Correspondence - #33 - Laserfiche WebLink

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Indeed, passing our ordinance is necessary. Although California businesses have moved forward with opening, we must consider that many community members continue to suffer from the consequences of the pandemic due to the tragic loss of their loved ones, overwhelming medical bills, as well as the significant reduction in work hours and job layoffs. Implementing tenant protections would provide immediate relief to our city's most economically vulnerable populations including: single mothers, essential workers earning minimum wage, elders living on a fixed income, and thousands of K-12 students in our district. hi the last year, the Santa Ana Unified School District had over 5,717 students participate in the McKinney-Vento program, which provides assistance to children and youth experiencing houselessness. At the same time, rent stabilization would benefit not only tenants who live in covered units, but all who live in Santa Ana. This is because with predatory rent hikes, the cost of living throughout the city increases faster than residents can keep up with. Furthermore, any resident displacement allows for displacement of families who have called Santa Ana home for many years, fragmenting the culture of the city. Our ordinance also protects residents of Santa Ana where AB 1482 falls short. For example, our ordinance would extend rent stabilization to the 23 mobile home parks in Santa Ana, currently exempt from AB 1482 protections. Santa Ana residents who live in mobile homes are largely Vietnamese and Latinx immigrants as well as lower -income, senior citizens, who are on a fixed - income. Mobile home residents also comprise multi -generational families and long-term residents of Santa Ana who will be able to remain in Santa Ana as a result of passing our ordinance. The Mobile home Parks in the City of Santa Ana are currently experiencing drastic increases in rent. For example, there are 34 spaces at Bali Hi Mobile Home Lodge (Bali Hi), an age restricted 55+ park, where Mobile homeowners and Residents experienced a 15.5%-34.5% increase in the monthly rent effective June 1, 2019. This spike in rent is an increase more than $200 per month for some Mobile homeowners and Residents. Another 105 spaces received a rent increase of up to 12%, posing a significant impact for low-income residents on a fixed income. A representative of the Bali Hi Park owner stated the owners were very unlikely to halt any further rent increases and if the residents couldn't afford the rent increases, they could leave. Our ordinance provides rent stabilization for mobile homeowners renting space in the park, as well as just cause eviction protections for tenants living in rented mobile homes. More than 100 local jurisdictions have enacted mobile home rent control ordinances in California in an effort to preserve an important source of affordable housing. Also, our ordinance would add protections for all mobile home residents if the park were to be redeveloped. AB 1482 likewise fails to incorporate language accessibility. Santa Ana is a city of immigrants -- our ordinance requires landlords to provide important communication such as contracts and official notices in the language of the tenant. AB 1482 lacks an accessible process for enforcement. Our ordinance would create a rent board which would help enforce the ordinance. Residents would be able to voice their concerns, which