Misinformation is Often Repeated
Letter to the editor

The Or. Co. Register continues to print lies about the "affordable housing" issues in Mission Viejo. It recently had a letter alleging that "firemen, police officers, nurses, teachers, " etc., are eligible for the subsidized housing being demanded in Mission Viejo by developers and "public interest" law firms ("Silly definition of success,” letters, Sept. 20). The letter writer gets away with it by using the term "affordable housing" without specifying that he means the sort of subsidized housing in the dispute. There are income caps for eligibility to occupy this housing. I know that much of the public is ignorant of these facts, but you should not be. Why do you allow this misinformation to be repeated?

Orange County, CA PMSA   FY 2005 Median Family Income $75,700

Persons in household - 30% of median family income

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 16,150 18,450 20,750 23,050 24,900 26,750 28,550 30,400

Persons in household - Very Low Income

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 26,900 30,700 34,550 38,400 41,450 44,550 47,600 50,700

Persons in household - Low Income

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 43,000 49,150 55,300 61,450 66,350 71,250 76,200 81,100

These are the figures from the HUD site. The columns are for 1 to 8 people. A family of four would have to have an income of $61, 450 or less to qualify for any support. There are probably a few teachers who are single who might qualify, although not for the Section 8 projects that are the subject of dispute. Please print the truth. It is hard enough to resist the developers.

Michael Kennedy, M.D.
Mission Viejo
Former member, Housing and Transportation Commission