Santa Ana's top news & views blog

Santa Ana's top news & views blog

Category Archives: Civic Affairs

Santa Ana weekend intersection closure at W. Santa Ana Bl. and N. Flower St.

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Construction crews will be working day and night shifts to replace waterlines in preparation for the OC Streetcar. To accommodate this work, a closure of W. Santa Ana Boulevard and N. Flower Street intersection will be in effect starting, Friday, 1/24/20 at 8:00 p.m. and continuing through Monday, 1/27/20 to 5:00 a.m. in the morning.

Right-hand turns at the intersection will be permitted, and access to businesses and residences will be maintained at all times. For any questions about the OC Streetcar project, please contact OCstreetcar@octa.net or (844) 746-6272. Download the new OC Streetcar app available in the App Store and Google Play to get updates on traffic closures and detours.

Please note construction schedules are subject to change.

Thank you for your patience during the OC Streetcar construction!

For current, OC Streetcar project status and updates please visit:
http://www.octa.net/Projects-and-Programs/All-Projects/Rail-Projects/OC-Streetcar/?frm=7683

To receive OC Streetcar construction notices visit:
http://www.octa.net/Projects-and-Programs/All-Projects/Rail-Projects/OC-Streetcar/?frm=7683#!Construction

Tonight’s Santa Ana City Council meeting is the first one of the year

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The Santa Ana City Council will have its regular meeting tonight, Jan. 21, at Santa Ana City Hall in the Council Chamber, 22 Civic Center Plaza.

The closed session begins at 5 p.m. and the open meeting is scheduled for 5:45 p.m.

Tonight’s meeting agenda includes:

• A resolution supporting extensions of the OC Streetcar project;
• A second ordinance reading approving a development at 2525 N. Main St., or directing staff to prepare a possible ballot initiative measure on the matter;
• Approval of a display of “E Pluribus Unum” in City Council chambers;
• A discussion on providing American Sign Language services for City Council meetings;
• Directing staff to prepare a resolution establishing a City Charter review committee;
• A discussion on restructuring or disbanding one or more existing City Council committees;
• A public hearing for a conditional use permit for alcohol sale and consumption at Mariscos Hector #1, 1801 S. Main St.;
• A public hearing on the Calvary Church master plan for 1010 and 1100-B N. Tustin Ave.;
• A discussion on providing form 602, which gives limited authorization to police to arrest trespassers on private property, to all businesses applying for a license; and
• A discussion on directing the city manager to request the Police Department and other city departments to enforce anti-camping, anti-panhandling and related laws.

The meeting will air on City of Santa Ana Channel 3 (CTV3) and can be livestreamed online.

For more information about council meetings, to see the meeting agenda in English and Spanish and for a link to the livestream, please go to www.santa-ana.org/cc/city-meetings.

The City of Santa Ana seeks Artists to submit design proposals for utility box art

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The City of Santa Ana’s Arts & Culture Office, in collaboration with the Public Works Agency, is issuing a Call for Art Proposals to artists or artist teams who live, work or study in Santa Ana to create art for utility boxes.

The intent of the Utility Box Art Program is to enhance the beauty and vibrancy of the city, provide the opportunity for artists to showcase their work, and discourage vandalism on utility boxes. The design proposals will be reviewed by a panel, and the artists/artist teams selected will be awarded an all-inclusive budget of $400 to paint a utility box. The Arts & Culture Office will apply a special coating to the painted utility boxes to extend the longevity of the art.

To view the Call for Proposals (CFP) and download a design template for the submission, go to santa-ana.org/cd/arts-culture-office/utility-box-art-program-revolving-display.

Design proposals are due by Feb. 13 at 11:59 p.m. (PST) and must be submitted online at cityofsantaana.submittable.com/submit.

Santa Ana’s City Hall is closed today in recognition of MLK Day

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City Hall will be closed on Monday, Jan. 20, for its scheduled holiday closure.

There will be no street sweeping, and trash pickup will be pushed back one day. Regular City Hall hours will resume on Tuesday.

For more information, see the Holiday and Friday Closure Schedule: https://www.santa-ana.org/holiday-and-closed-friday-schedule.

El Ayuntamiento de Santa Ana Estará Cerrado el Lunes 20 de Enero por el Día de Martin Luther King Jr.

El Ayuntamiento estará cerrado el lunes 20 de enero por el cierre programado de día festivo.

No habrá barrida de calles, y la recolección de basura se retrasará un día. El horario regular del Ayuntamiento se reanudará el martes.

Para obtener más información, consulte el calendario de cierres:
https://www.santa-ana.org/holiday-and-closed-friday-schedule.

The City of Santa Ana sues south O.C. cities and the County over the homeless crisis

Posted on by Posted in Civic Affairs, Courts, homeless, Orange County, Santa Ana 3 Comments

The City of Santa Ana filed two lawsuits on Jan. 13 in its continuing efforts to address the impacts of homelessness.

The first seeks to halt the proposed transportation of homeless individuals into Santa Ana by three local cities, among other relief. The second seeks to abate public nuisance conditions at a facility in Santa Ana operated by the Mental Health Association of Orange County.

The legal actions were authorized by a unanimous vote of the Santa Ana City Council during a closed session meeting on Dec. 17.

Case SA CV 20-0069-DOC (DFMx), filed in the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California, Southern Division, names as defendants the County of Orange and the cities of Dana Point, San Clemente and San Juan Capistrano. The complaint alleges violations of the Eighth Amendment prohibition on cruel and unusual punishment and the 14th Amendment’s equal protection and due process clauses.

The City of Santa Ana is seeking monetary damages for its past and future expenditures on homeless resources and related services. The City also is seeking injunctive relief prohibiting the proposed transportation of homeless individuals by the above cities to the National Guard Armory in Santa Ana that is operated by the County for temporary nighttime shelter.

The complaint alleges that the city of San Clemente has closed its temporary homeless shelter and has decided to use the Armory to serve its homeless population. Dana Point and San Juan Capistrano are reported to be sharing in the cost of the transportation of such individuals to the Armory. More generally, Santa Ana urges that these jurisdictions have not equitably participated in relieving the homelessness crisis in Orange County. The complaint seeks to re-focus efforts on a more collaborative approach to the crisis.

The complaint also alleges the County of Orange has established homeless services almost exclusively in Santa Ana. In addition to the 200-bed Armory, the County operates a 400-bed shelter in downtown Santa Ana with plans to replace it with a new 425-bed shelter also in Santa Ana.

The City of Santa Ana operates its own 200-bed homeless shelter for Santa Ana residents.

In recent years, the city of Santa Ana has been compelled to spend millions of dollars from its general fund to address health and safety concerns attributable to the homeless population now living here. That money would otherwise have been spent on providing core services to residents, a deprivation that has subjected residents to cruel and unusual punishment and deprived them of due process of law, the complaint says.

Santa Ana also has the largest Latino population in Orange County, 78 percent of a total population of 341,000, and one of the county’s lowest median household incomes. As a result, the burden of servicing the county’s homeless that has been placed on Santa Ana constitutes a denial of residents’ equal protection under the law, the complaint states.

A hearing on a motion for preliminary injunction in the federal case is scheduled for Feb. 4 at 8 a.m. in U.S. District Court in Santa Ana.

The second case, filed in Orange County Superior Court, names as defendants the Orange County Association for Mental Health, doing business as Mental Health Association of Orange County, and BT Investment Properties, LLC, which is the owner of the property in question.

In this case, Santa Ana alleges that the operation of the Homeless Multi-Service Center by the Mental Health Association has resulted in negative impacts to public health, safety and welfare. The Santa Ana Police Department received more than 249 calls for service at the location between May 1, 2017, and Jan. 9, 2020, according to the complaint.

The City further alleges that the multi-service center is not in compliance with the City’s zoning code.

Lane reduction on Bristol Street set for Jan. 15 and 16

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For two days, starting tomorrow, Wednesday, January 15th through Thursday, January 16, 2020 from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. each day, Bristol Street will be reduced to one lane in each direction between 17th Street and Santa Clara Avenue.

As part of the Bristol Street Rehabilitation Project, the temporary lane reduction is required for construction of the new asphalt pavement.

Please use alternate routes and plan for possible delays since this lane reduction will impact traffic flow.

The lane reduction is subject to change based upon weather conditions.

We apologize for any inconvenience and thank you for understanding.

Santa Ana welcomes a new Library Services Director from Rancho Cucamonga

Posted on by Posted in Brian Sternberg, Civic Affairs, Parks and Recreation, Santa Ana 1 Comment

SANTA ANA, CA – Brian Sternberg joined the City of Santa Ana this week as the new Executive Director of Library Services.

Sternberg’s arrival sets the stage for renewed growth at the City’s libraries, which in the current fiscal year became a standalone department. Among his responsibilities will be overseeing facility upgrades and expanded hours at the Newhope Branch Library.

“I’m looking forward to helping Santa Ana’s libraries modernize and evolve to better serve the community,” Sternberg said. “Public libraries are an essential cultural resource that not only offer a wide array of books and physical materials, but also should be community anchors that provide hands-on and interactive educational experiences through new and innovative programs and services.”

Prior to coming to Santa Ana, Sternberg served as Assistant Library Services Director at the City of Rancho Cucamonga since June 2015. His accomplishments in that role included the development of a regional children’s museum inside a local library and providing high-speed broadband service to library customers.

Sternberg also has served in several capacities at the Los Angeles County Library, including North County Regional Administrator for 14 libraries and two bookmobiles, and as Assistant Library Administrator for Public Services, where he provided space-planning expertise and project management support for a number of library refurbishments. A Chicago native, he previously worked as a branch manager and in other roles at the Chicago Public Library.

Sternberg received his bachelor of arts degree in Philosophy and Religious Studies from DePaul University in Chicago and his master’s degree in Library and Information Science from Dominican University in River Forest, Illinois. He is a graduate of the California Library Leadership Institute and attended the Planning and Design of Public Libraries Program at Harvard University, Graduate School of Design.

“I’m happy to welcome Brian Sternberg to our wonderful city,” said City Manager Kristine Ridge. “His years of experience at public libraries, large and small, and the many new ideas he has brought with him will help to transform our library system.”

Santa Ana’s first library opened in the 1890s and today the Santa Ana Public Library operates two branches that contain more than 238,000 books, thousands of videos and audio recordings, and numerous other materials.

The Main Library at 26 Civic Center Plaza has a computer lab, learning center and history room, and the Newhope Branch Library at 122 N. Newhope St. has a computer lab, learning center and teen space. Learn more at www.santa-ana.org/library.

Next week is your last chance for Christmas tree recycling pickup in Santa Ana

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The holiday season has come to an end, so let’s start the new decade on the right foot by recycling. Next week is the last week for Christmas tree recycling pickup in Santa Ana.

Waste Management is collecting Christmas trees during regularly scheduled trash pickup through Jan. 17. Trees taller than 4 feet must be cut in half. Please remove all decorations including tinsel, lights, ornaments and tree stands. Place the tree at the curb. Flocked trees will be collected but cannot be recycled.

For questions regarding Christmas tree recycling, call (714) 558-7761.

Weigh in on Fair Housing Issues at upcoming Santa Ana workshops

Posted on by Posted in Affordable Housing, Civic Affairs, Civil Rights, Housing, Santa Ana Leave a comment

The public is invited to join the City of Santa Ana, the County of Orange and other area cities for a special discussion on fair housing issues at a series of workshops this month.

The Analysis of Impediments to Fair Housing workshops are conducted every five years as required by the Department of Housing and Urban Development. This year, 34 cities and the County of Orange are participating in a regional Analysis of Impediments to Fair Housing Choice.

The public input received at these meetings will be used by county and city agencies to help address housing needs and prioritize funding. The community meetings are grouped by regions: North Orange County, Central Orange County, West Orange County and South Orange County, but residents from anywhere in the county can attend any of the meetings.

Learn about the Analysis of Impediments to Fair Housing process and how it contributes to advancing fair housing opportunities for all county residents. Share your thoughts on existing fair housing barriers and help form fair housing goals and priorities.

South Orange County:
Thursday, Jan. 9, 6:30 p.m.
Mission Viejo Saddleback Room II
200 Civic Center, Mission Viejo, CA 92691

West Orange County:
Tuesday, Jan. 28, 6:30 p.m.
Westminster Miriam Warne Community Room
14491 Beach Blvd.
Westminster, CA 92683

Central Orange County:
Wednesday, Jan. 29, 6:30 p.m.
Santa Ana City Council Chambers
22 Civic Center Plaza, Santa Ana, CA 92702

North Orange County:
Thursday, Jan. 30, 6 p.m.
Fullerton Public Library Community Conference Center
353 W. Commonwealth Avenue
Fullerton, CA 92832

For more information:
714-765-4300 ext. 4891
mgallardo@anaheim.net

Translation services available upon request.

The Santa Ana police union is misusing the recall process to target their critics

Posted on by Posted in 2020 Elections, Cecilia Iglesias, Civic Affairs, Elections, Labor, Santa Ana, SAPD 1 Comment

The Orange County Register’s Editorial Board slammed the Santa Ana Police Officers Association (SAPOA) today in a stunning editorial that is 100% spot on. Here it is – please read it and share with your friends, family and neighbors.

Santa Ana cop union targets truth-tellers

The Santa Ana police union-funded recall campaign against Councilmember Cecilia Iglesias last month submitted 16,000 signatures to the Orange County Registrar of Voters, which has until February to verify the signatures before putting it on the ballot. The union has dropped $220,000 on the effort — and another $100,000 on a separate (but now stalled) campaign to recall Councilmember Juan Villegas.

What have these elected officials done to deserve this harsh reaction? They had the audacity to tell the truth about the city’s finances.

They opposed massive police raises that the city couldn’t afford and that drained funds from a previous tax hike that slapped residents with a county-high 9.25 percent sales tax.

They refused to be intimidated by over-the-top rhetoric from Police Officers Association officials.

The union has enormous influence on the council, which in part explains why it voted 4-2 in last year to approve $25.6 million in retroactive raises over three years even though it had not identified how it was going to pay for them. The approval pushed the city’s deficit from $600,000 to $4.8 million in one fell swoop.

In September, the Register reported that money from Measure X — the tax hike that promised to fund street and park maintenance, neighborhood safety, homeless prevention and other needs — was not apparently being spent as promised, according to oversight committee members. The money, members feared, might mainly to cover these police raises and pension obligations. By the way, the city projects a significant budget deficit for the coming year.

Members of Measure X’s oversight committee also feared that the tax boost was a Band-Aid and that the city is locking itself into unsustainable long-term expenses. That echoes the warnings that Iglesias and Villegas had previously made.

H.L. Mencken wrote that the politicians Americans “detest most violently are those who try to tell them the truth.” We think the curmudgeonly late journalist was being overly cynical. After Santa Ana voters evaluate the Iglesias recall, we suspect they will stand by a council member who levels with them rather than trades in fiscally imprudent fantasies.

Supervisor Andrew Do launches his reelection campaign

Posted on by Posted in 2020 Elections, Andrew Do, Civic Affairs, Elections, homeless, Politics, Santa Ana Leave a comment

ORANGE COUNTY – January 3 – The Andrew Do for Supervisor campaign has launched a new ad titled “For Every Family” that began airing January 1 on cable throughout Orange County, backed by a six-figure ad buy.

Homelessness has become rampant throughout Orange County and California, though under Supervisor Do’s leadership and hard work, the county has seen tremendous improvement on eliminating homelessness, thanks to significant investment and action from the county.

“It was a crisis, so we got to work and made a difference,” Do said. “The homeless are our family–no family deserves to live on the street. We’re ending homelessness one at a time, until no family is left behind.”

Chief Strategist for the Andrew Do for Supervisor campaign, John Thomas, said: “Very rarely do we see a politician keep his or her word and make good on campaign promises, but Andrew Do is doing just that. He’s laid the foundation for ending homelessness and it’s exciting to dream about what he can accomplish with four more years.”

About Supervisor Andrew Do

A former prosecutor, educator, businessman and judge pro tem, Orange County Supervisor Andrew Do is fighting for Orange County taxpayers and working families in the First District communities of Garden Grove, Fountain Valley, Midway City, Santa Ana and Westminster.

As Orange County Supervisor, Andrew Do has increased funding for the Orange County Sheriff’s Department and expanded access to vital health care services for seniors and working families. He has cut taxes on small businesses, eliminated regulatory obstacles that impede innovation and defended Prop. 13 by expanding OC taxpayers’ rights to appeal their property tax bills.

During the Fall of Saigon, Andrew Do and his family fled Vietnam with just the clothes on their back and a suitcase full of dictionaries. Thanks to supportive teachers and faculty at Garden Grove’s Jordan Intermediate and Bolsa Grande High School, Andrew developed the educational foundation to earn his bachelor’s degree from University of California, Davis.

His education continued at the University of California, Hastings College of the Law, where he volunteered with the public interest law project to address homelessness and aid marginalized communities. After law school, he taught as an Adjunct Professor at Cal State University, Fullerton and then served as a Judge Pro Tem at Orange County West Municipal Court.

After several years providing legal representation to poor and indigent defendants, Andrew Do joined the Orange County District Attorney’s office – with his last assignment prosecuting sexually violent predators as a member of the D.A.’s Sexual Assault Unit. His skills in the courtroom earned him national recognition from the U.S. Department of Justice, when he was chosen to represent Orange County at the National District Attorney Association Advocacy College at the University of South Carolina.

Andrew Do previously served as a Councilmember for the City of Garden Grove and as Chief of Staff to an Orange County Supervisor. His lifetime of community involvement includes service as President of the Asian Bar of California and President of the Vietnamese-American Bar Association of Southern California as well as service on the Board of Directors of the Orange County Bar Association.

The Santa Ana police union wants to blow $500K in taxpayer money to recall Councilwoman Ceci Iglesias

Posted on by Posted in 2020 Elections, Cecilia Iglesias, Civic Affairs, Elections, Politics, Santa Ana, SAPD 1 Comment

The Santa Ana Police Officers Association, known as SAPOA, has finally admitted that they are the ones funding the recall effort against Santa Ana City Councilwoman Cecilia Iglesias, according to the O.C. Register.

As you might imagine Iglesias reacted to the news about the recall signatures on her Facebook page:

greedyGerry is finally exposed as the sole funder for the recall against me. It’s a shame that he has been given so much control in misspending his members money using it to fund recalls that will cost the city $500k for an election.

Under #greedyGerry leadership city hall will continue to be coercively governed by an unethical bully. Gerry Serrano has managed to control the majority of the council to do his dirty work inside city hall. He is a bully and continues to bully the only women on the council. This did not happen under the former POA President.

Gerry doesn’t care about Santa Ana residents. He only cares about the money he takes from Santa Ana residents. Why should he care about Santa Ana, when he lives in Garden Grove.

My respects to the our police officers. They are just doing their job. They are doing the best they can under their bully president.

Say No to the Recall!!!

The police union has spent $220,000 since last July to oppose Iglesias, most of it going to a committee dubbed “Neighbors Supporting the Recall of Cecilia Iglesias.” This has paid for the gathering of 16,000 signatures in support of the recall, which were turned in to the City of Santa Ana on Dec. 18 and then delivered the next day to the Orange County Registrar of Voters.

The Registrar will determine the validity of the signatures. The police union will need at least 10,865 valid signatures in order to qualify the recall for the ballot. The Registrar’s office has until Feb. 3 to verify the signatures and return those results to the city. I suppose that means the recall might be able to make the March Primary Election ballot but more likely it is headed for the November ballot.

The police union’s leaders are upset with Iglesias because she voted last February against spending $25 million on police raises. However the City Council as a whole did vote for the raises, begging the question, why go after Iglesias when the police union got what they wanted?

And it turns out that Iglesias was right all along. The police union and the City Council ended up funding the big police raise by raiding the funds raised by Measure X, a highly ill-advised sales tax increase the voters got duped into voting for back in 2018. That money was supposed to be used for a slew of city services but it has in fact been spent mostly on police expenses and other city debt.

The police union already had a chance to beat Iglesias when she ran for the City Council but they recruited a lame and lazy candidate who lost badly. Now the police union wants to spend our taxpayer money to fund a recall election that only serves them! It is salt in the wound after they ripped us off with Measure X.

The City Council will have a chance to vote on when the recall election will take place. Hopefully they will push it back to the November General Election. Iglesias is already running to replace termed-out Santa Ana Mayor Miguel Pulido so trying to recall her would be a total waste of time.

Ironically Iglesias now enjoys broad support from both the right and the left as she steadfastly stands up for the voters and taxpayers in a town where the City Council members usually kowtow to the special interests.

Shame on the SAPOA for funding this ridiculous recall effort! They should man up and leave Iglesias alone. Let the voters decide her fate when she runs for Mayor. Most likely she will win that race too and trigger the police union’s fragile leaders once again!

Local youth to lead people’s tour of Santa Ana this Saturday

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The public is invited to learn about Santa Ana’s history through themes of history, art, culture, architecture, nature and more during the People’s Tour of Santa Ana on Saturday, Jan. 4.

The free tour, which continues the celebration of the city’s 150th anniversary, is led by youth interns from the Heritage Museum of Orange County.

Tours begin at 4 p.m. and 6 p.m. and last about 30 minutes. No need to sign up, simply show up at the corner of 4th and French streets (near Plaza Calle Cuatro) to board the free Downtown Santa Ana Trolley.

This program is an off-shoot of Heritage Museum’s summer enrichment program, the People’s History of Orange County, in which local high school youth had the opportunity to learn about the diversity of their Orange County community. Over the past few months local Santa Ana youth have developed the tour and are ready to share the information they have learned with their peers and community members.

A renovated Santa Ana Water Station receives an award

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The City of Santa Ana Public Works Agency this month was presented the B.E.S.T. Water Project award by the Southern California chapter of the American Public Works Association for the renovation of the Walnut Water Pump Station located at 723 W. Walnut St.

The B.E.S.T. Award, which stands for “Building Excellence, Shaping Tomorrow,” for the Walnut Water Pump Station was presented at an award luncheon held on Dec. 10 in Lakewood. The Public Works Agency’s Water Resources Team (pictured) accepted the award.

The newly renovated Walnut Water Pump station facility now operates with the latest technology and efficiency standards. This $5 million project was funded through the City’s Water Enterprise Fund rate revenue.

The project included the construction of a new building, new piping, new pumps and new electrical controls with state-of-the-art automation. The station uses more efficient controls to reduce the amount of energy needed to pump the same amount of water.

This pump station is currently fed by three wells and has a 6 million-gallon tank that serves as a storage facility. Walnut Water Pump station serves the heart of the City’s Downtown, making the station a critical infrastructure to the water system.