HomeMy WebLinkAboutDarakhsha Siddiqi (Item No. 9) From: noreolvCabaran icusideas.corn
To: Yasuda.Erica;Woodward.Carrie;City Clerk; E-Comments
Subject: New eComment for Regular Meeting of the City Council
Date: Tuesday,October 20,2020 11:18:48 AM
SpeakUp
New eComment for Regular Meeting of the City
Council
Guest User submitted a new eComment.
Meeting: Regular Meeting of the City Council
Item: 9. AUTHORIZE APPEAL OF DRAFT ALLOCATION TO TUSTIN OF REGIONAL
HOUSING NEEDS ASSESSMENT BY THE SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA ASSOCIATION OF
GOVERNMENTS Consider authorizing an appeal to the Southern California Association of
Governments ("SCAG") of Tustin's allocated portion of the draft Regional Housing Needs
Assessment ("RHNA").
eComment: Hello, my name is Darakhsha Siddiqi, and I am a current law student at UCI School
of Law. I am a permanent resident of Orange County, and I care deeply about the County, its
cities, and the people living here. The current pandemic situation has increased the risk of
becoming homeless for many individuals and families in Tustin and in the rest of the County.
People have lost their jobs, families have lost their loved ones, and the pandemic has only
accelerated the need for affordable housing, as rates of homelessness and evictions have
soared. Thus, I find it distressing that Tustin is directing precious resources towards appealing
the RHNA allocation instead of investing those resources in proposing and implementing policies
to increase very low, low, and moderate income housing. In the last cycle the City met less than
half of its RHNA goals for these groups but developed more than double the needed amount of
above moderate housing. This means the City is even further behind than it was planning for the
last cycle with the added challenge of the impact of COVID-19 on an already dire situation. The
City's Planning Commission has canceled 9 out of the 13 meetings it had scheduled since March
10, 2020. As the City is discussing its Housing Elements, it is imperative that the Planning
Commission regularly hold its meetings to allow the public to keep informed and provide input. In
this difficult time, Tustin must take all steps necessary to protect and care for its residents, and
that includes homeless people. As of 2018, nearly 400 children in Tustin schools were homeless
and surely the number is higher now. Based on the Point in Time Count the homeless
community of Tustin has a significant number of seniors. This council must take action to serve
those groups, ensure the planning commission is meeting, and focus resources on solutions
over baseless appeals. With action now, this city can alleviate and prevent homelessness. Thank
you for your time.
View and Analyze eComments
This email was sent from https://aranicusideas.com
Unsubscribe from future mailings