To: John Linn, Mayor, Dirk Starbuck, Councilmember, Ashley Costa, Councilmember, Bob Lingl, Councilmember, and Cecilia Martner, Councilmember
Lompoc City Council: Take responsibility for the consequences of LHCDC’s mess
Lompoc City Council: Take responsibility. Go beyond merely crafting a policy for accountability, and take active steps to reach out and assist those most affected by the mess left behind by LHCDC.
Why is this important?
In response to a civil Grand Jury report entitled “A Failure of Oversight”—and more than a year after the mess left behind by the collapse of the Lompoc Housing and Community Development Corporation (LHCDC) came to light—our City Council has promised to come up with a policy to keep such failures from happening in the future.
It’s good to see the city finally take, at least partial, responsibility for the demise of LHCDC. But, this wasn’t just a financial disaster; it had human consequences. The city should go beyond crafting a policy for accountability and take active steps to reach out and assist those most affected by the mess LHCDC made of low-income housing in our community.
At the very least, the city should:
1. Reach out, identify those affected, and listen to their needs. Their voices have been missing from this conversation. One such resident came forward at a City Council meeting, but was offered little support.
2. Prepare and disseminate information about resources and assistance opportunities with regard to low-income housing. If the city is partially responsible for what happened, then they are also, at least partially, responsible for making sure our commitment to those in need is kept and that those affected have a fighting chance to land on their feet.
3. Consider forming a Rental Housing Mediation Task Force Program—similar to the successful program in Santa Barbara—to help all Lompoc residents stay in their homes, especially in light of the spate of foreclosures in our community that often leave renters with little to no recourse.
It’s good to see the city finally take, at least partial, responsibility for the demise of LHCDC. But, this wasn’t just a financial disaster; it had human consequences. The city should go beyond crafting a policy for accountability and take active steps to reach out and assist those most affected by the mess LHCDC made of low-income housing in our community.
At the very least, the city should:
1. Reach out, identify those affected, and listen to their needs. Their voices have been missing from this conversation. One such resident came forward at a City Council meeting, but was offered little support.
2. Prepare and disseminate information about resources and assistance opportunities with regard to low-income housing. If the city is partially responsible for what happened, then they are also, at least partially, responsible for making sure our commitment to those in need is kept and that those affected have a fighting chance to land on their feet.
3. Consider forming a Rental Housing Mediation Task Force Program—similar to the successful program in Santa Barbara—to help all Lompoc residents stay in their homes, especially in light of the spate of foreclosures in our community that often leave renters with little to no recourse.