Read the December 3 meeting.

. . . .

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The two founders, the owner of the Ducks was...

Oh, I see. Oh. Oh. He got busted by the clients.

Oh, yeah.

I remember talking to Shane. like interesting conversation original 50 or less than 50 of this mega house yeah

not that level but huge pool and all that stuff It's nice out there.

guitar solo

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guitar solo

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We'll get back.

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We'll never get back anywhere anywhere anywhere anywhere anywhere anywhere anywhere anywhere anywhere anywhere anywhere anywhere anywhere anywhere anywhere anywhere anywhere anywhere anywhere anywhere anywhere anywhere anywhere anywhere anywhere anywhere anywhere anywhere anywhere anywhere anywhere anywhere anywhere anywhere anywhere anywhere anywhere anywhere anywhere anywhere anywhere anywhere anywhere anywhere anywhere anywhere anywhere anywhere anywhere anywhere anywhere anywhere anywhere anywhere anywhere anywhere anywhere anywhere anywhere anywhere anywhere anywhere anywhere anywhere anywhere anywhere anywhere anywhere anywhere anywhere anywhere anywhere anywhere anywhere anywhere anywhere anywhere anywhere anywhere anywhere anywhere anywhere anywhere anywhere anywhere anywhere anywhere anywhere anywhere anywhere anywhere anywhere anywhere anywhere anywhere anywhere anywhere anywhere anywhere anywhere anywhere anywhere anywhere anywhere anywhere anywhere anywhere anywhere anywhere anywhere anywhere anywhere anywhere anywhere anywhere anywhere anywhere anywhere anywhere anywhere anywhere anywhere anywhere anywhere anywhere anywhere anywhere anywhere anywhere anywhere anywhere anywhere anywhere anywhere anywhere anywhere anywhere anywhere anywhere anywhere anywhere anywhere anywhere anywhere anywhere anywhere anywhere anywhere anywhere anywhere anywhere anywhere anywhere anywhere anywhere anywhere anywhere anywhere anywhere anywhere anywhere anywhere anywhere anywhere anywhere anywhere anywhere anywhere anywhere anywhere anywhere anywhere anywhere anywhere anywhere anywhere anywhere anywhere anywhere anywhere anywhere anywhere anywhere anywhere anywhere anywhere anywhere anywhere anywhere anywhere anywhere anywhere anywhere anywhere anywhere anywhere anywhere anywhere anywhere anywhere anywhere anywhere anywhere anywhere anywhere anywhere anywhere anywhere anywhere anywhere anywhere anywhere anywhere anywhere anywhere anywhere anywhere anywhere

guitar solo

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guitar solo

guitar solo

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guitar solo

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guitar solo

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Oh, my God.

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guitar solo

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guitar solo

guitar solo

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guitar solo

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Phil Bacerra

Recording in progress.

Valerie Amezcua

I hereby call the Santa Ana City Council meeting to order. this meeting is taking place with in-person attendance and by teleconference via Zoom. The public may access the meeting via the Santa Ana YouTube channel or the City's website. Please bear with us as the technology may disrupt the flow of the meeting. Madam Clerk, please conduct roll call. Councilmember Becerra? Here.

Jennifer L. Hall

Councilmember Hernandez? Councilmember Lopez? Councilmember Penaloza? Councilmember Vasquez? Present. Mayor Pro Tem Fan? Here. Mayor Mesquit? Present. If four members present, that is a forum. Thank you.

Valerie Amezcua

Madam Kirk, are there any additions or deletions to the closed session? There are none. Thank you. Do any council members need to announce their abstentions on closed session items?

Valerie Amezcua

Hearing none. Madam Kirk, do we have any speakers for closed session?

Jennifer L. Hall

We do not have anyone here in person. We do have one member of the public on Zoom with a hand raised, so I'll confirm if they're speaking for closed session or the regular meeting.

Valerie Amezcua

Thank you.

Jennifer L. Hall

That is for regular meeting. Thank you very much. We'll call on you at that time. Thank you. Conclude any public comments.

Valerie Amezcua

Thank you. At this time we'll recess this portion of the meeting to consider the items listed on the closed session agenda. Thank you.

Phil Bacerra

Recording stopped.

Thank you.

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We'll get back.

We'll get back in the morning. Thank you.

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We'll get back in the morning.

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Oooo

We'll get back in the back of the day. Thank you.

guitar solo

guitar solo

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guitar solo

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Oh, my God.

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I never thought of it.

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guitar solo

guitar solo

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guitar solo

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I'm sorry.

I'm sorry.

Thai Viet Phan

Recording in progress.

Jennifer L. Hall

Mayor, you can proceed.

Valerie Amezcua

Thank you very much. I hereby reconvene the Santa Ana City Council meeting to order. This meeting is taking place with in-person attendance and by teleconference via Zoom. The public may access the meeting via the Santa Ana YouTube channel or the city's website. Please bear with us as the technology may disrupt the flow of the meeting. As a reminder, this is a meeting to conduct the business of the city. As mayor, I'm afforded the opportunity to call for a recess or break or even to clear the meeting room if a meeting becomes too disruptive to properly conduct business. Warnings will be provided prior to any action being taken.

Valerie Amezcua

We appreciate your cooperation. For everyone's safety per the fire marshal, please do not stand or place objects in the aisles, in front of the dais, along the back wall of the council chamber, or in front of entrances and exits. Guidelines for members of the news media and anyone else who wishes to film or photograph the meeting are available in the lobby. During city council presentations, guests of individuals being recognized are invited to come to the front to take photos. Madam Clerk, please conduct the roll call.

Jennifer L. Hall

Councilmember Becerra? Here. Councilmember Hernandez? Councilmember Lopez? Councilmember Penaloza? Present. Councilmember Vasquez? Present. Mayor Pro Tem Fan? Here. Mayor Mesquith? Present. Six members present. That is a quorum. Thank you, Madam Clerk.

Valerie Amezcua

Before we proceed to the Pledge of Allegiance, please make an announcement.

Jennifer L. Hall

Thank you. For members of the public on Zoom or teleconference, to request to speak during public comments on agenda or non-agenda items within the city's jurisdiction, you must dial star 9 from your phone or click the button labeled raise hand from Zoom now in order to be in the speaker queue once public comments commence. Thank you.

Valerie Amezcua

Thank you. The first item on the agenda is the Pledge of Allegiance. Our youth commissioner Wyatt, can you come up and lead us in the Pledge of Allegiance, please?

Please. Place your right hand over your heart. Ready? Begin. I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the republic for which it stands, one nation under God, indivisible, and liberty and justice for all.

Valerie Amezcua

Thank you, Wyatt. At this time, the words of inspiration will be provided by Police Chaplain Bob Barnett. Thank you.

I always have a little story and then a simple little prayer. Today is Giving Tuesday. It starts off this month of giving and receiving. It makes us think beyond ourselves and to find a way to be a blessing to others. I remember reading a story thousands of years ago about a people who were trying to figure out how they could bless God. They tried giving things of quality, things of quantity and great cost. When they finally heard a word from a prophet, it was very simple because what would bless him was people living justly, loving mercy, and walking humbly. And in that way, their whole community was changed. They were all blessed.

Tonight, I want to bestow a blessing on our city, a blessing on the public servants such as yourselves and those that are to be honored tonight for their service as well. Lord God, I thank you for this night and the people gathered here. I thank you for our city council members, our mayor. Thank you for our law enforcement men and women, our fire authority men and women, the people that serve in our hospitals, the people that serve our city. we ask a blessing, Lord, that this would be a year of bringing joy and peace one to another. Let us bless. In the name of the Lord, we pray. Amen. Thank you. Thank you.

Valerie Amezcua

Madam Clerk, are there any additions or deletions to the City Council agenda? No, there are not. Thank you. Tonight we have two presentations. The first one is mine. We recognize it in Compass. Please come forward.

Thank you.

Thank you for coming tonight.

Valerie AmezcuaItem 1

It is my distinct honor to be here today to recognize Encompass for their outstanding contributions to our community. For years, Encompass has exemplified commitment, innovation, and compassion, consistently making a positive impact through its services and programs. Whether it's through providing housing transition, navigation services, empowering individuals by facilitating meetings with landlords or property owners, offering mediation and offering recuperative care for individuals who are exiting the hospital and need a supportive and safe environment to rest and recover.

Valerie AmezcuaItem 1

Encompass has shown dedication to uplifting those they serve. Today we celebrate their hard work and the transformative difference they make every single day. On behalf of the City of Santa Ana, it is my privilege to present the Certificate of Recognition as a small token of our appreciation for all you have done and continue to do. Thank you for being a beacon of hope and an example of what it means to build stronger, kinder, and more resilient communities. We look forward to witnessing your continued success and positive impact. And I want to personally thank you for the work that you do for our Santa Ana community.

Valerie AmezcuaItem 1

I know that I have personally reached out to you and you helped. and every time we call you help and so with that I say thank you all very much thank you

I would like to thank you madam mayor and for the city for recognizing us it's not me it's the hard work it's the hard work of these gentlemen Brian Trigueros Gilbert Gomez and their team they continually go above and beyond as you witnessed and I get to witness every day so I want to thank them and thank you for the recognition it's our pleasure to be able to help the communities you know everybody needs a helping hand and we're always here to answer the call

Valerie AmezcuaItem 1

when you do thank you guys thank you all very much we're gonna take a photo just us and then we'll call down the council thank you

Thank you.

Thank you for your graduation.

Thank you. Okay.

Phil BacerraItem 1

Next up is Council Member Lopez, please.

Jessie LopezItem 1

Okay, do we have a representative from CalAccess? Perfect.

All right.

Jessie LopezItem 2

So it's really an honor to speak with you today about Access California services or access Cal and outstanding community-based organization that has been making a profound impact in our community since its founding in 1998 access Cal was created to empower underserved and vulnerable populations including immigrants refugees low-income individuals regardless of their ethnicity faith or background the story of access Cal is one of resilience and determination it was inspired by the personal journey of yes Nala an immigrant single mother of three who struggled to find culturally competent

Jessie LopezItem 2

mental health care for herself and her family this experience opened her eyes to a significant gap in services and she set out to create an organization that would meet the needs of her community from humble beginnings operating with just a folding chair in a table access Cal has grown into a thriving organization recognized and awarded for its contributions. Today, AccessCal has more than 20,000 unduplicated clients each year, providing essential healthcare and human services. What sets AccessCal apart is its dedication to offering services that are culturally sensitive

Jessie LopezItem 2

and accessible to all. The organization operates in 24 different languages, which is incredible, ensuring that language is never a barrier to receiving support. Whether it's case management, health coverage access, housing assistance, or employment support, AccessCal is the vital resource for those who need it the most. The scope of services that AccessCal provides is truly remarkable. They offer over a hundred distinct services on a daily basis, including health coverage assistance through Medi-Cal and Covered California, a housing navigation and support, job readiness, tax preparation, and counseling services. Access Cal also

Jessie LopezItem 2

offers programs tailored to children, youth, seniors, and refugees, helping them not only access resources but also thrive in their communities. Through educational programs, leadership development opportunities, and specialized services for seniors, Access Cal is strengthening the fabric of our community in a meaningful way. The impact of the organization goes beyond what we're talking here about at a high level it really impacts individuals it serves and it cannot be overstated by providing access to crucial resources access cow empowers its clients to achieve self-sufficiency and financial

Jessie LopezItem 2

security which ultimately leads to greater health wellness and civic engagement they help individuals from all walks of life find stability improve their quality of life and contribute actively to their communities access Access Cal is deeply committed to promoting inclusivity and ensuring that all individuals, no matter their background, have the opportunity to lead fulfilling, successful lives. This commitment to equitable access drives every program and service that they offer. In closing, Access Cal's work embodies the very spirit of our community, compassion and empowerment.

Jessie LopezItem 2

Their commitment to helping individuals navigate life's challenges and reach their full potential makes them a corner store of support for so many. I encourage all of you to support AccessCal in its mission to uplift those in need and create a more inclusive and resilient community for everyone. I personally wanna thank you. To every community event that I go, I run into somebody tabling. And so I know that you're out there as much as I am. And so I wanna thank you for all the information that you share with our constituents and for supporting our families when they call.

Jessie LopezItem 2

So on behalf of the City of Santa Ana, I'm proud to recognize Access California and thrilled to support your mission.

Thank you very much. Of course. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. On behalf of every community member that received services at Access California services, I would like to thank the City of Santa Ana to honoring our work, and especially Council Council Member Jessie Lopez for recognizing our work. As she said, she always see me in every meeting, and I always see her in every meeting, so we always come to each other. This is an honor for us to receive this recognition.

The city of Santa Ana is very dear to our heart because we serve many clients from the city of Santa Ana. So thank you very much. Thank you, Mayor. Thank you, Council Members, City Staff, for honoring Access California Services. Thank you so much. Thank you.

Then another meeting.

Thank you.

Valerie AmezcuaItem 2

At this time, Mr. City Manager, may we have staff presentations?

Alvaro NuñezItem 2

Yes, we have some good news. our executive director of parts of recreation is going to present the all seven field youth commission members.

Valerie AmezcuaItem 3

You go down in the front.

Then we'll go over there and take pictures.

Valerie AmezcuaItem 3

Yes, we want to see you. Are we waiting for one?

She is going to walk in any minute right now. She's one of our athletes, and she had a game, and she'll be walking in any minute.

Valerie AmezcuaItem 3

Do you want to dance or sing or something until she gets here? I'm kidding. I'm kidding. I'm kidding. Because I know you'll take me up on it. That's right.

Let me go put on one of my suits. I'm kidding. It's okay. All right. She'll walk in. So council mayor good to see you guys. Many many councils ago we were tasked with you know getting our youth commission going again and it is my delight and pleasure to say that we have all seven of our positions filled. However come June I'm going to need y'all's help again because of our seven here four of them will be graduating and before I start before I bring I actually want to bring one of them up right now Kat Pham

y'all don't know what y'all clapping for but you're gonna know why so I am she is allowing me to do this so I am proud to announce that Kat has received a full scholarship to Columbia University.

Valerie AmezcuaItem 3

That is amazing. Congratulations.

And as you guys can see, it is for basketball. So we wanted to announce that. She'll go a little bit more into it, but we wanted to bring that up first, that we are very proud of her and our other youth commissioners that will be graduating. We'll be going to college as well, too. So just wanted to bring that up first. Hopefully, Mercy, not yet, but okay, but she'll come. So I just want to say that she'll give her a sing. So at this time, Danny, we'll start. So all right, so our youth commission, next slide. So this is our current membership. We got, you know, all seven or six wards and our mayor are filled.

You know, Wyatt, Kat, Emily, Mercy, Edith, Adrian, and Nealon, they all here. They will all introduce themselves, get a little bit about them. And they asked me not to ask you guys, but if you'd like to ask them a question or two, they would love that.

So we're waiting for you. Yeah. So, okay, next slide, please. Just real basic things. We do meet the first, the third Monday of every month at 6 p.m. We did come on together that to meet that so we can all meet, so we can have this. It is here at the council chambers. And one of the things we'll be doing for 2025 is we'll be having four of our meetings offsite. So this year we'll be going to the Santa Ana Senior Center, the New Hope Library, the Santa Ana Zoo, as well as the new commission at that time, Santa Anita Community Center. So we are really excited about that to have it out there and have you guys out there to open up that.

Next slide, please. Again, as you know, total seven members, four to meet quorum. They must reside in Santa Ana. Unique about them, they must be in grades 7 through 12th. with us today we have four of them that are 12th graders one and eighth and two and ninth and again if they're under 18 they have to have their parents permission next slide please responsibilities you know they care out any other tasks by you guys they review them provide input on the parks and recreation budget focusing on new services and share recommendations to you guys they suggest policies or

laws for the city council to improve the lives of the young people and they advise you guys on our youth teams and programs and partnerships with our organizations. Next slide please. I do want to say this before I bring it up one by one that if you guys have not you have seen them at out at our events they are vibrant they are outgoing they are talkative they've been on stage with you guys so I am very proud at this time to introduce them they all played paper

Valerie AmezcuaItem 3

rock scissors who's gonna go first second third. Before you do that I'm sorry I have a question is that okay?

Valerie AmezcuaItem 3

because i don't want to take up their time so i don't know if anybody else has questions but i just have a question for you um govindan so you're having four off-site meetings are you

providing transportation for them we will talk about if they do need transportation we will provide transportation but right now they do not need transportation as their parents have been great but we will work with them to get them to those sites thank you and then my last question

Valerie AmezcuaItem 3

is that you stated here they advise the city council about youth and teen program services and partnerships um i don't mr city manager or can we have them appear in front of the council twice a year three times a year whatever the council to share with us what is happening i think they would be great to hear from them they are our leaders our future leaders and our current leaders yes absolutely because you're talking about their sharing with us i think we'd

all like to hear from them yeah no be more than happy to bring them to youth council i think they'd love to come. We can do a quarterly, Mr. City Manager? Yes. Thank you. Okay, any other questions or comments and we'll let them go? I hope you guys have comments for them because they are sharp, they are witty. So at this...

Johnathan Ryan HernandezItem 3

Thank you, Madam Mayor. Well, first and foremost, thank you for your presentation, Director Hock-Scott, and thank you for your service to each of you. Serving your city is not a responsibility that anybody takes lightly, so for you to do this at your young age, I want to commend you and thank you. Whoever is willing to answer this question, I just wanted to know, what are you looking forward to advocating for the most?

So they are all going to come up and say that. Oh, how excited. Yeah, they're all going to introduce themselves.

Valerie AmezcuaItem 3

Mayor Pro Tem.

Thai Viet PhanItem 3

Yeah, they're going to do a presentation. Okay, I'll wait for the presentation.

Valerie AmezcuaItem 3

I'm sorry, I opened it up. My question was for you. I apologize. I probably ruined your there. Okay, go ahead.

So at this time, I would like to present our, it'll go our chair, Wyatt, followed by our vice chair, Mercy, and then from there, they'll all follow. And so at this time, Wyatt, chair Wyatt.

Hello everyone, my name is Wyatt Malfavon. I am the chair of the Youth Commission. I also have the privilege of representing our mayor, Valerie Mesqua. A little about me is that I attend school at Samwell Academy. I am in the 8th grade and I am the youngest youth commissioner. Surprisingly.

So my interests are playing volleyball, basketball, as well as playing my guitar and saxophone. I have volunteered in my neighborhood since I was very young, and I have always enjoyed participating in community events. So when I learned about the opportunity to become a youth commissioner, I knew that I wanted to help my community at a larger scale. So now that we are all here, I look forward to working with my fellow youth commissioners to make Santa Ana an even better place for our youth. Thank you.

Hello, my name is Mercy Benitez, representing Ward 3, Jessie Lopez.

Valerie AmezcuaItem 3

Can you come closer to the mic, please?

Yeah.

Valerie AmezcuaItem 3

Thank you.

I am a freshman at Santa Ana High School. I am goalie of the girls' water polo. Sorry. and I was captain for the freshman team for volleyball I want to become a forensic psychologist and I learned about youth commission through my sister who sent me a post so I think social media for that I am a youth commissioner to get more teenagers involved with the community and to share the opportunities that Sanana has for us. Thank you.

Oh, sorry there. Okay. Hello, council members, pro-tem mayor, and mayor and fellow Santaneros. My name is Emily Parra Diaz, your War II Youth Commissioner. I would like to start off by introducing myself, my goals, and why I am in the Youth Commission. I would also like to take a little bit of the time to introduce my personal goals that way you all know the individual I am and do not just know me as the War II Youth Commissioner. That said my familiarity with politics and law has grown throughout the course of my high school career and I intend for it to continue

doing so. My background built my interests for these fields. That said my background is made up of three things which are the reasons for why I am in the Youth Commission. I am first-generation, low-income, and come from a single-parent household. This is a lot to unpack in just one sentence so you can imagine how this has unfolded in my life. My values surround my background as I'm a firm believer of improving education and housing for those with a background similar to mine. I believe that everyone should have the opportunity to strive through academics and such and currently I am trying to see how I can better

inform myself and educate myself on topics surrounding education and this is just one of the goals I have as Youth Commissioner. And in the couple of months I have left in the Youth Commission, I want to make sure I leave a lasting impact in the lives of many youth here in the city of Santa Ana. Now, aside from my role as your War II Youth Commissioner, I would like to talk a little bit about my personality and goals. I have grown up in Santa Ana for most of my life, where I have attended Glenelg Martin, Advanced Learning Academy, Willard Intermediate, and am now a senior at Middle College High School.

In the spring of 2025, I am to graduate with three AA degrees and my high school diploma.

That said, if I am not at school, I am probably at home enjoying time with my family. My free time is made up of going on walks, playing Minecraft and Roblox. Very casual for a teenager. These moments allow me to take in a fresh breath of air after being at school. And although I do not have much free time now as a senior in high school anymore, I still get joy from attending extracurricular activities such as going to the Nicholas Academic Centers, where friends and I get homework and college applications done. This is also the way I excitingly approach youth commission meetings.

My current academic goal is to attend a four-year university where I hope to graduate with a BA in political science and then hopefully enter into law school. I want my career to be based in Southern California as I have a strong love and admiration for the culture I have grown up with. Thank you.

Hello, commissioners. Forgive me as I am a little bit ill today, but for an introduction, I am Naylan Munoz and I am in Ward 6, otherwise known as Penaloza's District. And I am a basketball player. I am I have two and a half years of MMA which is mixed martial arts. I love reading. I really like spending time with family. One of my favorite things to do in my free time is actually just being with my brother at the park and something about why I chose to be in the Youth Commission is because I feel as a member

of the youth myself, I have a responsibility to be better, not only as like a better example to people who are younger than me, but people who are, who might want to even be in my situation where they can have an impact on others and show their true values. So I just wanted to thank you all for being here today and that, thank you.

Hello. Hello, my name is Edith Hernandez. I'm a senior at Saddleback High School. I'm 17 years old and I am part of the IB program in Saddleback, actually. And then one of my goals is to become a lawyer and go to a four-year university in California. I want to be specific. I want to be a corporate lawyer or a trial lawyer. And then I wanted to become a youth commissioner because I want to be more involved with my city and know what's going on around my surroundings. And I actually participated in one of the city events. I attended them.

And my favorite one was the Moon Festival. And the food was so good. The colors were so nice. The music was so lovely. I liked that event. And then I really like the parks too. My favorite park is Thornton Park because it's really nice to run in the mornings and look at the pond. But yeah, that's it. Thank you.

Hello. Hello. Hi, my name is Adrian Ramirez. I'm a senior at Segerstrom High School. and I am here representing Ward 5 and council member Jonathan Ryan Hernandez. And just to tell you a little about myself, at school I help out at my school's National Honor Society serving as a president and I just love to be a supportive friend, supportive student at my school. And like many people here I I am just someone who loves my city. I love Santana. I was born and raised here, and I just love the community that we built here,

a community built on trust, on respect, and on solidarity. And so for those reasons, it's why I decided to become a youth commissioner. As a youth commissioner, it's my goal to continue to contribute to those values that we've established here as a community, and to serve as a voice for our youth who are going to be the future of our community and to really provide a space for them to continue to grow here in the city and to continue to see the values that we've built here and to contribute to them and build upon them long beyond our years here. And so I just want to end with saying that I'm very grateful for this opportunity

and I just hope to do the city and the youth of Santa Ana proud. Thank you.

Hello, oh, hello. Hello everyone. My name is Kat Pham, which you guys have already heard because thank you to Director Hock Scott's very heartfelt introduction. So, my name is Kat Pham and I am the Ward 1 Youth Representative. Currently I'm a senior, under Mayor Pro Tem Tai Viet Pham, of course. Currently I'm a senior attending Los Amigos High School. At school I am in the tennis team I co-founded Vietnamese cultural organization for students on campus and also a service organization I also lead

a club that specialized in propelling civics engagement in students which is which brings me to us as to why I want to be a youth commission and a youth commissioner and why I am a youth commissioner so with a long history of being involved in my community I really wanted to bring youth voices to city Council members and kind of bridge the gaps between youth concerns and their representatives. I also wanted to advocate for the accessibility of opportunities for youth like career and internship opportunities. And I'm planning on promoting these opportunities to students at my school and I have done so

already so that they can gain kind of hands-on experience with working in the city and giving back to their community. I also plan on collaborating with my fellow youth commissioners here to kind of facilitate community service events like food drives, book drives, or like a community closet so that I can bring kind of help to individuals in need. And to wrap it up, I've thoroughly enjoyed working with Director Hock Scott here as well as my fellow youth commissioners, and I'm really looking forward to doing so in the future. Thank you.

So again, Mayor and Council, this is your Youth Commission, and if you guys have any questions, please ask them. They'd be more than happy to ask. If not, they want a photo with all of you, so if we can find Councilmember Lopez, that's something that I had to do, that they made sure.

Valerie AmezcuaItem 3

All right, let's go down and take a picture if there's no comments. Everyone?

All of these things was fine.

All of these things was fine.

All of these things was fine. All of these things was fine. All of these things was fine. All of these things was fine. All of these things was fine. All of these things was fine. All of these things was fine. All of these things was fine. All of these things was fine.

Squeeze close together. Maybe you want to go in the back.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Valerie AmezcuaItem 3

Madam City Attorney, do you have anything to report out of closed session?

Mayor, Mayor Pro Tem, members of the council and members of the public, we had one item on closed session this evening and we have no reportable action.

Valerie AmezcuaItem 3

Perfect. Thank you.

Valerie AmezcuaItem 3

So, Council, if I can just ask that you talk a little louder, raise your mic when you want to speak because of the sound from the AC or the air moving here. This is the time of the meeting for City Council to receive comments from the public on agenda and non-agenda items. Madam City Clerk, please explain the public comment procedures and call the first speakers.

Jennifer L. HallItem 3

Thank you, Mayor. Pursuant to resolution number 2023-047, speakers are requested to address the City Council directly and to refrain from profane language, racial epitaphs, and libelous or slanderous statements that disturb the decorum of the meeting. Pursuant to the Brown Act, the City Council may not enter into discussion at this time. Speakers will have three minutes for their comments. Before calling speakers, I'll report the summary of emails as of today at 3 p.m. We received 18 e-comments, four related to item number 15 and 14 on non-agenda topics. Those were distributed to the city council and posted online for public review.

Jennifer L. HallItem 3

We will now hear from members of the public that are physically present in the council chamber, followed by those on the conference call or Zoom to provide comments on agenda or non-agenda items. Speakers, please state your name and the ward or neighborhood that you reside in for the record. And if the first two speakers here in the chamber could please line up behind the podium. Mike Tardiff and Jason Rush.

Good evening council members and mayor my name is Mike Tardiff. The proposed changes to the transit zoning code and the industrial moratorium currently in place are causing great harm to hundreds of Santa Ana property owners, businesses, and their employees. Hundreds of good Santa Ana jobs, many of those jobs are held by Santa Ana residents, minorities, and immigrants are endangered. Property and business values and of retirement plans are endangered.

The neighborhoods of Lacey and Logan are threatened with gentrification, rising rents, residents being forced out, and increased traffic. The lack of transparency by the city is appalling. The city is not cooperating with releasing details of the plan and has not worked in a collaborative manner with property owners, businesses, and residents. The city has not performed any site-specific environmental testing or given site-specific environmental reports.

The city has not shared a list of complaints. We've heard staff say, oh, there's a lot of complaints. Well, we haven't seen the list. It'd be nice to see it. We could address some of those maybe. So we don't know the real problems. The overwhelming majority of industrial businesses cause no problems. It isn't fair to eliminate all industrial business from that area, Special District 84.

It isn't fair to eliminate those business for the objectionable behavior of a few.

Please consider the harm that the industrial moratorium and the proposed changes to the transit zoning code are causing to so many people invested in the city.

Please bring the businesses and the neighborhoods together in a collaborative manner so we can work together for the benefit of all. Thank you.

Hi, Mayor and Council. My name is Jason Rush. I'm here representing Landware. We have four parcels in Logan and another one in Lacey. And I just would like to echo what Mr. Tardif said. And you need to start to consider that if you take action on this in 2025, It may be one of the largest non-budgetary budget items you may have ever taken on. We all have businesses there and we need to have the ability of either operating or figuring out how to transfer over with the existing zoning.

This is going to make it a little bit more complicated and we need a collaboration for something that's this monumental. Thank you.

Jennifer L. HallItem 3

Mayor and City Council, that concludes the public speakers that are present in the chamber. We'll now begin with the Zoom speakers. Speakers when unmuted, please announce your name and the ward or neighborhood that you reside in within the city of Santa Ana for the record. First speaker, Patty D-V, please unmute and make your comments.

Yes, hello. My name is Patricia DeSantos. I am in Ward 4. My statement is in follow-up to my emails to each of the City Council members regarding oversight and tracking labels for the monies the City receives. My emails were specifically for the funds due to be received from the related development on the Bristol related project. Nevertheless, the two methods mentioned can be applied to any or all monies received by the City.

I am aware that previous to today's council meeting, many of the council members declined to allow any oversight on the community benefit funds for the Bristol-related project. An oversight committee was requested which would have been comprised of volunteers and would not cost the city any money, similar to the oversight committee used to manage the funds for Measure M. Additionally, and in the alternative, tracking labels could also be used to identify the incoming funds and then subsequently track the way the funds are allocated over time.

These two transparency tools would be of very little or no cost to the city. These are commonly used methods by government and in particular local government. The funds from the Bristol related project will cover a 7 to 10 year construction project. Clearly, this City Council may not be the same City Council for the duration of this time. Therefore, as myself and many of my neighbors believe, it is important to have oversight and or tracking labels for these community benefit funds so that over time, no matter who sits on the City Council, the monies can be identified and tracked.

I respectfully again make my request for an oversight committee and or tracking labels for the Bristol related community funds and as I as an aside I think it would go a long way for increased transparency when another measure FF comes to a vote thank you

Jennifer L. HallItem 3

Next speaker, caller whose ID, phone number ends in 312. Please dial star six from your phone or select the microphone icon to unmute your device.

Hello, can you hear me?

Jennifer L. HallItem 3

Yes, please go ahead.

Good evening, Mayor and City Council members. my name is anna gomez uh resident of santa anna in ward 3. i'm calling in regards to item 15 on the agenda and i respectfully ask that city council members to reconsider the complete ban on short-term rentals and to set a time frame to bring stakeholders and city staff back to the table to work in getting a short-term rental program and regulations in place that benefits both the city and the stakeholders as i've mentioned previously in my comments in the last last city council meeting, a complete ban of short term rentals is not the answer and will not solve the housing affordability

many issues face. In the last city council meetings, we heard from a number of public speakers that indicated that they wanted the short term in place because of the lack of affordable housing opportunities within the city. The city of Irvine was quoted as a model of banning short term rentals that decreased the rent after the ban was placed in 2018. That decrease in rent was 3% in 2019 and 2010. However, it was short-lived as rents in Irvine have increased in the year 2022 alone, 27.2%.

The rents in Irvine, even with the ban in place, is 134% higher than the national median. So it shows that banning short-term rentals is not the answer and is not going to solve the affordability issues. Furthermore, a CNN business article dated October 28th of this year on housing affordability shows that there has not been a consensus as to whether or not short-term rentals have an impact in affordability. As stated in the article, it is a complex problem and one characterized by high prices for both rentals and sales, elevated mortgage rates, and a historic undersupply of homes.

Further research conducted by the Harvard Business Review Government Policy and Regulation in the article dated February 15th, showed that banning short-term rentals is not an effective tool for solving the housing affordability problems in many U.S. cities. Santa Ana included.

It is well known that the city is facing a shortfall in their budget due to measure X, which is the sales increase of nine and a quarter that's due to expire in 2029. This shortfall will no doubt impact a lot of the city programs that have benefited from measure X. The city also faces another shortfall if HR 8753 bill passes. The HR 8753 bill, which I don't know if you are aware of will make a unique zip code for the current zip code of 92705, which encompasses the areas of Cohen Heights, Lemon Heights, North Tustin, and Panorama Heights, which currently has a population of 25,000 residents.

Jennifer L. HallItem 3

Mayor and City Council, that concludes the public speakers.

Valerie AmezcuaItem 3

Thank you, Madam Clerk. At this time, we're going to go to the consent calendar, items 4 through 15 are before us. Council members, please announce any items that you'll be abstaining from due to conflict, and if there are any requests to pull an item from the consent calendar for further discussion. Council Member Hernandez.

Johnathan Ryan HernandezItem 4

Thank you, Madam Mayor. I'll make a motion to move the consent calendar with a very brief comment on item 9 and item 14.

David PenalozaItem 4

I'll second that motion.

Valerie AmezcuaItem 4

So I'm going to pull item 9, and I'm going to register a no vote on item 15, Madam Clerk.

Johnathan Ryan HernandezItem 4

My apologies, Madam Mayor. I made a mistake. Item 13, not item 14, is the comment that, the item that I'll be making a comment on.

Phil BacerraItem 4

So that item is being pulled then, correct?

Valerie AmezcuaItem 4

Item 14? So we're going to pull item 14?

Johnathan Ryan HernandezItem 4

Yeah, that'll be fine. If we can pull item 14, I'm sorry, item 13 will be the item. And I'll have a brief comment and comment on item 9.

Valerie AmezcuaItem 4

Madam City Clerk, did you get that? Yes. Okay. And you register my no vote on item 15?

Jennifer L. HallItem 4

Yes, I have that as well. And I pulled item 9. I have items 9 and 13 pulled and your no vote on 15.

Valerie AmezcuaItem 4

Great. Any other council members? You have your mic up? Councilman Vasquez? Okay. There's a motion and a second. Let's prepare to vote.

Jennifer L. HallItem 4

This is a motion by Councilmember Hernandez, seconded by Councilmember Peñalosa, to approve consent calendar items numbers 4 through 15, with the exception of items 9 and 13. It does include item 15 is the second reading and adoption of ordinance number NS3072, an ordinance of the city council of the city of Santa Ana, California, repealing and reenacting in its entirety article XXI to chapter 8 of the Santa Ana Municipal Code, prohibiting short-term rentals, and noting for the record that staff prepared responses to comments received which were entered into the official record.

Jennifer L. HallItem 4

And the vote is 7 ayes, no nays with a vote of a nay on item 15 by Mayor Emesqua. Motion carries. Mayor Emesqua, the first item pulled is item 9 by yourself.

Valerie AmezcuaItem 4

Thank you. I just wanted to make a comment and I know the right thing to do is to pull the item. Mr. City Manager and staff, our Deputy City Manager Sylvia Vasquez, I really want to thank you for this item. I know when I was first elected, I'm sure people, council members before me, I had asked for this to be translated, our Santa Ana app to be translated into Spanish. And then there was a request to also add Vietnamese. And I really want to thank you because, Mr. City Manager, you haven't been here that long. How long have you been here?

Alvaro NuñezItem 5

Eight months.

Valerie AmezcuaItem 5

And 12 hours, three minutes and two seconds?

Alvaro NuñezItem 5

Eight months and three months is per minute. All right.

Valerie AmezcuaItem 5

So I just want to thank you and I want the community to know that are watching at home and those of you in the audience That the my Santa Ana app that you have on your phone will now be in Spanish And in Vietnamese and that is a huge win for the city of Santa Ana. That is amazing So again, I want to thank you for the hard work to all the city staff. I want to thank you. Mr. City manager Deputy City manager Vasquez and all the city staff because you guys we may you know push policy up here implement policy vote on policy whatever but you're doing the work and so we really i just

Valerie AmezcuaItem 5

want to say i really appreciate everything so thank you councilman hernandez thank you madam

Johnathan Ryan HernandezItem 5

mayor i fully concur with our mayor city manager nuñez in your short time here you have heard the concerns from the community and you've implemented action by bringing items before the council so that we can actually bring translation services vietnamese and spanish to the city that's going to decrease the amount of dumping legal dumping that is happening across the city because residents who speak Vietnamese and Spanish will now know how to navigate this app. You're going to help us with removing graffiti by making this accessible in two additional languages. So I'm thankful and just wanted to be on the record sharing my gratitude.

Johnathan Ryan HernandezItem 5

I'm looking forward to voting yes. That'll conclude my comments, Madam Mayor.

Valerie AmezcuaItem 5

Thank you.

Johnathan Ryan HernandezItem 5

I'll make a motion to move the item.

Valerie AmezcuaItem 5

I'll second.

Jennifer L. HallItem 5

Motion by Councilmember Hernandez, seconded by Mayor Mesquilla to approve item number nine, the agreement with Rattletech LLC for the implementation of a citizen request mobile app and backend work management system.

Jennifer L. HallItem 5

Vote is seven ayes, no nays. Motion carries.

Jennifer L. HallItem 5

The next item is item 13.

Johnathan Ryan HernandezItem 5

Thank you, Madam City Clerk. I just wanted to pull this item very briefly to inform the public that in front of us today item 13 is an agreement with RMF contracting for the Delhi Park and Angels Park and what we are going to be seeing is robust brand new lighting coming to these two historic parks I'm very excited to see that the infrastructure that many of our residents have asked for in terms of lighting lighting does increase the perception of safety when residents are using our parks so I'm very much excited that our Public Works Agency has this item in front of us I'll I'll make a motion to move this item. I'll second.

Johnathan Ryan HernandezItem 5

And that'll conclude my comments.

Valerie AmezcuaItem 5

Thank you. Let's prepare to vote, please.

Jennifer L. HallItem 5

Motion by Council Member Hernandez, seconded by Council Member Penalosa to approve item number 13, an agreement with RMF Contracting Inc. DBA R&M Electrical Contracting to provide lighting at Angels Park, Centennial Park and Delhi Park.

Jennifer L. HallItem 5

Vote is seven ayes, no nays. Motion carries.

Valerie AmezcuaItem 5

Mayor, thank you. Thank you. Mr. City Manager, do we have any comments at this time? Do you have any comments at this time, sir?

Alvaro NuñezItem 5

No comments.

Valerie AmezcuaItem 5

Okay. At this time, we're going to call on council members to announce their comments. Councilmember Hernandez, please.

Johnathan Ryan HernandezItem 5

Thank you, Madam Mayor. I wanted to start by thanking our city staff and wishing them a happy holiday. I also would like to thank members of the public for their participation in our meetings. I also would like to thank them and wish them a happy holiday. And to each of my colleagues and your family members, happy holidays to you and your loved ones. This holiday season is about giving back and lifting up our neighbors. I want to thank our Deputy City Manager, Silvia Vasquez, and City Manager, Alvaro Nunez, for attending our Thanksgiving dinner that we had at the Southwest Community Center last week.

Johnathan Ryan HernandezItem 5

We were able to give away turkeys, and we had a really fantastic Thanksgiving dinner. I want to thank Gus's Fried Chicken for providing some pies to the residents, and Sarinanas Tamale Factory for providing 150 tamales, and then Santa Ana Reds for providing a warm, cooked meal. It was a great day for residents to come together, have a Thanksgiving meal. And if they don't have a kitchen or a family to spend a Thanksgiving with, we provided that space. I wanted to just share that there's going to be a toy giveaway and a posada that Articia Pilar Neighborhood Association is going to be having.

Johnathan Ryan HernandezItem 5

Please follow their Instagram page and their Facebook page. The Willard and Santa Anita Neighborhood Associations will also be hosting their own respective holiday events. My office will be supporting both of those communities. Please follow Willard Neighborhood Association and Santa Anita Neighborhood Association for more information. And then lastly, I just wanted to share for our city manager, Alvaro Nunez, I am supportive of the great work that you guys have been doing in the city manager's office. We had a lot of good monies through ARPA that we programmed today, the last of it.

Johnathan Ryan HernandezItem 5

And I just want to thank you for investing in Santa Ana and for working with every member of this council on our priorities. And at our last meeting, there was a public comment from one of our CDBG organizations, Neutral Ground. And I wanted to request that you work with them in finding a solution so that they don't lose that additional year of funding. The work that they've done in Articia Pilar has decreased gang violence significantly because of the case management that they've done, because of the presence that they've had at the park. So I just want it to be on the record. If you can find an opportunity or areas of funding

Johnathan Ryan HernandezItem 5

where we can support them so that they don't lose that funding, I think it would be a great service to the city that we continue to fund them. That'll conclude my comments, and I thank my colleagues for the time today. Thank you.

Valerie AmezcuaItem 5

Thank you. Council Member Vasquez, please.

Benjamin VazquezItem 5

Thank you. I kind of miss Thanksgiving. I want to start by saying how blessed and privileged I am for my family, my fiance and her children. I'm blessed for being a teacher in Santa Ana and a council member here serving with my peers and especially the staff that we have here. I love you guys and the work that you've done. That being said, we do have much work in front of us given this past election. I want to tell our immigrant community that I stand strongly with them. Santa Ana is a sanctuary city. I hope we can all come together united to

Benjamin VazquezItem 5

continue the support. We will have many challenges these next four years. I have always gained courage watching you undocumented youth and activists that move in this world with a moral strength to protect each other. I am here with you. Santa Ana is with you. Thank you. We'll fight together. Good night. Thank you.

Valerie AmezcuaItem 5

Councilman Bittsera, please.

Phil BacerraItem 5

Thank you, Madam Mayor. I hope that everybody had a wonderful Thanksgiving. I was unfortunately unable to travel up to Sacramento this past Monday, so there's no disclosure for me to make regarding AB 1234. I will be hosting my monthly community office hours this Saturday, December 7th at 10 a.m. over at Eugene Grissette Park, which is located on MacArthur Boulevard right next to Greenville Elementary. And speaking of Eugene Grissette Park, got to join our Executive Director, Hawk Scott, of Parks and Rec, and the Southwest Carpenters showed up to volunteer their time to help refurbish a sign.

Phil BacerraItem 5

So many have driven by there and wondered, is it still a park? The answer is yes, and now there's a sign that declares it as what it was declared many, many years ago as Eugene Grissette Park. So thank you to the carpenters for coming out and helping us with that sign. i also wanted to congratulate the san anna college dons football team on their eight-win season and for winning the 2024 western state bowl so congratulations to the dons and i don't care if the world series happened or concluded back on october 30th i want to congratulate the dodgers

Phil BacerraItem 5

but the reason why i want to bring up the world series is not because i want to flex and say the dodgers won hell yeah but i also want to say thank you to the city manager's office and to parks of Rec for activating Plaza Caio Quatro with a giant TV out there so that our community could have a place to watch the game. So it was wonderful to have so many folks out there joining us, watching our nation's pastime. And I also want to give a special shout out to Lisandra Orozco because talk about embodying community collaboration. So right before Freddie Freeman was about to hit the

Phil BacerraItem 5

game winning home run and game winning I'm sorry grand slam in game one. We had a little hiccup with the Wi Fi and Lisandro came through with a hotspot just in time so that everybody gathered at the Plaza could see that historic moment. So thank you Lisandro. And finally to our Buddhist brothers and sisters. I'd like to wish you a happy bow day day since we won't be meeting again until December 17. So good night everybody. Thank you. Council member Lopez

Jessie LopezItem 5

Hi, everyone. I want to wish all of our families happy holidays, and I hope that you celebrate them safely. And I also want to thank our staff for the beautiful agenda. Thank you for finally, just kidding. I know you have in the past brought agendas like this before us. And so I know you work very hard. You're very dedicated. And I feel very fortunate to work alongside all of you and also learn alongside all of you. And so thank you for your patience. Thank you for everything that you do day in and day out. I hope that you get the rest that you deserve.

Jessie LopezItem 5

Moreover, I want to invite our community to celebrate the brand new park at Standard & McFadden in Ward 6. On December 11th, named after Gerardo Moet. You all should know by now the story of Mr. Moet and his family. and really the communities fight to make this vision become a reality in an area that is park poor in a city that is park poor and so I hope to see you there on the celebration and I also want to congratulate or really say happy Hanukkah happy Kwanzaa whatever you celebrate I hope that you're

Jessie LopezItem 5

able to do it in your city comfortably and finally I want to wish my dad a very happy birthday I love you, dad, and I hope to see you all here on December 10th. Thank you. Thank you. Council Member Penelosa, please.

David PenalozaItem 5

Thank you, Mayor Mesquah. I just wanted to announce how thankful I am that it's going to be. It's before 7, so it's exciting. Under the AB 1234 disclosure, I'd like to announce that the city paid for my travel yesterday to travel to Sacramento, California for the California State Assembly installation.

David PenalozaItem 5

I had the opportunity to meet. I was there as not only the council member for the city of Santa Ana, but also the vice president for the Orange County League of Cities Division. And I was able to meet with the chief of staff for our assembly member and a couple of staff members from our local state senator and just talk about the next two legislative years. where there's a lot of, if I made myself feel if there's bills that are going to help retain local control and make sure that cities of Santa Ana have a say and have a seat at the table and we'll be there to support them. So it's important that we build those relationships

David PenalozaItem 5

and we're ready to fight because a lot of these bills require members from our city and constituents from our city to advocate for them and speak up against the, support them or against them. So it was really good to be up there and have those conversations. I also wanted to invite everybody to, it's December 11th at 3 p.m. I believe the councilwoman didn't mention the time, but it's 3 p.m. for anybody who wants to join us at Gerardo Mueppe Park on Standard and McFadden.

David PenalozaItem 5

That park is literally decades in the making, and it's exciting to finally see it come to fruition. I just hope that we keep a close eye on it and make sure that that maintenance and security is a high priority for that park. The own residents that live in that neighborhood have begged me, please help us take care of this park. We're worried of what it's going to become. So just food for thought there for our city staff. With that said, I want to congratulate with today, December 3rd, election results have been certified.

David PenalozaItem 13

So I'd like to congratulate my three council colleagues, Councilmember Hernandez, Councilwoman Lopez, and Councilwoman Fenn for your re-elections. And I also want to congratulate the people's mayor, Ms. Valerie Amesco, on your re-elections. So thank you to everybody that made your voices heard this election cycle. You know, elections could be ugly and sometimes they're not, but I'm just happy that we're past it. Congratulations to all my colleagues up here. With those comments, Mayor, that is it. Happy holidays to everybody and Feliz Dia de la Virgen de Guadalupe, which I know our community celebrates and I do myself.

David PenalozaItem 13

So I'll be out there dressed up as Juan Diego.

David PenalozaItem 13

Mayor?

Valerie AmezcuaItem 13

Mayor Proton.

Thai Viet PhanItem 13

Thank you, Mayor. Thank you so much to everyone who kept this agenda light. I'm adding a couple things from the last meeting since we did end pretty late. The first thing I'd say is thank you to staff for Plaza Navidena and all the events that we've had. I know we've actually really activated a lot of our community centers to have events for our youth, our seniors, our families. We had a ton of stuff happen, I guess. we had Estrella Springs which opened in Ward 1 by Jamboree Housing and in partnership with the county and Cal Optima and the city of Santa Ana to build affordable housing for our residents

Thai Viet PhanItem 13

and provide wraparound services just like we did with Hero's Landing also in Ward 1. So very proud of that. We had so a couple things that's coming up first I'd like to invite everyone to Orange County Justice Fund's annual fundraiser. It's this Thursday at 5 p.m. at Cervezacito. OCJF has a very special place in my heart. I did a pro bono case involving a woman who was seeking asylum with her three children, and when she was detained by immigration officers and sent to

Thai Viet PhanItem 13

Atalanto she didn't have the money to post bail. OCJF came in, helped raise the money, and made sure that they could pick her up and bring her home to her family. You know the reason why she ended up detained was because she didn't understand English and she didn't understand that she was missing a check-in with federal authorities. I think that together in this community we can make sure our families are safe, make sure that we collaborate, and make sure that everybody stays home.

Thai Viet PhanItem 13

The last thing, just on that note, are a couple of things. I'd like to make sure that we commemorate Pearl Harbor this Saturday, December 7th. There are a lot of veterans in my family. There's a lot of veterans, I think, for all of us in our families and our community, and I think it's an important day to commemorate. And the last thing on a happy note, I just want to congratulate my dear aunt, Yilang. She actually became an American citizen last meeting, but I just want to congratulate her and say for anyone else who's applying to become a citizen, do it, do it now. If you need help, reach out.

Thai Viet PhanItem 13

There are so many community organizations that will help you go through the process, that will help you fill out your N-400s, that will help you figure out what you need to do. and if you don't have the money there are fee waivers there are ways to do it for free so with that have a wonderful night and congratulations again to her it was a long time coming thank you

Valerie AmezcuaItem 13

thank you very much councilman panellosa wants me to tell you all that his daughter penny turns 11 months tomorrow tomorrow okay he forgot to mention that so instead of him taking up my time penny 11 months tomorrow. And her Nina didn't even say that. So, okay. So let me cover. On December 11th at the park, Piratomont Park, which I'm really excited about, there will also be 50 boxes of food given away by SEVA. So please get there first come, first serve for the 50 boxes, the 50 boxes of food. I also want to thank Congressman Correa because he gave us, it's our tax money, but still it's from our congressman,

Valerie AmezcuaItem 13

$963,000 of federal funds for Santa Ana's Multidisciplinary Response Team. These funds will help redirect homeless response teams, ensuring more efficient and specialized care. The team will deploy trauma-informed social workers and mental health clinicians to handle the non-emergency 911 calls. So it's really exciting. Thank you to the city staff, Mr. City Manager, working with our congressmen so closely. It really makes a difference. I also want to thank city staff. There's this ARPA handout that you gave out. and for those watching at home in the audience, the City of Santa Ana was allocated $128.5 million of ARPA money

Valerie AmezcuaItem 13

and it must be obligated by December 31st of 2024. And so the City of Santa Ana has done a great job of allocating that funding for improvements in our city, helping our families, and the list goes on and on and on. So thank you, Mr. City Manager, for giving us that information and sharing with the community as well. So just a few things. Mayor Pro Tems right, we did not have a chance to talk about a few things, but I'm not going to go back because there's a lot to cover, huh, that we've done. So it's exciting in Santa Ana right now.

Valerie AmezcuaItem 13

We had our second annual Thanksgiving turkey giveaway with SEVA, Congressman, I'm sorry, Congressman, Councilman Penelosa, Councilman Becerra. We worked with Serve the People, OC Food Bank, and SEVA, and we distributed 640 turkeys and 800 food boxes to families in Santa Ana. It was a great day and it always has been every year that I've been part of it. So looking forward to doing it again in 2025.

Valerie AmezcuaItem 13

640 turkeys and 800 food boxes. I mean, it was amazing. Thank you to Santa Ana PD. Thank you, Chief, for sending officers out to assist with that. We really appreciate that. Also, the Fiesta de Mariachi is, I know you forgot, huh? I'm excited about this weekend's mariachi event. We all should be. The morning showcase will highlight five Santa Ana Unified schools, Carr, Santa Ana High School, Century, Godinas, and St. Anne's. Even though St. Anne's a parochial school is still a part of Santa Ana, and many of our Santa Ana families go there. It's 130 students will be participating in this event.

Valerie AmezcuaItem 13

The evening concert for families or adults, people who buy tickets, will feature performances by Julian Torres, Mariachi Garibaldi, I'm sure I'm saying it wrong, and Mariachi Los Reyes and many others. So I invite you to join us to celebrate the beauty of mariachi music at our Eddie Westfield. This is the very first time we're having a venue of this kind in the city of Santa Ana at Eddie Westfield. So we are all very excited. Right, Hawk? We're excited? Mr. City Manager?

Santa Ana Stadium.

Valerie AmezcuaItem 13

I call it Eddie Westfield, excuse me. Santa Ana Stadium. So please get your tickets. They're available on www.powerofonefoundation.org. It's Sunday, December 8th from 5 to 10 p.m. It's going to be a wonderful event. So I hope to see you all there. And then my office, along with the Asian American Senior Citizen Service Center, will be hosting a senior holiday luncheon on Thursday, December 12th at the Santa Ana Senior Center, 424 West 3rd Street. I invite you to come out and join us. Also, the City of Santa Ana is having the fifth annual Tamal Festival, and we're going to be giving away toys.

Valerie AmezcuaItem 13

Councilman Penelosa, Becerra, myself, and it's been wonderful. We've been doing it for two years that I've been working with them, and it's exciting. So first come, first serve with the toys giveaway, so please get in line, get your toy. Before I close out with my final statement, I want to announce, I'm very proud to announce, that the proposed needle distribution program will not be operating in the city of Santa Ana. The California Department of Public Health has informed city officials that the Harm Reduction Institute has withdrawn its application to the Office of AIDS, well, CDPH,

Valerie AmezcuaItem 13

to run a needle distribution program in our city. And this is a victory for our families, our children, our community as a whole. I mean, thank you, Mr. City Manager, the police department, Ken, I see where's Ken. There's Ken Gaminski. Is he here? Ken, so many of you put so much work into this. Meeting after meeting. Yes, I'm going to get there, sir. I promise. He's giving me more notes. I had requested letters from mayors and elected officials. Gaston sent them out. Assembly member Avelino Valencia, Senator Umberg, Sheriff Barnes, mayors throughout the county,

Valerie AmezcuaItem 13

the board of supervisors, they all send letters supporting the city of Santa Ana. to not have the needle exchange in our city, because we all know that once it came here to Santa Ana, it was going to bleed out to other cities, and we don't want that. So it's wonderful to sit up here and to say they will not be coming to Santa Ana. Is the fight over? Maybe not, but it's over right now. And so we're really happy about that. And again, thank you to all the staff that did the hard work, and it was nice to meet with 34 different cities, Councilman Becerra and I, along with city staff,

Valerie AmezcuaItem 13

and talk about what exactly happens in your city when you have the needle distribution. Two cities that shared with us, they talked about such a disaster it is, and it's a public safety issue, and the crime, the prostitution, just the mess that it has created in their city, and they're not able to remove it. And so we fought very hard as a city to make sure that HR did not come. So thank you all very, very much. My final comment is Councilman Penelosa said congratulations to the council members that were reelected here and also I have been reelected to do my second term as the mayor and yes I am

Valerie AmezcuaItem 13

the people's mayor and I'm honored to continue to serve and I look forward to working with the council members and the city staff and the city manager and our police chief to really continue the work here in Santa Ana. We want to address public safety, we want to address the quality of life, we want to address our budget, we want to address our parks. There's so many things. The list goes on and on. But as we all know that sit up here, Mr. City Manager, our budget is this big. And so we all want to be fiscally responsible, but making sure that we do the right thing

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for our constituents and especially our youth because they are our future. And I want to thank you, Hawk, for bringing up the youth commissioners tonight because it was great to see them all here. What? Did I say something wrong? It was great to see them all here and to share with us what they do, where they go to school, and what their plans are. Because really, they are why. They are why we sit up here and do what we do. Because the decisions we make are not just for today or tomorrow. They're for three years from now, five years from now, ten years from now, or twenty years from now.

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So with that, I'd like to say I won't wish you all a happy holiday. because next week on December 10th, we have a special council meeting where four of us get sworn in again. So please feel free to join us at 5 p.m. And after the swearing in, we'll be going to the Bowers Museum to celebrate. I'm sorry. Okay, he always interrupts me. And then we have another meeting on December 17th. And there's a surprise coming from our Parks and Rec. So I'm really excited about it. And so our next official council meeting is December 17th. And with that, then I will wish you all a happy holiday. So again, thank you.

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And this is a beautiful meeting, Mr. City Manager. It is 7.10. 7.10? Meeting adjourned.

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Recording stopped.