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February 17, 2026 Mayor Valerie Amezcua Santa Ana City Council Santa Ana City Hall 20 Civic Center Plaza Santa Ana, CA 92701 RE:Item 17 Public Hearing - Purchase and Sale Agreement for 1901 W. Walnut Street To The Honorable Mayor Amezcua and Members of the City Council, The Kennedy Commission (the Commission) is a broad-based coalition of residents and community organizations advocating for the production of homes affordable for families earning less than $30,000 annually in Orange County. Since 2001, we have successfully partnered with jurisdictions across the county to create housing and land-use policies that increase affordable housing opportunities for lower-income working families. La Colmena is a result of deep community engagement over the past decade, and we have witnessed the many benefits it has brought to the City of Santa Ana to date. The community land trust model of THRIVE Santa Ana empowers impacted communities to be part of the decisions of land use and development, addressing community needs and sustaining public benefit. We therefore steadfastly support the City in making La Colmena the first CLT-owned asset in Santa Ana. This proposed sale would result in a highly positive fiscal and community impact for Santa Ana. The City would generate $852,000 in unrestricted revenue deposited directly into the General Fund. La Colmena has already demonstrated its value by transforming a long-vacant and blighted property into a vibrant community hub that enhances neighborhood safety, economic activity, and quality of life. Since opening, the project has generated at least five permanent, full-time jobs and more than ten temporary jobs, in addition to over thirty jobs created during the construction phase. It has created commercial space beyond the permanent food and retail businesses through open air markets that serve as an entryway for entrepreneurs and small businesses. La Colmena supports workforce development through partnerships that provide training and capacity building for workers, and asset-creation through worker-ownership. Furthermore, La Colmena supports localized supply chains for food that is produced locally, reducing carbon footprint in transport, and creating sales opportunities for local farmers through a Consumer Supported Agriculture platform. Across the country, more than 300 CLTs empower communities to collectively own and steward land, ensuring long-term access to affordable commercial spaces, housing, urban agriculture, and open space. As THRIVE advances additional projects in the coming years, the acquisition of La Colmena will represent a foundational step in establishing the CLT model in Santa Ana. We respectfully urge you to approve the Purchase and Sale Agreement of La Colmena, with economic subsidy, to become a permanent community asset for the residents of Santa Ana. Sincerely, 1