Correspondence - #33 - Laserfiche WebLink

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Orozco, Norma From: Maria Rosa-Ibarra <mrilopez@ufcw324.org> Sent: Tuesday, September 21, 2021 2:06 PM To: eComment Subject: Item 33 My name is Maria Rosa Lopez and 1 am a union representative and organizer with UFCW 324, a union that represents grocery stores workers, retail pharmacy, healthcare, Disney workers, and cannabis workers here in the City of Santa Ana I'm also a resident of the City of Santa Ana since 1990, who has worked with the community through Hemandad Mexicana and UFCW 324. I'm writing today in support Item #33 on today's agenda, including the adoption of an emergency ordinance for Rent Stabilization, Just Cause Eviction and Eviction Defense Fund. As a union representative and organizer, we help workers navigate the challenges in their workplaces. However, often times those challenges are interconnected with the challenges they are facing at home. The majority of our members are renters, and many of them live in Santa Ana. Too often, when I meet with workers I hear about their experiences facing rising rents. Too often, our members are being forced to move to the Inland Empire and face commutes of more than an hour to be able to afford housing. These challenges have only been exacerbated by COVID 19. Although our grocery store members have been busier at work than ever, many of their spouses and loved ones faced layoffs during the last year. The unfortunate reality is that for working families, most need two incomes to afford rent in Orange County. Additionally, thousands of our members in Disneyland were out of work for more than a year and are just beginning to return to work in the last few months. As rental protections at the Federal and State level expire, it is essential that the City take these immediate steps to protect tenants from an incoming wave of evictions. These common sense reforms to Santa Ana housing law will help make sure that our members and my neighbors in Santa Ana will be able to afford to stay and raise their families here in the City as I have. On behalf of my union and on behalf of our members and on behalf of Hermandad Mexicana I want to urge all of you to take the bold step necessary to protect working families in Santa Ana and pass the urgency ordinances for Rent Stabilization and Just Cause Eviction today. Get Outlook for iOS 14