Councilmember Vivian Moreno said, “This ordinance will keep San Diegans from losing the affordable homes they live in,” said Councilmember Moreno. “The reality is that there are not enough affordable homes available. This will be another tool the City can use to preserve affordable houses that were built with public money. Thank you to the San Diego Housing Commission for the extensive stakeholder outreach on this preservation ordinance.”
Council President Joe LaCava stated, “The preservation of existing deed-restricted affordable housing is critical for San Diego to sustain itself as a livable city,” said Council President Joe LaCava. “I thank the San Diego Housing Commission for engaging with the community and collaboratively creating a mechanism that prevents housed individuals from losing their homes and maintains that truly affordable housing for the next generation.”
Council President Pro Tem Kent Lee commented, “There is a hole in San Diego’s affordable housing bucket. No matter how much we do, we are losing existing affordable homes faster than we can replace them with new ones,” said Council President Pro Tem Kent Lee. “This new law gives the City and San Diego Housing Commission the power to work with property owners to find ways to keep units affordable, before they revert to market rate costs that many people cannot afford. It means more money in San Diegans‘ pockets, less stress for families, more people with a roof over their head, and fewer people falling into homelessness.”
Councilmember Sean Elo-Rivera stated, “Whether renters or homeowners, families invest their lives and a huge portion of their hard-earned money into their homes. They build and care for their communities. Unfortunately, for many renters, the money they’ve invested in their homes and love they’ve poured into their communities is an afterthought when their affordable homes are swooped up and flipped in the name of profit,” said Councilmember Sean Elo-Rivera, District 9. “By passing the preservation ordinance, Council has the opportunity to make San Diego a city where families and community — not profit — come first and more people have a fighting chance to stay in the neighborhoods they love.”
San Diego Housing Commission President & CEO, Lisa Jones said, “Preserving existing quality affordable housing is crucial to tackling our city’s housing challenges. We are grateful to the City Councilmembers for their leadership in prioritizing preservation as a housing solution. This ordinance will be a significant and important tool for the city, and we look forward to working to support the Council’s additional preservation efforts moving forward,” SDHC President and CEO Lisa Jones said.
