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May 5, 2020
Dear SLO City Council Members,
Please write a letter to Governor Gavin Newsom or pass a Resolution to enact a comprehensive Rent and Mortgage Relief Program immediately. Under our current conditions, we need a comprehensive
approach that meets the needs of renters, mortgage holders, and small business owners alike. We are not asking for a one size fits all approach such as rent cancellation, but urge
you to contact the Governor to enact an emergency order to address these issues holistically and immediately. Waiting for the legislation that the California Apartment Association recommends
does not address the crisis many are already facing, and many more will face on May 1st. The plan outlined below has been vetted by the Western Center on Law and Poverty and meets constitutional
tests.
Please urge Governor Newsom, California state legislators, and our U.S. Senators and Representatives to enact comprehensive legislation to protect all residents, tenants, homeowners,
and small businesses from the adverse health, safety, and economic impacts of this coronavirus pandemic. This includes, but is not limited to, the following:
● Creation of emergency direct assistance programs for rent and mortgage payments and other housing-related expenses such as utilities, property taxes, and insurance;
● Requiring banks and financial institutions to suspend rent and mortgage collections;
● Creation of emergency grant programs to small businesses and nonprofits; and
● Creation of emergency programs that provide homes and expanded services for people experiencing homelessness.
Please encourage Governor Newsom, California state legislators, and our U.S. Senators and Representatives to demand that banks and other financial institutions suspend mortgage payments,
foreclosures, and late fees for low-income homeowners and landlords, with immediate forgiveness, and to provide zero-interest emergency unsecured loans and grants to small businesses
and non-profits that are unable to meet rent,
mortgage, or other fixed operating costs. Finally, credit rating agencies must be prohibited from downgrading ratings based on inability to pay bills during the pandemic.
Thank you.
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