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May 24, 2021 Mayor Vicente Sarmiento Santa Ana City Council 20 Civic Center Plaza Santa Ana, CA 92701 www.kennedycommission. org 17701 Cowan Ave., Suite200 Irvine, CA 92614 949 250 0909 RE: City of Santa Ana — American Rescue Plan Act Priorities for Affordable Housing Dear Mayor Sarmiento and Councilmembers: The impact of the COVID 19 pandemic on communities of color and low-income communities highlighted the disparities that exist in Orange County. The hardest hit community in OC has been the City of Santa Ana. The pandemic has highlighted the need for more support of our public health system and safety -net programs in Santa Ana, so that they have the infrastructure to respond to any future and likely pandemics. While the Hispanic community represents 35 percent of the County population, they represented 47 percent of COVID-19 cases and 38 percent of COVID deaths. For every dollar of median household income of Orange County's White population, there is 73 cents for Latino Americans. The higher proportion of deaths and cases in Santa Ana called out the vulnerability of our low wage essential workers, the overcrowded housing conditions that exist and the lack of affordable housing for low-income families in Santa Ana. The American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) of 2021 recently passed by the U.S. Congress and signed by President Joseph R. Biden presents a one-time opportunity to ensure that Santa Ana residents will be able to recover from the impact of the recent pandemic and put residents in a stronger position when future pandemics occur. It also presents an opportunity for transformation, rather than return to the status quo. The Kennedy Commission requests that the Santa Ana City Council make a significant investment to help facilitate and increase affordable housing for Santa Ana's low-income families. We would like the Council to consider the following principles when allocating ARPA funding: Invest significant ARPA funding to accelerate the development of affordable housing developments to decrease overcrowding and increase affordable housing options. Use equity to guide decision making ensuring that those most impacted by the will have the underlying issues addressed and close inequity gaps for low-income residents. Leverage state, county and local funding in ARPA to have a greater impact. The ARPA provides Sanat Ana residents the opportunity to come out of the pandemic more resilient, more equitable and better prepared to deal with future pandemics. We encourage that the City invest ARPA funds to increase affordable housing for Santa Ana residents. Sincerely, Cesar Covarrubias Executive Director