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CRIME SURVIVORS (20-w uhct� CeA&A, AWARENESS I PREVENTION I ADVOCACY I HEALING September 19, 2021 Mayor and City Council City of Santa Ana 20 Civic Center Plaza Santa Ana, CA 92701 Re: Concerns Regarding Item 33 Just Cause Ordinance — OPPOSE Unless Amended Honorable Mayor Sanniento and Members of the City Council: On behalf of Crime Survivors, I would like to express my concerns about specific provisions of the "Just Cause" ordinance being proposed in Item 33. While Crime Survivors believes the ordinance to be well- intentioned, Crime Survivors is concerned that the proposed just cause ordinance may introduce greater harm to victims and witnesses of crime. Crime Survivors is "opposed unless amended" to the ordinance in its current form and we would encourage you to conduct community and stakeholder outreach prior to City Council considering the item. By making it more difficult to evict tenants who engage in criminal activity, the proposed ordinance prioritizes the interests of those engaging in and encouraging criminal activity over the interests of victims, survivors, and witnesses. The proposed ordinance deprives crime victims of the ability to feel safe and secure in their homes. For example, the ordinance only allows for the eviction of that tenant who committed the criminal activity, while remaining members of that household are permitted to remain in place. This means the remaining household members can continue to host the offending tenant as a visitor and guest, leaving the victim of the crime no recourse but to continue to encounter the offending tenant. The most concerning provision of the proposed just cause ordinance allows tenants evicted for criminal activity a right to return in the event they are acquitted of the crime or if the district attorney fails to file charges within the applicable statute of limitations. As you may know, an acquittal or decision not to bring charges may be entirely unrelated to the crime itself. This puts victims in an untenable position of potentially waiting years to know whether they will be forced to live alongside the offending tenant. This provision provides a strong disincentive for victims and witnesses to cooperate with their landlords and law enforcement to remove problematic tenants, as victims may end up more danger by testifying against the offending tenant at the eviction hearing. For example, a tenant who is an innocent bystander injured by gang violence is much more likely to move out of their own home, rather than risk testifying against the perpetrator when they know that person would have a right of return. In such a case, the victim has already been failed by the criminal justice system. To require that person choose either to move or to live beside their perpetrator quite literally adds insult to injury. Crime Survivors encourages Santa Ana City Council to take the necessary time to reevaluate the proposed just cause ordinance and not rush its approval. Approval today would have near -term consequences for survivors of domestic violence, elderly abuse, and other crimes. Sincerely, Patricia Wenskunas Founder/CEO, Crime Survivors Crime Survivors, Inc. P.O. Box 54552 • Irvine, CA 926194552 Office: (844) 853-HOPE • Cell: (949) 872-7895 • Fax: (775) 2454798 Email: info@crimesurvivors.org • w .crimesmvivors.org