TREVOR O'NEIL

Anaheim City Council Member
DISTRICT 6 REPORT
Check out my parks update video
Maintaining and improving our beautiful parks in District 6 is one of my top priorities as your council member. I recently spent some time with Anaheim’s Community Services Director, Larry Pasco, to talk about some of the great things we’re working on. Check out our video for more.
Exciting things to come!

  • Oak Canyon Nature Centernew outdoor lab, expanded amphitheater, interpretive trail signs/exhibits
  •  Nohl Ranch Trail – equestrian and hiking trail from Imperial Highway to Anaheim Hills Road
  • Deer Canyon Parkimprove public access via Santa Ana Canyon Road
  • Yorba Park – new youth soccer fields
Earth Day
Last week I helped 4th graders at Anaheim Hills Elementary plant a tree in celebration of Earth Day! The tree, a Coast Live Oak, was provided by Anaheim Public Utilities through the Tree Power program, which has now provided over 55,000 FREE trees to Anaheim residents and businesses. Check out the Tree Power program here and learn how to claim your free trees:  https://www.anaheim.net/757/TreePower-Program
Anaheim First
I’m proud to announce that the Anaheim City Council unanimously voted to approve a partnership with
 Anaheim First , a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization (EIN #83-4394225) formed on behalf of the community.

This amazing group of residents will serve as a neighborhood advisory board to the council recommending ways to invest back into the community an estimated $250 million in new city revenue over the next 10 years. This effort is part of a commitment made by Mayor Harry Sidhu, along with myself and my council colleagues to focus new revenues on neighborhood improvements. The growth in revenue is tied to economic expansion in our resort area, which currently provides more than $75 million annually in net city revenues. These dollars fund public safety, parks, libraries and neighborhood improvements.

Anaheim First will be announcing the first of its meetings soon, organized by districts. Thank you to those serving on Anaheim First, and I look forward to an amazing partnership!
Standing up for residents facing extreme rent hikes
At Tuesday’s council meeting, my colleagues and I tabled a measure on a 6-1 vote that would have introduced Rent Control to Anaheim.

The issue came to our attention after residents of Rancho La Paz mobile park reported proposed rent increases of upwards of 50 percent. I empathize with those struggling to cope with rising rents, particularly seniors and veterans on fixed incomes. That’s why I, along with Mayor Harry Sidhu and Council Member Stephen Faessel, met with the owner to express our concerns – and as a result, the owner has voluntarily rescinded the proposed rent increases. He is now in the process of working with residents on a schedule to bring rents towards a market rate, and a subsidy program to provide rental assistance to those who cannot afford rent increases.

The opposite of a positive outcome often occurs in cities where rent control has been imposed. In fact, we see evidence of residents being harmed instead of helped. Rent control leads to neglected properties, schemes to evict residents and replace them with market-rate tenants, or the wholesale conversion of the property to another use that displaces all residents.

To address the issue of rising rents in mobile home parks, I prefer to approach the problem by bringing together the property owner, residents and stakeholders to find a solution as we did for the residents of Rancho La Paz. When addressing affordable housing across our city and across southern California, I support market-based solutions such as increasing the supply of housing in our city. One way is to eliminate the onerous red tape that builders endure to get projects approved. In addition, I’ve formed an ad hoc committee on housing to explore more reforms, which we’ll bring back to the city council for discussion later this year.
Sincerely,
Trevor O'Neil
Anaheim City Council Member, District 6

200 S. Anaheim Blvd, 7th Floor, Anaheim, CA 92805