Matthew Leslie
Last night the City of Fullerton sent an email notice of a Special City Council Meeting to be held tonight, Thursday, March 26, along with instructions for how to access the meeting online and how to submit comments on agenda items. PUBLIC COMMENTS MUST BE RECEIVED BY 5:00 P.M., TODAY IN ORDER TO BE READ AT THE MEETING. You cannot attend this meeting in person.
I have reproduced the instructions sent by the City below, including the appropriate links to the agenda and instructions on submitting comments.
| City of Fullerton
We’ve posted the latest City Council Special Meeting Agenda on our website. Follow this link to view the agendaand related materials: www.cityoffullerton.com/agendas. PUBLIC PARTICIPATION: Pursuant to Executive Order N-29-20 and given the current health concerns, members of the public can access meetings streamed live online at https://fullerton.legistar.com, on Spectrum Cable Channel 3 and AT&T U-Verse Channel 99. Members of the public may not attend the meeting in person. In addition, members of the public can submit comments electronically for City Council consideration by clicking on the eComment link accompanying the agenda posted online at https://fullerton.legistar.com until the close of the public comment period for the item. The public can also email comments to cityclerksoffice@cityoffullerton.com with the subject line “PUBLIC COMMENT ITEM #” (insert the item number relevant to your comment) or “PUBLIC COMMENT NON-AGENDA ITEM”. Staff will read aloud comments received by 5:00 p.m. during the applicable agenda item at the meeting, provided that such comments may be read within the normal three minutes allotted to each speaker. Any portion of your comment extending past three minutes may not be read aloud due to time restrictions. Staff will not read email comments received after 5:00 p.m. at the meeting but the official record will include email comments received after 5:00 p.m. until the close of the meeting. Contact the City Clerk’s office at cityclerksoffice@cityoffullerton.com or (714)-738-6355 with any questions. |
The only item on the meeting’s agenda is a temporary moratorium on evictions due to COVID-19. Other cities in Orange County have already passed similar measures intended to protect workers suddenly thrown out of work by State of California orders to causing the shut down of businesses that employ them. The eviction ban would apply to commercial or residential tenants and owners whose income has decreased or whose medical expenses have increased due to “COVID-19-Related Financial Impacts.” The ban would take effect immediately following adoption of the ordinance by council, and would extend until the expiration of Governor Gavin Newsome’s Executive declaring a State of Emergency in California.
I anticipate a unanimous vote in support of the eviction moratorium. It is a sad commentary on our medical system that such legislation is necessary to prevent people from being evicted because they have no money for rent or a mortgage owing to medical expenses that would be free in any otherwise civilized country.
My comment would be to suggest that when a notice of a City Council meeting is sent out, the date of the meeting should be included somewhere in the body of the email and in the title. Anyone reading the email and not checking the agenda link might have assumed that the meeting date would be next Tuesday, since notices of meetings regularly held on Tuesdays are generally sent out on Thursdays of the prior week.
fullertonrag.com 
In regards to the “Temporary Moratorium…health crisis”, the City of Fullerton should approve an stipend equal to 50% of the rental cost for anyone who rents to avoid repaying any deferred payments to any owner once the situation becomes normal. SB-89 passed on 3/16/20 The aide should not recriminate anyone since we don’t know when this maladaptive disease can trigger those who are not sick or being laid off. There are other expenses to cope with food, etc.
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Thank you for alerting us! I’m one of the people who saw the city announcement and was going to wait to look at it over the weekend. PS Are they also having a regular meeting on Tuesday?
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Now I see – next scheduled meeting is April 7, as usual, barring unforeseen circumstances
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The City Council voted last night to pass the emergency moratorium on evictions with a few amendments to the originally proposed draft ordinance.
It includes residential, commercial, nonprofit and certain hotel / motel tenants. It is NOT automatic or presumed, which may cause some misunderstandings.
To qualify, the tenant must, within 30 days after the rent is due, notify the landlord “in writing” and provide documentation.The city may end up providing a checklist-style form letter that tenants can use.
If rent is late for an additional month, you’re still covered for rent deferral IF YOU NOTIFIED THE LANDLORD with documentation the first time the rent was overdue (for a period of 30 days or less). So the key thing is to get the notification and initial documentation in THE FIRST TIME rent is late. Then you qualify for additional months of rent if you need to defer.
Also: F. Definition of “In Writing.” For purposes of this Ordinance, “in writing” includes email or text communications to a landlord or the landlord’s representative with whom the tenant has previously corresponded by email or text.
Note: The rent is NOT forgiven, just deferred, for up to 180 days, unless otherwise decided by all parties involved: G. Repayment of Rent Required. Nothing in this ordinance shall relieve the tenant of liability for any unpaid rent.
But this is not legal advice! 😀
The City should have the ordinance posted soon. The Governor also issued a new order on evictions earlier today. Both the City Ordinance and the State Order are in effect.
I will update this if I misstated a detail, but the general concept is accurate.
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