Correspondence - #21 - Laserfiche WebLink

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JOCCORD strong voice for a fair economy August 28, 2023 Mayor Amezcua and City Councilmembers 20 Civic Center Plaza Santa Ana, CA 92701 ecommentg,Santa-ana. org RE: SUPPORT ITEM 21 - Requirement of Supermajority Approval for Certain Future Amendments to the Rent Stabilization Ordinance and Just Cause Evictions Ordinance Dear Mayor Amezcua and City Councilmembers, I write on behalf of OCCORD to express our support for Item 21, the requirement of supermajority approval of total council members for certain future amendments to the Rent Stabilization Ordinance (RSO) and Just Cause Evictions Ordinance (JCEO). The City of Santa Ana (City) must commit to safeguarding housing stability and the tenant protections that provide it. OCCORD's mission is to build the power of historically marginalized communities in Orange County. Our community organizing team works tirelessly to meet with residents and learn about the struggles they are facing day in and day out; We work to connect residents with their local representatives to address these struggles in a way that adequately meets the needs of the families. Through our work, we have seen just how severely the rising cost of housing and rent has impacted our working-class communities across OC. The passage of Santa Ana's RSO and JCEO in 2021 gave residents hope that their local officials were finally listening to them. We urge you to provide direction to amend the City's RSO and JCEO to require a supermajority approval for certain future amendments. It is necessary that these ordinances are protected as the crucial tools they are to maintain and increase housing stability; and that certain amendments are only made with a supermajority vote. The City's RSO and JCEO policies are the result of decades of community advocacy that included support from community members impacted by housing instability, charitable organizations, faith -based organizations, and more. These efforts must be respected, and providing this direction will do just that. The City must do everything in its power to safeguard these policies and follow the requirement of supermajority approval that is required for other City items such as certain budget actions. Renters make up approximately 55% of City residents, and their stability must be prioritized.