Loading...
AHA-2022/05/24ANAHEIM HOUSING AUTHORITY 1 REGULAR MEETING OF MAY 24, 2022 The Anaheim Housing Authority regular meeting of May 24, 2022 was called to order at 5:38 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 May 19, 2022. ME_ MB_ERS PRESENT: Vice Chairman Trevor O'Neil and Authority Members Jose Diaz, Gloria Sahagun Ma'ae, Jose F. Moreno, Avelino Valencia, and Stephen Faessel [Chairperson vacancy] STAFF PRESENT: City Manager Jim Vanderpool, City Attorney Robert Fabela, and Secretary Theresa Bass ADDITIONS/DELETIONS TO THE AGENDAS: No additions/deletion pertained to the Housing Authority agenda. Secretary Theresa Bass announced that staff requested the withdrawal of City Council Item No. 15, the Second Amendment with Anaheim Transportation Network. She also announced for City Council Item No. 18 that staff submitted a memo and revised First Amendment with Townsend Public Affairs to change the term to an additional 30 days with a not to exceed amount of $5,000 and noted the memo and revised amendment had been distributed to Council and posted to the City's website. Mayor Pro Tern / Vice Chairman O'Neil, without objection, took the agenda out of order and heard Council Communications/Agenda Requests before the remainder of the agenda. COUNCIL COMMUNICATIONS/AGENDA REQUESTS: Mayor Pro Tem O'Neil noted this was a painful and challenging moment for the City with a long recovery ahead, but today was a new day with the resignation of former Chairman Harry Sidhu. He acknowledged that continued public outrage was understandable and part of the recovery process, but assured residents the City continues to serve without pausing, including trash pick- up, pothole repairs, and public safety actions. To City employees, he stated that the Council and administrative leaders are working through the challenge and that the work staff does is the vital continuity needed during a crisis, encouraging them to hold their heads high. In terms of the FBI affidavit, he confirmed he was "Elected Official 3" and noted that he attended meetings with the Chamber and with other stakeholders, in his official capacity as a City Council Member, on a variety of issues. He recalled attending the meeting on December 2, 2020, but left before it ended, and advised the economic recovery of the City, vaccine rollouts, the payoff of the LPMR bonds, and how to leverage that revenue to invest in challenged neighborhoods were discussed. He recalled the Mayor, Council Member Faessel, and City Manager Jim Vanderpool attended. He advised that he takes these issues seriously and one of his first actions was to formally call for the Mayor's resignation, noting he has only worked in the best interest of those he represents. Mayor Pro Tern O'Neil believed anyone who supported him as a candidate did so for his support of a strong Anaheim economy, but to mitigate any perception of impropriety, he returned campaign donations received from any entity and associated individuals referenced in the FBI affidavit. He continues to support actions that will help the City move past this and looked Anaheim Housing Authority Minutes of May 24, 2022 Page 2of6 forward to hearing from the community and discussing with his colleagues the best path forward regarding the stadium. He requested two agenda items for the next meeting: 1) a revision of Council Policy 1.6 related to regular meeting agenda -setting to eliminate or revise the need to have the support of two additional Council Members to put forth an agenda item for consideration, concurred by Council Members Faessel and Moreno; and 2) a revision to the Council Meeting rules and procedures to change the order of business on the agenda to hear Council Communications following Public Comments and have a new item towards the end of the agenda for Agenda Requests, concurred by Council Members Faessel and Ma'ae. Council Member Valencia advised yesterday was an uplifting day in the City, as in light of the FBI investigation, he was glad to see Mayor Sidhu do the right thing and resign. He thanked his colleagues for joining in asking for the Mayor's resignation. He believed that any individual who commits those types of actions has no business holding public positions and requested, if there was no objection, the immediate removal of Harry Sidhu from any appointed position he may still hold, such as regional boards, water, boards, etc. City Attorney Robert Fabela noted the item could be agendized but not acted upon today, as it was not currently agendized. He further explained that the representative on the Orange County Transportation Authority has to be an elected official so that removal was a matter of course and that the City Clerk was reviewing any other boards and would bring back any needed actions at the next meeting. Council Member Valencia requested it as a formal agenda item, concurred by Council Members Faessel and Diaz. He believed this was a good first step in removing corruption in Anaheim, but also felt that the dais owed it to residents to investigate how deep this goes and part of their fiduciary responsibility is to ensure tax dollars and assets are maximized for the sole benefit of residents and the City. He questioned what other contracts may be in jeopardy of being void due to Mayor Sidhu's activities and requested an audit of all contracts with entities that provided campaign contributions to Mayor Sidhu. Council Member Moreno asked for clarification because he requested that last week and believed it may already be occurring under the City Manager's authority. Mr. Fabela explained that if a Council Member agendizes an item, they could later withdraw it if found unnecessary. Council Member Valencia wished to proceed with the request, as a fail-safe, concurred by Council Members Moreno and Diaz. He noted the months ahead would not be easy but it was their responsibility to see it through for transparency, governance, and Anaheim. Council Member Faessel was pleased that the Mayor chose to do the right thing. He noted this was an unprecedented situation and they need to restore the community's trust, which would start tonight through their commitment to try to do the right thing as they get into the agenda items. He requested Mayor Pro Tem O'Neil close the meeting in memory of 14 elementary school kids and a teacher who were murdered in a Texas school shooting today. He also requested the meeting close for retired Senior Water Operator Paul Gafner, age 62, who retired in 2020 after a 21-year career. He requested a Council recognition of U.S. Postal Carrier Esther Perez, at the request of resident Terry Johnson, who provided life-saving assistance when she saw Mr. Johnson lose consciousness and crash his car, concurred by Council Members Ma'ae and Valencia. Council Member Ma'ae expressed gratitude that the Mayor made the right decision to step down. She stated it meant they were able to move forward with the business at hand, there was much to do in the City, and she looked forward to working with her colleagues on behalf of the residents and helping the City heal from this horrible time. She shared photographs of her participation on Saturday at the Children's Art Festival at Pearson Park and thanked the Muzeo and City staff, particularly the Community Services Department, for a great event full of activities and entertainment. She thanked everyone that took part in the event. She shared that her Anaheim Housing Authority Minutes of May 24, 2022 Page 3 of 6 heartfelt pain goes out to the families in Texas and she has been thinking about tragedies and sadness throughout the country and the City. She asked to keep the parents in prayer. Council Member Diaz announced that Alonso Salinas emigrated from Peru seven years ago and has made his American Dream a reality by opening a restaurant, Ceviche 19, at Euclid Street and Katella Avenue, and encouraged all to try the excellent Peruvian food and help a fellow resident. He reported hearing from constituents with concerns about homeless individuals at Maxwell Park and shared that he shares the concerns and is working with staff to legally address any issues. He announced the upcoming Rebuild Beach Community Meeting on May 26 at 6:00 P.M. at Dale Junior High School, the Rebuild Beach Business Watch Meeting on May 31 at 6:00 P.M. at the West Anaheim Youth Center, and the Neighborhood District Community Meeting for District Nos. 1 and 2 on June 1 at 7:00 P.M. at Dale Junior High School. Council Member Moreno congratulated the Anaheim High School baseball team for playing an incredible game of 11 innings in the CIF championship game, noting their resiliency and teamwork, and expressing pride in their performance. He acknowledged Jillian Albayati, the first female pitcher to start in a CIF championship, who was also unanimously named her league's MVP. With the ongoing FBI investigation, he believed the resignation of Harry Sidhu was a necessary, but insufficient step, in moving forward and believed Council needed to focus on the larger, systemic issue of the effects of money pervading elections and protecting donors over residents. He referred to the affidavit showing that Mayor Sidhu tried to rush the deal to secure a $1,000,000 campaign donation and believed this was the tip of the iceberg of the small cadre of individuals controlling the City. He believed it was a worst kept secret about the millions of dollars from large entities creating corruption in local elections and the body politic, and reported that in 2017 he privately and publically asked then -president of the Disneyland Resort, Josh D'Amaro, to pull out of'Anaheim politics and financing PACs and candidates, which they refused to do. He asked again, now, for large entities to please cease financing PACs in the City. As a member who has not received nor solicited big donations and declined them when offered, he noted that good substantive campaigns could be run without big money, which is also why he felt districts were so important so that not -heavily financed candidates could have a chance. He reported that as of January 2022, SOAR had raised over a quarter -million dollars, with a Disney donation of over $750,000. He requested that rather than use that money on campaigns, they could donate the money to student scholarships, the Anaheim Union High School District's AIME mentoring program, or the development of community gardens. He also noted that many donations had been provided by the Anaheim Police Association and the Anaheim Fire Association and asked public safety officers to ask their leaders to stop such donations. He expressed concerns that lobbyists and leaders representing public safety may be identified as part of the cabal and looked forward to seeing the full scope of the problem. He requested that anyone that participated in this situation come forward, noted it violates ethics training, and expected full cooperation with all investigations and audits to work together for stronger safeguards. He reported that last week he visited high school government classes and the questions asked by the students included: What safeguards will be put in place to make sure this will not happen again? How many others on the Council were involved with the cabal? Why can't we have another public swimming pool in Anaheim? He noted that on May 17 he requested an independent investigation, believing that everyone deserved it. He reintroduced and asked to agendize for June 7 a campaign finance reform ordinance including that any Council Member has to recuse themselves for 12 months from any votes benefiting a campaign donor of $250 or more, including PACs; any member so recused is prohibited from attempting to influence donations; limiting campaign fundraising to the year of the election, and limiting debt relief fundraising to six (6) months after an election. He also wished to add a ban on contributions from any vendor who has a contract with the City. The agenda request was Anaheim Housing Authority Minutes of May 24, 2022 Page 4 of 6 concurred by Council Member Faessel and Mayor Pro Tern O'Neil. Regarding the Angel Stadium deal, he believed it was not made in the best interests of the residents, there was strong evidence from the FBI that Mayor Sidhu gave the Angels private and confidential information, and there was the notice from the State that the deal violated the Surplus Land Act, so he believed the minimum that should be done is to withdraw from the deal and he asked the City Attorney to immediately void the deal. PUBLIC COMMENTS [all agenda items]: Paul Hyek called for the Tampico Motel and others like it to become housing for families, senior citizens, and the disabled so they can get off the streets. He stated the City's homeless organizations are corrupt and do not know how to run shelters. He called for auditing of organizations like City Net. No electronically submitted public comments related to the Housing Authority agenda. CITY MANAGER'S UPDATE: City Manager Jim Vanderpool reported, based on comments at the last meeting and over the last week, that the following immediate administrative actions were being taken. Regarding the Chamber of Commerce, the City has no current contracts and staff will pause all interactions with the Chamber and suspend all future financial commitments and sponsorships. Regarding Anaheim First, staff will freeze work on Anaheim First and will seek Council direction on next steps. In response to Authority Member Moreno's previous request, Mr. Vanderpool reported he was working with the City Clerk's office and Finance Department's Purchasing Division to identify any contracts with the former mayor's campaign contributors and if those contributors have current City contracts, noting the information would be made public soon. Mr. Vanderpool noted that staff is committed to act on and implement any direction from City Council regarding investigations, audits, and other inquiries, so he would be placing this item on the next agenda to seek further direction on how to proceed. Authority Member Moreno thanked the City Manager for his report and actions. CONSENT CALENDAR: At 9:05 P.M., the consent calendar was considered, with Authority Member Moreno pulling Item No. 01 for separate discussion and consideration. Each agenda item was considered separately. AGR- 1. RESOLUTION NO. AHA-2022-004 A RESOLUTION OF THE ANAHEIM 13547 HOUSING AUTHORITY approving that certain Amended and Restated Affordable Housing Agreement (Bel'Age Senior Apartments) between the Anaheim Housing Authority and Belage Preservation Limited Partnership, substantially in the form attached herewith; authorizing the Authority Executive Director, or her designee to execute and implement the agreement and implementing instruments; and making certain other findings in connection therewith (180-unit senior complex located at 1660 W. Broadway, - includes determination that this action is not a "project" under the provisions of the California Environmental Quality Act Public Resources Code Section 21000 et seq. and Anaheim Housing Authority Minutes of May 24, 2022 Page 5 of 6 California Code of Regulations Section 15000, et seq.) (related to City Council Agenda Item No. 5). Anaheim Housing Authority Executive Director Grace Stepter reported this resolution would allow the Bel'Age Manor Apartments project to move forward. She reported it is a 180-unit senior citizen complex located at 1660 West Broadway developed in 1989 and allowing for 23 very -low-income units and 13 low-income units. She reported the affordability has been further improved over the years allowing for 90 rent subsidy vouchers within the project. She reported the ownership of the development is changing and calling for a change in the affordability structure to extend both the affordability and voucher contract. Ms. Stepter stated staff worked with the new ownership group to ensure substantial rehabilitation of the development, including improved accessibility for disabled residents. She reported the State program the City often drew upon for these rehabilitation funds is currently oversubscribed so the City worked directly with the new ownership to get the $9,000,000 in improvements. Ms. Stepter clarified most of the improvements could be done within one day and the developer would utilize hospitality units and community spaces for residents while their units are being worked on. She advised staff expects 167 of the 180 units would not see a disruption longer than one day. She noted 13 units would have upgrades that are more extensive for Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) compliance requiring relocation of residents. She advised the relocation is addressed in Council Item No. 05 and generally involves relocating seniors to vacant units on the property. She advised staff does not expect to need to relocate off site due to the size of the development and small number of units involved. DISCUSSION: In response to Authority Member Moreno's inquiry, Ms. Stepter clarified the City's investment in the project is a 15-year commitment for the housing vouchers. Authority Member Moreno commended Ms. Stepter on this thoughtfully constructed proposal to improve the quality of low-income senior housing in Anaheim. He congratulated Deputy Director of Housing and Community Development Andy Nogal on both his role in the project and his recent promotion. MOTION: Authority Member Moreno moved to approve RESOLUTION NO. AHA-2022- 004 A RESOLUTION OF THE ANAHEIM HOUSING AUTHORITY approving that certain Amended and Restated Affordable Housing Agreement (Bel'Age Senior Apartments) between the Anaheim Housing Authority and Belage Preservation Limited Partnership, substantially in the form attached herewith; authorizing the Authority Executive Director, or her designee to execute and implement the agreement and implementing instruments; and making certain other findings in connection therewith (180-unit senior complex located at 1660 W. Broadway; includes determination that this action is not a "project" under the provisions of the California Environmental Quality Act Public Resources Code Section 21000 et seq. and California Code of Regulations Section 15000, et seq.), seconded by Authority Member Ma'ae. ROLL CALL VOTE: AYES — 6 (Vice Chairman O'Neil and Authority Members Diaz, Ma'ae, Moreno, Valencia, and Faessel); NOES - 0. Motion carried. Anaheim Housing Authority Minutes of May 24, 2022 Page 6 of 6 AHA177 2. Approve minutes of the Housing Authority meeting of April 26, 2022. MOTION: Authority Member Faessel moved to approve minutes of the Housing Authority meeting of April 26, 2022, seconded by Authority Member Ma'ae. ROLL CALL VOTE: AYES — 6 (Vice Chairman O'Neil and Authority Members Diaz, Ma'ae, Moreno, Valencia, and Faessel); NOES - 0. Motion carried. ADJOURNMENT: With no further business to conduct, Vice Chairman O'Neil adjourned the meeting of the Anaheim Housing Authority at 9:16 P.M. Respectfully submitted, ?TherBass, CMC Secretary, Anaheim Housing Authority