Correspondence - #21 - Laserfiche WebLink

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Orozco, Norma From: Maria Ceja < Sent: Tuesday, August 29, 2023 12:06 PM To: eComment Subject: Item 21 Dear Mayor and City Council, I am in support of Item 421. Having a supermajority is needed to decide the fate and preserve such an important and historic policy that benefits the majority of Santa Ana residents. Santa Ana residents have been in support of and advocated for Rent stabilization and just cause protections for years, demonstrating the need for these protections to stay in place permanently. As you may already be aware, rents keep going up all over the state while wages remain stagnant, not being enough to afford market -rate and affordable -rate housing. This also increases the chance of overcrowding due to not one family making enough to afford their own home. The max 3 percent rent cap should NEVER be increased; all in all, the City of Santa Ana is a working-class City. Many residents are living paycheck to paycheck. This is the reality of our community. Rent stabilization and just cause protections have so many benefits, including: 1. It increases Santa Ana tenants' overall wellbeing 2. It promotes economic stability for renter households since they won't be sacrificing their needs to remain housed in the face of an insurmountable rent hike. 3. preserve naturally occurring and existing affordable housing options 4. offers immediate relief to rising housing costs and the dangers of being evicted 5. prevents unjust evictions 6. Holds harmful landlords accountable These are just a few reasons as to why rent stabilization and just cause protections work and are needed in our community. In order to afford a 2-bedroom apartment, a Santa Ana household has to make a minimum of $41.15, according to the National Low Income Housing Coalition. What does that mean for a single parent making minimum wage facing a rent increase they can't afford? Santaneros want to remain in their community and thrive, not be priced out and forced to relocate somewhere else just because it's more "affordable". The cost of being displaced because you can't afford to live in the City that raised you is on the City itself. We have to always remember and prioritize that it is Santaneros that make Santa Ana so special. We also CAN NOT ignore that we are experiencing a silent and ignored COVID wave that is signaling the need to consider those who are most vulnerable to being susceptible to contracting COVID-19 and frontline workers; many of Orange County's frontline workers live in Santa Ana, the majority being renters. Santa Ana is a majority renter city. This ordinance protects those most vulnerable to unreachable rent hikes and unjust evictions. Please protect Rent Stabilization and Just Cause protections by doing your due diligence to the majority of your constituents. Thank you for your time. Sincerely, Maria Ceja Born and Raised Santanera