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AHA - 2025/09/09ANAHEIM HOUSING AUTHORITY REGULAR MEETING OF SEPTEMBER 9, 2025 The Anaheim Housing Authority regular meeting of September 9, 2025 was called to order at 5:58 P.M. in the Council Chamber of Anaheim City Hall located at 200 S. Anaheim Blvd., in joint session with the Anaheim City Council. The meeting notice, agenda, and related materials were duly posted on September 4, 2025, with a revised agenda posted on September 5, 2025. MEMBERS PRESENT: MEMBERS ABSENT: STAFF PRESENT: Chairperson Ashleigh E. Aitken and Authority Members Natalie Meeks, Ryan Balius, Natalie Rubalcava, Norma Campos Kurtz, and Kristen M. Maahs. Authority Member Carlos A. Leon City Manager Jim Vanderpool, City Attorney Robert Fabela, and Secretary Theresa Bass ADDITIONS/DELETIONS TO THE AGENDAS: No additions/deletions related to the Anaheim Housing Authority agenda. PUBLIC COMMENTS (all agenda items): R. Joshua Collins expressed concern about the lack of affordable housing available. He shared that the City caters to visitors and corporations over residents. He explained that the City Council's priority should be increasing affordable health care, affordable housing, and job opportunities. No electronic public comments were received related to the Housing Authority agenda. COUNCIL COMMUNICATIONS: Chairperson/Mayor Aitken highlighted and shared photographs of events she attended and thanked the Community Services Department, Anaheim Ducks, and the KABOOM! organization for revitalizing Maxwell Park in District 1. Chairperson/Mayor Aitken stated that she, Authority Member/Council Member Maahs, and Authority Member/Council Member Balius got their Vitamin D out in the sunshine and burned calories. The park was designed with input of the school and neighborhood kids, ensuring it will be enjoyed by future generations that are going to play in this park. Chairperson/Mayor Aitken attended the topping off ceremony for The Weave office building at OCVIBE. She stated that the OCVIBE project started with the parking lot, and it is being built quicker than they thought. She thanked the Samueli family for not only being amazing philanthropists in the City of Anaheim, but for being one of the City's major stakeholders, owners of the Anaheim Ducks, and visionaries for OCVIBE. Chairperson/Mayor Aitken shared that the entire OCVIBE project is union built, and coming in under budget and early. She congratulated the OCVIBE team, as well as all the men and women that are working hard every day on the project. Chairperson/Mayor Aitken shared that she, Authority Member/Council Member Maahs, and Authority Member/Council Member were part of the Second Annual Girls in Government program. She thanked Authority Member/Council Member Rubalcava for championing the project to provide junior high and high school girls with insight into career opportunities available both in city government and public service, as well as Anaheim Housing Authority Minutes of September 9, 2025 Page 2 of 5 pathways to get there. The program included conversations with female elected officials and female staff members, head shots, resume building, and interview skills. Chairperson/Mayor Aiken mentioned the Chance Theater fundraiser in Anaheim Hills which raises money for free scholarship programs for kids in Anaheim who cannot afford a six -week theater program. The Teens Speak Up program is for junior high and high school students and teaches the students how to write, produce, speak, and perform their stories from their perspective. The Chance Theater also offers a Spectrum Speak Up program for kids with autism teaching them how to tell their stories in front of a live audience and a Veterans Speak Up program which works through a lot of the different issues that veterans face, helping them work through their stories and making sure those stories have a voice. Chairperson/Mayor Aitken thanked the Anaheim Police Department, Anaheim Fire Department, Public Works Department, Public Utilities, and everyone who came together for the Run Disney weekend. The Run Disney family and all the runners raised over $50,000 for Girls Inc. The event, themed around Maleficent, attracted over 25,000 participants. She stated she wished it was cooler and that she ran 22.4 miles faster. She thanked everyone that put their time and energy into showcasing Anaheim. Authority Member/Council Member Kurtz noted that service clubs were recognized earlier in the meeting, and they are the true heroes for reporting issues and making the City better. She noted that every Council Member represents over 50,000 residents in one of the largest cities in Orange County, and each District has neighborhoods with unique demographics and economics. She stated it is impossible for Council Members to know every neighborhood in their District, and she emphasized the importance of community involvement and reporting a problem or issue in neighborhoods by calling, emailing, texting. She thanked District 4 residents Gloria, Charles, Daleth, Antonio, Guadalupe, Carmen, Mariana, Aimalefeoa, and Linda, for their proactive efforts in improving their neighborhoods. Authority Member/Council Member Maahs highlighted and shared photographs of events she attended including joining her Council colleagues at the topping off ceremony for The Weave office building at OCVIBE. She stated it was a special moment to sign the highest beam and to meet many of the workers who are building Anaheim's future. The Weave will be the first office building within the OCVIBE project, a development that will bring new opportunities, jobs, and spaces for the community to connect. She thanked City staff and the Council Members before her for approving the project and she recognized the men and women including engineers, planners, contractors, and union workers whose hard work and skills are helping to shape Anaheim's future. Authority Member/Council Member Maahs shared that starting September 23, the Anaheim Elevate Program, which aims to help manufacturers in Anaheim Canyon grow their business through a five -week course will kick off. The program helps manufacturers ready to expand operations, upgrade technology, build their workforce, or explore new markets here and abroad. There is also help with navigating, identifying, and funding government contracts. Sessions are on Tuesdays from 10:00 a.m. to noon through October 21. It is a hybrid format so businesses can join in person or online, whichever works best for them. At the end, there will be an in -person graduation where participants can share their growth plans and be recognized by the City. The City of Anaheim offers this program with the Orange County Inland Empire Small Business Development Center and Cal State Fullerton. She encouraged everyone involved in manufacturing in Anaheim Canyon and looking to grow to check out the program. Authortiy Member/Council Member Maahs noted that yesterday was 988 Day. This is a day to raise awareness about the suicide and crisis lifeline 988. By calling or texting 988, people can connect to free and confidential support, 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Since its launch, more than 17 million people have reached out for help. Authority Member/Council Member Maahs stated that this shows just how important this resource is, but awareness is still low, and many people don't know it exists. She encouraged everyone to help share the number because Anaheim Housing Authority Minutes of September 9, 2025 Page 3 of 5 having it ready could save a life. Authority Member/Council Member Maahs mentioned that on August 27 she had the opportunity to ride along with the Anaheim Police Department's Homeless Assessment Liaison Officers (HALO). During that ride along she witnessed two individuals accept shelter and one accept treatment. She highlighted the skill and compassion of the HALO and Community Care Response Teams. Authority Member/Council Member Maahs stated that she witnessed a peer advocate share her experience of strength and hope, and she watched a woman who has been on the streets for a long time accept treatment. Authority Member/Council Member Maahs shared that on September 6, she stopped by Katella High School, and the Katella Spirit Squad was collecting resources for families in need. They collected food, household items and personal hygiene products. The students organized this drive and gathered the donations and will create care packages. Authority Member/Council Member Maahs recognized the Spirit Squad and their leaders, Michelle and Dana, who have been working with these young leaders to give back to the community. Authority Member/Council Member Rubalcava highlighted and shared photographs of events in District 3, including the attempted bank robbery at Bank of America. She highlighted the massive response by the Anaheim Police Department and the coordinated effort by all of those who responded including dispatch and officers who were on site. The armed suspect was successfully apprehended without incident or injuries. She stated that it is a testament to the teamwork, effort, and training that the Anaheim Police Department has gone through. She thanked Officer Timothy Gale and Officer Gabriella Soto who were the two officers who arrived on scene first, confronted the armed suspect, and apprehended him right away. Officer Dominic Borelli assisted in apprehending the suspect and took statements from the witnesses that were there. Authority Member/Council Member Rubalcava stated she was happy that no one was injured, and she thanked the Anaheim Police Department, sworn and unsworn officers, for the work that you do. Authority Member/Council Member Rubalcava mentioned the Supreme Court decision on immigration enforcement and the City's commitment to serving all residents who live in Anaheim, whether they call 911, police and fire first responders, Housing and Community Development, or Public Utilities. Authority Member/Council Member Rubalcava stated that the City is working hard to ensure that all City services are for everyone who live in the City and that racial profiling is not supported in any way. She stated that she issued a statement online because it is something that is important to her as a fourth generation Mexican American who grew up in Anaheim, who was motivated to get politically active by Proposition 187, and other propositions like Proposition 8. She stated that she wanted to make everyone in the City aware that there are people who sit behind the dais who support everyone, regardless of their race, documentation, or the language that they speak. Authority Member/Council Member Rubalcava thanked the nonprofit Green Birds who generates no revenue and is self -funded who recently celebrated their 11-year Anniversary for the significant work they do in District 3, particularly in cleaning up George Washington Park and the surrounding area on Labor Day weekend. Authority Member/Council Member Rubalcava thanked all the volunteers, including Jody Daly and Kevin Kidney who led the initiative. She encouraged residents to get involved and attend the next cleanup project on September 20. Authority Member/Council Member Rubalcava mentioned that the City budget has been very impacted and there is a 60 million deficit and bond funds have been used to bridge the gap. She shared that she will be requesting to agendize an entertainment assessment for tickets and parking. Authority Member/Council Member Rubalcava stated that she grew up in Anaheim and she has many family members who still live in Anaheim and it is important to her to continue to generate revenue for City services without impacting residents. Authority Member/Council Member Rubalcava stated that she is not interested in a sales tax initiative which would directly impact residents, but she is looking for something that would help from an entertainment perspective. She shared that the City receives one cent of every dollar from Disneyland and the rest goes to the County of Orange and Sate of Anaheim Housing Authority Minutes of September 9, 2025 Page 4 of 5 California. Authority Member/Council Member Rubalcava stated that one of the initiatives that she will be asking Council to look at is how to leverage some of the billions of dollars that are being generated including the Mickey and Friends parking structure which was paid for by the Transient Occupancy Tax revenue that the City has been generating and then diverting to pay off the bond. Authority Member/Council Member Rubalcava stated that having an assessment on parking would be significant to help fund affordable housing projects in the City, Community Services and parks, and police and fire first responders. She noted that several of her Council colleagues would like senior centers and other support, and mentions that there are 1500 employees in the City of Anaheim who do a significant amount of work on behalf of the residents and it is the Council's duty to ensure that there are more employees as the City grows, not only in size and population, but also from projects like OCVIBE and Disneyland Forward. Authority Member/Council Member Rubalcava stated that she hopes the large entertainment venues in the City will agree that it is conducive of them to help generate the revenue needed to help the City move forward. Authority Member/Council Member Balius highlighted Anaheim's newest playground at Maxwell Park. He thanked everyone who helped with the KABOOM! project, including KABOOM!, Anaheim Ducks Foundation, City Commissioners, and City staff including JJ, Sjany, Mike, Kim, and Santiago. He shared that there was a lot of cement that was mixed, a lot of wood chips that were moved, and it could not have been done without City staff and Maxwell Elementary School students for the design day. Authority Member/Council Member Balius encouraged everyone to visit the park and black and orange playground. CITY MANAGER'S UPDATE: City Manager Vanderpool announced the Annual Free Public Health Fair on Saturday, September 201h from 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. at the Anaheim Convention Center. The event provides free care to hundreds of people, many without insurance, and others just looking for the convenience of same day care. Services include dental fillings, vision tests and glasses, prescriptions, women's care, physicals, and extensive medical testing, all with no insurance required and only minimal paperwork. He encouraged those looking for dental and vision services to arrive early, as spaces fill up fast and those services can take longer. The Health Fair is Anaheim at its best, with doctors, nurses, and providers volunteering to serve hundreds of people from the community and beyond. For many, the Health Fair might be their only time this year they see a doctor. City Manager Vanderpool thanked everyone who makes the event happen and welcomed all those who will be joining. For more information, please visit anaheim.net/healthfair. City Manager Vanderpool shared that with the City Council's approval of the Anaheim Local Housing Trust Fund, staff invited real estate agents and lenders to a forum to learn about the new Downpayment Assistance Program. The program was shared with realtors who are working with Anaheim families who can benefit from the program. Staff received feedback from lenders to ensure that the program works well with their lending products. He shared that this was just one of the first of several workshops and community events to provide information about the program. City Manager Vanderpool stated that while it has always been a top priority, over the past year, the City has amped up efforts in restoring public spaces, through countless cleanup efforts at parks, streets, railways, and freeway areas. City Manager Vanderpool announced that Anaheim has been awarded an official designation as a Clean California Community under the statewide Clean California initiative. Anaheim is one of about a dozen cities in the state to receive this official designation. It reflects Anaheim's role as a leader in the statewide movement to protect and beautify California. Anaheim Housing Authority Minutes of September 9, 2025 Page 5 of 5 At 7:30 P.M., Mayor/Chairperson Aitken recessed the Anaheim City Council to address the Anaheim Housing Authority agenda. CONSENT CALENDAR: MOTION: Authority Member Balius moved to approve the consent calendar as presented, in accordance with reports, certifications, and recommendations furnished each Authority Member and as listed on the consent calendar, seconded by Authority Member Rubalcava. ROLL CALL VOTE: AYES — 6 (Chairperson Aitken and Authority Members Meeks, Balius, Rubalcava, Kurtz, and Maahs); NOES — 0; ABSENT — 1 (Authority Member Leon). Motion carried. D155 1. Approve the First Amendment to the Anaheim Housing Authority's FY 2025-2026 Administrative Plan, in substantial form, to (i) rename the existing Chapter 8 as Chapter &A and (ii) adopt a new Chapter 8.6 to incorporate and implement the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development National Standards for the Physical Inspection of Real Estate standards; and authorize the Executive Director, or designee, to make changes as necessary that do not substantially alter the proposed chapters. AHA177 2. Approve minutes of the Housing Authority of August 12, 2025. ADJOURNMENT: With no further business to conduct, without objection, Chairperson Aitken adjourned the meeting of the Anaheim Housing Authority at 7:30 P.M. e ctfully submitted, Th6resa Bass, CMC Secretary, Anaheim Housing Authority