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identified as Mark Flores (or Torres), who stated that he was calling on behalf of Mr. Venegas- Castorena. During that call, Mr. Higareda was told that he should stop harassing Ms. Brenda Castellanos because she was paying her rent. When Mr. Higareda asked for clarification regarding the details of the complaint that was allegedly submitted, he was told that the information was confidential, and the call was abruptly ended. Despite multiple attempts and voicemails to follow up, Mr. Higareda never received another call. At no time during that interaction was mediation offered. Based on how the call was presented, it felt less like a neutral outreach from the City and more like a message being delivered on behalf of Mr. Venegas-Castorena. Additionally, on February 24, Mr. Higareda attended an in-person appointment at your office. However, he was informed that you were unavailable and was instead directed to speak with an individual named Saul. During this interaction, Saul referred to Mr. Higareda as "Pepe," which is not a name my father-in-law uses nor how he identifies himself. Given the seriousness of the matter, this level of informality was unexpected. During that conversation, Mr. Higareda attempted to explain the situation and the concerns our family has experienced with Mr. Venegas-Castorena. Saul indicated that it would essentially be our word against the landlord's and stated that even if we submitted a tenant petition or testimony, it would be like "writing on ice"—implying that the matter would ultimately go nowhere. He further suggested that the best course of action would simply be for us to move out rather than attempt to pursue the issue if we were so "unhappy". Experiences like these have unfortunately caused our family to lose confidence in the process. Each time we have attempted to seek help, we have left feeling discouraged rather than supported. Our intention in reaching out has always been to understand our rights and seek guidance, not to create conflict. I would also like to advise everyone included in this email that there is a significant amount of additional information related to this matter that could not reasonably be included in our written testimony. Nevertheless, we are fully prepared to provide any documentation, evidence, or clarification that may assist your offices in understanding the full scope of what has occurred. Currently, Mr. Venegas Castorena is refusing to accept our rent. We sincerely hope that someone within the City will review this matter carefully. From our perspective, this situation involves a landlord who has repeatedly taken advantage of our rights as tenants and who may be attempting to operate outside the intent and protections established by the City of Santa Ana's housing ordinances. We remain willing to cooperate fully and provide any additional information that may be requested. On Sunday, March 8, 2026 at 07:48:54 PM PDT, Fair Housing Council of Orange County <info@fairhousingoc.org> wrote: Good afternoon, Thank you for reaching out to our agency, Your information was forwarded to our HUD Housing Cert 2