SusanaBarrios
From: JulianGutierrez <[email protected]>
Sent: Monday, October23, 20232:09PM
To: PublicComment
Cc: CesarC
Subject:\[ EXTERNAL\] PublicCommentonAgendaItem2
Attachments: CityofAnaheimAgendaItem2PublicCommentLetter.pdf Warning: ThisemailoriginatedfromoutsidetheCityofAnaheim. Donotclicklinksoropenattachmentsunlessyou recognizethesenderandareexpectingthemessage.
GoodAfternoon,
MynameisJulianSebastianGutierrez, aPolicyAnalystwiththeKennedyCommission. Wethankyoufortheopportunity tocommentonAgendaItem2andourcommentswillbeattachedtothebottomofthisemail.
Thankyouandhaveagreatday,
JulianSebastianGutierrez
JulianSebastianGutierrez (He/Him)
PolicyAnalyst - KennedyCommission
1 August 23, 2023
City of Anaheim City Council
200 S Anaheim Blvd.
Anaheim, California 92805
RE: Public Comments to Agenda Item 2 regarding the City of Anaheim’ s Pledge of$ 2 Million in Low and Moderate Income Housing Asset Funds dated August 2023 To The Honorable Members of City Council:
The Kennedy Commission (the Commission) is a broad-basedcoalition of residentsand community organizations that advocates for the production of homes affordable for families earning less than $ 30,000 annually in Orange County. Formed in 2001, the Commission has been successful in partnering and working with Orange County jurisdictions to create effective housing and land- use policies that have led to the new construction of homes affordable to lower-income working families.
Thank you for the opportunity to review and comment on Agenda Item 2 regarding the City of Anaheim’s proposedresolution for the City’s plan to implement the funds from the PRO Housing Grant.
PRO Housing Grant
The U. S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’ s PRO Housing Grant Program is a 85 million grant intended towards removing barriers to affordable housing by addressing outdated zoning, policies, and regulations, gapsin resourcesfor development, infrastructural issues,lack of amenities, and expiring affordability requirements.
We believe that the city’s plan for the grant aswell asthe goals set would be impactful in the City’ s efforts to achieve Anaheim' s RHNA score and ensure homes that are affordable to Anaheim’ s low and moderate income residents. The Commission also supports the creation of the Anaheim Housing Trust as a means to bolster the availability of funds to promote affordable housing, but have some doubts regarding the establishment of the City Livability Lab. In the wake of the Anaheim Corruption Scandal,the city should implement a system to review and audit the Lab so that the funds are not mismanagedor misdirected from their original goal similarly to what happenedwith Visit Anaheim.
There is a potential to effectively produce and preserve affordable housing in the City of Anaheim from the PRO Housing Grant, as long as funds are not misappropriated or abused. We therefore endorse the city’s plan for the PRO Housing Grant’s funds and the pledge of 2,000,000 to match it, but strongly recommenda systemto review and audit the useof funds from the grant. We encouragethat the city takesstepsto develop incentives and programs for affordable housing and both the pledge and the City’s plan to implement the funds from the PRO Housing Grant are the exact stepsin the right direction.
We look forward to working with the City of Anaheim to encourage effective housing policies that will help createbalancedhousing development and createmuch-neededaffordable housing in our local communities. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me at (949) 250-0909 or [email protected].
Sincerely,
CesarCovarrubias
Executive Director