HomeMy WebLinkAboutCORRESPONDENCE - NON AGENDAOrozco, Norma
From:
Yoselinda Mendoza <yoselinda.mendoza@gmail.com>
Sent:
Tuesday, May 19, 2020 4:02 PM
To:
eComment
Subject:
NonAgenda Public Comment --Extend eviction moratorium and rent freeze
Dear Mayor and City Council,
I hope this email finds you all well. Thank you for responding to the immediate needs of the community, by
ensuring to enact an eviction moratorium and keeping the rent freeze for our residents in Santa Ana. These
protections are super important in prioritizing the immediate needs of the community here in Santa Ana, which is
keeping our community safe, housed, and providing some relief from financial insecurity. I am emailing you to take
the next steps in ensuring we maintain these very same priorities.
Many of my loved ones have experienced significant reduced hours of work and some have lost their jobs. Given
the history of the state in failing to provide support to communities of color and other marginalized communities,
this pandemic has left most of them with exacerbated financial precarity. I am calling on you all to take action now.
As an elected official bythe people, I hope you act for the people once more. I ask that you:1) expand the
eviction moratorium to June 30th, 2) define and extend the rent freeze that is compliant with Costa
Hawkins and has a 6-month time period after the Governor's emergency orders are lifted, and to establish
3) a tenant's right to sue their landlord for violating their protections during COVID-19.
Extending the eviction moratorium would coincide with the June 30th moratorium on foreclosures put in place by
Freddie Mac, Fannie Mae, and Federal Housing Administration. And we've seen this happen in neighboring cities
Eke Anaheim, demonstrating that this is possible here in Santa Ana! Further, extending the rent freeze is super
important; it is ridiculous to have tenants experience rent increases while they are struggling to catch up on rent.
Extending the rent freeze, that is also compliant to Costa Hawkins, is possible because yet again we've seen this
happen in places like Oakland. Finally, there should be a clear accountability structure that penalizes landlords if
theyfail to complywith the protections put in place for tenants. LA has done something similar where if a landlord
if found to be illegally evicting someone, they are given a fine. We should have this also here in Santa Ana.
Thank you for reading.
Best,
Yosi Mendoza