the shortage of affordable housing within the City and
Orange County in general; and
WHEREAS, the COVID-19 pandemic has taken an enormous physical, economic,
and psychological toll on the residents of Santa Ana, many of whom are lower -income
renters experiencing either reduction of work hours and job loss, or heightened risk of
contracting COVID-19 where they have continued to work in service -sector and other
positions that cannot be performed from home; and
WHEREAS, the City of Santa Ana, with a majority Latino population, has
experienced nearly 50,000 confirmed COVID-19 cases, the highest in Orange County,
and over 800 deaths from COVID-19, leading to even greater housing instability; and
WHEREAS, housing instability threatens the public peace, health, and safety,
because eviction from one's home can lead to prolonged homelessness, increased
residential mobility, loss of community, strain on household finances due to the necessity
of paying rental application fees and security deposits, stress and anxiety experienced by
those displaced, increased commute times and traffic impacts if displaced workers cannot
find affordable housing within the city in which they work, and interruption of the education
of children in the home; and
WHEREAS, since 2016, the Santa Ana City Council has considered and received
public testimony at multiple meetings from residents threatened by eviction without good
cause and rapidly escalating rental rates who have advocated for the adoption of rent
stabilization and just cause eviction regulations, among others; and
WHEREAS, displacement from eviction has been an acute risk for many tenants
in Santa Ana, who are largely Latino and work in occupations most impacted by the
COVID-19 pandemic; and
Resolution No. 2021-054
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WHEREAS, the financial impacts of displacement include, but are not limited to,
packing, moving, temporary housing, application for new housing, and storage costs, as
well as lost wages and time due to taking time off work; and
WHEREAS, landlords often require that prospective tenants pay the equivalent of
three months' rent up front to secure a lease —generally representing the first and last
month's rent, and a security deposit, the total of which can exceed $10,000 and can
frequently reach $20,000 or greater; and
WHEREAS, renter households are more likely to be low-income than the
households of families who own their homes; and
WHEREAS, a household is generally rent -burdened if it spends more than 30% of
its gross income on housing costs, and according to the 2019 American Community
Survey, 58.5% of all renter households in the City of Santa Ana are either moderately or
severely rent burdened; and
WHEREAS, renters in Santa Ana were protected from eviction for nonpayment of
rent due to COVID-19 through September 30, 2020, by City Executive Order No. 10-2020
and remain similarly protected by state law but only through September 30, 2021; and
WHEREAS, within the confines of existing state law, including the Costa -Hawkins
Rental Housing Act and the Tenant Protection Act of 2019, the City of Santa Ana is
presently taking steps to restrict rental increases and grounds for eviction in response to
the above concerns; and
WHEREAS, these protections are designed to exceed those offered by state law
wherever permissible and also to apply to mobilehome owners, as the City is home to 29
mobilehome home parks containing 3,913 spaces, most of which are owned or inhabited
by low-income or fixed -income seniors and families; and
WHEREAS, the concerns identified above related to housing instability warrant the
further study of additional framework and infrastructure to optimize the implementation of
related measures, including without limitation the creation of a Rent Board or similar body.
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED by the City Council of the City of Santa
Ana as follows:
Section 1. City staff is hereby directed to conduct further study of the additional
regulatory framework and infrastructure necessary to implement residential rent
stabilization, just cause eviction, and other protections for Santa Ana residents facing
housing instability.
Section 2. These measures are to include the creation and operation of a Rent
Board or similar body, a rent registry, and the related costs thereof.
Resolution No. 2021-054
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Section 3. This Resolution shall take effect immediately upon its adoption by
the City Council, and the Clerk of the Council shall attest to and certify the vote adopting
this Resolution.
ADOPTED this 215t day of September, 2021. k46,U
Vicente Sarmiento
Mayor
APPROVED AS TO FORM:
Sonia R. Carvalho, City Attorney
By: /W.
JoWn M. Funk
Sr. Assistant City Attorney
AYES: Councilmembers
NOES: Councilmembers
ABSTAIN: Councilmembers
NOT PRESENT: Councilmembers
Hernandez, Lopez Phan Sarmiento (4)
Bacerra. Mendoza, Penaloza (3)
None (0)
None (0)
CERTIFICATION OF ATTESTATION AND ORIGINALITY
I, DAISY GOMEZ, Clerk of the Council, do hereby attest to and certify the attached
Resolution No. 2021-054 to be the original resolution adopted by the City Council of the
City of Santa Ana on September 21, 2021.
Date: 0`Dq -�Yoa i
(j)" �jQ2,&�
Daisy Gomez I/r
Clerk of the Council c/
City of Santa Ana
Resolution No. 2021-054
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