Santa Ana is on track to pass a rent control ordinance that will restrict landlords from raising their rent by 3 percent annually, prior to the end of the state’s eviction moratorium on Sept. 30. The 4-3 vote in the midnight hours of Sept. 21–22 was not enough to pass the urgency ordinance—which would have taken immediate effect—as more than a simple council majority would have been needed to pass it. However, the vote does push forward the first reading of the ordinance, which will need a majority vote to pass upon the second reading at council’s next meeting. Councilmembers Nelida Mendoza, Phil Bacerra, and David Penaloza voted against the ordinance, questioning the plan for funding the ordinance, the effectiveness of preventing evictions, and the negative impact it would have on small landlords. “The proposed rent control ordinance does not protect residents from being evicted,” Mendoza said during the meeting. …