Read the October 20 meeting.

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Jennifer L. Hall

Mayor, you're good to go.

Valerie Amezcua

Great. Thank you so very much. And we started the meeting, Madam Clerk? Yes. Perfect. I hereby call the Santa Ana City Council meeting to order.

Jennifer L. Hall

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. This is a meeting to conduct the business of the city. There's an 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. We appreciate your cooperation.

Thai Viet Phan

Recording in progress.

Jennifer L. Hall

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 any entrances and exits. And during city council presentations, guests of individuals being recognized are welcome to come to the front to take photos. For roll call, Council Member Becerra.

Here.

Jennifer L. Hall

council member hernandez president council member lopez here council member fan here council member vasquez president mayor pro tempeñolosa present mayor mesqua present all seven members present

Valerie Amezcua

madam clerk before we proceed to the pledge of allegiance please make an announcement

Jennifer L. Hall

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 nine from your phone or click the button labeled raise hand in zoom now in order to be in the speaker queue once public comments commence this does not apply to public hearing items number 25 or 26 or the housing authority agenda for which comments will be heard separately speaker queue will be

Valerie Amezcua

closing at 5 45 pm thank you very much madam clerk at this time the first item on the agenda is the pledge of allegiance i'd like to ask our newly promoted executive director rudy rosas to please please come up. Leaders of the Pledge of Allegiance. And congratulations on your promotion.

Thank you. Everyone, please rise if you're able. Place your right hand over your heart and follow me. Pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the republic for which it stands, one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.

Valerie Amezcua

Thank you so very much. Words of inspiration will be provided by our police chaplain Bob Barnett. Please sir come to the podium.

I want to thank you for the opportunity tonight to share and I I brought a particular poem tonight to share and the reason is because I try to convince people every single day to really appreciate life and people and enjoy every bit of the life we get even when it's tough. I read this just a couple weeks ago at one of our police chaplains memorial service who died fairly suddenly, but his wife asked that I read it. And so what I would like to do is just read it tonight. Just listen for a moment because it really gives you a sense

of a pleasure for the people that you appreciate and those who are around. It goes like this. I read of a man who stood to speak at the funeral of a friend. He referred to the dates on his tombstone from the beginning to the end. He noted that first came the date of his birth and spoke of the following date with tears and he said what mattered most of all was the dash between the years for that dash represents all the time that he spent alive on earth and now only those who loved him know what that little line is worth for it matters not how much we own the cars the house the cash what matters is how we live and

love and how we spend our dash. So think about this long and hard. For there are things you'd like to change, for you never know how much time is left that can still be rearranged. If you could just slow down enough to consider what's true and real, and always try to understand the way other people feel, and be less quick to anger and show appreciation more, and love the people in our lives like we've never loved before, if we treat each other with respect and more often with a smile, remembering that this special dash might only last a little while.

So when your eulogy is being read, with your life's actions to rehash, would you be proud of the things they say about how you spent your dash? Simple little story. Look around the room. never take anybody for granted and be friends god bless thank you

Valerie AmezcuaItem 1

thank you very much chaplain burnett madam clerk are there any additions or deletions to the city Council meeting? There are none. Alright, let's get on to presentations and the first presentation is mine. So we're going to do a proclamation recognition to Legado Siete for the outstanding cultural contributions. Can you come on up?

Thank you.

Valerie AmezcuaItem 1

You're going to speak, so we're going to get cut.

Valerie AmezcuaItem 1

All right, good evening, everyone. Tonight is my pleasure to recognize Legado Siete, a group with roots right here in Orange County, I'm going to say in Santa Ana, Minnie Street, right? Yeah, Minnie Street, that's where he grew up. A group with roots right here in Orange County, whose music has made a lasting impact on the

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regional Mexican music scene. Founded in 2014 by Alexander Guerra, we call him Alex, and Ramon Ruiz, Legado Siete, have spent more than a decade building a distinctive musical identity that blends traditional norteño influences with a contemporary sound that resonates with a new generation. Their journey reflects the power of perseverance and artistic expression. So there's a bunch of songs that are named here. El Afro Soy Lo Que Soy. Did I say that right? Yeah, the group has and many more the group has built a dedicated following and helped expand the reach of regional Mexican music as a group that emerged from Orange County

Valerie AmezcuaItem 1

Santa Ana Legados 7 also represents the incredible artistic talent that comes from our local communities Their success demonstrates how artists with local roots can reach audiences across borders while continuing to contribute to the cultural richness of Southern California. Here in Santa Ana, we recognize the importance of celebrating artists who help preserve and evolve our cultural traditions. Music has a unique ability to bring people together, tell our stories, and connect generations through shared experiences. On behalf of the City of Santa Ana, it is my honor to recognize Legados Siete for their contributions

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to the Mexican music scene across the country. their role in the evolution of modern corridos and the musical legacy they continue to build and also thank you for joining us this year in Fiesta Patrias right yes we hope to see you again there thank you Alexander and the entire Legado Siete team for representing our region and helping bring the sounds and stories of our community to audiences across the country and beyond congratulations on this recognition and we wish you continued success and the reason I wanted to do this because I know when we met we talked about where you come from right and you grew up

Valerie AmezcuaItem 1

here in Santa Ana and that is so important because many young people are looking up to you saying how do I do what you do where you know how did you get here where are you going kind of thing and you're here tonight with your beautiful family I'll let you introduce them but coming from Santa Ana from Minnie Street to where you are today congratulations on everything I've watched the concerts I follow you on social media you're all over the place doing amazing things and thank Thank you for giving back. I know last year with our turkey giveaway, you donated several thousand turkeys with me.

Valerie AmezcuaItem 1

I really appreciate the work and we'll do it again. So thank you for everything. This proclamation is for you from the city of Santa Ana. Thank you.

I just want to say thank you. I really appreciate this as somebody that grew up in Santa Ana. I know the Latino community is pretty big in Santa Ana.

This to me means that everybody in Santa Ana, everybody in any public school, we all can make it happen. It's just a matter of wanting to do it. I want to say thank you to Valerie and everybody here. Thank you so much. Appreciate that.

and the patience and the courage to do it. So, thank you. Thank you.

Thank you. Thank you. All right. Thank you.

Valerie AmezcuaItem 1

You want to say something, Mijo? No. No? Okay.

Benjamin VazquezItem 1

Did you want to say something?

Valerie AmezcuaItem 1

Okay, let's take a picture. Thank you.

Thank you.

Valerie AmezcuaItem 1

I'm going to bring him back next year.

Second.

Right here, right here.

Aw.

David PenalozaItem 2

All right. Our next presentation is going to be by Councilmember Phil Becerra. Certificates of Recognition presented by Councilmember Becerra, recognizing October as Filipino American History Month. So if we could please have Councilmember Becerra's guests join us up here behind the podium.

Phil BacerraItem 2

Thank you, Mayor Pro Tem. if I could have City of Cerritos Mayor Pro Tem Mark Polito, Council Member Frank Yokoyama, and Artesia Council Member, I'm sorry, Mayor Pro Tem Melissa Ramosa. Please come and join me up here.

Thank you.

Phil BacerraItem 2

Mabuhay, everybody. So when Filipinos say mabuhay, it's like when Hawaiians say aloha. It means long live or cheers. So October is celebrated as Filipino American History Month to commemorate the first recorded presence of Filipinos in the continental United States, which was back in October 18, 1757, when mariners under Spanish command landed in Morro Bay, California. October also happens to be the birth month of legendary labor organizer Larry Itlion. In fact, this upcoming Sunday, October 25, Filipino Americans will celebrate his 113th birthday.

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Now, to be clear, we are celebrating Filipino American history, not just heritage. While heritage encompasses culture, traditions, and legacies, history provides a more inclusive and comprehensive view, focusing on how our nation was built and changed by the experiences of Filipino Americans. Many Filipinos, including my own Filipino grandfather, came to the United States in the early 20th century. My grandfather moved into Santa Ana on 5th Street. In fact, his house was within walking distance of Sariana's. Unfortunately, that house is no longer there today.

Phil BacerraItem 2

But as a carpenter, my grandfather helped build the Matterhorn over at Disneyland. Another Filipino who came to the United States in the early 20th century was Larry Itliang. He came to the United States in 1929, and then in 1965, Larry was leading the AFL-CIO's Agricultural Workers Organizing Committee, or what's known as AWOC, of which the majority of the committee's members were Filipinos who had arrived in the United States in the 1930s. Then on September 8th, 1965, AWOC voted to strike against grape growers in Delano, California, to pressure them into granting higher wages and better working conditions. The grape growers

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responded by doing what? They decided they were going to hire Mexican farm workers to have them cross the picket lines and then break that strike. Larry then reached out to the leadership of the National Farm Workers Association, or the NFWA, to ask them to join AWOC in the strike. Then on September 16, 1965, the members of the NFWA overwhelmingly voted in favor of joining the strike. So Filipinos and Mexican workers joined together and picketed against the farm owners and marched together for labor justice. So AWOC and the NFWA would eventually merge and they would form the United Farm Workers

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or what we all know as the UFW. So later, Larry Itliang dedicated his efforts toward building a retirement village for the UFW workers in Delano, then known as, or now known as, Agbayani Village. And I'm very proud of the fact that my grandfather helped build that as a master carpenter for that project. and he worked alongside Larry Itliang and Phil Veracruz to make Agbayani Village a reality. Agbayani Village is located on the historic 40-acre site in Delano. Today, the Filipino-American community is the second largest Asian-American group in the entire United States and is the

Phil BacerraItem 2

third largest ethnic group here in California. Filipino-Americans and their families have truly enriched our nation, our state, and our city through their work and contributions in organized labor, agriculture, their service in the armed forces, also as nurses, doctors, engineers, scientists, accountants, teachers, and entrepreneurs, as well as participation in public office, civic affairs, and community activities. So standing here with me tonight are three of the most outstanding Filipino Americans who have made history through their own outstanding public service in their respective communities.

Phil BacerraItem 2

city of cerritos mayor pro tem mark polito yes please thank you artesia mayor pro tem melissa ramoso and cerritos councilmember frank yokema

Phil BacerraItem 2

so you know it's funny when i was first elected to the city council back in 2019 so i would tell people that I was the first Filipino American elected to the City Council and I would tell that to Filipino Americans and instead of just a simple wow that's great the first thing they would ask me is do you know Mark Pulido that was always the question without a doubt whether it was in laws whether it was other oh no it's very true so which very much humbled me that Mark was here in the chamber right over here on the night that I was sworn in so Mark I really appreciate it thank you for being here and thank you for being here along the

Phil BacerraItem 2

way. So today, today we're going to go ahead and declare here in the city of Santa Ana, October 26, excuse me, October 2026 as Filipino American History Month and encourage everyone to study and explore the history of the advancements of Filipino American culture, tradition, values that have all positively enriched our city, our nation, and will continue to do so. And so what What I'd like to do is present this proclamation to Siritus Mayor Pro Tem, Mark Pulido. If you could, come up and say a couple words.

Ladies and gentlemen, the City of Santa Ana, Madam Mayor, Mayor Pro Tem, and Council members, and your City leadership, it's such an honor to stand here with my fellow colleagues, the The Honorable Melissa Remoso from the City of Artesia, and the Honorable Frank Aurelio Yokoyama from the City of Cerritos. To accept this proclamation and recognition of Filipino American History Month, I wanna be very focused in showing my gratitude to someone who came from Santa Ana.

The Honorable Phil Becerra just shared the story of his Lolo, his grandfather, who was a community builder, a master carpenter, who helped build Dizzyland, and then in the mid-1960s came to the Central Valley, to Delano, where the Delano grape strike was started, as he recounted. But from that strike grew interracial, interethnic solidarity in the fields. It helped launch a social justice movement, the farm worker movement, which birthed the United Farm Workers.

Five years later, when they finally had a union in 1970 and their first contracts, that led to the effort to build what he said, Ogbany Village. Ogbany Village was the retirement home for all of these bachelors. thousands of bachelors who never had a chance to marry because there were racist anti-miscegenation laws that forbade Filipinos from marrying white women in the 1920s 1930s and so when they were in their twilight years they lived in a place that was built by someone from Santa Ana your

grandfather so when I'm saying I want to be very focused in my gratitude in our collective thanks to Santa Ana, to giving a shot to a Filipino immigrant, to learn a craft, to be a builder, to create a space so that those who are really worked very hard to build America and feed America, these farm workers, these nameless farm workers who were able to enjoy their golden years in a retirement village hundreds of miles away from here. That was a beautiful touch from someone from Santa Ana.

And it's that story that inspired me as a freshman in college at UCLA to pursue public service. And I'm proud to have been a part of the efforts to elect all three of these elected officials so that we could give back for all of our blessings made possible by those farm workers over the past century, Mexican American and Filipino Americans in solidarity to make it possible for many of the members who serve here on the Santa Ana City Council to make a better future for all of our communities. So in that spirit I

accept this proclamation in recognition of Filipino American History Month and And thank you to the Honorable Phil Becerra for initiating this.

Ready?

Thank you.

Thank you.

Phil BacerraItem 2

As they're walking up, I just want to acknowledge the folks from the Filipino chamber. guys thank you for being here and joining in the celebration so thank you guys

Valerie AmezcuaItem 3

thank you councilman Becerra next up is councilmember Lopez recognizing October is a breast cancer awareness month come on up if you're here for the breast cancer awareness month

Thank you, Jennifer.

Jessie LopezItem 3

All righty, good evening everybody. Today I have the distinct honor of proclaiming Breast Cancer Awareness Month for the city of Santa Ana and we are going to be presenting this proclamation to the Melinda Hoag Smith Center for Healthy Living. I am really proud to proclaim October as Breast Cancer Awareness Month, a time to raise awareness about breast cancer, encourage early detection, and recognize the individuals, the families, the healthcare providers, professionals, and community organizations working to support those affected by this disease. Breast cancer impacts millions of individuals and families,

Jessie LopezItem 3

and a diagnosis can bring significant emotional, physical, and financial challenges. Access to information, compassionate care, and strong support systems can make a meaningful difference throughout a person's journey. Breast cancer is the most common under among U.S. women and it is the second leading cause of cancer death among Latinas. Approximately one in nine Latinas will be diagnosed with breast breast cancer in her lifetime with U.S. incidence rates rising by 1.6% annually. We are diagnosed at younger ages, later stages, and with more aggressive

Jessie LopezItem 3

forms such as triple negative breast cancer. That is why it is especially important to me to present this proclamation to the Melinda Hogue Smith Center for Healthy Living, a vital part of Hogue's hospital commitment to improving the health and well-being of our community. Through its Department of Community Health, the center provides essential services including mental health support, case management, community outreach, and nurse navigation while collaborating with community partners and public agencies to expand access to care, particularly for underserved populations.

Jessie LopezItem 3

I would also like to recognize the center's dedicated efforts to ensure the Spanish-speaking women diagnosed with breast cancer and other cancers do not have to navigate this journey alone. Through its monthly Spanish language cancer support group, the center provides a welcoming space where women can share their experiences, find connections, access valuable information, and receive guidance regardless of where they receive their cancer treatment. The center's second annual wellness education and empowerment conference is another wonderful example of its commitment to bringing Spanish-speaking cancer

Jessie LopezItem 3

survivors and women undergoing treatment together for educational opportunities, self-care, and meaningful community connection. In addition to the center's case managers, mental health therapists, and community partners offer culturally responsive resources in supporting Spanish to help women and their families navigate the challenges that come across with the cancer diagnosis. These efforts Remind us that raising awareness is about more than wearing pink or recognizing a month on one calendar. It is about ensuring that every woman in our community has access to healthcare, information,

Jessie LopezItem 3

support and resources that can help her and her family make informed decisions about her health and feel supported through her journey. On behalf of my office, it is my honor to proclaim October as Breast Cancer Awareness month and recognize the Melinda Hogue Smith Center for Healthy Living for its compassionate service, community partnership, and continued commitment to advancing health, wellness, and empowerment for all. Thank you for the important work that you do for our community and congratulations on this well-deserved recognition. City Manager, we are also requesting that the water

Jessie LopezItem 3

tower be highlighted pink to bring awareness to this month and before I hand this over to the wonderful women behind me. I do just want to personally thank my friend Oscar who reached out to my office and help us coordinate this recognition. So thank you.

Good evening my name is Kathy Cordova-Patton. I'm a community nurse navigator at Hoag part of Melinda Hoag Smith Center for Healthy Living. On behalf of Hogue Community Health, we would like to thank Councilwoman Lopez for this meaningful recognition. Thank you.

We are grateful for your support and raising awareness and honoring the women who continue to fight this disease, as those who have fought it before them. Their resilience, strength, and along this journey is not easy, but they do it with grace and lots of strength. Buenas tardes. Mi nombre es Katy Patton. I'm a community nurse of health care from the Hospital Hogue. Thank you for this recognition to Melinda Hogue. We do this for all women who are fighting this battle, and the women who have lost this battle. It takes me very proud to be able to give all our services in Spanish

so that they don't fight this battle. Thank you.

ELVIA ESCAMILLA. Good afternoon, everybody. My name is Elvia Escamilla. I am a social worker slash therapist at the Hoke Mental Health Center, and my colleague Kathy Patton and I are so honored to receive this recognition. We know that cancer detection services, education is just so hard to come by, let alone if English is not your first language. We strive to make everything accessible, and this program, everything that we do at the center is honestly a labor of love. All the people that are with me from my team we're all super dedicated to provide excellent services the highest level of care to those who will need it the most.

like the first language. We know that access to services, education, information about the disease is very difficult to have. That work is not only for the people who are with me, but it's something that we are dedicated to offering to the community, especially the Latino community, because we know that it's very difficult to find services with someone who seems to speak similarly to you, who is is part of the culture, and honestamente, this is one very close to my heart. My mother has died from cancer, and I dedicate this recognition to my mother. Thank you.

Valerie AmezcuaItem 4

Thank you. The next presentation is Councilmember Phan. It is for the police department, San An Police Department of Human Options, recognizing October as Domestic Violence Awareness Month. Come on up, please.

Thai Viet PhanItem 4

Good evening, everyone.

Thai Viet PhanItem 4

Tonight, I have with me Corporal Jose Rosales on behalf of Santa Ana Police Department and Chief Operations Officer, Sarah Bimmerwald with Human Options. I wish this was a proclamation we did not have to have because we should not have to raise awareness on domestic violence. I wish this was a proclamation that didn't exist. But here we are, and I'm so grateful for organizations such as Human Options

Thai Viet PhanItem 4

and for our police department and all law enforcement departments for working with our communities to raise awareness on domestic violence, to prevent domestic violence, and to hold those who commit domestic violence accountable.

Thai Viet PhanItem 4

So I have a lot of speaking points, but I guess what I want to say is domestic violence doesn't always look the way you imagine it. If you watch TV, you might think it's a boyfriend or a romantic partner who beats up their girlfriend or their wife. But domestic violence can include financial abuse in which one partner or some member of your household withholds income, withholds access to money.

Thai Viet PhanItem 4

Domestic violence can mean someone controlling your legal access to your passport or your green card or your visa. Domestic violence can be emotional abuse when someone berates you, yells at you, gets mad at you for everything so that you walk on eggshells. Domestic violence is not just between romantic partners or husbands and wives. It could be committed by a parent, a sibling, a roommate. Domestic violence does not only take place when you are with the individual.

Thai Viet PhanItem 4

Many victims of domestic violence, especially women, experience domestic violence when leaving their partner. when seeking to separate from their partners. And domestic violence in particular affects people of color, women, and the LGBT community, as well as the trans community specifically. There are so many barriers that affect victims of domestic violence. Here in Santa Ana, aside from the legal hurdles that one may face, There are financial barriers. Where do you live? Where do you go?

Thai Viet PhanItem 4

There are language barriers. Who can understand you? And cultural barriers. Is this abuse? Or is it just culture? At the end of the day, I guess what I hope this proclamation does is that it raises all of our awareness to see that everybody has a right to live peacefully in their own homes, to exist, and that there is hope with organizations such as Human Options who

Thai Viet PhanItem 4

will provide safety and a pathway to healing. Human Options and SAPD recently held a candlelight vigil for survivors of domestic violence. I unfortunately wasn't able to attend but my team did and I think these types of events help raise awareness to our community and I really hope that those who are experiencing abuse are able to reach out whether it's to the city or to SAPD or Human Options for support. Human Options has truly had a positive impact on more

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than 500,000 lives since 1981. An impressive 90% of survivors completed their programs with Human Option and have moved forward finding safety and healing. Today we also honor the Santa Ana Police Department for responding to calls for assistance regarding domestic violence.

Thai Viet PhanItem 4

October 2026 is Domestic Violence Awareness Month and I do extend my deepest gratitude to the SAPD and Human Options. And the last thing I would like to say is for all of us to remember to not turn a blind eye because in our communities it's so laced with shame and fear and we don't want to talk about it. I was eight the first time I saw a family friend show up with a black eye. I was

Thai Viet PhanItem 4

probably ten when I saw her running away from her boyfriend and when you grew up in an immigrant community, you might not know what's right or what's wrong, but I do hope that we watch out for each other. And so with that, please give a warm applause to Human Options and SAPD. Thank you.

Good evening, everyone. Thank you so much to Councilmember Pham, to the City of Santa Ana for recognizing October as Domestic Violence Awareness Month. At Human Options, we have partnered with the City of Santa Ana for over 25 years to provide domestic violence services to Santa Ana residents, including at our Mini Street Family Resource Center located at Kennedy Elementary School, at the Santa Ana Family Justice Center, and at the Corbin Family Resource Center. At Human Options, we know that domestic violence is an issue that impacts everyone. There are survivors of domestic violence here with us in this room tonight, so thank you

all for raising awareness about this important issue. We know that domestic violence is an issue that impacts our community throughout the year, but we're grateful for the City of Santa Ana's leadership on this issue. Santa Ana has continued to dedicate important resources to support survivors, their families, and the community recognize, respond to, and support survivors in escaping abuse and getting the support that they need to lead violence-free lives. So we're deeply grateful to the partnership with the city and, of course, with the Santa

Ana Police Department, which is leading the charge nationwide in providing a trauma-informed response to survivors of domestic violence who are reaching out for emergency help in the city of Santa Ana. So thank you so much.

Hi, good evening. My name is Jose Rosales. I'm a special crimes detective for the city of Santa Ana. On behalf of Chief Rodriguez and the Santa Ana Police Department, we thank you, Councilmember Fenn, for this award. Our partnership with Human Options has been around for a few years, and we truly love what we do as investigators. leaders. We are here for you. We are here for the victim and we are here to give you a voice.

Please let us know, let us help you with partnership with Human Options, but we are here for you. Thank you so much.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Thai Viet PhanItem 4

Also for Domestic Violence Awareness Month, we wear purple. And so after you do the Water Tower pink, I hope that you will turn it purple. Thank you.

Valerie AmezcuaItem 6

Our final presentation is by Councilmember Vasquez, recognizing Dr. Segura Sarmiento for her contributions to cultural preservation and community empowerment. Come on up, please.

Benjamin VazquezItem 6

I'm so excited today. This is one of my mentors, so you get to do this in honor.

Benjamin VazquezItem 6

This work you see besides me was done by my students at Valley High School as one of my last projects, a series of ten women, and we're honoring Dr. Socorro Sarmiento today.

Benjamin VazquezItem 6

Good evening. Tonight, it's my honor to recognize Dr. Socorro Sarmiento Torres, an anthropologist, author, educator, and community radio producer whose decades of work have helped strengthen San Ana's cultural identity and empower generations of immigrant families. This is from a series called Poderosas that I worked alongside with Alicia Rojas that she helped me create this with my students. Born in Mexico City, Dr. Sarmiento Torres began her career as an elementary school teacher before spending eight years at Mexico's National Museum of Anthropology where she met her sweetheart and her now husband.

Benjamin VazquezItem 6

These experiences deepen her understanding of indigenous history, cultural identity, and the importance of education in helping communities understand and preserve their heritage. Her passion for understanding these challenges faced by marginalized communities led to her study of anthropology and I'll earn her master's and doctor's degree at University of California, Irvine. Through her research, she examined the economic and social realities of Mexican immigrant immigrant families and the difficult working conditions faced by immigrant laborers.

Benjamin VazquezItem 6

Her book, Making Ends Meet, Income Generation Strategies of Mexican Migrants, remains an important contribution to the understanding of immigrant families, resilience, and transnational communities. That's how we stayed alive at El Centro Cultural and now have a building. However, Dr. Sarmiento Torres' contributions extended far beyond academia. As an immigrant herself and a mother of three, she recognized the need for spaces where immigrant families and their children could embrace their cultural identity, learn their history, and feel a sense of belonging.

Benjamin VazquezItem 6

She has her son, Sal, who helps run National Day Labor Organization Network. Carolina Sarmiento, who's an urban planning doctorate and works at Madison University and also helps run at Centro. Luis ran, thrived, and helped create La Colmena and Mipa Cafe, but also Radio Santana. In 1994, she joined a group of immigrant women to co-found El Centro Cudad de Mexico in Santa Ana. Established during the period of significant anti-immigrant sentiment of El Centro became a place where families could celebrate their heritage, strengthen their cultural identity, learn about their rights, and organize for positive change.

Benjamin VazquezItem 6

Through this work, Dr. Sarmiento has helped demonstrate that culture is more than tradition or celebration. It is a source of strength, a way to bring people together and powerful tool for education, advocacy, and community empowerment. One of her lasting contributions has been helping cultivate San Andes' Dia de los Muertos coming in three weeks, including Noche de Altarez, which is celebrating its 24th anniversary this year, drawing approximately 40,000 visitors. This beloved community gathering allows residents to honor loved ones who have passed, share their traditions, and celebrate cultural richness of our community.

Benjamin VazquezItem 6

Perhaps one of the most meaningful measures of her legacy is the generations of young people, artists, educators, and community organizers she has inspired through her leadership. Santa Ana has become a place where immigrant culture is visible, valued, and celebrated, and where community members are encouraged to take an active role in shaping their future. Dr. Sarmiento reminds us that preserving culture is not simply about honoring where we come from, it is about recognizing our contributions, defending our dignity, and building a stronger future for generations that follow.

Benjamin VazquezItem 6

On behalf of the City of Santa Ana, it is my privilege to recognize Dr. Socorro Sarmiento Torres for extraordinary contributions to cultural preservation, education, immigrant, advocacy, and community empowerment. Thank you Dr. Sarmiento for your decades of dedication for the community institutions you helped build and for lasting impact you have made to Santana.

Benjamin VazquezItem 6

When you meet with her children you see that they give back and she reads to them this poem at the dinner table that shows the love for El Centro but also Santana and I took that to heart when one of her children read it to me. Somebody reached to you because she doesn't know I read this poem but her children read it to me. It's called, it's a love poem now too. Santana.

Benjamin VazquezItem 6

los ojos y una veta de amor, reconocen los míos. No alerta sus fusiles. No piense que delirio. A pesar de la veta, o tal vez porque existe, usted puede contar conmigo. Si otras veces me encuentra juraño sin motivo, no piense que flojera igual puede contar conmigo. Pero hagamos un trato. Yo quisiera contar con usted. Es tan lindo saber que usted existe. Uno se siente vivo y cuando digo esto, quiero decir, contar aunque sea hasta dos, aunque sea hasta cinco.

Benjamin VazquezItem 6

No ya para que acuda presurosa en mi auxilio, sino para saber, haciense cierta que usted sabe que puede contar conmigo.

Gracias.

Claro que sí. Bueno, agradezco al concilio y en especial al concejal Vázquez, concejal Hernández, por este reconocimiento y por su trabajo de tantos años. Mi agradecimiento a los estudiantes de Valley High School por tan hermoso trabajo y sus mensajes de aprecio. Este cuadro significa mucho para mí, mucho, sobre todo por venir de estudiantes muy interesados en conocer de su cultura, de su identidad, de su pasado histórico.

Eso es muy significante para los maestros y para toda la comunidad. Y sobre todo, estudiantes comprometidos con lo que está sucediendo en la ciudad de Santana. We hope the Center has been able to continue learning together. The Center has been successful because it has been focused on maintaining a space where people can express their identity, their culture, where they can make their own projects and dreams.

In my work as anthropologist, I have been very fortunate to listen to the voice of many people, which we often don't listen to frequently. Trabajadores, men, women and young people. We would like to listen to them more. as they can in their language, with their economic conditions, we need to listen more voices. They form a large part of the community

and, without a doubt, a big pillar of the economy and of the politics of this city. The center is and has been a space where we can listen to voices, voces, que son expresiones de quién realmente somos, nuestras historias, nuestros retos, nuestras luchas, sin intermediarios ni intérpretes directamente de la gente. Lo podemos ver en Noche de Altares. En medio de los frecuentes ataques a nuestra comunidad, a través de la construcción de sus hermosos altares,

la comunidad tiene el amor y el coraje para honrar a sus padres, a sus abuelos, a los migrantes muertos, a los niños y mujeres, así como a los periodistas muertos en Palestina. Cada altar es una expresión de quiénes somos, es comprobante de que no los olvidamos. This work is a good example in the Noche of Altars of the resistance cultural, of not allowing others to tell our history.

This makes us all to form a part of a stronger and stronger city. It is something very our, the people of Santana. And as always, we hope the night of altar is this 7th of November, as it is already a tradition, in the 4th Street Street. And to end, I want to thank all the volunteers and volunteers of the center and all the people who have made possible the work of the Center Cultural of Mexico all these years.

And as we say in my house, I remember a poem by Mario Benedetti, we are much more than two, we are much more than a couple. I recommend the poem, called Te Quiero, by Mario Benedetti, one of my favorite. My work could not be possible without the support and love of my husband, Salvador Sarmiento, of my children, Carolina, Salvador Gregorio y Luis Armiento. We continue.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Valerie AmezcuaItem 1

All right, great presentations tonight. Madam City Attorney, do you have anything to report out of closed session?

Sonia R. CarvalhoItem 1

Hi, Mayor, members of the council, members of the public. we did have three closed session items this evening but we do not have any reportable action

Valerie Amezcua

thank you this is the time of the meeting for the 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 and they will be given three minutes please thank you

Jennifer L. Hall

mayor pursuant to resolution number 2026-024 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, report the summary of emails received as of today. By 2 p.m., we received a total of 14 e-comments, 12 on non-agenda topics, one on item 21, and one on item 30.

Jennifer L. Hall

Those were distributed to the City Council and posted online for public review. We'll 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. Reminder again, this is not for public hearings or the Housing Authority. Please state your name and the ward or neighborhood that you reside in for the record. And when you hear your name, please line up in the center aisle behind the podium.

Jennifer L. Hall

The first three speakers, Noah Rhodes, James Adams, and Maria Marine. Okay.

Thank you. Good counsel. Chief Rodriguez. My name is Noah Hendrick-Rhodes. I'm a private security officer from Huntington Beach.

Valerie Amezcua

Sir, can you get closer to the mic, please, so we can hear you? Thank you so much.

The big criticism of activists is that they're unemployed. But you know I do security work because I'm wearing the uniform. I just don't have a patch on right now.

However, I wore this for two years in Huntington Beach parking lots at 2 a.m., 3 a.m., and I was paid $18 per hour or less, protected by running shoes, communication skill, a flashlight, and a cell phone.

whatever the cost of firing casillas and benavides is is far less than the cost they will bring this city i've never worked a job a job where i could be fired at the drop i've always worked jobs where i could be fired at the drop of a feather and this is no drop of a feather you have an officer who killed two people in one month and wailed on another just recently on october 1st 2026

for 45 city dollars per hour it is not asking for too much to take them off payroll

the city government must treat the situation with more urgency and transparency I know it doesn't take two weeks to write this report.

You have to rip this band-aid off quicker.

I'd like to know when the full report will be released.

I need to know what will happen to these officers and what will be done to prevent this in the future. I appreciate the mayor is writing. Hopefully she's writing the report right now.

It is important to make important public decisions. Please make important and public decisions.

I was accused of being with the Democratic Socialists of America in my last speech. The truth is I'm here alone and not on behalf of a political organization.

I don't want police brutality in my county. it's not complicated.

I brought a lunchbox today because I realized in the previous meeting that I would be waiting a long time to speak. The previous meeting, I had arrived at 3.30 and I had spoke at 9.15 p.m. And so I recognize that this council doesn't really care for people's time. And so I came prepared.

Jennifer L. Hall

Next three speakers, James Adams, Maria Marine, and Rodolfo Vega.

Hello City Council, my name is James Adams and I'm Associate Director of EcoGovLab and and environmental governance researcher at University of California, Irvine. I'm here in solidarity with Thrive Unity, OCEJ, and the Cornerstone Village Neighborhood Association, all of whom are advocating for communities at the edge of Santa Ana's industrial zones, areas that the current zoning update designates as the residential industrial interface. Time and again, when these residents and organizations have brought their concerns to planning commission and city planners asking for protections consistent with the EPA's recommendations

and this city's own commitments in the general plan. I've heard the same refrain. But we need these industrial operations for jobs, for a strong economy, and a healthy tax base. But Santa Ana should not have to choose between a healthy economy and healthy residents. The real question is, what kind of economy do we want to build and who should bear its costs? Other cities are demonstrating that green development can generate substantial economic opportunities.

Cincinnati's 2025 green workforce landscape analysis projects that its investments in clean industries will generate up to 44,000 jobs and up to $11 billion in regional economic impact. Now, these are projections, but not guarantees, but they show that clean industry is an economic development strategy and not an economic development sacrifice. Now, I recognize when I throw around the term investment that Santa Ana is facing a serious budget crisis. But environmental protections and clean economic development strategies do not necessarily require tapping into the city's general funds.

For example, Minneapolis offers one funding model worth studying. By renegotiating its utility franchise fees, which are basically the rent that utilities pay to run their infrastructure across city property, that city raised millions of dollars funding over a thousand pollution reduction projects and economic development projects that were specifically targeted in environmentally and economically disadvantaged communities. Santa Ana should direct staff to evaluate whether renegotiated franchise fee revenue could support a similar dedicated green development fund and fence line community protection fund here in Santa Ana.

Combining these strategies could support union jobs, career pathways for local residents, grants for pollution reduction, clean businesses, development, and where feasible funding for the transition and relocation of incompatible industrial uses. This brings me to the zoning code that you are discussing in a work study session tonight. The residential industrial interface continues to leave fence line communities to bear the brunt of these burdens, and I urge you to reconsider that and to correct this through zoning justice. Thank you very much.

Jennifer L. Hall

Next three speakers, Maria Marine, Rodolfo Vega, and Sue Palak.

Good evening. that the actual borrower of the Código of Zonification of the city is unjust. In fact, the recent award received from the city in terms of planning and environmental quality should be considered a mistake, not a honor. This is not a mistake because only the residents of Lacey and Logan are benefiting, a pesar de que existen muchas otras comunidades en la ciudad, incluida Cornerstone Village, que nos encontramos en desventaja y lo saben.

Nos encontramos en una situación de desventaja ambiental grande. No es un juego y no es justo. Al igual que otros miembros de la Asociación de Vecinos de Cornerstone, apoyo plenamente la implementación de nuevas protecciones ambientales y otros beneficios comunitarios para los vecindarios de Logan y de Lacey. Sin embargo, Cornstone y otras zonas del cuadrante sureste también necesitan y merecen estas medidas. Nuestros vecindarios no deben ser tratados como una zona de sacrificio.

I've heard you say that my neighborhood should maintain its industrialization to promote employment and economy of the city. But the dangerous activities are dangerous. They are not the only way to develop urban economy. It's necessary to be more creative. Also, show us the data that they made to demonstrate the benefits of the industry

real- real- real- real- real- real- real- real- real- real- real- real- real- real- real- real- real- real- real- real- real real- real real- real real- real real- real real real real real real real real real real real real real real real real real real real real real real real real real real real real real real real real real real real real real real real real real real real real real real real real real real real real real real real real real real real real real real real real real real real real real real real real real real real real real real real real real real real real real real real real real real real real real real real real real real real real real real real real real real real real real real real real real real real real real real real real real real real real real real real real real real real real real real real real real real real real real real real real real real real real real real real real real real real real real real real real real real real real real real real real real real real

I want to thank you for the protection of the zonification and that they are offered to us and that they apply to Cornstone Village. So, this way, the city could deserve a prize for its planification of environmental quality. The municipal personnel and the elected officials can do better. Santana and Cornstone deserve something better. They are in their hands and in their conscience. Thank you.

my name is Maria Marine and I represent the corner store village neighborhood association in the city of Santa Ana I began by reiterating my opposition to the draft zoning code update approved by the Santa Ana City Planning Commission on August 31st 2026 today I want to emphasize that the current draft of the city's zoning is unfair in fact the recent award the cities received the environmental quality planning should be considered a deception not an honor this is because only the lazy and Logan neighborhoods benefit even though many other communities in

the city including Cornerstone Village are environmentally disadvantaged this is unjust like other members of the Cornerstone Neighborhood Association I fully support the implementation of new environmental protections and other community benefits for the Logan and lazy neighborhoods However, Cornerstone and other areas in the Southeast quadrant also need and deserve these measures. Our neighborhoods shouldn't be treated as a sacrifice zone. I've heard you say that my neighborhood must maintain its industrial zoning to boost employment in the city's economy.

By hazardous business activities aren't the only way to develop the urban economy. We need to be more creative. Furthermore, show us the data that studies that have been done that demonstrate the benefits that industries, businesses bring to the city. And what research has been conducted to explore the safe greener alternatives? I stand with the residents of Logan and Lacey and I also want the zoning protection I've been granted to be extended to Cornerstone. Only in this way could the city truly deserve an award for its quality of environmental planning. City staff and elect officials can do better.

Santa Ana and Cornerstone deserve better. Thank you.

Jennifer L. Hall

Next three speakers. Rodolfo Vega, Sue Palak, and Marina Salmon.

Good evening, Mayor and Mayor of Esquad, City Council members. My name is Rodolfo Vega, and I'm a resident of Santana. It is deeply ironic to watch the council hand out words tonight celebrating how much the city helps victims. Because my disabled mother desperately needed the help, your system completely turned this back on her. I'm here tonight as a desperate son, full-time caregiver, and a resident seeking accountability from my mother, Dora Vega. My mother is a deceased long-time resident of Santana who lived here, paid bills, and contributed to our Santana community service for 30 years.

She has suffered severe life-altering epilepsy since she was two years old. Right now, she's facing immediate loss of her home due to targeted elder financial abuse, real estate deed fraud, wire fraud, and horrific sexual exploitation. When I discovered this situation, I did what any responsible citizen would do and son, legal power of attorney. I went to the Santana Police Department to protect my vulnerable mom adult. And I went through September 22nd of this year. In 2006, the suspect Victor Ochoa and his wife acted as signed witnesses when the title of my mom's home was finalized solely to my mom's name.

They knew the house was hers. They waited two years. On October 23rd, 2008, the exact day my mom had like back-to-back seizures, like she was at the UCL hospital. They took her to a notary, like a notary telling her it's for tax purposes. My mom was like fresh out of the hospital, like date. So she sent the papers, so she sent half of her house away. It didn't stop there. He committed also wire fraud. He opened up two bank accounts, falsifying timeline records. He also identified a co-signing member who had nothing to do or knowledge about the home matters. I have gone to court and I filed an elder abuse

retaining order to protect her from physical, financial, sexual abuse that she endured, but I can't stop the criminal to bring a loan. Yet when I brought this to the clear evidence of the grand theft and identity theft and severe situations of police, the officer that was called to handle the matter and flatly refused to take my formal elder abuse report, the officer turned me away and insisted that this is purely a civil matter. I believe the officer recorded our interview on a body-worn camera and the view of the footage will clearly prove my urgent concern and refusal for them to help. California Penal Code on 368 mandates

that protection of elders and social law enforcement does not have the legal discretion to simply choose not to document a fiduciary or physical crime against a disabled adult. To make matters worse, Adult Protective Services conducted a home visit, but instead of helping us out, they just give us pamphlets and told us to call waymakers. Then I called the Community Legal Aid Office and they want to step in also because I have the police report. Basically, I have a complete binder of everything that happened. I gave it to the City Clerk. So I'm asking Councilman Lopez if if you could please help us out as they're fighting this right.

And also Councilmember Pinalosa, since you're an advocate for the police department, have them do their job. Mayor Mescoe, if you could please help us out. And also Councilman, we said earlier about the people that help out, my mom, I want you guys' help, if you guys could help us out. And I want to know that you guys are actually helping people out like this, like from earlier. They got awards, so I hope they can help us out. God bless. Thank you, guys.

Jennifer L. Hall

Next three speakers. Sue Palak followed by Marina Salmon and Matt Nichols.

Sue from Ward 4. Kind of off the cuff tonight.

Valerie Amezcua

Can you bring it down, Ms. Palak, so we can hear you. Okay, can you hear me? Thank you.

Okay. I want to say that I've come across an article that kind of disturbed me and it actually had something to do with the last council meeting. So I'm just going to read some excerpts from it. And I would like to have some explanation from you, Councilman Vasquez. It is by Art Pedroza, and it is September 30th. Santa Ana Councilmember Ben Vasquez plans to honor Roman Reina despite election fraud conviction. The Santa Ana Council's upcoming agenda, which was two weeks ago, includes an item in which Councilmember Ben Vasquez will formally recognize former Councilmember Roman Reina

for outstanding leadership in the community, specifically tied to Reina's involvement with the, I'm not going to name the group, Foundation Youth and Government Program.

Is it appropriate to honor Reina? This is the central question. Honoring a former council member convicted of election fraud who still owes the city money raises legitimate concerns about judgment, ethics, and priorities. Key considerations include public trust. Election fraud is a serious breach of democratic norms. Accountability. Reyna has not fulfilled his financial obligations to the city. I'd like to know how much is outstanding if somebody would maybe include that somewhere for us to know. Political timing. Vasquez is seeking re-election and may face questions about why he chose to elevate Reyna now. Message to the residents.

Recognizing someone convicted of undermining the electoral process may conflict with the values many voters expect from their leaders. You know, see, this really concerns me. We're in the middle of an election, and I don't know why you did that. Now, if he was paying back the city, which as far as I know he isn't, then I could say, you know, the guy's trying to make things right. And then I could maybe have a different feeling about this. But what I'm beginning to feel is that it has to do with character, and I understand that he is campaigning with you, And I don't know if that's true or not. That's fine.

If it isn't, I just want to have an explanation of how we're supposed to accept this controversial thing. I mean, I would like to hear from you on that. I really would. For all I know, maybe he is starting to pay back or he has paid back. I just don't know. But I think that we should know because actually, you know, from this he was supposed to appear. but then one of the children that was in the group that was being recognized mentioned his name so I don't want to do anything that would harm these kids I really don't I'm you know I love kids they are central to my life and I'm not

I but I'm confused because they probably don't even know about his background and that concerns me too so your time is up thank you next three speakers

Jennifer L. Hall

Marina Salmon, Matt Nichols, and David Pulido.

Hi, my name is Marina Salmon. I live in, I think it's Ward 6, whatever Peñalosa supposedly represents. I'm here speaking on agenda item number 28, and I why are we still using ALPRs? I think there needs to be a serious investigation into whether they're actually working, whether they're actually doing what the police department says they do. The last city council meeting I went to, it wasn't this one, but there was a presentation by the police department, no evidence, no evidence given. And I don't know if they went to college,

but critical thinking and actually having sources for the things you're saying. I haven't seen any evidence yet. And so I don't know if you guys have it, if this report that they're going to do is going to come up with anything. But yeah, it seems like the only people that support the ALPRs are the police department, the people paid for by the police department. And I don't know when we went through a police coup so that they're in charge of our city. But I think there needs to be accountability. And I think there needs to be actual proof that they do help people, that they're not helping ICE. And yeah, so please look into that

and make sure that we're not just wasting our money on nothing, just from a fiscal perspective. Thank you.

Jennifer L. Hall

Next three speakers.

Jennifer L. Hall

The next three speakers. Matt Nichols, David Pulido, Jocelyn P.

Matt Nichols here with Alan Mack. I just want to confirm, speaking on item 30, we speak now. Perfect. Well, thank you, council members, for your time tonight. Speaking on the zoning code update study session, which you'll hear later, I wanted to provide some context here, represent multiple stakeholders as a land attorney, and we've been through a lot with planning staff and planning commission leading up to this. It's a complicated once in a 50-year update for you guys to understand on short notice. I wanted to provide an update on two fronts tonight for you. First, one group of residents is Martin Commercial Group.

An issue here is contractor's yards. In July, the drafts that are going to update allowed contractor's yards by right in M1, RII. The August, apparently not in response to any public comment as far as we can see, that draft was updated to require a CUP for contractors' yards, even ancillary to another building. The ask here is to allow contractors by right reverting back to July draft. Nothing new. We want to revert back to Plains' initial draft. Alternatively, to the extent that's not possible, we'd like to suggest an exception for smaller contractors' yards.

A letter was submitted by Martin Commercial Group at your last meeting in the record. I would ask that you take a look at that. Essentially, it would be a by-right exemption for small contractors' yards, 15,000 square feet, or less than 50% of a lot. That would draw a distinction between the larger, more impactful contractors' yards that have dust, noise, storage of trash, debris overnight, versus smaller contracts that might have trucks, tools associated with the existing building. Second, I have an MB processing. San Diego has a long legacy of supporting defense industry.

This is a campus at 2144 South Hathaway with several buildings. One of them has a hazardous chrome metal plating operation.

The MB processing would like to clean that building up. There's a remediation that needs to take place and modernize it. to do so it must relocate that to another building the noxious ordinance proposed on the zoning code update would trigger a cup for that we have submitted a letter into the record i understand this is technical to understand so i'd ask that you take a look at the letter uh which describes a an exemption that where you're not increasing the amount of um obnoxious use at the site so in other words you're just moving it to another building to allow for remediation and cleanup and modernization

there would not be a CUP in this limited circumstance. We'd ask that you consider that. It's in line with the zoning code updates, spirit intent of cleaning up the city, allowing businesses to modernize, and that'd be an important, meaningful update. You make that. Thank you for your time.

Jennifer L. Hall

David Pulido followed by Jocelyn P. and Ricardo Muniz.

My name is David Pulido, and I'm a member of Community Service Organization and its Police Accountability Committee. Today I'm joined by the family of Florentino Lopez.

That's right. We are here to demand justice for Florentino Lopez. Justice for Florentino Lopez!

We demand that the officers who viciously attacked them October 1st be fired immediately. We demand that killer cop Luis Casillas be fired immediately. We demand that his accomplice, Marco Benavidas, be fired immediately. The attack on Florentino Lopez was an obvious case of police brutality. Your decision to conduct a third-party investigation comes almost two years after one of the officers, Luis Casillas, unloaded 18 bullets on Noe Rodriguez, an unarmed Chicano suffering a mental health crisis. The following month, he killed Henry Gonzalez Jr. by shooting him in the head. In June 2025, both Casillas and Marco Benavidas

were involved in the police brutality against 15-year-old Mario Diaz. Records show that Officer Marco Benavidas need Mario Diaz in the head over and over, just like Casillas did to Florentino Lopez earlier this month. Your failure to act on these crimes is why we are here again. Shame on you! This was not an isolated incident, as police bribed Mayor Valeria Mezcoa tried to claim. This is a long pattern of racist police violence against working-class Chicanos and other oppressed nationalities. Last year, Isaac Ibarra, who shot 11 bullets at Nueva Rodriguez,

coordinated the brutal arrest of an unarmed black man named Freddy Washington, who died in police custody the next day. This January, 18-year-old Victor Lopez was killed while surrendering to police in front of his fiancée and one-year-old child. And in June, Officer Stephen Gonzalez and Charles Ruelas shot 15-year-old Jaden Michaca to death while he was having a mental health crisis. Shame! When people like Phil Bacera and Tybiet Phan ask us to trust this third-party investigation, why should we? Why should we when so many have died at the hands of your police and you have basically done nothing? Actually, you have done nothing.

Shame on you. We don't know the timeline of this supposed investigation. We don't know if it's being led by the Police Oversight Commission or if you're handpicking an agency that will give you the results you want. So we are here to demand this council, City Manager Alvaro Nunez once again, our police chief, that you do the right thing, and at the bare minimum, you fire these officers. Fire Luis Garcias.

Fire Marco Benavides.

Justice for Florentino Lopez. Justice for Florentino Lopez. Justice for Florentino Lopez. Jail killer cops. Jail killer cops. Jail killer cops.

David your time is up.

David your time is up. This will follow you to your grave. This is on you. You are responsible for this. Shame on you. Your time is up.

Jennifer L. Hall

The next three speakers, following Jocelyn will be Ricardo Muniz and Saren Zinor.

Good evening, my name is Jocelyn. I'm here with CSO's Police Accountability Committee. First, I want to acknowledge your response to the brutalization of Florentino Lopez-Valerie. I want you to know that no one is buying this newfound transparency of yours. No one's going to pat you on the back for having a closed session within five days of the event because, quite frankly, that's your job. We don't appreciate being spoken to like you're doing us a favor when, again, it's literally your job. CSO has been here consistently warning all of you of the dangers of keeping these violent, trigger-happy cops on the force

and you've done nothing but attack community members who called for accountability so you can stop the fake outrage. The blood is on your hands. anyway like most of you I was disgusted to see the October 1st video showing two of your officers brutalizing 28 year old Florentino Lopez yet this is nothing new Florentino did not refuse to comply or fight back but had a member of his family not recorded this encounter we may never know what could have happened and to what extent this could have gotten to because we know your officers like to escalate situations and then claim self-defense because they know

they'll get away with it. But there is no sugarcoating this. This was a clear-cut case of police brutality inflicted by your officers on yet another Chicano man. It shouldn't fall on the community to have to prevent their deaths at the hands of these officers who are supposed to be protecting and serving. Florentino's sister was recording the events and still your officers looked at the camera, threw him on the ground, punched them multiple times in the face, kneed him in the stomach, kicked him and climbed on top of him when he tried covering his face to counter the blows.

We don't have to look at the violence and the entire force to tell you that this is a pattern in the system. We can just look at the records of these two officers. In no other job would someone be able to beat up a customer or client and get away with it. Most people would be fired. But your officers are rewarded with the opportunity to do this again. We've been warning you about the violent, sugar-happy Luis Casillas, who executed Noe Rodriguez in December 2024 and Henry Gonzalez in 2025. Marco Benafidez, the other officer, also beat Florentino Lopez and he also has a record of abuse, brutalizing 15-year-old

Mario Diaz. Accountability cannot begin only after a video goes viral. It cannot depend on public outrage and it cannot be something that happens only when the community forces you. If this were not, if it were not for the case receiving widespread attention, I question whether we would have heard your bullshit statement calling for accountability. If you all genuinely believe these actions are unacceptable, then that commitment needs to be reflected in action, not just a statement. Florentino should not have needed a family member standing nearby with a camera to survive an encounter with police.

Stop waiting for the outrage, hold police accountable, and remember who you're supposed to be protecting because it's not these officers, it's the community that puts you in those seats and the ones that can take you out. Justice for Florentino Lopez, Noe Rodriguez, Henry Gonzalez Jr., Mario Diaz, Freddy Dianna

Jennifer L. Hall

Jocelyn, your time is up.

Victor Lopez, Jaden Michaca, and all of those who have been brutalized by kill by SAPD. Jocelyn, your time is up. I heard you.

Good evening, Mayor and Council members. My name is Ricardo Muniz and I'm here representing Thrive Santana, a community land trust committed to affordable housing, community ownership and preventing displacement. Today, we want to raise concerns about items regarding the proposed zoning code proposal and the density bonus agreement. More importantly, the future we're building for Santana. First, why are we considering reducing housing capacity on properties where multiple families already live? We need solutions and protections to ensure these changes don't contribute to future displacement.

Second, community ownership and development. The update zoning code create new development opportunities, but the question is opportunities for whom? If we are increasing development capacity and potential raising land values, how do we ensure that families who have built this city also benefit? We want the city to explore ways to connect new development opportunities with community ownership models in mind. Permanently affordable housing, housing co-ops, and community ownership, and local businesses. Building more housing is important, but so is ensuring that existing residents can remain

and build stability and have ownership in their community's future. Third, community spaces and activities in Santana's cultural identity lives through its community markets, neighborhood gatherings, cultural celebrations, and resources affairs. However, complicated and costly permitting processes and create barriers for community-led activities, even on community-owned private property. We ask that this zoning update create more accessible pathways to recruiting community activities while maintaining necessarily safety as standards. Community ownership should also mean having the ability to activate and enjoy our spaces,

our own spaces. Fourth, economic development and environmental justice. We should not have to choose between good jobs and healthy neighborhoods. What is Santana's economic vision for the next 20, 30 years? How can we attract cleaner, lower impact industries that provide living, wages, jobs, and economic opportunities without continuing conflicts between industrial activities and residential neighborhoods. In closing, the zoning update is about more than changing maps. Land uses are allowing more development. It's about deciding who gets to continue living, working, and building community in Santana.

The question we should be answering as our elders do and continue to do is have done before when making this decision is how they would affect the next five generations. Thrive asks that these concerns receive clear responses and need meaningful protections and opportunities within the update zoning code. Thrive also stands in support of Cornerstone Village Community, Orange County Environmental Justice, and long-term organizers advocating for healthier neighborhoods. The future of Santana must be built with the residents, not at their expense. Thank you.

Jennifer L. Hall

The next three speakers. The next three speakers, Zarin Zinor, followed by Thao and Fernando Devaras.

wow you have mispronounced my name it's sevens and or and i'm here to express my deep disappointment with the city council in action to take accountability to lack of accountability for the illegal arrest of legal observers addy and maddie who are trying to protest trying to protect their fellow neighbors and san and residence against illegal deportation operations by eyes and you're enabling to allow the racist san and ably department to to arrest that to legally arrest them and over them exercising their First Amendment rights and arrest them for trying to protect their fellow community members and residents, it is not illegal to

observe federal agents and their move and actions in the name of protecting their residents and fellow community members when they are targeted.

but what is illegal

but what is illegal is to allow them to arrest them under false reports of ICE agents that were illegally here and illegally deporting people and as well to make them commit racial violence with their lack of oversight and their expanded power shame on the city council and shame on the city council police department for lodging residents and the peaceful immigrants that want to seek a new life here proclaim that this city will protect them and the immigrants against the DHS and ICE illegal deportation operations, but yet allow the SAPD to illegally arrest Addie and Mattie who are trying to look out for their community members

and allowing ICE and SAPD to break the law and stroke fear. And the reason why Addie and Mattie are here is because ICE is out here. And the fact is, why is ICE out here? I thought this is supposed to be a sanctuary city in the state too. This is a lie. to protect

and yet allow ICE to ramp our streets to spread fear and start from our family members with the help of a racist police department and racist low-like Gestapo wannabes under orders of a predatory white supremacist president in the White House? We demand the city council, mayor, city manager, and police chief to apologize to Addie Maddie and drop their charges and get the police oversight to make investigation onto the racist SAPD for their action and arrest. And the arrest was a blatant a clear violation against California residents' rights and racial violence, as the previous speakers mentioned.

And prosecute the ICE agents who have made those false reports and misuse of senior resources and mostly for allowing them to rout our streets and still fear and target immigrants illegally when they're trying to seek a new life. And we demand to fund the police for their constant actions that violate the rights of their residents and the lack of accountability and oversight and provincial racial violence and ICE out of our streets for good. Shame on the city council for all the ice on our streets and lie about protecting immigrant communities. And to allow police to avoid accountability and not getting ice on our streets,

we want ice on our streets. They're around their streets and spreading fear. And they need, they not. They don't deserve to be here. And you guys lied that this city was sanctioned by our city. And like what NW say, fuck the police and fuck ice!

My name is Tao. I'm an OCRN volunteer. I also work in Santa Ana and I'm a local community member. First and foremost, I want to uplift the demands that CSO and other community members have shared. I want there to be justice for Florentina Lopez and I want those killer cops to be jailed.

And I thank Maddie and Addie for the courageous work. I'm heartbroken that women who are as young as me are being brutalized by our men in these streets. What is even more heartbreaking is that I know the same tactics they use to brutalize Maddie and Addie, which is a fraction of what our immigrant neighbors experience. In fact, the violence they enacted detaining Maddie and Addy were the same ones they used to detain my Vietnamese grandparents and elders, and at this point, thousands of my neighbors and friends. Shame. Shame! And while I'm here today, I want to share one important experience

from one of my community members, Um Hum. Um Hum came to America as a refugee after serving in the Vietnam War and being imprisoned by the Vietnamese government for decades. Um Hum is now 90 years old and has come far from the experiences in Vietnam. He built a wonderful family and a faithful Vietnamese community that I am proud to be part of. But since Trump and his third country plans, Umhum is now facing deportation to a third country. Every three months he is reeled into his ICE check-ins where officers send that he will be deported to Africa at his next one. Shame.

His caregiver tells me there is now a powder for Umhum. The first month after he survives his ICE check-in, he is happy. The second month he begins to get worried. And the first month or the third month he cannot eat and loses whatever weight that he gained at the beginning of the season. Umhum is one of hundreds of other elderly Vietnamese grandmothers and grandfathers, victim of Santa Ana's immigration enforcement policies and the city councils in action. They survived a war they never wanted, came to a country where they knew no one in, and now they may die in a place they have never even heard of.

And like Umhum and other aunties and uncles and grandparents, their ask is simple. At this point in their elderly lives, they want to know where they can rest and if their children and grandchildren can visit their graves. I doubt or at the very least I hope that people on the City Council don't want this. But this is what will happen if there is continued ICE aggression enforcement in our community and if police continue to collaborate with them. I demand that Maddie and Addie's charges are dropped and that there is an independent investigation

approved by the Police Oversight Commission, not internal affairs, into this blatant partnership between ICE and SAPD. I demand that the City Council act. I demand that there be strengthened policies protecting legal observers. and I want stronger compliance with SB 54 I demand that the city aggressively and intentionally put themselves on the line to defend us against ICE through litigation and I want this to be done in coordination with immigrant communities here in Santa Ana I said OC drop the charges and fuck the police

Jennifer L. Hall

the next three speakers the next three speakers Fernando Devaros Roberto Herrera and Madison Crabill. Is the mic volume okay this time? Okay, thank you.

Before I jump in I wanted to say Mayor Valer Miscua, I was actually talking to one of your very loyal supporters outside, somebody who's very supportive of you and our police department and I asked them how do you feel about Luis Casillas and Marco Benavides violently beating Santa Ana resident Florentino Lopez? Do you feel like that was a good thing? And she said I think it was terrible. I think it was awful. I think that those officers should be held accountable for what they did. They make the entire department look bad. And then I said, why do you think the mayor can't say that? And she said, I don't know. Very

disappointed look in her face. I don't know. Politics, I guess.

There's a good friend of mine, volume please. A good friend of mine, Butch where it likes to say, who funds you, runs you. Who funds you, runs you. David, when it comes to your assembly race, who funds you, runs you. When those billionaires and big tech companies and healthcare industry is funding your campaign, we know how you're going to move. Valerie, Phil, and Mr. Giovanni Chavez, who's running for my ward, when the police are running your campaign, we know how you're going to move. And what I noticed is that...

What happens in these situations is you tend to run from the transparency and accountability that community leaders should stand by. There was a community forum just yesterday for the mayor seat and for the city council seats. And Isuri Ramos, Sandra De Anda, Dan Shemel, Dwayne Shipp, Ben Vasquez, they all showed up. Guess who stayed home? The people who were endorsed by the POA.

Organizations that ran this, by the way, were Latino Health Access, Resilient OC, Tenants Union in our city, organizations that have done great work in our community. What are you afraid of? What questions are you afraid to answer?

Last week we had two US citizens, two ice watchers, keeping our community safe and they were arrested by SAPD after ICE called in and said they were being stalked and feared for their life. This is the same agency that said that Renee Nicole Good and Alex Pretty were domestic terrorists before they shot and killed them. And Council Member Hernandez and Council Member Lopez and Council Member Vasquez and Isuri Ramos and the Rapid Response Network, they were all out there condemning those actions. Where were you? Where were you? Why can't you speak out?

When the Santanero put out a questionnaire asking how the candidates who are running for office feel about ICE, Isuri, Sandra, Ben, Dan, Dwayne, everybody said, we support abolishing ICE. The POA-indorse candidates didn't even bother to respond. What are you afraid of? Tell the people how you feel. Name it. Don't hide. Don't hide behind your AI propaganda pages. Tell the people how you feel.

And lastly, Phil, I appreciate you mentioning the interracial solidarity with the farm workers. Next time, mention the police harassment that they had to deal with.

Jennifer L. Hall

Fernando, your time is up. Thank you.

Jennifer L. Hall

The next three speakers.

Jennifer L. Hall

The next three speakers, Roberto Herrera, Madison Crabill and Casey Conway.

Hi, my name is Madison Crabill and I'm a Santa Ana resident. On Wednesday, October 14th, my friend Addie and I were entraft and arrested by Santa Ana PD while exercising our First Amendment right to observe ICE activity. Addie and I headed downtown after hearing about potential ICE presence at an elementary school. Well, near the federal building, we encountered a black SUV used in past immigration raids and began observing it as it made its way around the city. The vehicle parked in an alley and the two federal agents exited the vehicle to record

our plates and show us their handcuffs. They made several calls and drove off, but not before beckoning us to come along. The agents eventually parked by the police station where multiple SAPD cars were waiting. We were arrested and charged with felony stalking and conspiracy, and Addy was also charged with resisting arrest. My charges were dropped, but Addy's remain. Our unjust arrest is another example of intimidation designed to allow ICE's illegal agenda to continue without oversight. This incident should serve as a reminder of what the undocumented community goes through every

day. ICE and collaborating agencies track community members through flat camera license plate data and target them using intimidation and lies. Addie, myself, and the countless other ICE watchers do this work out of love for our friends and neighbors. Addie is a dedicated volunteer who collaborates with local churches to distribute food and resources. She is also a mom and a fierce friend. I demand that Addie's charges are dropped, that SAPD issue a public apology for our unjust arrest, that SAPD is held accountable for the incident, and that SAPD keeps their hands off of ice watchers.

I want to thank everyone who has advocated us through this experience. The response to our arrest proves that when you show up for the community, the community will show up for you. Together, we are stronger than them, and we refuse to be intimidated. Fuck SAPD and fuck ice.

Roberto, Santana resident. I wrote this poem back in 2020 and I spoke here and not much has changed since then. What does liberation look like? Universal representation, election defense fund, community lands and community hands, worker cooperatives, investing in a youth and a world without ice. The community has vision, but we're trapped in policy, politics, thoughts and prayers, pay for play, and it's killing us slowly. To be ruled unconstitutionally, to be ruled out of existence, to be silenced with intentions to destroy us, both you and I.

Our lives bound together, each of us contributing to our own communal survival. mutual aid community defense is what we need not ice not mass raids no collaboration with SAPD can you hear it the helicopters and drones flying above us in Santana if you see something say something calling us against each other mirrors of policing in our community community self policing and there's a federal grant for that we need to be reminded that this council continuously silences its constituents, the press. Your actions ignite white supremacists, gentrifiers,

ICE, and the police to take violence into their own hands, labeling and restructuring the law for themselves. Self-defense, stand your ground, police bill of rights to kill, excessive use of force to beat us into submission, stop resisting. No! We must put a stop to flock. White supremacy racist, white fear, white violence, white tears from the fruit that is orange and sweet, rotten seed, citrus husks, oily essence full of hate and sham, dirt that is full of lead, city

violence, negligence from here in Santana to Flint in Michigan, lead in our blood, dripping down this skin that is brown, drip, drip, drip, best tasting water, too good to be true, inside this blue cup of city. Violence never tasted so good, and yet I've never been so thirsty for justice. Let's cut that federal ICE budget. Santana deserves more than the MAGA and maggots disguised as Democrats. But to say I'm not scared for this upcoming 2026 election would be a lie. Cheating laws, dark money, bought votes,

cop-loving, gun-bearing, surveillance-loving crooks can potentially take hold of our city. Or have they already? Abolish corporate Democrats. Abolish Disneycrats. Abolish Democrats beholding to billionaires. Abolish fascist Democrats. Abolish pro-ice Democrats. Arrest killer cops. Thank you.

Jennifer L. Hall

The next three speakers.

Jennifer L. Hall

The next three speakers. Casey Conway, Jeremiah A, and Tony Capitelli.

Hi guys, you ready to lock in? Okay, I would say I'm here to talk about my friends, Maddie and Addie, these young ladies who were wrongly arrested by SAPD, but I think we all know this is bigger than that because what they experienced, where they put themselves in order to exercise their rights, was for our immigrant communities who experienced a hundred times that. So this is definitely a macrocosm and an opportunity for us to talk about them. If this goes unaddressed, the escalation enforcement here will be palpable. We already face death tolls, displacement rates, economic impact of a natural disaster, studies say.

Our community has created our own accountability system because the city claims it has no power to provide that. And that may be true. You need us or else we go down as the city that violates the First and Fourth Amendment and protects ICE as they trample our own people. With the protection of your police, if ICE knows they have your support, why wouldn't they escalate like we haven't seen before? This is a terrible message. Last city council meeting, Phil and Ty had said that brutalization and murder is legal if it follows policy at the hands of a cop.

Liability was brought up a lot during that meeting, and liability does not mean lack of ability. It means there's a fight to be had.

If your position for years has been that you feel powerless, welcome to the party. We all sort of feel that way. Imagine how your immigrant residents feel. If you feel powerless, why don't you join us? Where is the solidarity? If we are being targeted, murdered, displaced, imprisoned, sometimes forever, then it must be true that you as well are being held hostage by SAPD and ICE because of how powerless you feel. Have you realized that? Have you realized that your frog's boiling alongside us?

What does it mean that you constantly explain why you cannot stop your own employees from harassing, swatting, and murdering your people? that when murder happens your answer is concern over liability. Is it a weak city attorney? If so, then get a new one. If internal policies tie your hands and make you the bitch of law enforcement, seek higher authorities. Like we do when we turn to you. Invite an attorney general investigation despite the cost and image problems. Hire your own federal and state criminal prosecutors. Press for charges on your own. Bypass the employer relationship completely. In fact, turn

litigation against DHS itself as well as they constantly humiliate the authority of this council and its residents. Show us that we're all the same, except we aren't. You guys have way more power than us. That's why we're here. That's why we're turning to you. If pursuing accountability incurs costs, reallocate those fees from the agents that are responsible. Stop pretending that this has nothing to do with you. Stop pretending you're not victims.

Jennifer L. Hall

Next three speakers, Jeremiah A, followed by Tony Capitelli and Rain M. So Jeremiah, Tony, and Rain.

So my name is Jeremiah. I'd like to start off by reminding you that all of you guys are public servants. You're elected by the people to serve the people. You're supposed to be the voices for those who can't speak out for themselves. So I ask you to ask yourselves, are you doing the jobs that you were elected to do? Why is ICE a federal rogue agency that's been terrorizing communities, kidnapping people, and murdering innocent people collaborating with Santa Ana Police Department with our taxes? why aren't you investigating landlord misconduct on behalf of your residents from groups such as

Kingsley why aren't you holding Santa Ana Police Department accountable for brutalizing and murdering people in your community so I ask you to wake up and do the jobs that you were elected to do because I don't know if you can tell but if you look in this room people are starting more more people are starting to get fed up and your seats aren't permanent elections come up fast so if you can't do the jobs that you're elected to do we will mobilize we will organize and we'll vote people in that can thank you

Hi, my name is Tony, and I want to start us with a quote. I see the world becoming slowly transformed into the wilderness. I hear the approaching thunder that one day will destroy us too. I feel the suffering of millions. And yet when I look up at the sky, I somehow feel that everything will change for the better. that this cruelty too will end, that peace and tranquility will return once more. In the meantime, I must hold my ideals. Perhaps the day will come when I'll be able to realize them. That's the diary of Anne Frank, July 15, 1944. I'm hoping today that the Santa Ana City Council moves in a different direction

than what we've seen in our history. My immigrant neighbors are experiencing that same horror that happened in the 1930s and maybe even in the 1940s Germany. Just as Anne Frank describes, the Jews in Germany's families are being ripped apart. They're being sent to concentration camps with unimaginably horrifying conditions. Over 50 have died so far that we know about, and the numbers are rapidly accelerating. We're not yet to 1944, but we're getting uncomfortably close. And instead of realizing the magnitude of this historical moment and doing everything in your power to protect our neighbors,

this council and every other one in Orange County decided to co-opt authoritarianism. The Santa Ana Police Department and City Council handed the federal government all the tools they need to track down our neighbors. We found out this year that in Fullerton, thousands of searches were coming from outside of the police department into the Flockhammer database to track down neighbors. They can use Flock and any other type of ALPR, and now we're learning they even have technology to use it on CCTV. to find out where anyone has been in the city, even if you've never committed a crime.

This is a blatant violation of our Fourth and Fifth Amendment rights, but this council values campaign contributions over the lives of people that got you elected. At minimum, take the step Fullerton did and put a six-month pause on all of the cameras in your city, but consider something long-term. I've drafted a model privacy ordinance that I will send to all the council members after this that incorporates not just flock cameras, body cameras, you name it, because all of this stuff is going to central databases that's tracking down our neighbors and just ripping this county apart.

We're seeing it now in the last two weeks more than we ever have. I know most Americans are in a fog and have no idea what the magnitude, the magnitude of what's happening, but you know more. And if you don't, we're going to make sure you're not in that seat for long, so do the right thing.

Jennifer L. Hall

The next three speakers, Rain M, Dan Shemel, and Irma Harigui.

I'm Rain, I'm a San Ana resident, proud Chicana, and co-chair for the immigration committee of CSOC. We are all here today to demand that this city council move forward with a resolution for HCD to investigate Kingsley Corporation. We demand that this resolution actually have some teeth to it, that it also comes from resident demands, and it is satisfactory to them. This isn't the first time we've mobilized to this city council to demand that you, our representatives, actually step in and intervene on the abuse and crimes Kingsley is actively committing against the coach royal immigrants.

The other times we have come here, what happened? Mayor Mezcua, you actually laughed at Guadalupe's face and then Carla Alvarado got served with a bogus restraining order. Shame on you.

It is time this city council do something to help out the vulnerable immigrants you claim to care so much about. Immigrants at this time under the Trump administration have to worry about mass deportations, ice killings and everyday discrimination. And the coach royal residents have to worry about all of that and also losing their homes and being evicted. Shame! Shame! Not to mention their day-to-day conditions are abhorrent. We are weeks into a scorching heat wave. And you know what Kingsley management employee Olivia Garcia is doing? She's forcing some residents to remove their air conditioners or face possible eviction. Shame!

Shame! They are being asked to remove fences. They were at times asked to be put up, spending hundreds to thousands of dollars. Shame! So they face repression and they also face repression when they've tried to fight back and fight for their homes and fight for their lives. So are you going to stand with immigrants or are you going to stand against us? We urge you to pass a resolution to investigate Kingsley Corporation.

That's our new mayor! The best part you're going to be!

Good evening, Mayor, City Council. My name is Dan Schemele. I'm a resident of Ward 3. I'll start first with the non-agenda item. legal observation of ICE is not a crime. Let me repeat that. Legal observation of ICE is not a crime. What has happened to Maddie and Addie is a symptom of a larger problem. We need to end formal and informal police cooperation, not just in the context of immigration enforcement, but in all contexts. We as a city can and must do better. We can and must enforce our laws against against ICE when they step out of line. We can and we must bar ICE from access to non-public portions of city property and from

using city parking lots and other facilities for staging. We can and must clarify that following an ICE agent at a reasonable distance during daylight hours is not an arrestable offense.

And we can and must do better with police accountability for our own police department, not just in this instance but in instances of police violence we need justice for florentina lopez and we need a full transparent investigation

on item number 28 i want to once again thank congress um council member lopez for putting item 28 on for flock i 100 agree with it we need to quickly identify all possible solutions and get these contracts canceled at the earliest legally defensible opportunity with respect to item 29 I want to thank Councilmember Vasquez for putting item 29 on the agenda. I've had the opportunity to speak with Coach Royal, former and current residents, about their experiences, and they have been harrowing. We've heard some of them from CSO already. I'm sure we're going to hear more from the rest of the assembled guests here tonight.

But we need to be standing in solidarity with these residents. We need these abusive landlords investigated. We need our laws fully enforced to the extent we can. and we do and can be advocates at the state level to get the kind of investigation that this resolution is calling for so i urge you all to vote yes on that resolution and finally with respect to with respect to item 30 the zoning code update i also stand here in solidarity with coach royal they have been here for years advocating for themselves advocating against the uh the economically

disadvantaged conditions that they have been living through forever this zoning code i think i would urge the council to take their concerns seriously to study the um the the borderline zone between our residential districts uh and our industrial districts and make sure that we are in fact living up to our commitment in the general code to environmental justice we cannot live up and do justice unless we're doing environmental justice for cornerstone and other similar communities oh and and i've lived in the city for six years so mayor mesquo if you're going to hire

someone to look into my background please make sure they do a good job of it thank you

Jennifer L. Hall

next three speakers okay following next three speakers following irma will be edith esqueda

and Sandra Rodriguez. Good evening, I'm Mayor and Council members and staff. I'm Irma Haraghi from Wilshire Square Ward 6. I'm speaking on item 28. There's two sides of the coin to this issue. Yes, our technology must be monitored and be protected so it's used appropriately and to code. But I'm talking on the side of the victims. I've got three points. One is very personal, so if my voice cracks you have to wait the first one is the the dog that was horribly killed it

was discovered by the flaw camera had we had flaw cameras when those children were killed and I think it was Sigistrum or Dyer Road hopefully it was a deterrent and they would not and their parents could still hug them I'm a mother so and that's so we have to think about the good things that they do The third one, my brother in 1978 was hit by a drunk driver and he was parked and he had a permanent brain damage. He was in a coma. He was 24 years old. He was at Cypress College.

He was auditioning for the, whether it's at Eliasics or the Galaxy, he was a phenomenal soccer player. And he was working with a computer company. He has been, he was in a coma. He's permanently brain damaged. I'm a conservator. That's why I understand finance. for the last 47 years. Had we had flawed cameras, although that was Huntington Beach, possibly a deterrent, the person was never caught. And I've been living with this nightmare for 47 years. So there's another side to that coin of having protection. Yes, I can understand some people are very concerned and they have their total right to be so.

But the protection that it does for the victims, the most important people are the victims. If you have fear of something, walk straight, do the right thing, don't watch your cameras, because a lot of these damages are not intentional. Some are, but most are not. But we are more conscious of doing the right thing. So really consider that. There's two sides of the coin. There's not just one. Just because it's politically the thing to complain about, I understand. I was young, too. I have a lot of energy to this day, and you guys know me. but there's things that really can prevent those mothers will never have

their children will never have grandchildren will never have weddings so really think about the benefits that these things do and thank you so much

Jennifer L. Hall

Edith Esqueda Sandra Rodriguez Guadalupe Baragon good evening good evening

Mayor of Mezcua and members of the City Council, Edith Esqueda from Ward 3. I've been a proud Sanana resident for 38 years and I'm here tonight to ask you to protect our existing resident permit parking permit. I want to bring to your attention Exhibit 6 and the City Parking Study, which it seems like a 13 year old did this. The study clearly acknowledges that permitted streets experience less congestion than nearby unrestricted streets. That tells us something very important. Our existing resident permit parking system is working. These rules

were established for a reason. They have helped manage limited parking and protect established residential neighborhoods. Yeah, the study now suggests that an allocated system needs to be changed because it is consistent across housing types. But different housing types have different parking needs. Equal permit allocation does not necessarily mean fair or effective parking management where is the evidence that where's the evidence that can the changes that exist in allocation will create more parking spaces or improve conditions in our neighborhoods I recognize this the many Santa Ana

families have struggled to find parking I respect those families and I understand the frustration the city needs to address parking shortage through better planning adequate parking and new developments sharing parking opportunities and strong and parking opportunities I'm asking the city council So to make these commitments, preserve the system permit allocating system and protections for establishing residence districts. Address parking shortage. Those responsible development shortage, stronger enforcements and alternative parking solution rather than shifting the burden to other neighborhoods.

The city's own study shows that residential permit restrictions are effective. Please do not use the same study by just weakening what is already working. And as many people come and ask to do more buildings, how about we address that issue? Thank you.

Sandra Rodriguez, Guadalupe Barragan. Jose Ramirez. Hi, good evening. My name is Sandra Rodriguez. I'm a business owner, Ward 6. I spoke at the last meeting regarding the upcoming zone changes, and I just want to thank you for having the study to go into it and further depth because while I can appreciate all the work that the planning department did, like tonight, there's a lot of passionate people here and there's no clear answers for everything, but obviously you guys are, I want to thank you for doing your part because obviously you care, you're committed, you're serving. And so rather than

perpetuating hate or anger, I want to come to the table and I would love to talk more about the zoning changes that might impact the businesses. Specifically with the residential industrial interface, we currently are right now in M2 and we could operate under M1, but with the residential industrial interface, we simply it's too much of a burden for us in our operations. and for most of our businesses in our area would have the same constraints. So I just ask that you take a look at how that would implicate some of the businesses

because in looking at your general plan, it doesn't seem that it's consistent as far as prosperity and enterprise and public service because our business in particular also works with the City of Santa Ana Public Works Department in implementing the ordinance for grease interceptors and public safety and such of those things. We also worked with them last week in a cleanup spill that was on flour. So we actively are working in coordination with the city of Santa Ana for the city's citizens' public health and safety. Thank you for your time. Sam, instead of eating,

you need to eat before the city council.

Jennifer L. Hall

Next three speakers. Guadalupe Barragón, Jose Ramirez, Julie Herrick.

Buenas tardes a todos los personal del Consejo Municipal de la Ciudad de Santa Ana. Esta vez quiero pedirles a todos que por favor apoyen la resolución that is present Benjamin Vázquez, for that if a level Santana, if a level Santana, no can help us, that escalate a level of the state and if not, a level of the federal. That escalate, please, and support the resolution of Benjamin Vázquez for that we help us. The city of Santana vio

que la corporación Kingsley es un peligro para los residentes de Coach Royal. Nos siguen explotando, nos siguen extorsionando y están violando nuestros derechos constitucionales. Se meten a nuestras casas, nos siguen tomando fotos, Olivia García y los trabajadores de Kingsley. I also support these people who take time to convince people that they don't have documents and they echar a migra and they esposate. What kind of human quality is with whom we are living?

You said that they were going to help us or that they were representers of the city of Santana. We need to take care of our rights, we need to take care of our rights, we need to take care of our rights, we need to take care of our council, Benjamin Vázquez. Vázquez, te necesitamos, te necesitamos, Jonathan Hernández.

No sé de qué manera pedirles ayuda. Hemos venido llorando, hemos venido gritando. Necesitamos su ayuda. Se desapareció el señor Álvaro Núñez, es como una falta de respeto. Se salió Valeria Mezcua, falta de respeto para los residentes de Santana. Gracias.

Good afternoon. I am here to ask the City Council members of Santa Ana for a resolution for the resolution for Benjamin Vazquez to please support it. To please help us to escalate the situation. If the city cannot help, then escalate federally or to the state. please support the resolution for Mr. Vasquez, the city of Santa Ana, and to continue telling you that the corporation Kingsley continues to abuse the Royal Coach people that live there, that they're exploding, that they are violating our constitutional rights, that they continue to take pictures of us, they

come to into our homes without permission, that Alicia Garcia supposedly supports to be supporting and helping people, but instead she calls immigration, has them deported. What kind of humanity is that? What kind of help is that? We beg the city of Sanana to please help us, to respect us, to protect our constitutional rights where we support Benjavid Vasquez. And yes, right now, look at Jonathan Hernandez. Please help us. And you can see right now, we come screaming. We ask for help. We come crying. And right now, Mr. Alvaro has left. What a lack of respect. And also our mayor, Valeria, she's also left. That is also a lack

Jennifer L. Hall

respect. Thank you. Next three speakers Jose Ramirez, Julie Herrick and Joe Saladino.

no las castiguen y recordarles que lo que hacen ellas todos los días, aparte de lo que hacemos nosotros de Unión del Barrio y varios miembros de la comunidad, es patrullar y proteger a nuestra comunidad inmigrante. No es delito documentar las actividades de hielo o de ICE. Y venimos también a denunciar la participación de la policía de Santana que ha estado cooperando con ICE. dicen que no, pero la comunidad lo ve, estamos presentes cuando han hecho actividades en apoyo de las actividades de ellos y también queremos que sean responsables y que

les quiten los cargos a nuestras compañeras y que no somos intimidados, que no tenemos miedo vamos a seguir luchando por nuestra comunidad, nuestra gente nuestro pueblo merece respeto y aquí estamos para to continue supporting our community. Thank you for your time.

them but they're also helping them and we are here to tell you that community del barrio is here to support you and to help you and please do not punish drop the charges against addy and maddie thank you

Jennifer L. Hall

the next three speakers julie herrick joe saladino rebecca pasillas

good evening council members my name is julie herrick and i live in ward 3. I was originally planning to come here to speak in opposition to the flock cameras, and in the meantime, I heard the news of the arrest of ICE observers Addie and Maddie. I see these as two sides of the same kind of overreach coin. On one side, flock cameras track every move of ordinary citizens without a warrant in violation of our Fourth and Fifth Amendment rights. So the government can track us living our private lives, but we can't observe the government to hold our government accountable.

When ordinary citizens exercise their right to observe the actions of a rogue federal agency in an effort to protect their neighbors, they get arrested by the San Antipede officers who are allegedly meant to protect our city. Who's really protecting the community here? I'm here to demand an apology to Addy and Maddy and the immigrant community. Drop the charges. I think I heard that the charges were dropped against Maddie, so I want to demand to drop the remaining charges against Addy.

Release all the records, 911 calls, body cam footage, so the public can see what really happened behind those arrests. And I hear you guys say that Santa Ana PD doesn't assist with immigration enforcement, but those words are called comfort when it seems that they help this rogue agency in tangential ways. So as others have said here, I'm asking you to go one step further. Don't assist ICE in any way at all. Don't make them feel comfortable in this city. They're not welcome here. Instead, focus on making Santa Ana residents feel safe here. So in summary, observing ICE is not a crime. Flock violates our Fourth Amendment rights.

ICE out of OC. Drop the charges. And drop the Flock cameras.

Jennifer L. Hall

The next three speakers, Joe Saladino, Rebecca Pesillas, Isidra Espiritu.

Hello, I'm a resident of Santa Ana Ward 5, and I'm here to express my outrage and deep concern over the targeting of legal observers by SAPD and ICE, and in particular, the unlawful arrest of two beloved community members last week. Addie and Maddie were exercising their constitutional rights to observe law enforcement in an effort to protect, document, and inform our immigrant community of this rogue agency's whereabouts and brutal tactics. The fact that SAPD was called to have them removed and arrested by ICE is appalling and a clear violation of the sanctuary city designation that this city so readily promotes.

If ICE and SAPD can openly break the law and violate our rights without city intervention, it only engenders further escalation. It erodes the public's trust in SAPD and raises serious questions about those about whose safety and the department prioritizes. This is why how you respond here tonight matters. We demand accountability.

We demand accountability and investigation by an independent investigator selected by the police oversight commission about the conduct of SAPD and those and have those findings be made public. The charges must also be dropped against ADDIE and the council needs to pressure the prosecutor to drop them. And lastly, we need you to show up. Ice Watchers like Addy and Maddy show up for their community every single day. They see how power is being wielded to protect those deemed valuable while demonizing those who it does not. What are you doing to protect this community from them?

Prove it with your actions and not flashy campaign promises. Thank you.

Good evening, I'm Rebecca, president of Ward 6. A majority of this council, Becerra, Fan, Amesqua, and Penaloza are purposefully obtuse and complicit to the fact that our constitutional rights are being violated. From FOX surveillance to ICE being aided by our police department to operate in Santa Ana, all while you shame community members protecting their neighbors.

SAPD's actions by helping ICE have eroded public trust, and this is not an isolated incident. The Flock Camera, the beating of Florentino Lopez, the arrest of legal observers, and the list goes on. We demand a public apology by Valerie, the city manager and police chief, and a pending investigation by the police oversight commission, and drop the charges against daddy, and fuck the police.

Jennifer L. Hall

Next three speakers.

Jennifer L. Hall

The next three speakers, if you could please come forward. Isidra Espiritu, followed by Erica Gonzalez and Abe Kueh.

Jennifer L. Hall

Erica Gonzalez. Then it will be Abe Kueh and then Isuri Ramos.

Good evening. My name is Erica Gonzalez, a lifelong Santa Ana resident and one of the leaders of the Delhi neighborhood, as well as a community organizer with Union del Barrio and Chicanx Unidex. I am also one of the directors for Orange County Environmental Justice, and I must say, the injustices that I have been witnessing over the years, especially the last two, have been nothing short of shameful. Having organized in Santana for over 10 years now, I have seen what corrupt leadership and personal agendas can do and have done to our resilient city we love to call home. To say that I'm a proud Santanera is an understatement,

because words couldn't even begin to describe the pride and orgullo that I feel standing here today, shoulder to shoulder, with my community. This is what people power looks like.

I am here today to speak to you on multiple topics. Unfortunately, lately, it seems as though we've been getting hit literally and figuratively left and right. From ICE kidnapping our neighbors to the unjust arrest of our brave community members who put themselves on the line to protect our most vulnerable residents. to the surveillance of our residents through flock cameras and ALPRs to the SAPD terrorizing and murdering our families Friends and vecinos all the way to the zoning code update that is truly and honestly reflect That is not honestly reflective of what community is demanding

I am in support of item 28 being proposed here today And I am also in demanding the following that the charges against the ice watchers Maddie and Addie be dropped immediately and that that SAPD stop working with ICE agents also immediately. I also demand that, shit, sorry, I lost my place.

This is what happens when I don't use my phone. I also demand that SAPD officers involved in the violent beating of Florentino Lopez, the murders and all of the other individuals murdered and or terrorized by SAPD be fired immediately and that you jail killer cops.

Zoning code update be adjusted to properly reflect the demands of our most marginalized communities like Cornerstone Village, Madison, Evergreen, and Delahy to truly protect them from the industrial pollution they have endured for generations. Neighbors Against One Broadway Plaza also need to be supported in their advocacy against the construction of the 37-story tower being proposed by Mike Herra. Coach Royal residents need to be supported in their demands. They have been advocating for themselves for months at the council and they deserve your support and guidance.

or connect them with the agencies and departments that can help them so that they get the help they finally deserve. I am 1,000% in support of all the comments and demands being made here today by all of my compañetics on all topics discussed. El pueblo unido jamás será vencido. El pueblo unido jamás será vencido.

Unido jamás será vencido.

Jennifer L. Hall

Fuck ice and fuck the country. Erica, your time is up.

You know, if the mayor and Phil Becerra are talking about public business in the back in a private conversation, that's a violation of the Brown Act. It's also a shame. It is a shame that this city is trying to silence its speakers by reducing the volume on this microphone like you did to my friend David back there. It's a shame that this city is not turning on the lights just because we're protesting outside. You're infringing on our First Amendment right to gather peacefully. You don't want to turn on the lights for us out there? You're making a tripping hazard. Your security guards are working in the dark. How does that feel?

Buenos Aires, everyone. My name is Abe. I live in Ward 3. I'm a proud member of a community service organization. Our Police Accountability Committee is here tonight to say no to Item 20. We're here in support of Items 28 and 29. But most importantly, we're here to demand justice for Florentino Lopez and for countless of the Chicanos who have been brutalized and killed by Santa Ana PD. City Manager Eduardo Nunez, Police Chief Robert Rodriguez, we're demanding that you fire the officers involved in Florentino's case and you fire all the other killer cops that you're harboring in that department of yours.

CSO members and families of SAPD's victims have been coming to this chamber for almost two years to fight for the most basic demands, transparency and accountability. We've had to fight the city and the department every step of the way. Whether it's been for public records, for independent investigations, or even just for you all to recognize that the families are here seeking justice for their loved ones. The family of Florentino Lopez already had to leave because you guys have so many awards that you need to get through before you even get to our comments. Shame!

In the case of Tai Fian, you just quote department policy and say that the city has to consider its liability. In the case of Phil Becerra, David Penielosa, and Mayor Hermesqua, we know they only care about accountability because it's election season and that they're bought out by the POA. In this election season alone, the Police Officers Association has spent over $200,000 backing candidates for city council. Make sure you guys check the records. And to the other council members here, we as residents need more from you. These families impacted by police violence need more from you.

It's truly a shame that this city continues to fail to take action because these killings and police misconduct incidents are preventable by firing violent officers. Instead of allowed these killer cops to continue living their lives with full confidence that they're protected from accountability. Shame! Shame! Hard-working families like those of Victor Lopez, Jaden Michaca, Noe Rodriguez, and countless others have to wait for all your other bullshit awards before they can even give public comment. Often times they have to leave just like the last city council meeting. Shame! Shame!

We need community control of the police to truly hold officers accountable, to put decisions regarding police policy, spending, discipline, and more in the hands of residents. Fire Luis Casillas, fire Marco Benavides, and fire all the other bullshit killer cops you guys have on your department payroll. Justice for Noé Rodriguez, Justice for Jaden Michaca, Justice for Victor Lopez.

Jennifer L. Hall

The next three speakers, the next three speakers, Izuri Ramos, Abigail Lee, Erlin Bayo.

Good evening, Mayor and Council. My name is Izuri Ramos, and I'm the Executive Director at Chispa. And today I'm here to speak on two points. One, your automated license plate reader contracts and SAPD arresting two Santana residents that were doing nothing but exercising their constitutional rights as they were ice watching. And I want to be clear, CHISPA supports public safety. We support public safety that is accountable to the community. As you consider FLOC, I want you to really ask yourselves, is this improving public safety or is this increasing our liability?

SAPD should not be collaborating with ICE, especially as Santana is a sanctuary city. And we should not be arresting ICE watchers that have done nothing wrong but protect their community in a way that, again, is defended by the Constitution. Public safety is also not spending millions of dollars in settlements because SAPD is acting—there's a lot of ways that I could describe it, but it is misconduct and we've all seen it. We've all seen it on video and we don't need to question whether or not it was misconduct. We need to rebuild trust. There is very little to no trust right now between our community and the police department,

and that is no secret. So, Council, I ask you today that as you consider various items, including these automated license plate readers, that you really think about what, if any, role they play in public safety. It's clear that they are not improving our public safety. It is clear that they are doing nothing but causing additional harm in our community. And with that, I ask again that you do everything you can tonight, not just tonight but every day moving forward to increase safety in our community and think about what a safe Santana really looks like and how we

improve against trust trust between you and the community and trust between our police department and that means independent oversight we cannot trust the police department to investigate itself thank you

Hello, my name is Abigail Lee and I am an undergraduate researcher with EcoGovLab at UCI. Based on the speakers that came before me, I'm realizing the scripted comment I prepared is a lot more tame than I'd like it to be. But I am here today to call attention to the city's lack of accountability to the General Plan 77 Environmental Justice Policies. Over the past years, I've read through the 77 policies, looked for external examples of environmental justice policy implementation, and written out possible solutions tailored to Santa Ana inspired by these initiatives.

Throughout my research, I've consistently been impressed by the level of attention and care local municipalities have given towards environmental justice. These places prove that environmental justice initiatives are completely possible. I have countless examples, community forums, shared use agreements, community action plans, air monitoring, just to name a few. By far the most inspiring external example was a comprehensive environmental justice initiative of a comprehensive environmental justice initiative was a city of Highlands public health, safety and environmental justice element from August 2021.

This is an exemplary document that outlines the city of Highlands concentrated efforts to help disadvantaged communities, including outreach methods, schools, policies and correlating actions. This could be a model for Santa Ana. And the Cornerstone community has made your job easy. Working with UCI researchers, residents have spent months and months compiling findings and evaluating our results, all demonstrating that environmental justice can be taken seriously by cities and that economic development does not have to undercut health and sustainability. Now all we are asking you to do is to be responsive and proactive. Thank you.

Jennifer L. Hall

the next three speakers following Erlin will be Irene Rodriguez and Maddie M I just want to say

how disrespectful it is for you to come out here with your plate of whatever you're eating and eat in front of us when there was six people telling me when I brought in chips you can't eat I already know the rules and Phil you're a sellout and Penalosa you're a sellout how do you guys have so much money from the police association but you still live with your mama and you don't do shit for the fucking city you guys don't do anything and Valerie Valerie you're a fraud just like your dad because I know that your dad used to work at the fourth street doing documentation for the

illegal immigrants and you guys would rip them off for every paperwork so you guys are all frauds except for you jesse i will be voting for you you guys are all frauds and hernandez you need to stay on your shit because you want to say oh yeah i'm with the people what do you do for the people you don't do anything for the people either you're a fraud

Jennifer L. Hall

next speakers Irene Rodriguez

Jennifer L. Hall

Maddie M

Greetings Where's the mayor? Like for real Don't start my time yet Where's the mayor?

Should we wait for her? Can we wait for her?

Can we? We should wait for her right? Because it's really disrespectful Wonderful. And I know y'all recognize that. I know she recognized that. Look y'all, there's a lot of things, a lot of reasons why we're here today, right? We're demanding justice. You're lucky we're not demanding retribution. Because if we were demanding retribution, the streets right now would look chaotic, right? So, one, I just want to say, I know one of the charges has been dropped on one of our compañeras, but we're going to demand for the other charges to be dropped on our other compañera, too. We're also here to demand justice for Florentino Lopez.

I'm just going to echo a lot of what was said. A lot of it has to do with accountability with justice. It is not retribution. We're not looking for vengeance. Remember that. We're not looking for vengeance. We're here advocating for the community. and those of you who are running for um congress or assembly or city council you got to pay attention man because you're going to get voted out like i'm telling you're going to get voted out if not now the next time something's going to happen you too david pay attention look at me mirame yes thank

you you're about to not that was your ego talking right ben thank you for introducing the um well at least the potential for a resolution to pass and we're going to ask all of you to vote yes That's a slam dunk. There's resolution for an investigation to what's happening at the Coach Royal Mobile Home Park unit. Slam dunk. All of you should vote yes on that presentation. And after that, once language is formed, vote yes again. Slam dunk. Just like the accountability is a slam dunk. Two police officers beating up a man who's half in handcuffs. Accountability? Slam dunk. Come on. Dude, like we're not playing games here. That's easy.

And like Fernando said, who funds you runs you, right? And I wish Val was here because we know who funds her, so we know who runs her. Come on, man. Come on.

Y'all feel like we're wasting our time? We're not wasting our time. You're wasting our time. We know that we deserve justice. We're trying to convince you that we deserve justice. We know we have rights. We're trying to convince you that we have rights. We know that. We're here to educate you. Take that education.

And what I would like after this, Phil, your attitude with your passive-aggressive style, man, that is so, that is like middle school, high school shit, man. It is. I'm sorry, I don't mean for it to come out crass, but that's just the way it is. And that's how you act when you respond to people. You don't really listen. You just listen to respond, to react. You go off your reactions, not even responding. So I just want to ask you to listen and try to understand what people are saying. even if you're against it try to understand that's that's one thing

David you're running for assembly man come on like you got to do better you know better do better you know like listen same thing I asked of him a mask of you you know come on all right Time's up.

Jennifer L. Hall

Just confirming Irene Rodriguez and Maddie M.

because there are many problems in the park. We have made them take care of the bar. My husband was threatened to take care of the car, where he was parked, because he couldn't put the car there. And they told us that they would put a post to put just two cars. That's unjust, because I'm going to throw my children in the street. No puedo echar a mis hijos a la calle. Ahora también cada día estamos despertando, tomando fotos, que ya nos amenazan con una cosa, con otra.

¿A dónde vamos a parar? Uno con miedo de despierta uno y ve a uno a la gente y tomando fotos y ya nomás está esperando uno a ver qué le dicen. Now, the of the car, there are many crues in the park and they can't go down the car, we can't go down the car because they are the car carrying the car.

Now, the manager also gave me a put a bar that now I want to take away. I paid $2,500 for sacrifice for her to take away again, and she was she herself who gave her permission to put her. She gave her the pieces of where I had to put her. And I told her why she wanted to take her permission. She said, if she has no paper, I can take her the paper. I said, I said, you know, you know, you know, the sacrifice that we did my children and I,

that we paid $2,500 and paid for a while, that we didn't get the bar, it's not just.

It's not just that we're working with all the sacrifices, with hands, with the hands, so that we can do this in a while. It's not just, the truth. I ask you to please support us and help us. Por favor, ayúdenos, porque es una injusticia allí. El otro le fui a pedir que me rentara el salón. Allí no se rentaba el salón, nunca se pagaba el salón. Me dijo que sí me lo daba, pero que tenía que pagar cuatro securities. Cada securities 180 dólares.

Yo le dije, ¿por qué voy a pagar estos cuatro securities? no, if you want, and if you don't, there's nothing.

Irene, your time is over. Thank you very much for your attention. Hi, my name is Irene Rodriguez. I'm here from Crown Royal. I'm asking here to please help me because I've had an issue with management. They're asking me to take down a fence. They're asking me to take down a fence, and they're also threatening me to tow my car. They're telling me that I can no longer park more than two cars. That is just not just. That's not just. What am I supposed to do with my kids? Am I supposed to throw my kids on the street? What am I supposed to do with them? And now every day they're taking pictures of us. They're threatening us.

If it's not for one thing, it's another thing. I wake up in the morning and there's people taking pictures of us. I'm just sitting around waiting and wondering, what are they going to say this time? What are they going to do? And tow trucks. Tow trucks keep coming into the neighborhood. They'll tow your car immediately. You can't even park to unload groceries. trees I put down two thousand five hundred dollars to put up a fence a fence that I got permission from there to do it was a lot of sacrifice to come up with that kind of money and she gave me

permission to do it the manager she even measured and told me where I could put the fence and now she's telling me that the fence got to come down it was such a sacrifice for me and my children to come up with two thousand five hundred dollars to put up that fence and I said why why do you need me to take it down you gave me permission and she said no there's nothing in writing if there's nothing in writing i can have you take it down whenever i want it's not just it's so wrong why are they doing this to us please help us please support us to help us with this injustice please

help us to be able to help us with this because it's always an issue i also i try to get a venue i try to rent out our little community clubhouse and they never used to charge for that clubhouse and now they're charging me 180 for four security guards 180 each and i said why why do I need to pay $180 each for all the security guards and she said well if you want it is there if you don't want it you don't have to use it and please please help me this is just not just help me to fix all of these unjust thank you Maddie M

They gave me the space to talk. I am a working mother. I wasn't able to get my name in there. So I hope that you guys are all okay with me speaking. It is a very critical subject that we're here for.

um we're here because we want to ask for you guys to support on the resolution that Benjamin is bringing up for consideration I urge you guys to please take this in consideration and please move forward with it it is very very important that you guys do I've been begging you guys I've came crying, stressed out for a while, way before we even lost one of our community members, and there's a record of all of that. So I ask that you guys please escalate it. I mean, David, I'm pretty sure that you have now connections with the state. I know Jesse Lopez as well. I ask

that you guys please escalate this, even with the federal government, the state. We need you guys' to support. Honestly, it's okay if they want to evict us at times. It's fine. You're not stealing our homes and getting away with it. What is it going to take? Somebody else to take their life? That's unfair. We can all agree that people come over here with an American dream, and it's not fair that we just take away everything that we have worked so hard for. Look at this lady. They work for minimum wage jobs. It's just gruesome, and it's inhumane. We're not toys. We're humans, And it needs to be really looked at in that way.

We're also wanting to express our support with those that were arrested illegally. I do believe in the Constitution. It is fundamental that our city does stand by it and respect everybody's constitutional rights and demand accountability. I think I was very vocal last time, demanding accountability. I've had my fair share of problems with injustice, and I am not okay with any type of injustice. this. So I do demand accountability for police officers. We need somebody that actually protect us. We're vulnerable people. The reason why we come and ask you guys is because we come

and we ask you because you're government officials. You could say, oh, you guys have the power. But yeah, state and federal agents, they actually do take in consideration when you guys see that there's a crisis. There's thousands of people being vulnerable. We ask that you put yourself in my position and actually be like, you know what? That's unfair. They're humans. We ask that you guys just give us that respect um we hope that you guys really move forward with it and hope that you guys can just do the right thing honestly we're just demanding accountability it's not that hard thank you

Jennifer L. Hall

mayor pro time and city council that concludes the public speakers that are present we'll now begin with the zoom speakers speakers on zoom when unmuted please announce your name and and the warder neighborhood you reside in within the city for the record. For speaker, Marlene Ortega, please unmute. Make your comments.

Hi, can you hear me? Yes, please go ahead. Thank you. Good evening, council members and Mayor Mezcla, who's right here, and to everyone else in the chamber. My name is Marlene, I am from Ward 4. As in, really quickly, as an outdoor educator working at a non-profit that funds school field trips that includes their school buses and even boat excursions we really want to increase accessibility for scientific hands-on learning for title one students however we are facing a disruption last year there was a low attendance from students on field trips because of their family's valid concern of their children being

taken by ICE. Please cancel block. Now we are experiencing hour late of rivals from schools, Santa Ana included, due to the school district choosing bus drivers that already have standard daily home to school routes first and then picking up students for field trips. If these school buses are being reimbursed, then I don't understand why there's a delay in the students education. Now at work, there was another disruption to student learning. after sharing that I am also from Santa Ana. These young students turned to share with me horrific graphics from the police brutality and collectively telling me,

Miss, Miss, Miss, look, Miss, have you seen this? He didn't even do anything. Are we desensitizing this violence? Mind you, we are in the Pacific Ocean and you got these teenagers from Santa Ana stressing the same manner they are disclosing his personal convictions on the news that were false, painting him as a villain. I strongly believe we should also be disclosing the personal body camera footage for the general public.

Anyways, I just wanna share my fulfillment with welcoming students to these natural spaces, finding their sense of belonging.

These are students that have a small likelihood to see dolphins in their life, to use microscopes on a boat, and their minds are on this immediate concern. while the vast ocean is in front of them.

In addition, I just want to share my graduate program at UCI Irvine. I deferred it for the reasons it is not a merit. I appreciate all the student organizations, professors, research labs, policy classes, all revolving their studies, volunteering around Santa Ana. But this is not a merit. Well, thank you for listening. I please, please hope you guys can cancel vlog. release video, send these cops to jail, drop the charges on the ice observers.

It's interesting how they got immediate response from Santa Ana Police Department when it usually takes a month to get a restraining order. Thank you. Have a nice night.

Jennifer L. Hall

Next speaker on Zoom, Bianca, please unmute and make your comments.

Good evening, City Council. Hello, my name is Bianca. As someone who frequents Santa Ana and does business there, I'm speaking about the recent arrests of two community members by Santa Ana Police Department last week, Addy and Maddy. Why were they arrested? Was it for videotaping ICE officers on public property, which is legal? Was it for maintaining a safe following distance, which is also legal? Or was it simply for being there for a community member who was being detained by ICE. Their arrest represents an erosion of our constitutional rights and it has damning

implications for the culture and community Santa Ana claims to support. Police in California are not allowed to collaborate with ICE. So why was SAPD allowed to arrest community volunteers for exercising their rights? The city claims to celebrate its immigrant residents, yet these promises fall short if community members are arrested for supporting each other like this. I am demanding a full transparency report for the public to fully understand what happened. The community deserves to see the footage and video that police claim shows these members endangering them.

We deserve to see for ourselves the footage that justified this sudden arrest. Making false emergency reports is illegal, and whether that occurred here should be revealed to the public. And I demand that the charges against Adi be fully dropped. This meeting began with an honoring of immigrant communities, labor organizers, musicians. You claim to celebrate your immigrant community, the music they make, and the songs and art they create. but these promises stay empty so long as your police brutalize and arrest our community members and as Filipino American myself I'm appalled this is even happening drop the charges

Jennifer L. Hall

Aaron City Council that concludes the speakers

Valerie Amezcua

thank you madam clerk very much I appreciate it madam city attorney you have a comment you want I think there was some information you wanted to report out, please.

Sonia R. Carvalho

Yep, I'm Mayor, and Council Members, as we get to the Council requested item on Kingsley, I do have some information to share from some communications I've had with Kingsley. I do want to remind the tenants that we had a very fruitful conversation in our office. We met with about 12 to 15 of the tenants, and we offered to meet with them a second and third time. So I know we tried to schedule those meetings. We weren't, we didn't get a response from them on that, but I just want to make sure that they understand that that invitation to meet with them in person remains open from us.

Sonia R. Carvalho

That first meeting did result in some positive changes and we made some progress, but we haven't had those subsequent meetings. So I'd like to make sure that they understand that our door remains open, but they have not taken advantage of that.

Valerie AmezcuaItem 7

Thank you very much, Madam City Attorney. Thank you, Madam City Attorney, and I'm sure they'll make contact with you hopefully this week so you can meet with them again. We're going to go into the consent calendar items 7 through 19 at this time. 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, do I have a motion and a second?

Johnathan Ryan HernandezItem 7

I'll make a motion to move the items. I'll second. I'm a no on item 16. I just want to record that.

Valerie AmezcuaItem 7

I'm sorry, you want to do well for 16?

Johnathan Ryan HernandezItem 7

I just want to record that I'm a no on item 16.

Valerie AmezcuaItem 7

No on 16. Thank you so much. Councilman Mayor Pro Tem, you're a second? Yes. Okay. Perfect. Any, Council Member Vasquez, are you pulling any item? No, thank you. No. Council Member Lopez? No. You pulling item? No. Council Member Hernandez, you're just a no on 16.

Phil BacerraItem 7

That's correct, ma'am.

Valerie AmezcuaItem 7

Council Member Becerra?

Phil BacerraItem 7

No items to pull.

Valerie AmezcuaItem 7

Council Member Fan?

Thai Viet PhanItem 7

Thank you, Mayor. Just a recusal from item 10 as City Ventures is a client of my employer, Rattan and Tucker. Thank you.

Valerie AmezcuaItem 7

Recusal from item 10. All right, Madam Clerk, there's a motion and a second.

Jennifer L. HallItem 7

Let's prepare to vote. Motion by Council Member Hernandez, seconded by Mayor Prenta and Pinalosa to approve consent calendar items seven through 19. The electronic voting is open.

Jennifer L. HallItem 7

Vote as seven ayes, no nays. Motion carries with a reported no vote on item 16 by Council Member Hernandez. and a reported recusal by Council Member Fan on item number 10, consent calendar items 7 through 19 are approved.

Valerie AmezcuaItem 20

Great, thank you. At this time, we're going to end the consent and go into the business calendar. Item number 20 is a Lexapro agreement. Do we need a presentation, Council?

David PenalozaItem 20

Madam, I'm making a motion to approve.

Valerie AmezcuaItem 20

I'll second. Are there any questions or comments by the Council?

Johnathan Ryan HernandezItem 20

Yes, Madam Mayor.

Valerie AmezcuaItem 20

Go ahead, Council Member Hernandez.

Johnathan Ryan HernandezItem 20

Thank you. I wanted to make sure that this was an item that was brought to today's council agenda. Given the increased liabilities that we've seen since the last several years that our police department has been in the news, since 2024, December 1st, to January 1st, 2025, we had one police officer in Santa Ana who was responsible for two shootings. that saw two members of the community lose their life. We have also seen from 2010 to 2020, as reported by the Vossovosee,

Johnathan Ryan HernandezItem 20

$24.5 million in misconduct lawsuits. From 2020 to 2026, we are seeing that trend continue. Lexapol is a private company that provides risk management policies to thousands of police departments in the United States. The vast majority of US law enforcement agencies are contracting Lexapol. Lexapol started in 2003. Two of its founders, two of its three founders, were former police officers who became lawyers. One is named Bruce Prayett.

Johnathan Ryan HernandezItem 20

Bruce Prayett spent a decade as a police officer in Orange County, where he beat not one but two misconduct lawsuits, according to a 1992 Los Angeles Times profile. He was inspired by a defense lawyer named Michael Stone. Michael Stone later on represented one of Rodney King's assailants. Pratt went on to become a police union lawyer before starting a firm that specialized in defending cops in cases that involved shootings, pursuits, and dog bites.

Johnathan Ryan HernandezItem 20

In 1998, he co-wrote the precursor to Lexapol's first law enforcement manual, and we have seen that Lexapol has defended police violence in federal lawsuits across California. I want to thank, in this case, a journalist named Madison Pauly for an article that is titled Meet the Company that Writes the Policies that Protect Cops. And the profile that I just read is taken from that article. Now, what they have identified, you know, over many years, American Civil Liberties Union, cities across the United States,

Johnathan Ryan HernandezItem 20

they have found that Lexapol increases liabilities for cities like Santa Ana. So much so that we have seen government agencies, as a result of lawsuits, end their contracts with Lexapol. The ACLU of Washington and Northwest Immigrant Rights Project notified law enforcement agencies in Washington about a settlement which took place in the city of Spokane. This settlement agreed to pay damages and attorney's fees to a man it unlawfully detained and held for immigration authorities after he was the victim of a car accident.

Johnathan Ryan HernandezItem 20

Under the settlement, Spokane agreed to pay $49,000 in damages and attorney's fees. Spokane's policies were based on a faulty immigration model. That policy came from Lexapol, a private for-profit corporation that makes life or death decisions for our department that costs us the most in liabilities, the Santa Ana Police Department. What they found was that Spokane's Lexapol policy incorrectly authorized officers to seize individuals and extend detentions for purposes of investigating or aiding in potential

Johnathan Ryan HernandezItem 20

civil immigration enforcement, which unnecessarily exposed the city to liability. The ACLU of Washington and the NWIRP fought and they won. And this settlement ensured that Spokane, Washington had to end their contract with Lexapol. We have seen cities across the United States move in the light of police reforms in 2020 when we saw the mass mobile uprisings of people who showed up in large numbers protesting the death of George Floyd. When Derek Chauvin knelt on George Floyd's

Johnathan Ryan HernandezItem 20

neck for nearly nine minutes, the world responded. Santa Ana joined those efforts. I ran against a sheriff to get elected in 2020 as a 27 year old Santa Ana resident. I have seen liabilities increase for our city. A very clear Another example is that we have a police department that is training its officers to protect the city from liabilities after they create it. Meaning if they beat your loved one, they're not concerned about holding a palm on your loved one's head and driving their knee into it.

Johnathan Ryan HernandezItem 20

They're not concerned about driving a knee into your loved one's carotid artery. What they're concerned about is getting a rag and cleaning their face after before they take your mugshot. What they're concerned about is after they kill your loved one, making sure that they use every single aspect of criminality to kill your loved one twice. In this case, your loved one is going to be presumed to have a firearm. So officers will use, in this case, lethal force, kill your loved one and say, well, he had a gun. And then we see district attorneys wipe their hands. And that's how you see these officers with not one, but two shootings.

Johnathan Ryan HernandezItem 20

And then that officer, several months later, brutalizes a 15-year-old kid. And then several months later, that officer's on video beating Florentino Lopez.

Johnathan Ryan HernandezItem 20

Lexapol is not making Santa Ana safer. Lexapol is also not making Santa Ana safer for police officers. Lexapol has Bruce Prayett, one of their founders, who is public in defending their policy that allows for officers to shoot at moving vehicles. This is who is training our officers. I'd like to make a motion for Santa Ana Police Department to be a community department that works on establishing trust, solving crimes, and working with victims. not beating members of the public because they have a smart mouth not killing somebody because

Johnathan Ryan HernandezItem 20

you think they may have a gun if they have a gun and they're not on probation parole they've never been arrested that's a misdemeanor give them their due process it isn't a green light to murder somebody Santa Ana Police Department needs to be a department that values its community the community needs to create public policy for this department I want to see that the city of Santa Ana can work on re-establishing trust with our residents. And I believe that step one is moving away from Lexapol so that we can give our officers a brand new start to have

Johnathan Ryan HernandezItem 20

a culture of policing that is rooted in public safety, respect, and dignity for our community members and for our officers. I hope that this begins a new day. I will place a motion on the floor to discontinue our contract with Lexapol and for our city of Santa Ana to work internally with our city attorney's office our city manager's office and the city council and our community and stakeholders alike to create public policy and policies for our police department

Sonia R. CarvalhoItem 20

and that will be my motion i second the motion we have we have a motion on the table would that be

Valerie AmezcuaItem 20

a substitute motion it's a substitute i just want to clarify correct the substitute motion so there is a presentation mr city manager

No presentation, but the Chief is ready to answer any questions.

Valerie AmezcuaItem 20

Great. Okay. Council Member phone.

Thai Viet PhanItem 20

Thank you, Mayor. I do have some clarifying questions. I don't know if this is directed to Madam City Attorney or Mr. Police Chief. Does the City of Santa Ana take any flexible policies wholesale?

Sonia R. CarvalhoItem 20

Dr. My understanding is our police legal advisor will review all lexical policies to ensure that they actually are consistent with our own local policies.

Thai Viet PhanItem 20

So just so I'm understanding correctly, if we get, say, a lexical policy or some type of update, let's say December 2026, our police legal advisor will look at it and determine constitutionality and consistency with state law and local law?

Sonia R. CarvalhoItem 20

Yes, it's like a starting point for us, but we don't just accept it wholesale. We take an independent look at it. And if we think that there are practices within our own department that require or that should warrant changes, then we'll make those recommendations to the administration and the police department.

Thai Viet PhanItem 20

Thank you. And so if we get a new set of flexible policies today, it would be our police advisor or maybe even the Police Oversight Commission who can review those policies or the city council can review those policies and give feedback, correct?

Sonia R. CarvalhoItem 20

Correct. And that is within the authority of our Police Oversight Commission that they can ask to review those policies.

Thai Viet PhanItem 20

Thank you. Is there anything prohibiting our city attorney's office, Police Oversight Commission, or the City Council from requesting those changes or making those changes?

Sonia R. CarvalhoItem 20

No, they can be reviewed and ultimately make recommendations to the police department.

Thai Viet PhanItem 20

Thank you. And how many police legal advisors do we have?

Sonia R. CarvalhoItem 20

We have one full time, and that is Mr. Brandon Salvatierra, who's here with us this evening and also has the support of our former police advisor, Ms. Tamara Boghossian, who was a deputy district attorney and was our police legal advisor for many years.

Thai Viet PhanItem 20

Thank you. And so if we do remove Lexapol, if I'm counting correctly, please correct me if I'm wrong, I think we have at least six or seven new bills that were recently passed in 2026 relating to policing. There may be more or less. If we do remove Lexapol and no longer use these types of draft policies or templates, if you will, how many additional city attorneys do you think we'll need in order to draft these new policies?

Sonia R. CarvalhoItem 20

I'd recommend for something as serious as policies for the department that you would end up having to replace what Luxipole does with at least one full-time lawyer to make sure that we are looking at legislation actively reviewing on a full-time basis.

Thai Viet PhanItem 20

Okay. And my other question is relating to the, I guess, liability, right? In the last maybe six years since I've been here, have we had any lawsuits that you can recall off the top of your head that was specifically related to Lexapol or Lexapol policies that we've augmented or changed being incorrect,

Sonia R. CarvalhoItem 20

unconstitutional or otherwise illegal? No, I think the comment that was made by Council Member Hernandez about there being some faulty policies that result in liability, that has not been our experience. When we do get claims, it's usually that we, the claim or the allegation is that the officers did not

Thai Viet PhanItem 20

comply with the policies. Right, so in Spokane, Washington, the issue there was that the policy was incorrect, but in our city it's that the individual did something wrong and against the policy that we've augmented from Lexapol. Yes, that's the allegation. Right, the allegation, of course. So, but the point is our policies are actually more stringent and have a higher standard than some type of draft Lexapol policy typically, right?

Yes, I would say they do. And just to add to the City Attorney's comment, we've actually modified approximately 50% of policies that we received from Lexapro. And we've also have changed some policies with the input from the Police Oversight Commission.

Thai Viet PhanItem 20

Oh, okay. That's really great to hear. So the Police Oversight Commission is doing the job that they were appointed to do, which is to review these policies?

That is correct.

Thai Viet PhanItem 20

That's really great to hear that the Police Oversight Commission that was approved by this council is doing that. So I guess I'm kind of confused as to why Lexapol in this way, when we are already augmenting and changing these types of templates, would be an issue. Especially if I recall correctly, Madam City Attorney, you said that we had actually alerted them to a mistake that they had made some time ago, correct, on a draft policy?

Sonia R. CarvalhoItem 20

Yes, I don't remember the specific policy number, but yes, by after review by our police legal advisor, we advised them of what we thought was an error, and they actually acknowledged it, and then they went out and shared that change with all of their clients.

Thai Viet PhanItem 20

Thank you. I think that's all the clarification questions that I had. Thank you, Madam Mayor.

Valerie AmezcuaItem 20

Thank you, Council Member Fron, I really appreciate it. Chief, before I call one of the council members that want to speak, you just shared something that was very important. You've modified 50% of the policy, is that correct?

Approximately 50%.

Valerie AmezcuaItem 20

Working with the Police Oversight Committee?

With the Police Oversight or with the City Attorney's Office or just going through our own, you know, review of the policies.

Valerie AmezcuaItem 20

That is great to hear because again, as Council Member Phan said, that is what the Police Oversight Committee is there for, right? that we all appointed and also the city attorney working with you and the city manager's office as well so mr city manager I would like to get a report in chief I would like to get a report madam city attorney whoever it is on the policies that have been revised changed if you can either send us an email or share publicly I don't I think we can share publicly I think it's important that people know that because if 50% of our policies have been adjusted or

Valerie AmezcuaItem 20

changed or whatever it is that we've done to improve things within the department let's share that and that's working with flexible or information that the city attorney's office has given us working with the police department so madam city attorney if Rodriguez does that work for you yes can we do that the next meeting is that possible it's 30 days from now yes it doesn't need to be a big don't don't look at me like it doesn't need to be a big presentation I I think it's important that the community just gets a list or you can run off i don't need i don't think we want a big you know you said yes so okay good well you made

Valerie AmezcuaItem 20

this face like i know it's too much 30 days we have 30 days to do it okay sounds good let's get that report out so council member vasquez please thank you oh you know you haven't really heard

Benjamin VazquezItem 20

about lexapol but it works throughout the state it's immense its main selling point isn't safer streets or more trust between police and residents it's fewer lawsuits And it has gray areas, so we can say the police officer followed policy. The resident got hurt, the resident is killed, but they follow policy. But we're all happy. The people who run in charge of the city, the attorneys, they love it because they're not getting sued as much, because the officer followed policy. Half of our handbook is flexible. Half of the handbook.

Benjamin VazquezItem 20

Its main selling point is fewer lawsuits. That sounds sensible until you look at what it means. A policy written to avoid lawsuits asks one question. What is the least we can require and still win in court? A policy written for public safety asks something else. What is the best way to handle this situation so everyone goes home alive?

Benjamin VazquezItem 20

When policy is written so officers don't get sued or fired, the legal minimum becomes the standard and we're better than that in Santana.

Benjamin VazquezItem 20

Officers get vague guidance when they need clear direction and when things go wrong, the company's contract leaves the city and its taxpayers to pay the bill.

Benjamin VazquezItem 20

It bleeds into the culture of our department. This is an attack on officers. Officers defier clear, strong policies that protect them and the public. They deserve rules written for Santa Ana by people accountable to Santa Ana and not copied from a catalog. Half of our catalog, Lexipol. Right? I'm right. We just said it three or four times right now. Half of our catalog is Lexipol. We should expect more than the minimum. Policing shouldn't be judged on how safe and trusted our neighborhoods are, not only by whether the city wins in court, should be judged by how safe we are. I support using in-house knowledge

Benjamin VazquezItem 20

and professional staff to do this work, our staff, including the Police Oversight Commission. We have people who are looking to bring in a better policing to Santa Ana instead of Lexipo that is questionable on that matter. Thank you.

Valerie AmezcuaItem 20

I don't see any other comments.

Jessie LopezItem 20

Yeah, I have a comment.

Valerie AmezcuaItem 20

You've got to raise your mic so I can see you when you want to speak. Thank you, go ahead. Thanks so much.

Jessie LopezItem 20

You know, I think your commentary, City Attorney-in-Chief, brought me back to, I believe it was last year, when it was my office that was fighting to change Luxapo policy when it came to you, visas. Do you remember that? I see you nodding your head. Yes. So I think, you know, it's interesting for me to hear you say that they're vetted, that they're not taken whole, because that's obviously not the case when we're having to reach out to the department and say, hey, this policy is not necessarily accurate or it's not being followed perhaps. And so I think

Jessie LopezItem 20

for me, you know, this item always gets pulled. It always gets discussed. And there's been, I think, just like the ethical questions around it, right, that the council member opened up with. And I understand that I've supported in the past because I appreciate the nuance of what the city attorney has said that this is going to take a long-term framework if there is a desire to bring this work in-house and so you know I understand that that's going to take resources it's going to take time it's going to take out building a team that perhaps the city may not have the

Jessie LopezItem 20

resources excuse me in the future to do but I think for me at this point in time It's not going to receive the support that you're asking for. I think because of my own experience here and because I think ultimately this is work that should be brought in house. Again, understanding that it can't happen from one day to the other, understanding that it's going to take the creation of a much broader, well-resourced, well-knowledgeable team that we currently, you know, need to help find to be able to build this out. And so, you know, I think it just brought me back to last year and the work that we

Jessie LopezItem 20

were doing, and I appreciate that you helped elevate our concerns about the U-Visa policy, about making sure that our officers were following the U-Visa policy, modernizing the process. I think you both understand and understood then that it was really important to my office. but again I think that with anything right there's always going to be hiccups and so those are the comments that I would like to add to the conversation

Valerie AmezcuaItem 20

today. Any other comments? Madam City Attorney do you have something you wanted to say?

Sonia R. CarvalhoItem 20

I would just like to say I mean we're open to the policy that the City Council establishes so we will get the job done legally we will come to you if we believe we need more resources to do it so we will do it as you need to do. My understanding is maybe this was said that we've been using Lexipol since around 2010? Is that when we first started? Ten years.

Yes. We probably had LexiPol since 2010, but I don't think it got implemented until about 2015 or so.

Sonia R. CarvalhoItem 20

Yeah. When I first became the city attorney, we were doing this work in-house, just so that you know. We were doing full research in-house. What the using LexiPol has allowed us to do is to shift some of those hours that we were focused in just doing that on other things like other additional training watching other areas of law we now prepare bulletins on new new developments in the law but as I said before we will follow the will of the council and implement policy and we will if we need to we can come back to you and tell you what additional resources we would need the madam city attorney when you said

Sonia R. CarvalhoItem 20

you used to do it in-house who did it a police legal advisor that was working for the police department but that was at the time really the main focus of that attorney. Now our attorney attends the SMT meetings as we previously reported. We are more active in the department at all levels versus just looking at compliance with those policies.

Valerie AmezcuaItem 20

And what years did that happen?

Sonia R. CarvalhoItem 20

I believe, I'm trying to remember, I think I started serving the city in 2012. And then we contracted with Lexipol. I thought we did that in 14?

It was probably around 2010, 2012, but we didn't put it into practice until about 2014, 2015. So they did continue to work on the policies up until the transition into Lexapol.

Valerie AmezcuaItem 20

Which the Lexapol contract for the training that we're talking about, it's not to exceed $175,000 in change, is that correct? That's what I'm seeing here. and then the cost of bringing in a full-time attorney at this point and then we already have the police oversight committee with uh jack which is costing us a lot of money what madam city attorney over two hundred thousand dollars correct correct well over two hundred thousand dollars so now you know we're we are looking at tripling the amount here so i i just have a a comment you know

So we've been using Lexipol, and I hear what all the council members are saying.

Valerie AmezcuaItem 20

So since 2023, Lexipol has provided Santa Ana PD with 151 new policies. 141 of them are jail policies. I'm reading the staff report here. I'm not reading online on some chat sheet BT or Wikipedia. 151 new policies. 141 of them are jail policies. 1,361 are daily training bulletins, 214 policy updates, including six updates to the use of force, four to the handcuffing, five to the vehicle pursuit, and four to the bias-based policing policy. And again, that's why we have a police oversight commission to discuss policies, practices, and procedures.

Valerie AmezcuaItem 20

And so when we start talking about this contract and bringing it in-house, this is the start of, and I just want people to understand that, and you can disagree with me, agree with me, it's not important to me because I'm going to just say it. This is where it starts to say, let's take the police out and bring in social services, no policing, because that's what people want to do. They want to abolish police. So it's kind of like when you talk about a crisis response team that decreased homelessness by 15%. The crisis response team that decreased homelessness was Santa Ana Police Department along with

Valerie AmezcuaItem 20

Public Works and Landscape West. That is Santa Ana, the city of Santa Ana's crisis response team. So I'm looking at Lexapro from a training point of view. I'm not looking at it at anything else. And we do have issues with our police department that need to be worked on and corrected and changed. I agree. As a school board member for eight years, let me tell you that there are policies in the school district with teachers molesting our children that should be changed. There are policies within law firms with lawyers that are not, not Ty, of course, but Council

Valerie AmezcuaItem 20

Member Fanning, but lawyers that are not doing their job right should be held accountable. So in every field, there are people that are not doing things correctly, should be held liable, whether it's termination or charges, whatever it may be. But we're getting off on a tangent. This is about a flexible contract to assist our city and our police department with training and making sure that our officers are getting trained properly. And there's always room for growth. And it says here, Santa Ana PD has responsibility. And again, I'm reading from staff report, not chat GPT or some research that you pulled out of the air.

Valerie AmezcuaItem 20

Santa NPD has a responsibility to make policy decisions and customized policies to align with the community's needs and the department's values. Lexapol's policies are developed to align with the state and federal laws and court decisions and provide officers with guidance to improve policing outcomes and minimize risk.

Valerie AmezcuaItem 20

and again this is a very challenging time in our city with a lot of things going on but if you're walking the community and you're talking to people not outsiders not not people not the people most of them that were here tonight you talk to the grandmas the moms the dads people with family you go to the churches and talk to them you go to the businesses they want police so if we're going to start talking about changing, abolishing, or removing our police, or decreasing the number of officers, please be very public about it when you go out to the community, because that's what's

Valerie AmezcuaItem 20

happening. That's the comment tonight about bringing in and making changes and having the community. If you've got a 911 call, you're not going to call the community to come save you. You're not going to call a social worker, and you're not going to call a teacher, because even people on this dais have called 911. So I just wanted us to stay on topic about, Madam City Attorney about what this item is about. It is about a contract with Lexapol to provide training to make us better, not to bring in whatever baggage Lexapol has, but to make us better as a city. So with that, Council Member Fan, you had something to comment on?

Thai Viet PhanItem 20

I had more of a question, and I think this is directed to Council Member Vasquez or my colleagues, because I'm trying to understand the goal of removing Lexapol. Is the issue that the policies that we have are not reflective of what we believe to be the city or the people's prerogative or interests? Or is the issue that it's Lexapol that provides the template? Because I think—

Johnathan Ryan HernandezItem 20

The route.

Thai Viet PhanItem 20

Yeah, so let me just understand that.

Benjamin VazquezItem 20

Here's the standard for Lexapol. Don't get sued. Prevent the city from being sued. That's the standard where we in Santana, where our police department, our standard is higher than whatever is not being sued. That's what we expect. So when 50% of our manual is lexical, that's what I'm worried about. So that culture that creeps in, and not all officers, because we have great officers, and I'm saying don't bring outsiders. We have professional officers, commanders that can do this work, who have experience, who want to do this work to improve policing in Santana and carry it in a way with pride that we're working,

Benjamin VazquezItem 20

where we get trust from police from their day-to-day job, that when the way they behave on the streets, right, is where we see them every day. And there's, you know, there's those officers and those teachers are there too, and you're going to bring up teachers and lawyers can be disbarred, teachers can lose their credentials. And there's nothing like that for officers. There's nothing like that. They have a law to protect them even. So when we have these like hazy kind of policies that said this officer hurt this person and they behaved, they followed policy because the policy was fuzzy to begin with, right?

Benjamin VazquezItem 20

And that's what Lexipro does because they don't want to get sued.

Thai Viet PhanItem 20

Okay, but that's not what we do, right? Right, because I imagine Madam City Attorney, or Police Chief, our policy, if we pick a policy up to update, we can change it to say whatever we want, right? Or create a standard so long it's constitutional. Is that correct?

Yes.

Thai Viet PhanItem 20

Okay, so...

Sonia R. CarvalhoItem 20

We do not wholesale accept the policies. They come in if there's an update to a policy. I would ask the Chief to clarify what he does in his department, but I know that we receive a copy of it. that our police legal advisor will review it. They'll have a discussion with members of the department to determine whether they'd like to make any changes to that policy to reflect the city's local practices.

Thai Viet PhanItem 20

Right, so I guess what I'm trying to say is, it's as though, and maybe I'm not well informed about teaching, but if you have a teacher's manual and you have a curriculum that maybe you borrowed or you received from the previous teacher teaching a class, or let's say ethnic studies, right? there's an ethnic studies standard or a curriculum that you receive but that doesn't prevent you from updating and changing and making sure that reflects what the local community and your local student body requires. So similarly I don't see why we can't do that. Now I'm just trying to understand because let's

Thai Viet PhanItem 20

be real here and the attorneys you know please correct me if I'm wrong but if If you're asking someone to review and draft their own policy, I will guarantee you the first thing they do is Google whatever draft policies they find from other jurisdictions. And so then they bring that together. And then you draft that policy.

Benjamin VazquezItem 20

Here's my response to that.

Thai Viet PhanItem 20

Yeah.

Benjamin VazquezItem 20

If I start teaching U.S. history with a textbook from Texas, I'm already in a hole. I'm already in a hole about history having black people, indigenous, brown people you know I'm in a hole the way they write their history in Texas and that's what Lexipol does to policing

Thai Viet PhanItem 20

okay so so then the goal then is to so it is just because it's Lexipol specifically

Valerie AmezcuaItem 20

okay hold on there's other people who want to comment so hold on one second Madam City Attorney did you have anything you were about to say I thought I heard you speaking. Okay. All right. So, Council Member Fan, are you done? Can you talk in your mic, please?

Thai Viet PhanItem 20

Yeah, my question was to all my colleagues who had issues with Lexapol. So, it's helpful to understand your perspective on, you know, the fact that it is specifically Lexapol that is at issue here. Got it.

Valerie AmezcuaItem 20

Thank you. Council Member Harnasse, if you could be brief.

Johnathan Ryan HernandezItem 20

Yes, Madam. Come. So, Mrs. Madam City Attorney, can you tell me who writes policy for parks and recreation?

Sonia R. CarvalhoItem 20

Usually staff will draft a policy based on local practice. We have some administrative policies and we have some council policies. So there are many in-house administrative policies that staff will write and adopt and will apply to the employees in that department. Sometimes there's a policy that will come to the city council because it's a council policy, and then all of you adopt that policy.

Johnathan Ryan HernandezItem 20

Wonderful. And oftentimes those policies are written by our employees, correct?

Sonia R. CarvalhoItem 20

Yes. Oftentimes employees will propose a policy. We will take a look at the policies to comply with law.

Johnathan Ryan HernandezItem 20

Wonderful. And let's say for the library department, do we have a private company who writes those policies, or is that also in-house?

Sonia R. CarvalhoItem 20

We do not have a private company who does that. I do think the distinction, though, just to be clear, is that when an outside agency does this, and this is my understanding, that there's about 15 to maybe 25 California cities that do the work in-house. That's my understanding just from doing some research. That they have the resources to monitor every case that comes down, every piece of legislation that comes down, because that's really what it comes to at that point. You don't significantly change your policies, but what you do when you update your policies is you make sure,

Sonia R. CarvalhoItem 20

Or let's say that there was a case that talks to a vehicle pursuit, for example, and there's a new lawsuit that happens and it goes all the way up to the California Supreme Court, and now we have a new rule that says, you shall not discharge a firearm into a vehicle that's moving. Let's just say that that is the new rule that comes down, an absolute prohibition. We will make sure that we monitor those cases to make sure that we then make sure that our policy is consistent with that law. And I really think that that's what Lexapol does for the most part. Lexapol is not proposing changes in our operations at this point.

Sonia R. CarvalhoItem 20

They're really looking at policies and just sending us updates and saying, hey, this is a new law passed in California. Your policy needs to comply. Here's a new case that came down in the Ninth Circuit. Your policy has to comply. But they're not, like, changing the way that we actually practice day to day.

Johnathan Ryan HernandezItem 20

Yeah, thank you, Madam City Attorney. Part of why I ask these questions is because I believe that life or death decisions especially as it pertains to our police department chief Rodriguez City Manager Nunez and City Attorney Carvalho I believe that those are decisions that should be made by the community they're paid on our tax dollars you guys are to protect and serve and your motto is community first well then show us what that looks like create policy in-house we are when we're talking about the cost of labor having a city attorney the cost of having the

Johnathan Ryan HernandezItem 20

appropriate staff there isn't a dollar amount that I'm willing to put on saving people's lives we're losing lives right now we have some officers who work here with multiple murders on the record multiple shootings it is my opinion when I say that but this is the only classification of employee in the city who could kill someone today and 30 days later kill someone else and still have a job. That to me is fundamentally broken. I want a community that trusts its department, and I want a department that values that trust. I want us to start something entirely built on

Johnathan Ryan HernandezItem 20

trust for the public. And that means when we have years and years of public comments, and people that are growing in their distrust for this department. We have to take notice of that. We have to take those concerns seriously. We are facing a number of lawsuits due to police officer misconduct, alleged officer misconduct. I take those concerns seriously because these are the taxpayers' dollars that will be paying out these lawsuits. Lexapol will not be on the hook. It will be the taxpayer. So in cases where residents have sued Lexapol and they were successful in the case of Spokane, Washington,

Johnathan Ryan HernandezItem 20

my argument is that not enough residents are even aware of Lexapol. So oftentimes by the time the officer gets to us and he kills my loved one and it's the second person he's shot in 30 days, I got to ask myself, who's training these officers? And is this an issue of culture at the top? Well, the top is Lexapol and our police chief and the department. but there is somebody that is the bona fide expert well I'm very concerned about how those policies are shaping policing in light of the police reforms in 2020 Lexapol was one of the biggest opponents against police reforms they

Johnathan Ryan HernandezItem 20

fought against it and that is why this is an item of great concern of the public this item isn't rooted in that an abolishing police getting rid of our police department or making sure that our community is not safe that's just simply not true and the facts that i shared these are all facts that you can easily google google lexipol and bruce pray it and you will find a number of colleges and institutions that have academic spaces that have written about lexipol and how faulty their policies are you won't find a single academic article in favor of Lexapol. And so those are where the concerns stem from, Council Member Fan.

Johnathan Ryan HernandezItem 20

And as a police-impacted community member myself, I learned about Lexapol firsthand when Brandon Lopez was murdered by Anaheim PD. I learned how closely Lexapol works to defend its officers after officer-involved shootings. So I hold space for the privilege that all my colleagues have, and I excuse their ignorance and not knowing what Lexapol is but I will not pretend that my colleagues don't see the violence and the broken families that are having to show up here and in 2022 we fought Lexapol with with Mayor Sarmiento we fought Lexapol and got them out of our jail

Johnathan Ryan HernandezItem 20

for one year so we have done this and we can do it again and when Mayor Mesco got elected she brought Lexapol back and I fought them and I lost but sometimes when you fight for the community these fights aren't one over one battle we may have lost that battle but the war still goes forward I think that the community needs a department they can trust Lexapol's cost the city and liabilities I am not supportive of this contract let me just correct the facts Councilman

Valerie AmezcuaItem 20

Hernandez I always appreciate your very passionate comments because when it every single meeting you You just beat up police. That's your whole goal in life.

Johnathan Ryan HernandezItem 20

They beat us up. They beat Florentino, not me.

Valerie AmezcuaItem 20

So, no, no, let me talk. Let me talk, okay? I let you talk. I didn't interfere. I did not interrupt you, Councilman Hernandez. I'm very respectful. Just stay in the facts. Let me speak. I let you speak. This is where it starts because you're not respectful in return. I let you say whatever you had to say. But when Lexapro came back, remember, I'm one vote. People like to come here, you and other people, and say, well, the mayor did this. no mayor's one vote i want to remind everybody so when things pass at this council it's four four to three two five one this is not just the mayor's vote and i did not bring lexipo back it

Valerie AmezcuaItem 20

was brought back on the agenda but anything that has to do with police you know i get blamed for it and i'll take it i have no problem taking it but since the four years i've been sitting here any opportunity that you get or council member vasquez gets it's about beating up police but yet you called 9-1-1 when they came to beat you up at your property at your you called 9-1-1 too didn't you i did oh i had no problem calling 9-1-1 you worked for them not not not at all

councilman hernandez you want to talk about people coming to my house to assault me and my mom my mom's ankle got broken and then the cops went and tried to politicize Point of order, Mayor. Point of order, Mayor. Point of order, please.

Valerie AmezcuaItem 20

Councilman Hernandez. Stop. I never interrupted you.

You just alleged that I called the cops. You want to talk about what happened to my house? Both of you, please. Mayor, Councilman Hernandez. No, my mom was assaulted. I'm not going to back down. Well, my mom had a broken ankle, and this department tried to politicize an assault on my mom. I will protest this chamber right here in respect for my mom. Don't play with my family. Simple as that. Keep my family's name out of your mouth. Don't talk about my mom. Simple as that.

Valerie AmezcuaItem 20

So your friends are throwing death threats at me?

I have nothing to do with that. Your friends kill our members of the public. Guys, both of you, please. You sit with these killer cops.

Valerie AmezcuaItem 20

I'm trying to speak, and you're interrupting me.

Their blood is in your hands. You take their money. You're funded by these cops. I call the vote. You want to play?

Valerie AmezcuaItem 20

See, this is where it goes. Point of order.

I'm calling for the vote.

David PenalozaItem 20

Closing this discussion. You want to play games up here? Both of you. Let's call for the vote. Councilmember Hernandez, Mayor Mesquah, please, both of you. Let's call for the vote. Let's end the discussion and call for the vote. There's a substitute motion.

Valerie AmezcuaItem 20

Yes, go ahead. Yes.

Jennifer L. HallItem 20

This is a substitute motion by Councilmember Hernandez, seconded by Councilmember Vasquez. Guys, guys. To discontinue.

Guys, both of you, please. I said, don't play with my family. You just said, fuck you to me, didn't you? I didn't say that to you. Knock it off. Let's go. First of all, don't tell me, knock it off. Police killed my cousin in Santa Ana. You guys want to act like this? Come on.

Valerie AmezcuaItem 20

Show some respect for this guy.

You're not showing respect for the whole community. Look at how you guys are acting.

David PenalozaItem 20

Guys, please stop.

Valerie AmezcuaItem 20

Both of you. Let's vote. We knew it was going to go this way because he needed an opportunity. Go ahead. Go ahead, Jennifer. Take the vote, please.

Jennifer L. HallItem 20

This is the substitute motion by Council Member Hernandez, seconded by Council Member Vasquez to discontinue the Lexapol agreement and bring the policy development in house. Electronic voting is open.

Jennifer L. HallItem 20

Vote as three ayes, four nays. Nays by Mayor Emesqua, Mayor Pro Tempeñolosa, and Council Members Fan and Becerra. Motion fails. We would revert to the underlying motion, the original motion on the floor, which is to approve the recommended action for item number 20 made by Mayor Pro Tem Penalosa and seconded by Mayor Mesqua to approve the agreement with Lexapol LLC to provide policy manual maintenance and support to the police department.

Jennifer L. HallItem 20

Please, you need to vote. Vote is in. Vote is four ayes, three nays. Nays by council members Hernandez, Lopez, and Vasquez. Motion carries.

Valerie AmezcuaItem 21

Thank you, Madam Clerk. Here we go. Item number 21, regarding the density bonus agreement for the watermark Sandpoint Mixed Use Development. Do we need a staff presentation? Hearing none. Are there any questions or comments by the Council? Go ahead.

Thai Viet PhanItem 21

Is this item 21?

Valerie AmezcuaItem 21

Yes.

Thai Viet PhanItem 21

I'd like to announce my recusal from this item as the developer is a client of my employer, Rattan and Tucker, so I will leave the room while this is being discussed. Thank you.

Valerie AmezcuaItem 21

Great. Thank you. And there's only, we don't have quorum. Oh yeah, we do. There's four. Okay. No other comments? Can we get a motion? I'll make a motion. Yeah, I'll second. Great, thank you. Let's prepare to vote.

Jennifer L. HallItem 21

Motion by Mayor Emesqua, seconded by Council Member Lopez. To approve the recommended actions for item number 21, inclusive of a resolution of the City Council of the City of Santa Ana, approving Density Bonus Agreement number 2026-03 for a mixed-use development with 400 residential units, including 20 units proposed as affordable to extremely low-income households and 13,887 square feet of commercial space for the property located at 200 East Sandpoint Avenue, authorizing the city manager to execute a density bonus agreement and determining that the actions are exempt from CEQA.

Jennifer L. HallItem 21

We wait for our vote.

Jennifer L. HallItem 21

vote is four ayes one nay one recusal and one absence so no vote by mayor pro ten penulosa recusal by councilmember fan and a temporary absence by council

Valerie AmezcuaItem 22

member Becerra motion carries thank you item number two is regarding drinking water quality standards and regulations are there any questions or comments by Council. Move the item. Second. Great. Let's prepare to vote.

Jennifer L. HallItem 22

Motion by Council Member Vasquez, seconded by Council Member Lopez. To introduce for first reading an ordinance of the City Council of the City of Santa Ana, California, adding Section 39-43 to Article 2 of Chapter 39 of the Santa Ana Municipal Code to establish City Council approval of changes affecting drinking water quality standards and regulations and determining that ordinance adoption is not subject to CEQA.

Valerie AmezcuaItem 22

Are we waiting for the vote? Yes.

Jennifer L. HallItem 22

Councilmember Lopez. The vote is 7 ayes, no nays. Motion carries.

Great.

Valerie AmezcuaItem 23

Item number 23 regarding cross-connection regulations and water conservation requirements. Any questions or comments by the council?

David PenalozaItem 23

Madam Mayor, I motion to approve. Second that motion.

Jennifer L. HallItem 23

Motion by Mayor Pro Tem Penalosa, seconded by Councilmember Hernandez, to introduce for first reading an ordinance of the City Council of the City of Santa Ana, updating Article 2 of the Santa Ana Municipal Code relating to cross-connection regulations and repealing and reenacting Article 6 of Chapter 39 relating to water conservation and water shortage contingency regulations to conform with Assembly Bill 1572, the Urban Water Management Plan Act, and Health and Safety Code Section 116407, and determining that the proposed ordinance is exempt from CEQA.

Jennifer L. HallItem 23

And the vote is seven ayes, no nays. Motion carries.

Valerie Amezcua

Next item is 24, regarding regulations for the operation of bicycles and electric bikes. No comment?

Benjamin Vazquez

I'm sorry, Councilman Vassar. Oh, I move the item.

Valerie Amezcua

I'll second.

David Penaloza

Madam Mayor, I would like to ask for the presentation because of how popular this item is with the community and just the problem it is with our residents. So I would like...

Valerie Amezcua

Perfect, sounds great. Can we have a presentation, please?

Yes, Sergeant Johnson from the Traffic Division will provide the presentation.

Valerie Amezcua

Chief, last night I was at the Morrison Park community meeting and they went over the e-bikes. They did a phenomenal job, I want you to know. The community was very happy about it, so thank you.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Valerie Amezcua

Madam Deputy City Manager, is there a presentation or no?

I think they're having a hard time with the it's not really in the flash drive.

David Penaloza

Okay. May I recommend moving on to item 25 and coming back to that one when they get the presentation?

Valerie Amezcua

Let's do that. There's a motion and there was a second. We'll go to item 25. Madam Clerk, you have that?

Jennifer L. Hall

Yes, so we're just going to pause item 24 and return to it once the presentation is available.

Valerie Amezcua

I just want to make sure you got the motion.

Jennifer L. Hall

Yes, a motion by Council Member Vasquez, seconded by Mayor Mesquah.

Valerie AmezcuaItem 25

Okay, so that's the end of the business calendar. We're going to go to the public hearing. So before the public hearing item number 25, Madam Clerk, please provide instructions to the public who would like to make a comment on this public hearing item only.

Jennifer L. HallItem 25

Members of the public joining us by way of Zoom or conference call who would like to make a comment for public hearing item number 25 only, which is the first in Mountain View project located at 4320 West 1st Street and 201 South Mountain View Street. Please dial star 9 from your phone or select raise hand from Zoom now in order to be called upon once the public hearing is opened. Thank you.

Thai Viet PhanItem 25

Mayor, I also have to announce my recusal for this item as Stormbird is a member of Storm Properties, Inc. and is a client of my employer, Rattan and Tucker. Thank you. Thank you.

Valerie AmezcuaItem 25

Item 25 is a public hearing regarding the Firstin Mountain View project. Do we need a staff presentation? I don't think so. So are there any questions by the council about this item?

Johnathan Ryan HernandezItem 25

I'll make a motion to move the item, madam.

Valerie AmezcuaItem 25

Let me open it for a public hearing for members of the public that would like to provide their comments in person. And virtually, Madam Sody Clerk, do we have any speakers?

Jennifer L. HallItem 25

Noting for the record that we did receive three, oh, I'm sorry, is that the right one? We did not receive any emails for this public hearing. Is the applicant here to make comments if they would like?

We'll make it quick. Alright. Hello, my name is Storm Bird. I'm the real estate development manager for Storm Properties and also the applicant. First of all, I'd like to thank Mayor and Council members for considering this project this evening. I'd also like to thank our planner, Nancy Tran, as well as all the staff at Planning, Public Works, and Engineering for working with us and also guiding us through this process that we are here to present to you tonight. we're really excited about revitalizing this site it'll be a quality development that enhances the

surrounding neighborhood promotes pride ownership and creates a lasting positive impact on the community all our team is here all our consultants we'd be happy to answer any questions that

Valerie AmezcuaItem 25

council may have thank you thank you very much no further comments i hear by close the public hearing no comments by the council members there's a motion and a second

Jennifer L. HallItem 25

that repeated after the close of the public hearing please I'll make a motion

Johnathan Ryan HernandezItem 25

to move the item madam seconded councilman Hernandez

Jennifer L. HallItem 25

a motion by councilmember Hernandez seconded by mayor Amesqua to approve the public hearing items for item number 25 including adopting mitigated negative declaration of mitigation monitoring and reporting program

Jennifer L. HallItem 25

adopting a resolution of the city council of the city of Santa Ana approving general plan amendment number 2026-01 amending the land use designation in the land use element from general commercial and low medium density residential to urban neighborhood low for the properties located at 4320 West 1st Street and 201 South Mountain View Street introducing for first reading an ordinance of the City Council of the City of Santa Ana approving amendment application number 2026-03 amending the zoning classification for the the properties located at 4320 West 1st Street and 201 South Mountain View Street

Jennifer L. HallItem 25

from general commercial and light industrial to specific development number 98 and adopting SD 98 for said properties adopting a resolution of the City Council of the City of Santa Ana approving density bonus agreement number 2025-04 for a multifamily development with 61 units including three units proposed as affordable to very low income households for the property located at 4320 West 1st Street and 201 South Mountain View Street and authorizing the city manager to execute a density bonus agreement and approving a resolution of the City Council of the City of Santa Ana approving the

Jennifer L. HallItem 25

tentative track map number 2025-04 as condition to allow a 61 unit subdivision for condominium purposes for the properties located at 4320 West

Valerie AmezcuaItem 25

First Street and 201 South Mountain View Street. That is wonderful I was amazed how you do that.

Jennifer L. HallItem 25

The vote is six ayes no nays with a reported recusal by Councilmember Fan

Valerie AmezcuaItem 26

motion carries. Thank you. Before public hearing item number 26 Madam Clerk please provide instructions to the public who'd like to make a comment on this public

Jennifer L. HallItem 26

hearing item only. Members of the public joining us by way of Zoom or conference call who would like to make a comment for public hearing item number 26 only which is regarding the 10th and Flower Street Park project please dial star 9 from your phone or select raise hand from Zoom now in order to be called upon once the public hearing is opened. Thank you. Are there any comments by the

David PenalozaItem 26

council? I'll make a motion to approve Madam Mayor. I'll second that motion. If we could please pause we

Valerie AmezcuaItem 26

still need to open it so i want to open the public hearing for members of the public that would like to provide their comments in person and virtually madam clerk do we have any madam mayor can i make

Johnathan Ryan HernandezItem 26

a brief comment go ahead thank you i just want to thank members of this city council uh today we are voting on a general plan amendment and this is going to help with establishing the willard neighborhood having a park space this is an initiative that was led by the residents of Willard over many decades the residents pleaded with the community they addressed the the conditions that many of our residents grew up in and Willard and that is without park space I am an alumni of Willard I'm proud to have went to Willard intermediate and when I was elected into office I had the honor of

Johnathan Ryan HernandezItem 26

working with the residents and I want to thank my colleagues on the council who voted to make this park a reality I just want to tell you all thank you I want to I'll send a special thank you to the Willard community, and I'm looking forward to seeing this vote. Thank you, Madam Mayor.

Jennifer L. HallItem 26

Thank you. Mayor and City Council, noting for the record, there are no in-person or Zoom speakers, but we did receive three e-comments for this public hearing item. Those were distributed to the City Council and made a part of the record.

Valerie AmezcuaItem 26

Thank you. Can I get a motion and a second? I believe there was a motion and a second.

Jennifer L. HallItem 26

That was prior to opening of the hearing. If we could have it repeated, please.

David PenalozaItem 26

Make a motion, Madam. I'll second.

Jennifer L. HallItem 26

Thank you. And noting that the public hearing is closed. Yes, public hearing is closed. So this is a motion by Council Member Hernandez, seconded by Mayor Pro Tempeñolosa, to approve the recommended actions for public hearing item number 26. Adopting a resolution of the City Council of the City of Santa Ana, approving General Plan Amendment number 2024-01 to change the general plan land use designation for certain properties to reflect the intended use of the subject properties of the 10th and Flower Street Park, update associate figures and table data throughout the general plan, and conform previous environmental findings

Jennifer L. HallItem 26

under the California Environmental Quality Act.

Jennifer L. HallItem 26

Pending three votes, please.

Valerie AmezcuaItem 26

I don't have the votes.

Johnathan Ryan HernandezItem 26

We don't see the votes casted.

Valerie AmezcuaItem 26

Not up.

Oh, yeah.

Jennifer L. HallItem 26

We'll do a roll call then. Councilmember Becerra?

Phil BacerraItem 26

Yes.

Jennifer L. HallItem 26

Councilmember Hernandez? Yes. Councilmember Lopez?

Yes.

Jennifer L. HallItem 26

Councilmember Phan? Yes. Councilmember Vasquez? Yes. Mayor Portempeñolosa?

David PenalozaItem 26

Yes.

Jennifer L. HallItem 26

Mayor Mesquah? Yes. Go to 7 ayes, no nays. Motion carries.

Valerie AmezcuaItem 27

Item number 27 has been removed at the request of the applicant. That's correct. I see it here. That's correct. And then, um,

David PenalozaItem 24

They're ready, Mayor, with the presentation.

Valerie AmezcuaItem 24

We have council member requested items. Do you guys have, I'm sorry? They're ready for the presentation. All right, let's do it. Thank you.

Good evening, Madam Mayor, Mayor Pro Tem, and members of the City Council. Thank you for the opportunity to speak with you this evening. My name is Travis Johnson. I'm a Sergeant of the Santa Ana Police Department, and I will be presenting the proposed amendment to Chapter 36 of the Santa Ana Municipal Code related to bicycles and electric bicycles. The purpose of this ordinance is to establish clear and reasonable operating standards, provide appropriate enforcement tools and ultimately ultimately improve the safety of our roadways sidewalks and public spaces

I'd like to begin with what we're trying to accomplish here as we all know electric bicycles have become increasingly popular we recognize the need of for clear operating standards that are consistent with state law and also Santa Ana. This ordinance is intended to give riders clear expectations, provide officers with appropriate enforcement and safekeeping authority, and most importantly, promote education and safer riding behaviors throughout the city of the community and also for the citizens that are actually riding the bicycles and electric bicycles.

We recognize that e-bikes are an affordable and a valuable form of transportation, so this ordinance is not to discourage the use, it's to simply improve and encourage safe and responsible use of them.

Devices that are covered under this proposal are defined in the California Vehicle Code section, bicycles under section 231, and electric bicycles under 312.5 parenthetical A. When it comes to electrical bicycles there are three classifications that they are typically found under. A class one bicycle is a bicycle that is while the operator is riding it the pedals will assist the vehicle, making it go approximately 20 miles an hour. A class two has a throttle assist and that bike will also be assisted with a throttle as the rider

rides it and can go up to 20 miles per hour. The class 3, that bicycle is also throttle assist, can also be assisted when pedaling, but it goes up to 28 miles an hour. So those are the three bikes we're talking about when it comes to electric bikes and also bicycles, a standard bicycle which is self-propelled bicycle.

So the ordinance that's covered under these devices

are on this side is going to be specific sections being amended and added. These are the sections that are going to be amended and added. Rather than reading each one, I'd like to highlight the changes that we're trying to accomplish within this ordinance. The ordinance updates are our definitions to remain consistent with state law, establishes prohibited operating behaviors, provides authority for safekeeping and impoundment under specific circumstances, especially penalties and, sorry, establishes penalties and parental responsibilities and identifies appropriate exemptions.

Proposed operating standards.

This is the heart of the ordinance. The expectations for how bicycles and e-bicycles are operated within our community. In this ordinance, we added a 10 mile an hour maximum on sidewalks, so e-bikes are allowed to ride on sidewalks. We did not make that or take that away from the option. We didn't want to put them in the roadway. We wanted to keep them on the roadway, have that option. We know people use these e-bikes for transportation to work. So it's a 10 mile hour maximum on the sidewalk.

We have a 5 mile per hour maximum on the sidewalks within school zones or adjacent to school zones or when children or pedestrians are present.

The ordinance also addresses behaviors we know that can create safety concerns. as of carrying passengers on bikes that aren't created for that, lifting one or two wheels off the ground while operating it. These things are not only dangerous to the rider, but also pedestrians and people within the community. Ultimately, the expectations is to operate the bicycle in a manner that is responsible and prudent for the conditions.

safekeeping and pound education and enforcement. Ultimately, we are recommending the adoption provide clear, sorry,

sorry, another, this is another important component of these ordinance, Providing officers with options when safe behavior creates an imminent danger.

Safekeeping is designed to address situations involving a minor when a parent or guardian is not present and the violation creates an immediate danger to the minor or the public. The bicycle can then be released to an appropriate adult or a parent or legal guardian. In the case of impoundment, the ordinance also implements the authority to provide under state law regarding class 3 e-bikes operated by minors under the age of 16. The bikes can be impounded at that point and be held for 48 hours and then released to a parent.

Again, it's case by case. It goes off also the safety and what kind of dangers are being shown. There is due process. A hearing process is provided to contest safekeeping, impoundments, and seizures. We want to give the community a voice when it comes to if that occurs during their contact. And one of the most important parts of this is education. An important part of this ordinance is that enforcement is not the only tool. Education is also built into the process. Safety training may be required for specific class three violations or objective or the objective is not simply meant by citation.

Our job is to try to change behavior before the next major collision or fatal occurs.

Recommended actions. Ultimately we are recommending adoption of this ordinance to provide clear and enforceable local operating standards. This gives our community clear expectations regarding safe operations and gives our officers appropriate tools to address unsafe behaviors when necessary.

Most importantly, this ordinance is intended to provide safety for everyone who shares our roadways, sidewalks, and public spaces.

In closing, this ordinance is about four things. safer operations, clear expectations, education and accountability. This ordinance provides a balanced approach that promotes the responsible use of bicycles and electric bicycles, while giving the city appropriate tools to address unsafe behaviors. At this point, I'd like to open up to any questions.

Valerie AmezcuaItem 24

Thank you very much for the presentation. Any questions from the council? Mayor Procheon?

David PenalozaItem 24

I don't have any. I just thank you for presenting that.

Valerie AmezcuaItem 24

Thank you very much. I believe there's a motion, Madam Clerk, and a second.

Jennifer L. HallItem 24

Yes, motioned by Council Member Vasquez, seconded by Mayor Mesquia, to introduce for first reading an ordinance of the City Council of the City of Santa Ana, amending Chapter 36 of the Santa Ana Municipal Code, specifically Section 36-7 regarding bicycles and 36-41 regarding miscellaneous driving movements and acts prohibited, adding Division 3 regarding regulations of bicycles, including electric bicycles, authorizing safekeeping, removal, and impounding in certain circumstances, and establishing penalties for violation and determining that the recommended action is exempt from CEQA. Council Member Becerra?

Phil BacerraItem 24

Yes.

Jennifer L. HallItem 24

Council Member Hernandez? Yes. Council Member Lopez? Council Member Fan? Yes. Council Member Vasquez? Yes. Mayor Pro Tempeñolosa? Yes. Mayor Mesquah?

Valerie AmezcuaItem 24

Yes.

Jennifer L. HallItem 24

Vote to seven ayes, no nays. Motion carries.

Valerie AmezcuaItem 24

Madam Crick, if you can have IT come there, my computer just turned dark.

Jennifer L. HallItem 24

Yes, we'll be right there to look at it in one moment.

Valerie AmezcuaItem 30

Okay, so if the council is okay, we can move to the work study session, have that presentation because we've put it off since the last council meeting and then go back to the council member requested items before we do the housing authority. Is everybody okay with that? Fine with that.

Phil BacerraItem 30

Perfect. All right. All right, Mr. City Manager.

Valerie AmezcuaItem 30

This time, item number 30 is the City Council work study session regarding the comprehensive zoning code update. May we have a presentation, please, sir?

Yes, Executive Director of Planning and Building, Mr. Ali Pesushpur will make the presentation and study session.

Valerie AmezcuaItem 30

Sorry, Ali, I didn't know you were in the back.

Thank you.

PowerPoint for the community and our council this evening to go over the comprehensive zoning code update.

So for background, this is a code that has not been comprehensively updated since 1968. So the current code is piecemeal. It's written in legalese. And I said earlier, it hasn't been comprehensively updated for multiple generations. and it simply does not reflect a modern Santa Ana. It does not align with the general plan, the city's strategic plan, the goals for economic and fiscal health, for efficient delivery of city services, nor does it align with the city's economic development goals. The zoning code update is intended to modernize land use regulations and facilitate development

and new business opportunities that complement the General Plan, Strategic Plan, and our economic development efforts. It'll also retain local control to the maximum extent possible, despite new state laws that continue to erode local land use control. For the first time in the city's history and as a leader in the region, the city will adopt land use regulations to address environmental justice topics and public health while also promoting economic development. This will include a new zoning district dedicated to enhanced compatibility between residential and industrial with good neighbor operating standards,

development standards, and landscape standards to buffer sensitive uses from each other and adding 29 new non-industrial commercial uses to the industrial code in select areas to help create expanded business opportunities in our industrial districts. We will also propose to remove hazardous business types from these districts, again, to enhance and modernize what is allowed in the industrial zones. So simply put, the zoning code update embraces the city's history and its goals and builds on it by protecting our residential neighborhoods, including those that are historically sensitive,

and providing new development that will meet the city's needs for diverse housing types, walkable commercial districts, jobs, services, and entertainment that's focused in new areas that were identified by the City Council in 2022 during the general plan update process, which took seven years. And it's lastly designed to streamline development activity by aligning permit types with our surrounding competitive cities. So there are multiple benefits of the zoning code update that I just went over, but even more so for the first time in the city's history the zoning code will have tables and

graphics that make it easier and more intuitive for staff and the development community and our residents to actually use and read the zoning code expanded lists of permitted uses and contemporary uses that meet the modern economy contain clear objectives that will reduce the burden on homeowners developers and business owners by removing the guesswork from the code and the city's processes. For example, new objective design standards in the code will reduce the back and forth that a lot of developers have with city staff over design and architecture. And it'll right-size the review process, like I said earlier,

by no longer requiring lengthy zoning reviews for non-discretionary permits, enabling many project types to go straight to building plan check and create a new type of permit, which is a minor CUP that reduces the time and burden of having a full public hearing before the planning commission. Fundamentally, my message to you tonight is if we want to remain economically competitive, we need to have a modernized code and look around to our neighboring cities and competitor cities to see what they're doing right.

So for some background, this all started in October 2023, and since then we've had multiple rounds of stakeholder engagement, one in each ward three times, plus study sessions, releasing of multiple drafts to the community, getting feedback, right-sizing it, refining it, two planning commission hearings, and then this evening's city council work study session. Our communications and outreach strategy with the community has been more than we've ever done for anything related to land use in the city's history. So as I mentioned earlier, we had the three rounds of stakeholder interviews I'm sorry engagement meetings

those included six meetings in each City Council ward so six six meetings per round in each City Council ward to ensure that we met with participants from all areas of the city's geography we also had one virtual workshop we also had separated dedicated workshops with members of the business community to hear their input and that's how we began to hear and understand their priorities for the code, helping lead us to where we are today. I want to highlight an example to illustrate the degree to which staff has spent time engaging with the community. We've heard multiple times from individuals from Cornerstone and UC Irvine.

We have met four times with that group for direct one-on-one conversations. We have a pending invitation for a fifth meeting with that group. They have also attended the stakeholder workshops and attended neighborhood meetings where we've had multiple opportunities to hear from them, learn their concerns, and also help share what zoning does and does not do, but also empower them to know where else they can focus their advocacy to effectuate the change that they're seeking. We've met in the field with businesses. We've actually been invited on sidewalks with businesses in multiple areas of the city.

I myself have met with individuals in their living rooms to answer their questions upon invitation I didn't just show up but but I'm highlighting this to show that this has been the most robust and multi-layered approach to engagement that we've ever had in the community I also want to highlight we heard from folks in the audience about engagement different times you know whether it was late or not. One example highlighted that we only met with someone after the Planning Commission, and that's because our doors continue to remain open to engagement. So someone came to Planning

Commission, said, hey, this is my first time hearing about it, but I'm still interested. We said, we will still meet with you even though that this project has gone to Planning Commission, and that was a resident of the Pacific Park neighborhood, met with them, and actually the Cornerstone folks ended up joining that meeting as well. So what did we hear? Simply put, Folks want to retain the character of single-family neighborhoods, so I'll go over that in a future slide. They want to promote economic opportunities and maintain our competitiveness, which I highlighted before,

and that involves streamlining our processes for both owners and residents, business owners and residents, create walkable districts with commercial and service uses and allowing new development in focused areas of the city, diversify housing options to meet our needs, and implement the environmental justice topics from the general plan and address parking. The zoning code update addresses all of these concerns to the highest degree possible using the city's local land use authority. This is all important because everything we heard was consistent with the general plan.

So no major topic arose that said, hey, hey, hey, we've got to go back and amend the general plan. This is all within that framework.

So I'll go over key aspects of the public hearing draft. So this is the proposed new zoning map for the city. It'll also be available through GIS for online, so you won't have to read a cumbersome PDF anymore. The majority of the city is zoned for single-family neighborhoods, which appears in the lighter yellow color. But what we also see is a healthy mix of industrial, commercial, and office uses. So those are our industrial commercial office areas where we have jobs-rich properties. Those are shown in grays, pinks, and reds. And they're associated, like I said, jobs, wages, and economic outputs.

Given this combination of uses, the city is able to maintain a relatively high volume of residents who live and work in the city. So as of 2023, 18% of Santa Ana residents work in the city. This puts us in the top percentages statewide, whereas in the county, it's only 11%. So we exceed that average. almost one in five residents actually has an opportunity and works in our city. With the third highest percentage among larger jurisdictions in the county, Santa Ana performs well, but we can perform even better by maintaining our rich job space

and addressing the land use topics that I previewed earlier. On this map, this shows areas of minimal change. So there will be some change for most of the city in terms of just streamlining and making things clearer Like I said earlier in the code, but this change in terms of what Can be built the intensity the densities that is actually quite minimal compared to what you see in blue so 78% of the parcel citywide and 68% of the total land area We'll see changes intended to enhance the quality of existing development and I'll get into it later

but we'll see some changes in residential and commercial that are intended to streamline development processes but also enhance the quality of development in those areas so on this map showing the residential districts these are areas that during the general plan update process our community was loud and clear they said do not materially alter the existing residential districts and so we respect that and in these areas shown in yellow they will be largely left in place but we did receive feedback about making processes for permits easier and protecting our historically sensitive neighborhoods so

for example a lot of communities have faced pressures of mcmansionization we've heard that and seen that in like communities like Arcadia so what staff is proposing in the historically sensitive areas that City Council adopted about 10 years ago staff is proposing sort of a heritage architecture are enhanced architectural review in those areas to ensure that when folks want to build new homes or add to their homes, the scale and the architecture is compatible with the existing fabric of that neighborhood. State laws will continue to evolve and affect what homeowners

can do, but again, that's state law that's beyond the scope of zoning. So again, this is a code that in these districts maintains and retains our local land use authority to the highest degree possible. in our commercial and office districts shown in red and pink these will again remain largely the same with the exception of modernizing and creating new use types that can go in these areas as well as streamlining permitting processes for business owners and developers in the district center and urban neighborhood areas so these are the lavender

and purple colors on this map so these were areas that the community said hey we're open to new development opportunities along these corridors. So you see them along Main Street, South Bristol, the east side of the city near Tustin and Irvine, downtown, Metro East, up Grand Avenue, and near Main Place Mall. So these areas allow more intensity investment opportunities and mixed-use development opportunities, so housing, commercial, retail, and services. The darkest purple colors are the most intense, but they're also focused away from the majority of the single-family

neighborhoods of the city. The lighter purple would allow medium density developments like townhomes or live-work lofts, like what we see today along Harbor Boulevard in downtown or in the metro east area of the city. In fact, earlier this evening, the city council conducted the first reading of a townhomes project. That scale is what those lavender color areas would see in terms of

development. The city is interesting because we have almost 100 specific development zones so these are zones where basically the project didn't quite fit the mold of our code and that's because our code is woefully outdated in terms of its development standards so whereas in many other cities a townhome project could just meet the R2 standards in this city they're so outdated that folks say, well, hey, I need my own special zone, and that's why we have nearly 100 of them. We also have specific plan areas like harbor and other parts like Main Place, related Bristol,

and the village-specific plan. Some of those are newer, and they're proposed to be retained, but by and large, when staff looked at the zoning map and specific development by specific development went through, we found that actually the majority of the specific development zones could be absorbed into the new zoning map, because we're going to have modernized development standards that reflect those developments. Some of them will be retained, like the Santa Ana Auto Mall. That is an example of an environment where you want to curate the land uses and retain a sort of environment that's like high yield in

terms of high output, so the Auto Mall is a prime example of that sort of approach to planning. In the industrial flex districts, this is a new land use that was created by the general plan update, and in these areas the goal is to create a healthy balance of manufacturing and industrial operations as well as introduce more professional uses like offices research and development and corporate campuses so this land use was created in direct response to what other cities are allowing in their industrial areas like in Irvine and Tustin where we're seeing more corporate and professional jobs like Edwards life

scientists Edwards life sciences hotels healthcare and business headquarters so Santa Ana's mentality for many years was industrial is only blue-collar, it's only sort of manufacturing jobs, whereas other cities are seeing industrial lands. As land values change, as technology improves, they can be both industrial and more clean technology, more modernized uses. And so that's the goal of creating that opportunity in Santa Ana as well to remain economically competitive with our neighboring cities. In the industrial districts, these will largely remain intact. The exceptions are the areas that are being changed to the flex district,

which I just covered, and the new residential industrial interface zone, which I'll describe more in depth on the future slides. But the most important changes here are the removal of high-impact, dangerous land uses like hazardous waste facilities. Even though we have properties that are industrial, that are tucked away from residential, The fact is a hazardous waste facility needs to get truck shipments, and those trucks have to drive down our major roadways through densely populated neighborhoods to get to those facilities.

And America is one of the top dense cities in the nation that creates an inherent risk to the community and land use conflicts, which is why there are certain uses that we're proposing to just outright clean up and remove from the industrial zone. but we're also proposing to leave the majority of other uses intact in some way or another but enhance the landscape and architectural standards to ensure that new development reflects modern design and creates a broader palette for business types to locate in.

The residential industrial interface is a new proposal to the zoning code and this map shows where it would be located. I'll explain it more in detailed slides but largely the residential industrial interface or the re overlay is where there's a direct interface between residential and industrial. So where they come together or they face each other or they meet, that's where you see it on the hatched marks on the map. And in more detail, what we found is throughout our community engagement process, residents and even some business owners asked for a new zone or an

overlay to buffer residential and commercial areas from higher impact industrial uses. So early on in the engagement process even folks from Cornerstone said hey we want an overlay to buffer ourselves from industrial and that planted the seed for this effort that largely grew to be accepted throughout the engagement process. The residential industrial interface is the answer to the request for some sort of buffering where you have the residential and industrial coming together where you might have homes and apartments directly adjacent to medium and heavy manufacturing, storage, and other industrial uses.

An example of the interface area appears on the left on the slide, so there it's roughly 600-foot buffer zone. In some areas it's less and in some areas it's more, but the purpose of the overlay is to promote that compatibility by creating a transition zone. That would have a diverse set of neighborhood-serving uses, such as commercial, recreation, and service uses and office uses among also existing light industrial business opportunities. So I want to pause for a moment and say this is the first time in the city's history wherever the zoning code would ever even address this topic, right?

Like I said earlier, it was always industrial's industrial, residential's residential, and they come together in some parts of the city. So be it. This is the first time that as a result of our general plan and as a result of engaging directly with the community, we heard it loud and clear, we need to have better solutions than what we have now. So that is what's proposed. So when it came to the residential industrial interface, what the community shared was things like addressing historic pollution and repeat offenders. We've heard that throughout from our community as well. Creating a new parks and open

space community center opportunities, expanding the interface area also to include areas that are broader geographically like the auto mall so I'll give you some examples some of the feedback that we heard from the community on where this industrial overlay should apply has been very ambitious some folks even said that the auto mall is a noxious land use and we should tear it down and redesignate it as open space or parks other examples were more practically feasible and took into account the need to balance and maintain jobs and preserve property rights while simply asking

for the buffer that I've been describing, as well as good neighbor operating standards to lessen the impacts onto neighborhoods. Industrial stakeholders from this area also emphasized allowing continuation of existing industrial uses and shared concerns about becoming legal non-conforming. But through our conversations, we kind of landed on a mutually agreed to set of better definitions for contractors yards and equipment rental yards which have been refined and reflected in the latest draft addressing outdoor operations screening of outdoor operations minimizing noise impacts onto surrounding properties and residential

areas again addressing equipment and rental sales hours of operation overall and continuing to allow freight bus truck terminals that's been something that we've heard from our folks in the industrial community

So in terms of what these regulations would include in the residential industrial interface, so again, for the first time in the city's history, the zoning code would include a comprehensive land use approach to both environmental justice with a balance of maintaining industry and its own benefits, and the regulations would include creation of that new overlay district, removal of hazardous uses from the city's land use matrix, adding additional non-industrial uses in that area, and this is important because when a new code is adopted the market doesn't just change overnight

and say oh you know there's a new code in town so everyone all of a sudden start building commercial and residential you have to give a set of standards and uses that allows for a healthy transition over time the city council showed this sort of bold decision making with the transit zoning code as well last summer where we said okay we're going to reduce remove the industrial overlays outright from the Logan and Lacey neighborhoods but we're going to increase the amount of commercial and service uses that are allowed in that area to help buildings have viable economic life over time and that's

important because vacant or underutilized buildings are in no one's best interest right it's a headache for code enforcement it's a headache for the community they're the subject of vandalism and break-ins so this is all about a comprehensive approach to making sure that we help transition areas with viable uses. Good neighbor practices like I said would include screening of outdoor storage, requiring that most business operations be done indoors, limiting noise and vibrations during night and early morning hours, air emissions and dust limitations, restrictions on light and glare

and heat, and restricting truck idling parking and loading. And I also want to be clear for the City Council, the city's noxious uses ordinance, which was adopted in 2022 and expanded in 2023, would continue to apply. So that is a separate set of regulations that basically says if you've got some heavy duty state or federal or county regulated business activities going on and you're located within a thousand feet of schools, parks, or residences, you need a conditional use permit or to basically modify your business practices to modernize and eliminate your sort of noxious

business attributes. So that's how the two, the code and the Noxious Eases Ordinance come together. We also heard through the engagement process at City Council, for example, owners like Ingardia Brothers came out and they said, hey, I'm concerned. How will the new zoning code affect me? Our staff has met with every single individual that came out and spoke at the City Council and Planning Commission meetings to help answer yes or no, do these regulations apply to you or not? And in many instances the new regulations actually would not render businesses non-conforming.

They would not render them unable to operate and in many instances actually we've heard business owners say yeah I'm willing to modify or upgrade my operations to help be a better neighbor to surrounding residences. So that's that's something that we've learned and we've been happy to hear actually through our engagement process. So this illustration shows how the city of Santa Ana fits into the regulatory framework for regulating businesses that have outside agency approvals. I'm not going to read every bullet or image on this slide, but basically

illustrates we are one very important component, but we're not the only component of ensuring community safety through land use. We routinely have met with outside agencies and regulatory bodies to understand their work. The image on the slide, again, is just intended to show how a lot of these agencies are intended to play an equally important role in the city to ensure that businesses operate safely and in accordance with state, federal, and county levels. We have heard from colleagues in our constituency like Cornerstone about things like the County of Orange's proposed fleet maintenance yard.

And when it comes to other agencies that own property in the city, the city's zoning code is largely preempted by other agencies that own property in the city. So we have been happy to explain this to make sure that there's an understanding of how government works and to empower individuals to understand where they should focus their advocacy as well. In some instances, it's simply just not the city of Santa Ana's decision making. And some of these county operations that have recently generated controversy in the Cornerstone village area or simply not under the auspices of the city's zoning code.

We also have heard a lot about on-site parking. I know there will be at a future date a presentation about street parking and parking permitting, but where the zoning code applies is off-street parking, so parking on private property. So when it comes to single and two-family residential units, like single-family homes, the city is not proposing to make any changes to that code. So basically you'd still require four parking spaces per unit, two in a garage, two in a driveway, and one extra parking space for any bedroom count above five. So the larger the house, the more parking you have to provide.

In multifamily, the city's actually proposing a little bit more conservative of a parking rate. Right now the parking requirements across the city are all over the place. There's some areas of the city where you can build parking at a rate of less than two spaces per unit. and there's other areas where it's a lot more intense in terms of what's required but the city's proposed parking space for multi-family developments of 2.5 spaces and a survey of other cities that allow multi-family in the county to be a little bit more on the conservative higher end

basically it's two spaces per unit and then half a space or basically one guest space for every two units a lot of times it's one space for every four units one space for every eight units for guests But in the city, we recognize what we hear from our constituents, which is, hey, parking is an issue. And a lot of times these newer developments are perceived to create exacerbations of parking issues and 2.5 spaces from what we've surveyed would get it right for our community without being so excessive that it would preclude development of new multifamily construction. Other parking updates.

So there's currently some exceptions of the code that streamlined development for commercial development. So let's say a retail store wanted to turn into a restaurant. If they're under 2,500 square feet in size, they can change and intensify without triggering new parking. That really helps small business owners. There is also a proposed new exception in the code that in that residential industrial interface area where we're proposing to allow industrial buildings to transition to commercial uses, that that transition would not trigger new parking requirements. And again,

it's allowing you to do more with what you already have. Also there would be a proposed minor exception for shared parking subject to director approval so again we often hear from our constituents hey I live in these multi-family apartments there's an office building right behind my community where the parking lot is empty after five o'clock can we use that parking lot under the current code that's a much more difficult process under the new code that would be a streamlined review and approval process to help really maximize the available park, of course with owner consent, but to help maximize the parking opportunities.

I do want to show this map, however. This is where state law simply ties the city's hands when it comes to parking. So in everything in green, this is where the state says, hey, you have enough bus service that people can use transit. So therefore, new development doesn't need to provide parking, according to what you say. It's totally up to the developer. That's just state law. The city council didn't vote for it. It's just state law. Everywhere that's not covered by those green circles is basically where our parking requirements could continue to apply.

We're also highlighting the OC streetcar stops on there in those green squares because there's even more state laws now about what you can do and build in proximity to rail service. But there's two state laws, basically AB 2097, which is if you're in the green circles, it's basically whatever the developer feels is the appropriate parking and then state density bonus law where the state law says hey if a developer is proposing projects that have on-site affordable housing then state law says here's the parking requirement for it it's not even a concession or waiver

please repeat that again it's important no thank you for saying that because I

Valerie AmezcuaItem 30

I was going to ask you over dad to please repeat that. This is such a huge issue in our city. Can you please repeat that?

State law. That's it. On the green areas, state law says, if the developer says I don't need to build parking, that's it. Or the developer would say, you know what, I think one space per unit is enough because I'm close to transit. State law says that's enough. If a developer comes in and says, hey, I have some on-site affordable housing, state law in the law. Again, it's not an ask. It's just by operation of the law. It says, okay, at that point, then studios require this number of spaces, one bedrooms require this number of spaces, whatever. That's just across the state. You could be in the city of Crescent City near

the Redwoods, or you could be down in Santa Ana, be the same state law.

All right, so where did the Planning Commission leave off? They recommended approval by majority vote with some changes. So the Planning Commission left off with an explicit ban on data centers. They also recommended that the re-overlay allow freight bus truck terminals with a conditional use permit. Staff was previously recommending that they just not be allowed in that area. They recommended that they allow it but just subject to a conditional use permit. with clarifications number three on outdoor storage and parking be allowed in those areas

and then also allow libraries, museums, and art galleries to be allowed in the institutional district with a conditional use permit.

So now for consideration, there's been some talk since we went to planning commission and even in the months leading up to it on a couple of topics. So these are things that staff wants to proactively bring forward as options for the city council. So the first is simply the acronym of the RE, the residential industrial interface overlay. Some folks keep calling it the R2 overlay and they think housing is allowed there. It's not R2, it's RII. And it may actually be easier to just call instead of that an overlay, just make it its own zone on the map. So no changes to the substance,

just simply for illustrative purposes, make it easier to understand. Don't call it R2, just call it whatever you want to call it, M1, the new M1. No substantial change, just an illustrative change. There's also been concern about the INS acronym, so that's the acronym for the institutional zone, so that could be updated or changed to a different name. Data center definitions, again, we heard from city council at a prior discussion about confusion or concern about conflating critical computing facilities with actual large-scale data centers. And then some minor zoning map cleanups.

So upon review, there was one site that there was a cartographical error. It was Guarantee Chevrolet's property. That was elsewhere in the code meant to be a C3 zone, but on the map through GIS, it was mispublished as C1. So that's an easy fix that staff is proposing. We still took that as an opportunity to review every other property in the city to make sure there were no other errors and there were no other errors. So that's the only one that staff says on the map should be changed. There was also in renumbering and eliminating some of the specific development zones,

staff was proposing to leave the original specific development zones. So if you eliminated numbers one, two, and three, we would just start the list with four. But in a cleanup world, we could just renumber everything to start back at one. Again, that just doesn't create confusion like what happened in number five, let's say. and then just like I said the cleanups to the re-overlay so some recommended solutions like I said relabeling the re-overlay as just M1 then henceforth changing M1 to M2, M2 to M3 again no change to substance just how it's illustrated and referenced and then the INS acronym could just be institutional

establishment ie or any other version thereof we also heard from the City Council a desire to bring back more information on data centers. So again, the existing code allows data centers, but there are some limitations as to where they can be located. They can only be located in industrial properties with a CUP, and they cannot be along major arterial roadways or within a certain distance of the freeway. Where the Planning Commission left off was to just basically keep the definition but explicitly ban throughout the city so so that was discussed by the City Council for consideration because there

were concerns about sort of impacts of data centers on the community now since then actually numerous state bills were signed by the governor addressing data centers so we had SB 886, 1168 and AB 2383 so we're still evaluating these but But in a nutshell, these bills make sure that the costs of operating data centers are shifted away from residential customers by requiring that data centers pay for their own grid upgrades and other infrastructure projects. So you can't pass the costs on to residential rate payers. AB 2469 mandates that formal water supply assessments

and disclosure of workforce related metrics be disclosed as part of projects. AB 1577 is another bill that requires regular reporting on power usage and other metrics, and SB 887, which eliminates eligibility for just categorically exempting these facilities from environmental review, with some exceptions. New legislation like AB 2619 established three types of data centers, ranging from type 1, which is the largest at over 100,000 square feet, to type 3, which are smaller in scale and usually ancillary to another use, like the IT room of a bank. So those aren't meant to be considered data centers.

We also heard concerns about water bills. So following a recent city council discussion on the item, we confirmed with our colleagues in Public Works there's been no change to the city's utility bill since 2013, so we haven't seen the costs of AI data centers be passed on to our residential customers. and any increases in the bill are stemming from actual usage increases, not like private construction projects. So if you're using more water, your bill goes up, but it's not a result of data centers. Electricity, again, there's legislation to shift the cost away from residential customers, including rate structures

that are specifically dedicated to data center uses, so those are for the larger facilities.

So in closing, I just want to recap. there are going to be some other chapters that will need to be updated as part of the zoning code update those will be brought forward as part of the first and second readings so those are just i don't have to list these in details but some of these are just to make sure that references are up to date and clean throughout the code so everything's comprehensively updated and then others to reflect sort of desires that we've heard from the city council like streamlining or making it easier for people to have ownership opportunities in the city so modernizing our

subdivision ordinance to create more home ownership opportunities instead of sort of creating a situation where you're either rental or ownership and no sort of in-between status.

So just in closing, why do we need to update the zoning code? Simply put, it's an outdated code and it needs to be consistent with our general plan and our strategic plan. We also need to retain local control to the highest degree possible because our current code doesn't have any objective design standards for new projects. The state says, hey city, if you want to tell someone, hey, do you think you could make that building a little bit more craftsman appearance to better integrate with Pacific Park? Can't do it because the developer could simply say it's not in your code, I don't have to listen to you.

Obviously we have better luck with our developers. They usually partner with staff to make sure that they respect our community, but technically, because our code doesn't have those standards right now, we're running the risk of getting another large stucco box put in the city. We also need to update the land use standards and processes, again, to be economically competitive and address the environmental justice topics of the general plan. How did we listen and engage? The stakeholder interviews and public workshops, the field visits, again the living room visits, the community and neighborhood commission meetings, countless calls,

emails, and meetings directly from individuals. And I want to touch on this every owner of a property and every tenant whether they were residential or a business owner got a notice in the mail for planning commission and will get another notice for the city council public hearing so no stone will be left unturned that is the first time we've ever done that amount of notification in the city's history and again i'm very proud to say 1.2 million confirmed touch So if anyone has LinkedIn, for example, when you post something, it tells you the number

of impressions that your post got, basically how many people that it reached, that's the equivalent of a touch point. So we can confirm that as of tonight, 1.2 million individuals have somehow received the information on this zoning code update, or at least 1.2 million instances of coming into contact with it. That's the most in the city's history. So next steps, we'll continue the stakeholder engagement. anyone who wants to meet with us our doors remain open again the mailer of the postcards like i shared refining the draft based on any feedback we received from council members tonight as needed

we'll consider any suggestions and come back with a professional recommendation on anything you know the city council will also be asked to overrule the alux determination that this code is inconsistent with their airport land use plan the public hearings and the second hearing second and reading. And again, I included the link on the slide just again for anyone in the audience, anyone listening at home who wants to remain engaged or says, hey, this is my first time hearing about this, our doors remain open. With that, I'm happy to answer any questions or take any feedback from members of the City Council. Thank you.

Just quickly, Mayor, and to repeat what Ali just mentioned. So when he talks about the points of communication. So he's saying we met with everybody that submitted a concern or had concerns. It doesn't mean we agree with them professionally, but what it does indicate is that staff was willing to meet, provide input, receive input, and get to this level of draft. That's the key component. It shouldn't get lost, right? So there's no lack of communication that we were trying to will miss is actually the opposite. We wanted to make sure that we heard, we provided our perspective as the city, and heard their perspective as a resident,

a business owner, and community stakeholder.

Valerie AmezcuaItem 30

Thank you. Let's get through this one so we can do the two council member items that we have left in the housing by 11, hopefully. So let me start. Council members, if you'd like to make comments, please raise your mic so I know, and I'll call on you. So, let's start. Council member Becerra.

Phil BacerraItem 30

Thank you, Madam Mayor. Ali, thank you for the presentation. Thank you for the clarification on the outreach. I've met with a couple of folks specifically on the zoning code updates, and that was expressed as a concern, how much outreach was being done, and I think you've shown tonight how much you've done, and I appreciate it, so thank you for that. that. I appreciate the simplification of the proposed code, especially the new use charts. I think it'll make it easier. And I think it's important because for anybody up here that talks about small business and, you know, trying to attract investment in the city,

Phil BacerraItem 30

one good way to scare it away, whether it's small or large, is to make it very complicated and very difficult to navigate. I mean, I do a lot of navigating for folks in other cities, but I'll tell you right now, there shouldn't need to be somebody that helps navigate them through codes, but I still appreciate the work. With that being said, I think one thing that this code update does is it does honor the general plan update. I was very proud of what we did with the general plan and emphasizing environmental justice. It wasn't just something that we did because it sounded good, but it was something that

Phil BacerraItem 30

the Council before us, the pre-2018 Council, I'm just going beyond that, I mean even decades before that, did not respect the, I guess the, we'll just say the industrial residential interface. They did not respect that. There was a lot of lip service paid to places like Logan, Lacey, and other parts, and this Council, in addition to the general plan update, we also, what was the code update that we did for Logan and Lacey?

The transit zoning code in July 2025.

Phil BacerraItem 30

Which included the introduction of the noxious uses regulations, and I think that speaks volumes because this isn't just like a new thing, this is kind of building upon that. So I appreciate that we're not just throwing something in brand new, but rather it's a consistent trajectory. I agree with you, Ali, on the industrial designations because, yeah, the RII just, the overlay makes it seem like it's something temporary. It doesn't give certainty. I think it definitely causes confusion. I like the idea of the M1, M2, M3. I think, you know,

Phil BacerraItem 30

as long as it continues to respect the intent of what you were doing with the RII, as in having a lighter industrial buffer because I don't want anybody to get confused that somehow we're trying to integrate residential into industrial, but rather we're trying to soften the intensity and the uses in those particular areas that are very close to residential. Resetting the SD numbers, I appreciate that because that would be very confusing as well. The contractor yards. So I know there was talk about whether to do a CUP or not.

Phil BacerraItem 30

You know, all day, every day, I'm going to err more on the side of transparency for the community and making sure that there is ways for not only folks to know what's being proposed, but also I think a contractor yard off of Fairview is far different than a contractor yard in another part of town, say in a Logan or Lacey. And so the intent of a conditional use permit is it's in the name. It's conditional, right? What sort of condition you would impose, let me take a step back. You wouldn't apply the same conditions on both of those properties. You you would probably have a little bit of a difference in the two.

Phil BacerraItem 30

But if for some way, somehow you guys are able to come back with standard conditions, I'm open to it. But I do think that it might be in everybody's best interest for a CUP or maybe, I don't know, maybe some way where we can actually do some sort of notification on some of these industrial uses because at least allowing folks to comment, maybe not so much in a public hearing sense, Maybe it's like a minor CUP. I don't know. I'll leave that up to you guys. I received an email from Tom's Trucks. They, I think, copied the entire council.

Phil BacerraItem 30

And so their situation sounds very similar to Guarantee Chevrolet. It doesn't sound like the DC zoning for Tom's was a clerical error because of given where it's located within that Grand Avenue corridor. My hope would be that there's a way to kind of figure out an auto use that close to a freeway that already exists. Because I think that, you know, for anybody that thinks that the auto mall is a noxious use, you know, it's really a noxious use is not having resources to actually deliver services. And the auto mall provides that.

Phil BacerraItem 30

and they're not up against residential, they're not belching out coal and other toxins. But yeah, I think for that site especially and sites similar to Tom's Trucks, I don't see a four diamond hotel going into that site. And that's not a knock on Tom's Trucks, but it's just certain uses are more appropriate in proximity to a freeway or along certain corridors. And, you know, the market showed that that was a good spot because the city didn't push Tom there. Tom's truck's located there on their own.

Phil BacerraItem 30

So I think, you know, like Guarantee Chevrolet, we want to help those businesses that are helping provide revenue.

Valerie AmezcuaItem 30

Councilor Bessire, can I come back to you and let others go?

Phil BacerraItem 30

People tonight have talked at length about their items. I think I could be afforded a little bit of time.

Valerie AmezcuaItem 30

Okay, go ahead.

Phil BacerraItem 30

So with that being said, the data centers. I know that state law had also proposed something about defining the tiers in the data centers. I hope that's something that'll come back to us, because I know that I don't want to see data centers like what you see out in Virginia or Texas. And first of all, like I might have said before, and I'll say it again, there's no opportunity for that in Santa Ana. The idea that we even talk about it, like as if it's a remote possibility is insane. The average data center. The average one could, that would, again, again, if there was this

Phil BacerraItem 30

possibility of one trying to be in Santa Ana, would be the size of Bristol related. So if you could find me another site like Bristol related, I would be amazed first of all, and if you found that site, I wouldn't want a data center to begin with. So I'm okay with data center bans. I think we do have to be realistic though about the real tiny ones, the ones that we do have in the city today, and and not allowing those to proliferate, maybe separation requirements, maybe some sort of distancing, limitations on zones, et cetera. I do appreciate the Planning Commission's push on banning data centers,

Phil BacerraItem 30

but I think that might have been done without really kind of taking into account the existence of data centers, the itty-bitty ones that are there today. So I do appreciate the Planning Commission's push on banning them. I mean, my initial knee-jerk reaction was, yeah, that makes absolute sense. Go Planning Commission. But I think let's just be a little more surgical as far as, you know, for instance, I don't want banks leaving the city because they can't have a server. Like, that just seems ridiculous. But again, to what we've all come to know as data centers, the giant consumption of resources,

Phil BacerraItem 30

and the massive land that they take, I am a thousand percent okay with them not being in Santa Ana, I don't think they could be, but even if there was a remote opportunity for them to be, I'm good with that. One thing you didn't cover, Ali, and I'd like to ask you, and this is my last one, and that is the, I'm just saying, you know what, I've endured a lot tonight here. So the

Phil BacerraItem 30

battery centers, you know, the folks that come in, they want to do the, oh god, I forget what you want to call them. They're like the battery charging facilities, you know, that catch fire that tend to be very problematic in other communities. I know that there are state law that allows them in certain ways to the best that we can as a city exercising our police power. I'm not a huge fan of them, and I would like to, as much as we can, limit their existence in the city. I don't know how they serve a purpose for our local residents at all. I mean, unless it's located in a colony of pyromaniacs, then yeah.

Phil BacerraItem 30

But short of that, no, there's no reason that we should be having them here. They probably most likely would be more appropriate somewhere where they're not going to burn something around it down. So with that, Ali, again, thank you for all this. This is great. I'm looking forward to getting this to us. And then will the ALOC override also be on the next council meeting agenda?

The ALOC overrule process has a more drawn out timeline, so it could be bundled with the second reading.

Valerie AmezcuaItem 30

okay perfect thank you all right I'm gonna just cover really quick my my so first of all I thank you to you and all the staff that put all the work behind this my goodness 1.2 million touch points I've never heard that and so that's wonderful say thank you to everybody and even your living room meeting so thank you and I know Cornerstone has been here several times and I appreciate them coming and thank you for meeting with them four times you and your staff and now you're off to the fifth time. It's important that we shared the parking because in the city it's such a huge issue with parking and

Valerie AmezcuaItem 30

we hear it almost I we get emails on a regular basis every week about parking so I'm glad that on slide 25 you were able to share that information that's really important that we continue to share that with the community. One One question I do have is on the AI, the data centers. Are we talking the AI data centers or the telecom data centers? One is owned by the county and one is owned by us, the city. So because I think we have two data centers in the city right now. One's county, one's city, or one is run by the county, correct?

So we know of three. One is a privately owned facility in the middle of the Park and Paseo mixed use development. The other one is a county-operated facility, or it's at least on county property on Grand Avenue. And the third is in the east side of the city in that Dyer-Pulman area that, from what we know, serves Verizon's functionality.

Valerie AmezcuaItem 30

Okay. So the request, I'm sure some of the council, was to batten them completely. If you could just get more information on them, because I know other states have issues with them. They're larger states. Texas, they're creating, you know, giant facilities for data centers. we don't have that ability here in the city of san am so no i don't want them either but i also do want some information on them additional information that what you've already provided and do we have any requests to open any data centers have we had any so in the

almost 16 years i've been here we've had no requests to open a new data center the only one was the existing one that that park and paseo development was built around because they couldn't negotiate to buy them out and relocate them.

Valerie AmezcuaItem 30

It's built around

Basel? It is literally in the middle of a mixed-use development.

Valerie AmezcuaItem 30

Right, right. Okay. And then my final question is, and I think I shared with the city manager, and I think I shared with you, Ali, I met with Cottonwood area residents regarding the fraternity homes that are causing a lot of problems in that area. And I know the City of Orange and Orange Police Department and Chapman University have put some things in place to avoid, or just to somewhat control the fraternity homes that were coming, they were in their city because they were so problematic for police and the university, and for the community. And so I

Valerie AmezcuaItem 30

met with the residents at Cottonwood, myself, Code Enforcement, and Commander Gutierrez, and they were trying to get meetings for several, several months, and it wasn't happening. So I also may have had a living room meeting. The residents were very upset. I met the three fraternity homes I actually met with the the gentleman that lived there and there they are a problem and our police departments had to go out so I'd like more information and commander Gutierrez has all that information he's been working with the city of Orange with Orange Police Department and

Valerie AmezcuaItem 30

Chapman University on what we can do around our zoning code as well like Orange did with the zoning it's easy to just call Chapman University and say hey you know they're having parties and underage drinking and kick them out and That's not what we want to do. I just want to make sure we can have some regulations around them, because the residents are really having some hard times there with those fraternity homes. So if you can get back to me around that and the zoning, because I'd like to address that as well. Thank you so much. Anybody on this side? Council Member Lopez? Council Member Vasquez?

Council Member Vasquez?

Jessie LopezItem 30

Council Member Vasquez?

Jessie LopezItem 30

Many comments. I would like to, let's see.

Jessie LopezItem 30

You know, I think I want to start off by thanking city staff. I know that there's been a lot of work for the past two years that has taken place. you shared some of you know the numbers of reaching out to business owners our constituents you clarified that a lot of people that well a lot of people received a notification to participate in this process and I also want to thank the business owners of our community that have reached out to my office that have taken time to meet with me that have taken time to explain to me in practice how this would actually impact them because I think sometimes we can

Jessie LopezItem 30

talk about things and I can be a degree removed from the implication of it because I I don't work in a certain industry and so again I just want to thank them for their time and their patience and I also for the community to know right this is a very very large documents it's about 700 pages it's a very technical documents at neighborhood meetings I have encouraged our residents to read the document but of course you know people are very busy and so I just want to I think point out some things that I've noticed just at a very

Jessie LopezItem 30

high level on the city manager and you can walk me through it you can provide comments I'm open to hearing the perspective or what informed the language in what is being proposed. So I think one of the things that I agree with here is that older apartment buildings that are denser than today's general plan will no longer be treated as non-conforming just because of their density and that protects some of the most affordable housing that we have in the city which I'm very supportive of. I mean so I appreciate that and so I

Jessie LopezItem 30

think one example of that if an apartment building burns or is damaged owners cannot rebuild to the same density or number of units you know as opposed to being put through a much more difficult process and I think that that's something really great that I'm very supportive of because families should not lose their housing twice another thing is that polluting uses near schools, near homes and parks will need a conditional use permit, a CUP. Having heavy recycling, battery storage, truck terminals are removed from the industrial areas next to our neighborhoods.

Jessie LopezItem 30

And so I think part of that is some of the work that the city council did in the past previous years. And I also, I think, thinking about that, one of the things that, you know, one of my colleagues raised here and that I have I think questions about is this RII zone that we're asking the City Council to implement and for clear for full transparency right I'm not tonight ready to move forward with the RII zone I think that again in having conversations with the business owners of our city you

Jessie LopezItem 30

know I learned the implications of this and so and I also spent a couple hours in one of the areas off of chestnuts and I think I think it's Hathaway as well and so part of one side of the street would be covered the other side of the street would not be covered when I met with them you know they explicitly let me know that they had not met with city staff and that they would like the opportunity to meet with city staff to convey their concerns about the RRI zone and how would it impact their operations and ultimately how it could actually put them out of business because of the time restriction because

Jessie LopezItem 30

some of them are 24-hour operations some of them service our public school district some of them actually I think one of them actually provides a service to our own city and so I think that you know I think again for me it was really eye-opening and it's something that I would ask city staff to also meet with with the business owners of the area. Again, when I spent a couple hours there in that area, I was not able to document any of the issues that would, I think, that would justify the reduction here of operations. And it's an area very close to the rail track as well.

Jessie LopezItem 30

And so if we're saying that the issue here is noise, this would not control the noise that is coming from the freight train, is my understanding, which is something that, you know, I think residents are much more concerned about than the actual businesses that exist in that part of the city. And so that's something that I would ask of you, Ali and city manager, whomever your team is, is to meet with these business owners specifically in this area so that you guys can hear directly from them and understand the implications of the RII zone. and again right now at this moment I'm not ready to move forward with it and I

Jessie LopezItem 30

ask my council colleagues to be open-minded to be able to come back and discuss it once again once you're able to meet with them so that we ensure that the vote or the direction that the council provides today does not put a good partner out of business because that's not what I want to do and so that That was one of the things that I wanted to highlight.

Jessie LopezItem 30

And I also wanted to, I think just, I'm curious about how the overlay zone was essentially,

Jessie LopezItem 30

how did this recommendation come to be? I would love to hear that.

Yeah, thank you, Councilmember.

Just very high level. of course we'll continue to meet with anyone and we'll proactively reach out also to businesses in the area that you highlighted. For context, that area along the freight train tracks is directly abutting some of our most impacted distressed residential communities like Mini Street, Cornerstone Village, and others that basically back up to that area. So it's kind of prime example of where existing under today's zoning map it's literally zoned heavy industrial and it abuts like across a railroad track some of our densest like bishop manor for example so

using that as an example when we heard from residents in those neighborhoods and others as you've got to go down standard avenue and going back even to the general plan update where the environmental justice topics were put in and woven into the general plan that's where the idea of hey we need some set of regulations whether it's an overlay whether it's a different zoning district whether it's a set of standards or regulations something that addresses the fact that we have like heavy industrial operations like I was sharing earlier either directly across the street from or sharing a property line with residential properties and so

through that initial introduction of the topic we started exploring it further Okay, would this be better as an overlay? Would this be better just as a set of regulations? Should we just eliminate all the industrial uses from those properties and say, hey, this is now like a super-duper light, light industrial zone? And through that sort of community process of taking feedback, coming out with a draft, getting feedback, coming out with another draft, and getting to the Planning Commission version that they recommended approval of, that's how the idea was sort of born and then refined through that kind of back and forth process.

What we also heard from the business owners as well, largely that turned out for the engagement process, that a lot of them initially were skeptical naturally of anything that would change their sort of status quo, but by the end, as we heard earlier during tonight's presentation and questions, the remaining topic of sort of, hey, can we get this, is about contractors' yards. But by and large, the majority of the folks represented by the business groups has sort of come to accept the RII overlay and sort of understand how its proposed regulations may or may not impact certain businesses. So, of course, yes, thank you.

We will proactively reach out to those business owners again and have those conversations. And then when we come back for first reading, we can report back on some of the topics that you highlighted.

Jessie LopezItem 30

So just for clarity, did you speak with the business owners of, I think it's, what is this, it's between Chestnut and Santa Fe?

So for example, we contacted the folks representing Engardia Brothers, which is located there.

Jessie LopezItem 30

Did you speak with them?

Yes.

Jessie LopezItem 30

And so they were supportive of this?

So we have our planning manager, Ricardo Soto, his team spoke with them, I believe, last week. And basically they came to understand that, for example, for Engardia Brothers, they are largely, because it's a produce operation, it's largely an indoor operation, already indoors. Yes, of course, you have trucks pulling in and out of the docks, but that's not outdoor operation per se. Like, it's not outdoor manufacturing. So these regulations, other than the noise limitations, which are intended to be good neighbor standards between residential and industrial, other than that, would not render

them legal non-conforming per se, would not put them out of business. It would require sort of an enhanced monitoring of their own operations to ensure that between late night and early morning hours, the noise impacts would not exceed thresholds that would create impacts onto surrounding properties. I believe we also had an individual tonight from a business.

Jessie LopezItem 30

Sorry Ali, just kind of going back to that specific example. Sure. They're an indoor operation as you mentioned. They're basically a 24 hour operation. They're a produce distributor beyond, they do more than produce. I got to tour the facilities, I got to speak with them. They expressed to me they're not supportive. I am a little confused as to how your conversation went with them given that if you're not supportive If this were to be applied by the City Council, it would, as I understand it, it would highly impact their ability to do business in the city. It would essentially put them out of business.

Yes, and thank you for sharing that. As our City Manager shared earlier, not every sort of touchpoint resulted in sort of unanimity or agreement. So in this case, yes, there may still be concerns. Yes, there may still be sort of like perspectives on how this may or may not impact them. but we made the contact, we heard the concerns, and nonetheless, through the balance of wanting to propose a set of regulations that ensure compatibility, good neighbor practices between businesses and residences, that's where staff's professional recommendation is based on.

Jessie LopezItem 30

So my understanding is you all met with them, you just don't agree with their perspective.

It could be just a difference of professional opinion, correct?

Jessie LopezItem 30

That is way different than, you know, I think what I originally heard. Go ahead.

Thank you, Ricardo, planning manager. We can continue to meet with them. Sometimes it's a matter of, like you mentioned, it's a complex code of making sure that the business owner understands how the code would work with their business or potentially impact their business. So definitely we can reach out to them again.

Jessie LopezItem 30

But the position for my office is not that they need to accept the recommendation. It is how do we work together to ensure that we protect the residents and not put a business out of business.

So the way the code is currently drafted, like Ali was mentioning, it would be a legal nonconforming use. And then the way the ordinance works, it wouldn't impact their business. They would just have to actually not even abandon their...

Jessie LopezItem 30

How wouldn't it not impact their business if we're restricting the hours of operations?

So the hours of operation would not be limited. it would just be the noise limit.

Jessie LopezItem 30

How would, and so what is the definition of the noise here?

So the noise is anything that exceeds thresholds that are already in the Santa Ana Municipal Code. So the Santa Ana Municipal Code has decibel ratings for like 55, 60, daytime, nighttime, weekends, federal holidays, all that. So the purpose of those regulations, again, is to ensure that where there's that interface, that there's a sort of commitment or a standard put in place where the business understands that due to their proximity, they either have to have better noise attenuation or sort of better screening, better indoor operations. It's a vast menu of how a business on an individual basis could comply.

So in this case, based on the feedback that we're hearing tonight about this particular business, yes, of course we will meet with them again to better understand specifically how they perceive the impacts and we could better more definitively give them a sort of site-specific evaluation of how the code may or may not impact them.

Jessie LopezItem 30

And just curious, what is the documented history here of noise complaints?

To my knowledge, we haven't received any. And that is meant to ensure that any, again, Engardio Brothers may be like a good model current business operator, but there could be new businesses that move in. And so it's not just meant to sort of say, hey, we've heard this at a specific location. It could be what comes after a specific business. It could be what new business locates in that area. And so when you don't have those standards in place, you leave the door open for these issues to potentially arise, whereas by having a set of regulations proposed by staff, it

creates a baseline sort of understanding for any new operator to come in and say, hey, because I'm in this overlay area, this is what's expected of me from my operations.

Jessie LopezItem 30

Yes, and I would love to provide just some context here. You guys are getting, like, you're at the front line of my questions, right? I appreciate you responding to them, but this is exactly why I'm not going to be helping to move this forward. I don't think, frankly, I don't think this council is ready to take on such a massive document that includes so much nuance that is going to have an impact, whether they have read through it, whether they have met with businesses or not to fully understand it. And so I think for me, I have a long list actually in front of me of things that I would love to discuss. I'll be requesting a meeting

Jessie LopezItem 30

just so that we discuss it in private and so that we can fully flesh some of these items out and not necessarily take up much more of tonight because I could talk for another hour really. I have deep concerns about some of the language in the zoning code, and I wanna be able to present them to city staff so that you understand my perspective, and also to give you all time to meet with the stakeholders that are important to me. And so again, I don't think that it has to be one or the other, it has to be about how do we ensure we're working together with good partners, like in Guardia Brothers, and the other businesses in the area.

Jessie LopezItem 30

Thank you.

Thai Viet PhanItem 30

Any other comments? Council Member Fenn. Thank you, Mayor. Thank you for your presentation, Director Przesh Kapoor. So we've talked about, we're talking a lot about the industrial zone and the interface zone because I think that's kind of the big hot topic, right? That's, as to Fairview, it's great. I lived there for six years, never heard a peep from the industrial on the other side. I actually don't think additional buffering is required on that because Fairview itself is so large and it's such a big thoroughfare. These businesses in that area are not 24 hours.

Thai Viet PhanItem 30

And I actually think having those businesses increase the public safety in the area because they usually have security and monitoring and things like that. So I think that is an example of ideally what we would have wanted in our industrial zones as well as the good businesses that are operating there.

Thai Viet PhanItem 30

I guess my concern is definitely on the E side because that is where we really do have residential directly abutting these businesses. My question regarding the interface zone is, do we currently have any type of lists or policy, like a good neighbor policy drafted up somewhere? Because one of my city clients, we have a lot of industrial going in. we have a city council approved good neighbor policy for industrials that talk about you know where dock doors can go, truck routes, what type of noise attenuation, etc. Do we have something

Thai Viet PhanItem 30

like that currently or is that something we're going to work on? So short answer no. What is

being proposed in the zoning code is to actually take those principles of a good neighbor policy and codify them so that they become regulations and standards that are not only transparent and printed in the code, but also enforceable through the code enforcement process. When their policies, enforcement can be a little bit more tricky. When it's codified and printed in code, it's again uniformly administered by staff, it's uniformly applicable to businesses, and it's uniformly enforceable.

Thai Viet PhanItem 30

Got it. And I guess the other question I have is specific to the noise attenuation, right? Because in some of these 24-hour businesses, we're seeing, you know, we're just worried about folks operating at night, people not being able to sleep, going to work and stuff like that. Is there anything that moving forward for these kind of, you know, businesses that are concerned about being, I guess, existing non-conforming or anything like that, that we can do to help address those issues? I guess because we don't want to get rid of these businesses, but also residents are very concerned about not just the,

Thai Viet PhanItem 30

whether it's noise pollution, air pollution, et cetera. Is there anything we can do or existing in the zoning code to address that?

In the existing, not in the zoning code, but in the existing municipal code in Chapter 18, there's noise standards for operations and for construction activities. In the proposed zoning code, the noise standards, as we were covering earlier, would address, would remain in Chapter 18. But for industrial businesses in that re-interface area, that's where there would be the noise standards that address the outdoor noise sort of impacts. And they're actually modeled very similarly after what was adopted for the Logan and Lacey neighborhoods. So it would still be the same that any sort of exterior noise generating activities as

measured at the property line essentially of the business would be subject to noise standards between late night and early morning hours.

Thai Viet PhanItem 30

Okay. So what we're really saying is that when we face some of these businesses that residents feel may be in violation of the CUP or the existing standards, it's really a code enforcement

issue? Correct. When it becomes, there are some instances where the police department may be called if it's like late night or construction related, but largely if it's like an ongoing violation or it's a violation of conditions of approval on an entitlement, then yes, it's a

Thai Viet PhanItem 30

code enforcement matter. And does our proposed zoning code change or maybe it's just something that is city standard practice? You know, because we do get these complaints, right? And the question is at what point do we pursue a hearing to revoke a CUP? Or what does that look like? I guess because I'm trying to figure out how do we have this interface area without getting rid of, I guess, like the well-meaning businesses, the businesses that are complying and not receiving complaints, but at the same time actually have teeth and go after those that are, whether intentionally or unintentionally,

Thai Viet PhanItem 30

in violation of our code.