7July
2026

Regular City Council Meeting · One key issue

The council voted five to two to ask voters in November whether to remove the expiry date from the city's local sales tax.

Check this moment · 3:53:30

4.8 hours 27 agenda items 24 located in video 65% attributed to a named speaker

Brief

What happened

Tuesday, July 7, 2026

01
Mayor Pro Tem Penaloza and Councilmember Lopez voted against putting it on the ballot.
3:53:31
Sales tax Budget Homelessness

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Related agenda item 22
Consider Ballot Measure to Remove Sunset on Local Sales Tax
Open agenda item →

Member positions

Jessie LopezVoted no
Said voters were told in 2018 the tax was temporary and the scheduled 2029 reduction is the deal the city made with them, which she would not break.
3:42:16
David PenalozaVoted no
Acknowledged the services the tax funds but objected on the grounds of what he called poor fiscal management by councilmembers, citing a colleague's twenty thousand dollar trip.
3:49:31
Valerie AmezcuaVoted yes
Noted nobody currently on the council was serving when the tax was first put to voters.
3:46:26
Thai Viet PhanVoted yes
Framed it as a decision for voters, and was authorised to write the ballot argument in favour.
3:44:27
Benjamin VazquezVoted yes
Said the city had achieved more with less over two years and that voters should decide.
3:33:24
Phil BacerraVoted yes
Pointed out the tax is about a fifth of the general fund, against two percent from the hotel tax.
3:34:47
Johnathan Ryan HernandezVoted yes
Said the tax was put to voters a decade ago and the question of extending it belongs to them too.
3:32:32
02
Councilmember Lopez said voters were told in 2018 the tax was temporary and that she would not break that deal with residents.
3:42:16
Sales tax Budget Homelessness

Explore this issue

Related agenda item 22
Consider Ballot Measure to Remove Sunset on Local Sales Tax
Open agenda item →

Member positions

Jessie LopezVoted no
Said voters were told in 2018 the tax was temporary and the scheduled 2029 reduction is the deal the city made with them, which she would not break.
3:42:16
David PenalozaVoted no
Acknowledged the services the tax funds but objected on the grounds of what he called poor fiscal management by councilmembers, citing a colleague's twenty thousand dollar trip.
3:49:31
Valerie AmezcuaVoted yes
Noted nobody currently on the council was serving when the tax was first put to voters.
3:46:26
Thai Viet PhanVoted yes
Framed it as a decision for voters, and was authorised to write the ballot argument in favour.
3:44:27
Benjamin VazquezVoted yes
Said the city had achieved more with less over two years and that voters should decide.
3:33:24
Phil BacerraVoted yes
Pointed out the tax is about a fifth of the general fund, against two percent from the hotel tax.
3:34:47
Johnathan Ryan HernandezVoted yes
Said the tax was put to voters a decade ago and the question of extending it belongs to them too.
3:32:32
03
Mayor Pro Tem Penaloza said the money has paid for real services but that the council's own spending decisions have been poorly managed.
3:49:31
Sales tax Budget Homelessness

Explore this issue

Related agenda item 22
Consider Ballot Measure to Remove Sunset on Local Sales Tax
Open agenda item →

Member positions

Jessie LopezVoted no
Said voters were told in 2018 the tax was temporary and the scheduled 2029 reduction is the deal the city made with them, which she would not break.
3:42:16
David PenalozaVoted no
Acknowledged the services the tax funds but objected on the grounds of what he called poor fiscal management by councilmembers, citing a colleague's twenty thousand dollar trip.
3:49:31
Valerie AmezcuaVoted yes
Noted nobody currently on the council was serving when the tax was first put to voters.
3:46:26
Thai Viet PhanVoted yes
Framed it as a decision for voters, and was authorised to write the ballot argument in favour.
3:44:27
Benjamin VazquezVoted yes
Said the city had achieved more with less over two years and that voters should decide.
3:33:24
Phil BacerraVoted yes
Pointed out the tax is about a fifth of the general fund, against two percent from the hotel tax.
3:34:47
Johnathan Ryan HernandezVoted yes
Said the tax was put to voters a decade ago and the question of extending it belongs to them too.
3:32:32
04
The city manager was careful to say the measure does not raise the tax, only keeps it at the rate voters already approved.
3:49:31
Sales tax Budget Homelessness

Explore this issue

Related agenda item 22
Consider Ballot Measure to Remove Sunset on Local Sales Tax
Open agenda item →

Member positions

Jessie LopezVoted no
Said voters were told in 2018 the tax was temporary and the scheduled 2029 reduction is the deal the city made with them, which she would not break.
3:42:16
David PenalozaVoted no
Acknowledged the services the tax funds but objected on the grounds of what he called poor fiscal management by councilmembers, citing a colleague's twenty thousand dollar trip.
3:49:31
Valerie AmezcuaVoted yes
Noted nobody currently on the council was serving when the tax was first put to voters.
3:46:26
Thai Viet PhanVoted yes
Framed it as a decision for voters, and was authorised to write the ballot argument in favour.
3:44:27
Benjamin VazquezVoted yes
Said the city had achieved more with less over two years and that voters should decide.
3:33:24
Phil BacerraVoted yes
Pointed out the tax is about a fifth of the general fund, against two percent from the hotel tax.
3:34:47
Johnathan Ryan HernandezVoted yes
Said the tax was put to voters a decade ago and the question of extending it belongs to them too.
3:32:32
05
The council also gave final adoption to dissolving five citizen commissions, again over the objections of Penaloza and Lopez.
2:58:25
Environment & water Parks & libraries Youth & education Arts & culture

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Related agenda item 20
Final adoption: Ordinance No. NS-3097 Dissolving the Arts and Culture Commission; Environmental and Transportation Advisory…
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Member positions

Jessie LopezVoted no
Had her no vote recorded against the ordinance dissolving the commissions.
2:58:25
David PenalozaVoted no
Also had a no vote recorded, as he had when the ordinance was first introduced.
2:58:28
06
Two councilmembers brought their own requests, one on residential parking permits and one on rising electricity bills.
4:06:37
Transportation

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Related agenda item 24
Discuss and Consider Directing the City Manager and City Attorney to Prepare a Resolution in Support of State Legislation to Lower…
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What councilmembers said
Representative transcript excerpts—not inferred positions.

Alvaro NuñezCity Manager
Until I said something. And then the ball got rolling. And so, and I don't need a pat on the back. Oh, thank you. What I need is I need the county to respond to us. that we do not want this program in our city that's what I mean that's all I want that's all I…
4:42:08
Valerie AmezcuaMayor
I'm sorry water rates or trash rates we always at least myself have consistently voted against raising those but that's something that we should be following I know that this is when it comes to the gas lines I always want to take pause because this city Santa…
4:15:46
Jessie LopezCouncilmember
beautiful celebrations that we saw throughout the entire city and I wholeheartedly agree that the city of Santa Ana is a city of celebrations city city manager and I want to thank travel Santa Ana for really just I think embracing who we are as a community and…
4:22:40
Thai Viet PhanCouncilmember
We have a couple upcoming events in Ward 1. This Saturday, 7-11 at 10 a.m., we are doing the New Hope Library renovation, reopening, grand reopening. Thank you so much to our city staff and our Public Works Department, a library, Brian, you don't know what it…
4:25:01

How this brief was made

The current summaries were prepared during an in-session review of the transcripts. This prototype shows only sentences with a timestamp citation. 0 uncited sentences were withheld from this page.

Focus

Where they differed

Splits in votes or reasoning

Split voteon “Final adoption: Ordinance No. NS-3097 Dissolving the Arts and Culture Commission; Environmental and Transportation Advisory…”2:58:25

Two members again put no votes on the record against dissolving five citizen commissions, at its final adoption.

Jessie LopezVoted no2:58:25

Had her no vote recorded against the ordinance dissolving the commissions.

David PenalozaVoted no2:58:28

Also had a no vote recorded, as he had when the ordinance was first introduced.

Split voteon “Consider Ballot Measure to Remove Sunset on Local Sales Tax”3:53:30

The council split five to two on asking voters to make the local sales tax permanent, with the two dissenters giving quite different reasons.

Jessie LopezVoted no3:42:16

Said voters were told in 2018 the tax was temporary and the scheduled 2029 reduction is the deal the city made with them, which she would not break.

David PenalozaVoted no3:49:31

Acknowledged the services the tax funds but objected on the grounds of what he called poor fiscal management by councilmembers, citing a colleague's twenty thousand dollar trip.

Valerie AmezcuaVoted yes3:46:26

Noted nobody currently on the council was serving when the tax was first put to voters.

Thai Viet PhanVoted yes3:44:27

Framed it as a decision for voters, and was authorised to write the ballot argument in favour.

Benjamin VazquezVoted yes3:33:24

Said the city had achieved more with less over two years and that voters should decide.

Phil BacerraVoted yes3:34:47

Pointed out the tax is about a fifth of the general fund, against two percent from the hotel tax.

Johnathan Ryan HernandezVoted yes3:32:32

Said the tax was put to voters a decade ago and the question of extending it belongs to them too.

Public voice

Recurring resident concerns

Repeated themes only

This section omits one-off remarks. It appears only when several separate public-comment voice tracks return to the same topic, or repeated comments connect a councilmember with criticism or calls for accountability. It is not a representative survey of residents.

Environment & water6 recurring voice tracks

Several public comments returned to environment & water.

…City Council to consider adopting resolution in support of lowering electric bills for residents, seniors, working families, and small businesses. Electricity is not a luxury, it's a necessity. Families are struggling with rising utility costs…
2:23:10
…a resolution to support much-needed legislation to bring down our electric bills. My name is Virginia Bernal, longtime resident of Santa Ana Ward 5. There's a huge cluster of laws that we need to rein the rapidly rising electricity rates. I'll…
2:25:13

How recurring concerns are selected

The prototype groups unidentified speech inside the general public-comment block by transcript voice track. A topic must recur across at least three tracks; criticism involving a named councilmember must recur across at least two. Voice tracks are an approximation and may include interpretation of another speaker, so excerpts remain linked to the recording.

Agenda

Every item

27 items in agenda order

Find an agenda itemTopic

Closed Session Items

Closed-session labor negotiations with city employee organizations

Not located

Labor & workforce

The council met privately about pay talks with the unions representing city staff.29:24

Closed Session Items

Closed-session conference with legal counsel

Not located

The council met privately to discuss ongoing litigation against the city.29:24

Closed Session Items

Closed-session conference with legal counsel

Not located

The council met privately about a second matter of ongoing litigation.29:24

Ceremonial Presentations

Certificates of Recognition presented by Mayor Amezcua to Santa Ana 8U Pony Baseball All-Stars for Outstanding Athletic Achievements