(a)  For purposes of a home financing program authorized by this part, the City of Gardena has the following powers and duties:

(1)  To acquire, contract, and enter into advance commitments to acquire, home mortgages made or owned by lending institutions at the purchase prices and upon the other terms and conditions as shall be determined by the City of Gardena or other person as it may designate as its agent, to make and execute contracts with lending institutions for the origination and servicing of home mortgages and to pay the reasonable value of services rendered under those contracts. Prior to executing any contract with a lending institution, the City of Gardena shall adopt regulations establishing criteria for qualification of lending institutions eligible to originate and service home mortgages under home financing programs authorized by this part and shall, with respect to each home financing program, permit each qualified lending institution which transacts business in the City of Gardena the opportunity to participate in the program on an equitable basis with other participating lending institutions.

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(2)  To make loans to lending institutions under terms and conditions which, in addition to other provisions as determined by the City of Gardena, require the lending institutions to use all of the net proceeds thereof, directly or indirectly, for the making of home mortgages in an aggregate principal amount equal to the amount of the net proceeds.

(3)  To establish, by rules or regulations, in resolutions relating to any issuance of bonds or in any documents relating to the issuance, standards and requirements applicable to the purchase of home mortgages or the making of loans to lending institutions as the City of Gardena deems necessary or desirable to effectuate the purposes of this part, which may include without limitation any of the following:

(A)  The time within which lending institutions are required to make commitments and disbursements for home mortgages.

(B)  The location and other characteristics of homes to be financed by home mortgages.

(C)  The terms and conditions of home mortgages to be acquired.

(D)  The amounts and types of any insurance coverage required on homes, home mortgages and bonds.

(E)  The representations and warranties of lending institutions confirming compliance with the standards and requirements.

(F)  Restrictions as to interest rate and other terms of home mortgages or the return realized therefrom by lending institutions.

(G)  The type and amount of collateral security to be provided to assure repayment of any loans from the City of Gardena and to assure repayment of bonds.

(H)  Any other matters related to the purchase of home mortgages or the making of loans to lending institutions as deemed relevant by the City of Gardena.

(4)  To require from each lending institution from which home mortgages are purchased or to which loans are made the submission of evidence satisfactory to the City of Gardena of the ability and intention of the lending institution to make home mortgages, and the submission, within the time specified by the City of Gardena for making disbursements for home mortgages, of evidence satisfactory to the City of Gardena of the making of home mortgages and of compliance with any standards and requirements established by it.

(b)  The City of Gardena shall designate a person or entity to administer the program.

(c)  The City of Gardena shall adopt regulations establishing criteria for qualifications of persons and families. In developing this criteria, factors similar to the following shall be taken into consideration:

(1)  The amount of the income of the person or family that is available for housing needs.

(2)  The size of the household.

(3)  The costs and condition of available housing.

(4)  The eligibility of the persons or families for federal housing assistance of any type.

(5)  That first-time homebuyers eligible to be assisted under this section be California residents whose annual gross income does not exceed 35 percent of the median area purchase price of a resale house as determined by the City of Gardena.

(6)  The purchase price of homes eligible to be assisted does not exceed 100 percent of the median area purchase price of resale homes.

(d)  Criteria for qualification of persons and families pursuant to this section shall include a maximum household income, which maximum shall not exceed the following:

(1)  One hundred twenty percent of the median household income for mortgages made for improving a home or for homes where the purchaser will be the first occupant. Upon the resale of a home for which financing was originally provided under this paragraph, the maximum income of persons and families shall also be 120 percent of the median household income.

(2)  The median household income where the purchaser will not be the first occupant. However, the City of Gardena shall ensure that no less than 50 percent of the funds allocated for home mortgages where the purchaser will not be the first occupant shall be for households whose income does not exceed 80 percent of that median household income. However, the legislative body of the City of Gardena may, by resolution, increase this income limitation to 90 percent of median household income if the legislative body finds that there are insufficient numbers of creditworthy persons whose income does not exceed 80 percent of median household income. The resolution is final and conclusive as to the findings required by this paragraph.

(3)  One hundred fifty percent of the median household income for mortgages made for improving a home or for homes where the purchaser will be the first occupant in the City of Gardena if that city designated by the United States Department of Commerce, Economic Development Administration as a special impact area within a Title IV redevelopment area, pursuant to Section 401 of the federal Public Works and Economic Development Act of 1965, as amended, and which is eligible for Urban Development Action Grant funds under the current distress standards established for cities by the Secretary of the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development pursuant to Section 119 of the Housing and Community Development Act of 1974, if the homes purchased or improved are situated within the boundaries of a special impact area as defined by the Economic Development Administration, and that designation is in effect on the date of sale of revenue bonds issued under this part.

As used in this subdivision, “median household income” means the highest of (A) statewide median household income, (B) countywide median household income, or (C) median family income for area as determined by the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development, with respect to either a standard metropolitan statistical area or an area outside of a standard metropolitan statistical area.

(e)  Subdivision (d) shall not apply with respect to home finance programs funded with amounts made available by the issuance of revenue bonds that (1) for federal tax law purposes are bonds refunding qualified mortgage bonds issued before January 1, 1987, and (2) satisfy the requirements of subdivision (a) of Section 1313 of the federal Tax Reform Act of 1986. With respect to these programs, the maximum household income for qualification of persons and families pursuant to this section shall be the following:

(1)  One hundred fifty percent of the median household income for mortgages made for improving a home or for homes where the purchaser will be the first occupant. Upon the resale of a home for which financing was originally provided under this paragraph, the maximum income of persons and families shall also be 150 percent of the median household income. For purposes of this paragraph, a mortgage made for improving a home includes a home improvement loan as defined in Section 143 of Title 26 of the United States Code.

(2)  One hundred twenty percent of the median household income where the purchaser will not be the first occupant. However, the City of Gardena shall ensure that no less than 20 percent of the funds allocated for home mortgages where the purchaser will not be the first occupant shall be for households whose income does not exceed 110 percent of that median household income. However, the legislative body of the city or county may, by resolution, increase this income limitation to 120 percent of the median household income if the legislative body finds that there are insufficient numbers of creditworthy persons whose income does not exceed 110 percent of the median household income. The resolution is final and conclusive as to the findings required by this paragraph. However, the finding shall not be made by the legislative body before six months from the date mortgages were first made under the program and only if participating lenders have entered into an agreement with the City of Gardena that lenders will advertise at least monthly the availability of funds and will forfeit one-quarter of their origination fees if they are unable to use 20 percent of the funds to make mortgages to households whose income does not exceed 110 percent of the median income.

(3)  One hundred fifty percent of the median household income for mortgages made for improving a home or for homes where the purchaser will be the first occupant in the City of Gardena if that city is designated by the United States Department of Commerce, Economic Development Administration as a special impact area within a Title IV redevelopment area, pursuant to Section 401 of the federal Public Works and Economic Development Act of 1965, as amended, and which is eligible for Urban Development Action Grant funds under the current distress standards established for cities by the Secretary of the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development pursuant to Section 119 of the Housing and Community Development Act of 1974, if the homes purchased or improved are situated within the boundaries of a special impact area as defined by the Economic Development Administration, and that designation is in effect on the date of sale of revenue bonds issued under this part.

As used in this subdivision, “median household income” means the highest of (1) statewide median household income, (2) countywide median household income, or (3) median family income for the area as determined by the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development, with respect to either a standard metropolitan statistical area or an area outside of a standard metropolitan statistical area.

(f)  (1)  Except as otherwise provided in paragraphs (2) and (3), the City of Gardena shall allocate no less than 60 percent of the dollar amount of its financing from bond proceeds to fund loans for the purchase of homes where the purchaser will be the first occupant, or for substantial rehabilitation. As used in this chapter, “substantial rehabilitation” means rehabilitation in which the costs of rehabilitation equal or exceed 20 percent of the value of the structure after rehabilitation.

(2)  Paragraph (1) does not apply to an issue of bonds for which all of the proceeds of the bond issuance are allocated to fund loans for home improvement or substantial rehabilitation.

(3)  Paragraph (1) shall not apply to that portion of the proceeds of any bonds issued to finance home mortgages for first-time homebuyers.

(g)  The City of Gardena shall require each mortgagor under the program to certify his or her intention to occupy the home for a minimum of two years after receiving a home mortgage, with appropriate exceptions in hardship cases determined by the City of Gardena.

(h)  The City of Gardena may do any and all things necessary to carry out the purposes and exercise the powers expressly granted by this part.

(Added by Stats. 1990, Ch. 1297, Sec. 5.)