Port Hueneme Housing Practices

Re “Rental Plan Favoring City Workers Criticized,” May 29.

I read this article regarding Seaview Apartments with interest and dismay. I want to address three of its most glaring inaccuracies or omissions.

First, the complex, under city ownership, is not now and has never been low-income subsidized housing. It is affordable housing. This distinction is critical to the basic understanding of what the Seaview Apartment complex offers the community.

Second, the city purchased the complex in 1976 after the original owner (Communication Workers of America) defaulted on its mortgage. The city’s purchase of the property saved the 90 “affordable” units. The city made a large financial investment at a time when it had little available revenue to ensure that affordable housing would remain available in the community. The story ignores this fact.

Third, the article gives no history as to why the employee preference policy was implemented, in June 1990. At that time, housing prices were excessive in Ventura County and the city’s salary and benefit package was well below that of surrounding communities due to the city’s tight financial condition. To help attract and retain quality employees, the city initiated the preference policy. Even so, approximately 80% of the complex remains available to the public as a source of affordable housing.

If the information that was given to the reporter had been presented, the reader would have read that Port Hueneme provides its fair share of affordable housing. Can we do more? Yes, we can and we are, but that wasn’t reported because the fact that we’re providing more affordable housing wouldn’t sell newspapers.

TONI YOUNG

City Council Member

Port Hueneme