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UCI Community Resilience <br />Santa Ana City Council <br />20 Civic Center Plaza <br />P.O. Box 1988, M31 <br />Santa Ana, CA 92701 <br />September 17, 2019 <br />RE: Administrative Matter 60A: In support of the recommended action to Authorize the <br />City Manager to execute a Second Exclusive Negotiation Agreement with THRIVE <br />Santa Ana, Inc. <br />Dear Mayor Pulido and the Santa Ana City Council: <br />Greetings. My name is Abby Reyes. I am the director of the Community Resilience Projects within the <br />University of California Irvine (UCI) Provost's Office of Sustainability. I am a member of the California <br />Bar, a partner in the National Association of Climate Resilience Planners, and I teach about Law and <br />Social Movements at the UCI School of Law. <br />I support the request for council action to authorize the City Manager to execute a Second Exclusive <br />Negotiation Agreement with THRIVE Santa Ana. At the UCI Community Resilience Projects, we foster <br />community -driven solutions to promote environmental and climate resilience. Efforts to re -localize food <br />production, increase accessible and useable green space, and support community ownership and wealth <br />generation represent cutting edge and vital strategies to address the many interlocking community <br />development issues that our communities face. We recognize THRIVE Santa Ana as a leader both locally <br />and nationally in community -driven innovations of this kind. At UC Irvine, we rely on our collaborations <br />with various THRIVE members to teach our undergraduate and graduate students through hands-on <br />learning about what becomes possible when a community is organized to locally create and build <br />momentum for the kinds of community benefits that THRIVE Santa Ana pursues. THRIVE has <br />demonstrated that it has the capacity, relationships, and know-how to accomplish their aims at the <br />Walnut and Daisy parcel. What we know from other municipal contexts nationwide is that to do this <br />work well, it takes time. In this context, I implore the council to authorize the execution of the Second <br />Exclusive Negotiation Agreement. <br />Thank you for your consideration. Please don't hesitate to be in touch if I can expand on this comment <br />further. I can be reached at the below phone number and abigail.reyes@uci.edu. I would be happy to <br />engage. <br />Sincerely, <br />M <br />il Abiga <br />Director <br />c/o UCI School of Law 401 East Peltason Drive, Suite 1000, Irvine, CA 92697-8000 (949) 824-2489 <br />Ocommunityresilience.uci.edu <br />