Emergency Council Meeting Tonight: Update from Council Member Lucas Ramirez
Dear Friends,
On Friday, March 27, at 6:30pm, the Mountain View City Council will discuss two important items in an emergency meeting. The agenda is available here and is summarized later in this newsletter:
- Update and Recommendations to Address the COVID-19 Emergency
- Consideration of an Urgency Ordinance Temporarily Suspending Evictions for Nonpayment of Rent by Residential Tenants Impacted by COVID-19
This meeting will be broadcast live at mountainview.legistar.com, on YouTube at MountainView.gov/YouTube, and on Comcast Channel 26. There will be no physical meeting location; all members of the Council will participate by video conference.
Members of the public are strongly encouraged to submit public comment in advance of the meeting to city.council@mountainview.gov. For those unable to send email, please call 650-903-6436 and leave your comments in a voice mail message before 5:30pm on March 27. Please identify the Agenda Item number in the subject line of your email or at the beginning of the voice mail message.
Emails received before 5:30pm on March 27 will be forwarded to the Council. Emails received after 5:30pm and prior to the Mayor announcing that public comment is closed for each item will be read into the record by the City Clerk at the meeting (up to 3 minutes, at the discretion of the Mayor).
Finally, please review the COVID-19 Information and Resources page on my website. It includes many resources for everyone impacted by the pandemic. If there is any specific information that would be helpful to you, please email me at lucas@ramirezforcouncil.com or reply to this email. Also, if you are aware of any resources, please feel free to add them directly to my website by submitting a pull request through GitHub.
|
Follow the City of Mountain View for more up to date information relating to COVID-19.
|
|
March 27 Emergency Meeting Agenda
|
|
|
Item 4.1 #TogetherMV - Update and Recommendations on Rent Relief Program, Small Business Assistance Program, Safe Parking, Utility Bill Assistance, and Other Community Support Efforts to Address the COVID-19 Emergency
Item 4.1 is a comprehensive update regarding the significant work the City, the County, CSA, and other community partners have done to respond to the pandemic. Here is a summary of several of these efforts, as well as staff recommendations to the Council for additional action and funding.
Small Business Support
Staff reports that, to date, $400,000 in private donations have been pledged to a Small Business Relief Fund that City staff is working with the Los Altos Community Foundation (LACF) to establish and administer. Staff recommends that the City appropriate up to $400,000 to support small business relief efforts.
Support for Homeless and Unstably Housed Residents
City staff in collaboration with the County and several community partners have taken a number of important steps to provide access to sanitation and other basic needs to homeless and unstably housed residents in Mountain View. This includes opening the Rengstorff Park restrooms located adjacent to Rengstorff Pool and providing portable sanitary facilities at other strategic locations.
Click here for a summary of the efforts of the County and the continuum of care network in response to the pandemic. A summary of resources available for homeless and unstably housed residents can be found here.
Staff recommends that the Council take the following actions to provide support for homeless and unstably housed residents:
- Appropriate $50,000 to fund the recently implemented restrooms and hand washing stations and the proposed expansion of mobile shower, washer and dryer services through the end of the fiscal year.
- Approve an expansion of the City’s partnership with the County to operate 24/7 safe parking programs at the Evelyn lot (former VTA Light Rail park & ride) and Terra Bella lot (owned by Palo Alto Housing, to be developed into affordable housing) and appropriate $100,000 as a City match to County funding to support these services through the end of the fiscal year.
- Execute a contract with the County Public Heath - Valley Homeless Healthcare Program for the use of City Downtown Parking - Lot 7, adjacent to Hope’s Corner, during the COVID-19 crisis one day per week from 7:00 to 11:00 AM to provide mobile medical services.
- Appropriate $50,000 to support a grocery/food voucher program, managed by CSA, that would assist clients in need of food services who meet certain income requirements and are enrolled in CSA client services and/or safe parking, through the end of the fiscal year. The program would provide gift cards in the amount of $25 per week (to be used for food only) to assist up to 100 clients.
Utility Bill Assistance
The staff report indicates that, “for the duration of the emergency, and for a period of time thereafter, the City will not shut off water or garbage service for non-payment of utility bills. The City will also waive penalties and interest on late payments during this time period.”
Staff recommends that the Council appropriate up to $100,000 to create a utility bill relief program for those in the community that are hardest hit financially by the COVID-19 impacts. This program would “provide additional time to make payments and/or financial assistance for those customers that can demonstrate their inability to pay their utility bill and otherwise meet specified eligibility criteria.”
Rent Relief
As described in the staff report: on March 17, 2020, the Council approved a $500,000 emergency rent relief program for residential tenants in Mountain View who are unable to pay their rent due to COVID-19 related impacts. This program would be in addition to the Rental Assistance Program (RAP) that CSA already administers for the City. The key program components for the COVID-19 rent relief program (C-19 RRP) are as follows:
- Must meet one of the COVID-19 related impacts including the loss of employment, reduced employment/wages, increased medical costs, and increased childcare costs.
- Households earning up to 120% of area median income are eligible (approximately $110,000 for a 1-person household and $158,000 for a 4-person household).
- Up to 2 months assistance, with flexibility to extend based on need and/or funding availability.
- $3,000 maximum per month.
- Flexibility to respond to client needs, including intaking and evaluating nontraditional or unique living situations or difficult to document circumstances.
More information from CSA regarding this program below.
Finally, the staff report includes important and helpful information regarding Mortgage Relief, Child care for essential workers (first responders and medical workers), and Senior Meals. It also includes several updates on state and federal legislative measures to address COVID-19 impacts on the community. These include:
- Financial assistance related to job or income loss
- Extension of the deadline for filing California and federal tax returns to July 15
- Extension of enrollment in Covered California through June 30th
- Information regarding relief for people with student loans
|
|
5.1 Urgency Ordinance Temporarily Suspending Evictions for Nonpayment of Rent by Residential Tenants Impacted by COVID-19
On March 24, 2020, the Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors adopted an urgency ordinance prohibiting residential and commercial evictions arising from substantial income loss or medical expenses related to the COVID-19 pandemic. The County ordinance allows cities to enact their own ordinances. To the extent a city ordinance is more protective of tenants, the city ordinance governs; and to the extent a city ordinance is silent on an area of regulation (commercial tenancies, for example), the County ordinance governs.
Staff recommends that the Council adopt an urgency ordinance temporarily suspending residential evictions for nonpayment of rent due to economic impacts of COVID-19. The City ordinance differs from the County ordinance in three ways:
- The City ordinance specifically includes tenancies for mobile homes and mobile home lots. (The County ordinance uses the definition “dwelling unit,” which does not cover mobile home spaces.)
- The City ordinance provides a more protective, longer tenant repayment period than the County’s 120-day period. The proposed ordinance allows Council to determine a longer period, such as 180 days.
- The City ordinance includes local mediation and enforcement mechanisms. Specifically, it contains provisions that the City’s existing mediation program may be utilized to facilitate tenant-landlord relations. This is a free and voluntary mediation program. Either tenants or landlords can initiate the services of the program, and it could be used, for example, to help parties develop a repayment plan, resolve disputes, etc. The City ordinance also states that violations will be prosecuted in accordance with the Mountain View City Code’s code enforcement and administrative penalties provisions, which consist of civil penalties and fines (this aspect of enforcement is similar to the County ordinance, which subjects violators to the County’s administrative penalty provisions).
The County ordinance’s commercial tenant protection provisions would still extend to commercial tenants in the City. |
|
Countywide Moratorium on Residential and Commercial Evictions
|
|
|
As indicated in the staff report for Item 5.1 (above), the Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors adopted a countywide moratorium on both residential and commercial evictions. This applies to each city in the County, as well as to unincorporated areas in the County.
Main provisions of the Ordinance include the following:
- Protects tenancies for residential “dwelling units” (but does not apply to mobile home rental lots as those are not considered dwelling units) and all commercial tenancies from eviction for failure to pay rent due and prohibits no-fault eviction if the tenant has suffered a financial loss from COVID-19.
- Extends tenant protections through May 31, 2020, the same duration of the Governor’s Order.
- Requires tenants to demonstrate COVID-19-related losses with documentation.
- Requires landlords who serve notices of termination to include a notice of Tenant’s rights under the ordinance and notice of emergency rental assistance programs.
- Allows tenants to assert the ordinance as an affirmative defense in an unlawful detainer action.
- Prohibits landlords from charging a late fee for rent delayed during the duration of the ordinance and for a period of 120 days thereafter.
- Requires tenants to repay all past due rent within 120 days from May 31, 2020.
- Subjects landlords who violate the ordinance to civil fines and penalties imposed by the County
More information regarding the Ordinance here.
The County will be providing more information, including a set of frequently asked questions (FAQ), soon. I will post this on my website, so check back periodically. |
|
City of Mountain View Rent Relief Program
|
|
|
For rental assistance, please call 650.968.0836 and leave a voicemail or email RentHelp@csacares.org. Please state your name and number and indicate that you need rental assistance. A Community Services Agency (CSA) staff member will return your call within 72 business hours.
A CSA staff member will conduct a telephone screening to determine your eligibility and how to best financially assist you.
Rental Assistance Program through City of Mountain View Grant
- Mountain View residents only (multiple months)
- Proof of Mountain View Residency
- Up to 120% AMI households
- Proof of income (paystubs, bank statement, letter from employer)
- Proof of loss of income (after 3/17/2020)
The rent relief package offered by the City of Mountain View is now active and ready for renters in need. To apply, either call our mainline at 650-968-0836 or email RentHelp@csacares.org. Please leave your name and phone number and a Case Manager will call you within 72 hours to assist you.
If the caller meets all City of Mountain View requirements, they can pick up a rental assistance packet outside of CSA, 204 Stierlin Rd. Mountain View, CA 94043. M-F during business hours, 9:00a-4:00p. The individual must submit all paperwork via email/text to the assigned CSA staff member, so their rental assistance request can be processed through CSA.
Please call CSA at 650.968.0836 or email RentHelp@csacares.org for a rental screening. CSA may be able to provide financial assistance through other funding sources.
Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors approved a temporary COVID-19 Temporary Moratorium on Evictions, on Tuesday, 03.24.2020 until 05.31.2020. If you need a legal referral for tenants and/or have any additional questions or concerns about rental assistance, please call Eonis Cibrian Pelayo, Community and Public Relations Coordinator, at 650.669.9551 or email ecibrianpelayo@csacares.org.
They are experiencing a high volume of calls and emails. Please be patient with CSA staff - they will get back to you.
View flyer in English or Spanish. |
|
The Tentative Agenda List is published here.
Staff publishes updates periodically, so be sure to check back every couple of months or so.
Council agendas are required to be published at least 72 hours before the meeting and can be found here. You can also be notified when the agenda has been published by subscribing to My Mountain View (MyMV). |
|
