She lost her home. She doesn’t want to lose her city council seat
An Ojai City Councilmember moved out of her district after losing her home and is in danger of losing her seat. She and her supporters say it’s a dramatic demonstration of California’s affordable housing crisis
BY
On a pleasant June evening, in the airy chambers of the quaint Mission Revival city hall, the council gathered to discuss the fate of one of their own.
It was more than a year since Suza Francina, a longtime councilmember in this small arts- and wellness-oriented town tucked into a mountain valley in Ventura County, lost her rental housing. Now she was staying with a friend outside her district as she struggled to find a new place to live. A recent grand jury report had concluded she was violating residency requirements and should be replaced.
When the meeting began, Mayor Betsy Stix pleaded with the assembled dozens in the audience, gray hair and glasses abounding, to commit to civility, respect, peace and love. “In our community, we can take the higher road and stop the finger […]
