The City's affordability crisis has been exacerbated by the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. Many renters in the City are now suffering from a loss of income, making it more difficult to pay their rent. If a renter is unable to make their payment, there is a potential for a snowball effect, especially for "Mom and Pop" property owners who may then struggle to make mortgage payments and/or complete routine maintenance of their property.
The City has responded with several emergency measures to ensure that renters impacted by the pandemic are able to stay in their homes, but renters aren't the only ones that need assistance during this time. Last week I introduced a motion to allocate $100,000 from our district’s redevelopment funds to assist qualified low-income renters in CD12 by subsidizing their rent and making payments directly to landlords so we can slow the economic hemorrhaging and begin the path to economic recovery. There are many struggling because of this pandemic, and our policy solutions should address the needs of all segments of our society, and not benefit some to the exclusion of others. Information about