Mayor Vicente Sarmiento and Councilmember Nelida Mendoza shared an update on COVID-19, how to get vaccinated, financial assistance for Santa Ana residents, and more.
Find pandemic news and resources at https://www.santa-ana.org/covid19.
Actualización de Video sobre COVID-19
El alcalde Vicente Sarmiento y la concejal Nelida Mendoza comparten una actualización sobre COVID-19, como vacunarse, asistencia financiera para los residentes de Santa Ana, y más.
Santa Ana Mayor Vicente Sarmiento and Councilmember Johnathan Ryan Hernandez share news about the Revive Santa Ana pandemic recovery plan, reopenings, and getting the vaccine.
Learn more about how to get the COVID-19 vaccine and other pandemic resources at https://www.santa-ana.org/covid19.
Actualización de Video sobre COVID-19
El alcalde de Santa Ana Vicente Sarmiento y el concejal Johnathan Ryan Hernandez comparten noticias sobre el plan de recuperación pandémica, las reaperturas, y como conseguir la vacuna.
Aprenda más sobre como vacunarse contra COVID-19 y otros recursos pandémicos en https://www.santa-ana.org/covid19.
OCFA firefighters battled a heavy fire just two doors down from fire station 72 in Santa Ana, at a two-story residential house at the 1600 blk. of E. 4th St., across the street from the home of Santa Ana Mayor Vince Sarmiento, at approximately 11 p.m. last night.
There was heavy fire damage on both floors and a weakened building so the fire crews were in a defensive mode which means they were trying to limit the spread of the fire.
The fire was finally extinguished early this morning. The firefighters then overhauled the house to ensure that all the hot spots were out.
OCFA fire investigators were at the scene as well.
No injuries were reported.
The SAPD provided assistance with regard to closing off the street so the fire crews could work safely.
SAN JOSÉ, CA – The Big City Mayors (BCM), a coalition of the mayors from California’s 13 largest cities, came together virtually today to ask the Governor and Legislative Leadership to include a historic $4 billion per year, multi-year investment, for a total of $20 billion, in the state budget to permanently house nearly every Californian who entered a homeless shelter in 2020. With the combination of the $26 billion California received from the American Rescue Plan, and the state’s record surplus, the coalition sees a unique opportunity to measurably impact the homelessness crisis in California.
This would become the largest allocation of funds dedicated to fighting the homelessness crisis in United States history and could build over 100,000 homes for unhoused residents in California. The state is home to more than 25 percent of the nation’s unhoused residents.
“Our bipartisan coalition of large-city mayors know too well the urgency of addressing the homelessness that afflicts 161,000 of our fellow Californians,” said San José Mayor and BCM Chair, Sam Liccardo. “This year’s budget provides California with a once-in-a-generation opportunity to dramatically reduce homelesseness –if we can muster the collective courage to stand up for our most vulnerable neighbors.”
In early April, the BCM sent a letter to California State leadership including State Senate President Pro Tempore Toni Atkins, Speaker Anthony Rendon, and Budget Committee Chairs Senator Nancy Skinner and State Assemblymember Phil Ting, outlining the desperate need for an ongoing source of funding for building new housing. The $4 billion per year, multi-year request came from the average cost of a Project Homekey unit at $148,000. Mayors continue to utilize HEAP and HHAP funding, previous one-time State funding allocations, to build prefabricated dorms, modular housing, tiny homes, and shelters more cost-effectively with state and local dollars.
“We appreciate the unprecedented scale of this financial commitment, one appropriate to the unprecedented—and growing—scale of this massive crisis, one that will define our generation’s collective legacy. We urge flexible funding commensurate with our monumental task ahead — and we thank you for your leadership and continued partnership,” the mayors wrote.
The BCM continues to work closely with the Governor’s office and State Legislature to address the housing and homelessness crisis and expressed their continued commitment to existing emergency interim housing operations along with supportive services that would not be possible without state assistance. This balanced allocation will help move unhoused residents off the streets while also sustaining existing programs to keep them housed.
Homelessness continues to become increasingly desperate in California. The state’s newly launched Homeless Data Integration System allows cities to better understand the ever-changing nature of homelessness services throughout the state. Of the 248,130 people local providers reported serving in 2020: 91,626 people (37%) moved into permanent housing, and 117,109 people (47%) remained actively engaged in services or shelter but were not yet permanently housed, underscoring the need for housing in California.
In 2020, more than 32,000 people received homelessness prevention assistance, more than double the number of people served in 2017. Of those who accessed services, 41 percent reported a disabling condition, 9 percent were veterans, 17 percent reported experiences with domestic violence, and 22 percent were under the age of 18. The funding that BCM is requesting will go directly to solutions to housing our most vulnerable individuals..
The BCM believes a consistent allocation of flexible funding to big cities will make a necessary and dramatic step to address the homelessness crisis across California and become a national model for addressing the crisis nationwide.
“Such a bold commitment would have a transformative and lasting impact on California, and make California a national model of compassion.” said the coalition.
The Big City Mayors met with State Leadership, and at their urging, both the Assembly and Senate have included $4 billion a year in funding for housing and homelessness over multiple years in their budget priorities, released earlier this week.
To read the full letter, click here.
The Big City Mayors is a coalition of Mayors across California’s 13 largest cities. Members include Mayors from Los Angeles, San Diego, San José, San Francisco, Fresno, Sacramento, Long Beach, Oakland, Bakersfield, Anaheim, Riverside, Santa Ana, and Stockton.
Mayor Eric Garcetti, Los Angeles
“Los Angeles is already making an unprecedented, billion-dollar commitment to homelessness solutions across our communities, joining cities statewide to deliver housing, help, and hope to our most vulnerable neighbors. Now is the time for the state to follow our lead and build on our local foundations –– by setting aside one-third of our surplus to make a once-in-a-lifetime investment in ending homelessness across California.”
Mayor Todd Gloria, San Diego
“The City of San Diego is addressing homelessness with a compassionate approach focused on connecting our most vulnerable neighbors with housing and supportive services, but we know we must scale up to meet this challenge. San Diego is joining the call with our fellow big cities to urge state leaders to continue their partnership, take advantage of a once-in-a-generation opportunity to fund the housing and services we know work for people experiencing homelessness and make a lasting impact on the crisis we were elected to solve.”
Mayor London N. Breed, San Francisco
“As we emerge from the COVID-19 pandemic and move forward on our road to recovery, it is critical that we continue making investments in the health and housing needs of our most vulnerable neighbors,” said San Francisco Mayor London N. Breed. “With President Biden’s leadership in D.C., a governor and state legislators who understand the need for flexible resources, and mayors willing to do the work, we have a chance to get thousands of unsheltered San Franciscans and Californians into housing. We’ll be able to make a real difference in the lives of our residents as long as cities have the funding we need to address this challenge.”
Mayor Jerry Dyer, Fresno
“Thanks to our partnership with state legislative leaders, here in Fresno we have been able to move hundreds of our most vulnerable residents off of the streets and into transitional housing, where they are being provided with services and, hopefully, a path to a better life. Right here, right now, we are making a real difference in people’s lives. But we can do more. We must do more. That can only happen if this state-local partnership continues. To that end, I urge the Legislature and Gov. Newsom to set aside a one-time $16 billion allocation, spent at $4 billion annually over the next four years, so the State’s largest cities can address the most important issue of our time.”
Mayor Darell Steinberg, Sacramento
“California has an opportunity in this moment to rise to the challenge of eliminating unsheltered homelessness. Our state has unprecedented resources, and our communities have the will to act. It is crucial that we not only sustain our momentum this year but create an ongoing funding stream that allows us to build the beds, roofs and safe spaces needed to bring people indoors over a sustained period of years. This is the only way we will make a visible difference in lessening the number of people suffering on our streets and the distress that growing tent encampments have caused in our neighborhoods.”
Mayor Robert Garcia, Long Beach
“In Long Beach, we have employed innovative approaches to addressing homelessness, opened our first municipal year-round shelter just last year, and already added three Project HomeKey locations in our city with support from the State. Solving for the root causes of homelessness is a complex and monumental task that requires more from all of us — more housing, more mental health support and more consistent, quality services. I want to thank the State for their support, and I look forward to furthering our partnerships with the Governor and Legislature to continue this important work.”
Mayor Libby Schaaf, Oakland
“The scale of the homelessness crisis in our cities requires a historic investment right now. As mayors, today we are working together to end a systemic failure decades in the making, and to prevent any of our residents from living outdoors in the future.”
Mayor Karen Goh, Bakersfield
“California cities are on the frontline of addressing the homeless crisis. We have demonstrated success in adding emergency bed space, creating housing solutions, and have incurred the ongoing costs of operating shelters. Now, we must work together to be nimble in addressing the next phases of the challenge, including providing care for mentally ill and drug addicted persons. We are calling on state leaders to prioritize the much-needed flexible investments that will empower local cities to find right-sized solutions to address the unique challenges before us.”
Mayor Harry Sidhu, Anaheim
“Anaheim has been a leader in compassionately addressing homelessness for more than six years. We have shown what can be done with determination, visionary thinking and by maximizing city, state and federal resources. But our work is not done, and this crisis is bigger than Anaheim. We welcome ongoing flexible funding support from our state partners to significantly meet this challenge in our cities and change lives.”
Mayor Patricia Lock Dawson, Riverside
“Residents in our cities have made it clear that homelessness is one of the greatest challenges of our time. This multibillion-dollar proposal allows us to address the gravity of this crisis in our cities and support long term solutions to homelessness such as Project Homekey, or non-traditional shelter models like our Riverside Village Community—the first of its kind in Southern California. While we remain certain about recovering from this pandemic, we must also be equally certain and optimistic in our ability to meet the crisis of homelessness in our cities. And with this funding, a new sense of optimism begins.”
Mayor Vicente Sarmiento, Santa Ana
“The homelessness crisis is affecting every community and every local government in California. In Santa Ana, we have watched our shelters fill up and homeless encampments spread during the pandemic, despite the City spending millions of dollars to provide beds and outreach to our unhoused population. Our state legislators need to take bold action now before it’s too late.”
Mayor Kevin Lincoln, Stockton
“Homelessness is a humanitarian crisis affecting the quality of life for all Stockton residents. The need for expanded shelters, transitional housing, wrap-around mental, behavioral, and substance use services, and long-term affordable housing is overwhelming in our city. It is time for actionable solutions that will treat the root cause of this issue and bring healing to our unsheltered and sheltered residents. However, it is imperative that our cities have access to increased levels of flexible funding from the State to adequately address this crisis. This flexible funding would provide us the opportunity to meet the immediate needs in our city with a sustainable approach, leaving a lasting impact on our community.”
Watch a COVID-19 video update from Mayor Vicente Sarmiento and Councilmember Phil Bacerra.
Get vaccinated against COVID-19! Find vaccine options in and around Santa Ana at https://www.santa-ana.org/vaccine.
Learn about rental assistance and other pandemic resources at https://www.santa-ana.org/covid19.
Take the Revive Santa Ana survey at https://www.santa-ana.org/revive-santa-ana.
Actualización de video sobre COVID-19
Mire una actualización sobre COVID-19 del alcalde Vicente Sarmiento y el Concejal Phil Bacerra en español: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WU42IYrvPHE
¡Vacúnese contra el COVID-19! Se puede encontrar opciones para vacunarse en https://www.santa-ana.org/vaccine.
Aprenda sobre asistencia de renta y otros recursos pandémicos en https://www.santa-ana.org/covid19.
Realice la encuesta Revive Santa Ana en https://www.santa-ana.org/revive-santa-ana.
The City of Santa Ana Tweeted today that Mayor Vince Sarmiento and the City Council grieves deeply for the tragic loss of 9-year-old Hoover Elementary School student Matthew Farias, who was killed with three others in the recent mass shooting in Orange.
The Santa Ana City Council will adjourn their next meeting, on Tuesday, April 6, in memory of Matthew.
Matthew was a third-grade student at Hoover Elementary in Santa Ana, which is slated to become a charter high school next year. Matthew wanted to help people, enjoy nature and be happy.
Matthew’s father, Rafael, told ABC News that Matthew, his only child, had aspirations of being an astronaut or a police officer. He also said that Matthew had a big heart and was very affectionate. Matthew loved soccer, riding his bike and games of tag, his favorite. He loved his dog, Ruby, a boxer. And he loved playing video games on his Xbox.
The last thing Rafael Farias remembers hearing from his son, Matthew, were the words the little boy told him every day: “I love you, Daddy,” according to the O.C. Register.
Matthew would typically finish his schoolwork around 1:30 p.m. and his mother would then take him to daycare. But on some days, when his mom, Blanca Ismeralda Tamayo, figured she would not be finished in time to fetch their son before his daycare closed at 6 p.m., she would take him with her to the office, Farias told the Register. He thinks that’s why Matthew was at the site of the shooting.
Farias said he tried to work jobs with flexible hours so he and Matthew could spend more time together. Farias was building an accessory dwelling unit in his backyard, a financial legacy intended for Matthew.
The SAUSD, in our estimate, should consider renaming Hoover after Matthew, in his memory, or at least erect a memorial there to honor him.
Since the beginning of 2021, the City of Santa Ana has experienced an increase in violent crime and homicides. To date there have been eight homicides, compared to last year to date we had one. Three of the Homicides are related to illegal gambling establishments. Using a multilevel approach to address the rise in violent crime, coupled with proactive law enforcement resources, the department implemented “Operation Community First” to stem the flow of violence.
WHEN: Thursday, March 11th, 2021 – 11:30 AM
Scheduled to appear:
– Santa Ana Mayor Vicente Sarmiento and Councilmembers
– Chief David Valentin – Santa Ana Police Department
WHERE:
Santa Ana Police Department – This will be an outside event located in the covered area of the rear portion of the Police Department. Media will be provided access to the station via the Southside access gate located on 6th Street.
To remain COVID compliant, all members of the media are asked to wear face coverings, adhere to physical distancing guidelines and remain the recommended distance of six feet. A temperature check will be conducted at the police department gate entrance.
Media will be provided with video and pictures from the enforcement efforts of “Operation Community First”.
Mayor Vicente Sarmiento and Councilmember Jessie Lopez provide an update on case counts, vaccines, testing, rental assistance and more news about COVID-19.
For pandemic resources and information, go to https://www.santa-ana.org/covid19.
Actualización sobre COVID-19 del Alcalde Sarmiento y Concejal Lopez
El alcalde Vicente Sarmiento y la concejal Jessie Lopez dan una actualización sobre el índice de casos, la vacuna, pruebas, asistencia para la renta, y más noticias sobre COVID-19.
Para recursos y información pandémicos, visite al https://www.santa-ana.org/covid19.
SANTA ANA, Calif. – Santa Ana Mayor Vicente Sarmiento today announced his support for the Citizenship for Essential Workers Act being introduced by California Sen. Alex Padilla and other members of Congress.
The Citizenship for Essential Workers Act would provide undocumented essential workers with a fast, accessible, and secure path to citizenship, beginning with immediate adjustment of status to legal permanent resident. This legislation is a critical part of a just and inclusive COVID-19 recovery.
“Throughout this difficult and deadly pandemic, undocumented workers have risked their lives to help keep our economy moving, to put groceries on the shelves, to cook our meals, to manufacture and distribute goods, and so much more,” Mayor Sarmiento said. “I applaud Sen. Padilla for recognizing the contributions of these essential workers by providing them a well-earned path to citizenship. The Citizenship for Essential Workers Act will not only strengthen our country, but also is simply the right thing to do.”
There are 5.2 million undocumented immigrants working in jobs that have been designated as essential during the COVID-19 pandemic. This accounts for almost 3 out of 4 undocumented workers in the United States.
About Santa Ana
Santa Ana is downtown for the world famous Orange County, California. It is the County Seat, the second-most populous city in Orange County, and is home to a vibrant evening scene and arts community. About three-quarters of the City’s residents are Latino. Over 1,200 City employees work hard every day to deliver efficient public services in partnership with our community to ensure public safety, a prosperous economic environment, opportunities for our youth, and a high quality of life for residents. Learn more at www.santa-ana.org.
Santa Ana Mayor Vicente Sarmiento and Mayor Pro Tem David Penaloza have shared a video message about COVID-19.
For more information on City of Santa Ana COVID-19 resources and news, please visit https://www.santa-ana.org/covid19.
To sign up to be notified by the OC Health Care Agency about when a vaccination appointment is available at the County’s sites, go to https://www.othena.com/. More information about the County’s vaccine distribution is at https://occovid19.ochealthinfo.com/.
Actualización de Video Sobre COVID-19
Alcalde Vicente Sarmiento and Vice Alcalde David Penaloza compartieron un mensaje de video sobre COVID-19.
Para más información sobre recursos y noticias para COVID-19 de la Ciudad de Santa Ana, por favor visite https://www.santa-ana.org/covid19.
Para inscribirse para ser notificado por la agencia de salud pública del Condado sobre cuando está disponible una cita en los sitios de vacuna del Condado, visite https://www.othena.com/. Más información sobre la distribución de la vacuna del Condado está en https://occovid19.ochealthinfo.com/.
“The situation at the U.S. Capitol today with armed assailants taking over the interior of the halls of our most sacred government institutions has been an absolute disgrace and embarrassment to our country.
“As the Santa Ana Police Department follows and monitors intelligence sources for any local safety threats related to the violence that occurred in Washington, D.C., and in Los Angeles, our local law enforcement will be prepared to handle any incidents of concern and to protect the community.”
– Mayor Vicente Sarmiento
SANTA ANA, Calif. – The City of Santa Ana’s first new Mayor in 26 years and three new City Councilmembers took office on Tuesday, Dec. 8, 2020.
Mayor Vicente Sarmiento will serve a two-year term through 2022. Councilmember Thai Viet Phan representing Ward 1, Councilmember Jessie Lopez of Ward 3, and Councilmember Johnathan Ryan Hernandez of Ward 5 will each serve four-year terms through 2024.
The installation took place during a virtual special City Council meeting with a prerecorded Oath of Office and video celebration highlighting messages from the new City leaders, words of congratulations from their supporters and community members, and a musical tribute from the Santa Ana Unified School District arts program.
Mayor Sarmiento is believed to be the first Bolivian American Mayor in the United States and Councilmember Phan is the City’s first Vietnamese American Councilmember.
Mayor Sarmiento noted that he and the three new Councilmembers were all either born or raised in Santa Ana.
“We are literally the sons and daughters of Santa Ana, genuinely home-grown products of the City,” he said.
The new City Council’s first official action was to unanimously elect Councilmember David Penaloza of Ward 2 as the new Mayor Pro Tem. The new Councilmembers also join Councilmember Phil Bacerra of Ward 4 and Councilmember Nelida Mendoza of Ward 6.
Before being elected Mayor, Sarmiento served as a Councilmember from 2007 to 2020. He is an attorney who received his bachelor’s degree from UC Berkeley and his law degree from UCLA.
“Santa Ana is one of the largest cities in the largest state in our union,” Mayor Sarmiento said. “We must conduct ourselves as such and be bold in our aspirations but never again ignore the needs of those most vulnerable among us.”
Councilmember Phan was born near a refugee camp in Thailand after her parents fled the devastation of the Vietnam War. Her family settled in Santa Ana in 1989. A city attorney, she received her bachelor’s degree from UCLA and her dual law/master of public policy degree from USC.
“I know we have a lot of work ahead of us, whether it’s to address the COVID-19 pandemic and its effects on our community, addressing the homelessness crisis, or dealing with the lack of affordable housing, I know we’ll work together to arrive at positive solutions for all,” Councilmember Phan said.
Councilmember Lopez was born and raised in Santa Ana and attended local public schools. She received her bachelor’s degree from Cal State Long Beach and is a community health worker.
“When I decided to run for office, my desire was rooted in commitment of wanting something better for my neighbors as much as I wanted it for my own family,” Councilmember Lopez said. “I firmly believe that policy is a tool to implement equity on a systemic level.”
Councilmember Hernandez was born and raised in the Artesia Pilar neighborhood, is a product of Santa Ana Unified School District and graduated from Santa Ana High School. He is a community health worker who works with children and previously worked in gang prevention and reentry.
“I understand the excellence that exists within our community, and I plan on helping invest and develop more of it,” Councilmember Hernandez said. “From the rich cultural history, from the black community to the brown community to the API (Asian and Pacific Islander) community that have brought people together, I believe this community is a community that is worth investing in.”
The City Council installation and celebration video can be viewed at https://youtu.be/ZT5NE6x6vPA
Vince Sarmiento is Santa Ana’s new Mayor but he is coming into office with a very thin margin of victory. Sarmiento only got a third of the vote. That is certainly no mandate.
To make matters worse Sarmiento will have to run for reelection in two years. That means he will have to start raising money right away even as he works to bail out the City of Santa Ana, which is in financial distress due to the COVID-19 pandemic’s affect on our sales tax revenue; the irresponsible raise doled out to the SAPD, which Sarmiento voted for; and the millions of dollars in pensions and health benefits due to retired Santa Ana workers.
Sarmiento will have to work with a City Council that will not have a clear majority and whose members will include millennials who want to push the city even more to the left. Most of the new City Council Members will quickly find themselves over their heads.
Sarmiento barely won his last two City Council races. In two years he will surely face several candidates as he runs for Mayor again. Sarmiento won this time because he ran to the left while Jose Solorio and Claudia Alvarez split the middle and Ceci Iglesias took the right. Sarmiento won due to a vote split. Will he have such a split in two years?
My guess is that Sarmiento will have tough competition in two years. If he fails to fix the City’s finances he may well be running for reelection as the City goes bankrupt.
Good luck Mayor Sarmiento. You will need it.
Santa Ana Mayoral Candidate Vince Sarmiento sent out a mailer yesterday that showed quite a bit of nerve. In the mailer Sarmiento said that he was “the only Santa Ana Mayoral candidate working to protect the north Santa Ana neighborhoods.”
That is of course a bold-faced lie. Three of the Mayoral Candidates – Vince Sarmiento, Ceci Iglesias and Jose Solorio, all voted yes, in favor of rezoning and approving the 2525 project.
In fact all of them voted in favor of the project twice: on the first vote reading of the ordinance and again on the second reading. They did so after two years of debate, countless meetings, hundreds of emails, and hundreds of residents coming to council meetings voicing reasoned opposition to this proposed project.
Sarmiento flip-flopped on 2525 only after the was able to gather thousands of petition signatures on a referendum to stop the project. At that point Sarmiento, Iglesis, and David Penaloza all reversed their previous positions and then voted to stop the rezoning. Solorio however “abstained.”
The fact of the matter is that of those running for Mayor the only ones who did not support 2525 are Claudia Alvarez, Mark Lopez and George Collins.
Incidentally we hear that Park Santiago neighborhood leader Dale Helvig, who led the effort against 2525, is going to endorse Alvarez this week. She already had the support of former Santa Ana Planning Commissioner Don Cribb, who lives in the Park Santiago neighborhood.
The ballots for the upcoming Nov. 3 General Election should be arriving soon, perhaps by Oct. 5. It is time to start thinking about how we are going to vote in what is a historic City Council and Mayoral Election here in Santa Ana.
This is the first time we will be voting for the City Council on a Ward Specific basis. And this is the first time in over 20 years that Mayor Miguel Pulido won’t be on the ballot as he has finally termed out.
Ward 1 Candidates
Our Ward 1 pick – We really like both Thai Viet Phan and Cynthia Contreras. They are both registered Democrats but Phan leans more to the left while Contreras is more of a moderate. Contreras gets bonus points for being a mom so we’re going with her.
Ward 3 Candidates
Our Ward 3 Pick – Jeffrey Katz is the most impressive Ward 3 candidate, and it’s not close. He is an attorney and a longtime neighborhood leader. Pulido’s machine is backing Mark McLoughlin, but we prefer new leadership on our City Council, not retreaded City Commissioners. Bonus – Katz has spent years working on the local homeless problem. He is the most likely to actually have good ideas on what is perhaps the biggest issue facing our city.
Ward 5 Candidates
Our Ward 5 Pick – Councilman Juan Villegas was one of two City Council Members who voted against the massive SAPD pay raise, but as a longtime member of law enforcement we know he is a crime fighter. He just doesn’t like to waste taxpayer money and we appreciate that. He has our full endorsement. Bonus – Villegas opened Santa Ana’s first Family Justice Center, for victims of domestic violence, child abuse, elder abuse, sexual assault and human trafficking. He has a big heart and we need to keep him on the City Council!
Our Pick for Mayor – We have been fans of Ceci Iglesias for years because she always opposes wasting taxpayer money and she stands up against Special Interests. If you prefer to vote for a Democrat we like Jose Solorio. He has an even-keeled temperament and major connections in D.C. and in Sacramento that will help our residents.
We are supporting the three challengers who are running against the teacher-union supported incumbents. The challengers include Cecilia Aguinaga; Judith Carillo and Oscar Reyes. We do not feel that the SAUSD School Board should be run by teacher union puppets.
Here are the posts we have written in the past few weeks about the candidates running in the November election:
Prop 14: NO
Allows politicians to borrow $5.5 billion at a cost of $7.8 billion to taxpayers to give away funds to so-called research studies on stem cells. Previous government funding for this was riddled with mismanagement and waste.
Prop 15: NO
Deceptive title on your actual ballot will claim it “Increases funding sources for public schools…” when this is REALLY a massive $12-15 billion tax increase that will destroy jobs. This measure guts Prop 13 from 1978 (Howard Jarvis’ Initiative) for commercial, retail, industrial, and other properties and also allows state politicians to impose new taxes on home-based businesses. Prop 15 will increase your cost-of-living at a time when working families are already struggling to survive. Worse, if this flawed and costly tax hike measure passes, expect a companion measure in next election to repeal Prop 13 from 1978 and increase property taxes on homeowners. For more information and to join the fight against Prop 15, go to www.StopPropertyTaxHikes.org
Prop 16: NO
Deceptive title on your actual ballot will claim it “Allows Diversity as a Factor in Public Employment…” when this would reverse a voter-approved Constitutional Amendment from the 1990s that banned any discrimination on the basis of race in any government decision. If this measure passes, race-based preferences such as quotas and affirmative action would be allowed and merit-based criteria will be disregarded. Prop 16 fans the flames of racial division and is a step back in the fight for equal protection under the law.
Prop 17: NO
Biased title on your actual ballot will claim it “Restores right to vote after completing prison term” but fails to note that parolees have NOT yet completed their sentence for their crimes and parole is still considered part of the sentence. Prop 17 would restore early voting rights to violent criminals and is offensive to crime victims. If you break our laws, why should you have a vote in setting our laws? Under existing law, voting rights can be restored once an individual completes their full sentence, including parole, so Prop 17 is not needed.
Prop 18: NO
For a cost of over $1 million per election cycle, 17-year-olds would be mailed ballots to allow them to vote before they reach legal age. State law prohibits 17-year-olds from drinking, smoking, and even tanning because science suggests they aren’t old enough to make sound decisions yet. Voting should be no different. Prop 18 is irresponsible and shows that the politicians who placed this misguided measure on the ballot are the true juveniles here.
Prop 19: NO
Prop 19 is a tax increase disguised as a tax relief measure. Only one part of Prop 19 is good – a small provision allowing homeowners who are over 55 or meet other criteria to transfer a low property tax base to another property. However, Prop 19 then revokes property tax protections for many other homeowners and uses firefighting as mere window dressing to con voters into raising taxes. Prop 19 would set a really bad precedent and cost taxpayers too much.
Prop 20: YES
Support the Police and Hold Criminals Accountable (Caution: Ballot Has Deceptive Title)
Deceptive title on your actual ballot will claim it “Restricts Parole for Certain Offenses…” when in fact Prop 20 would merely reverse policies that coddle criminals and allow for early release of dangerous criminals from prison. Prop 20 will restore much-needed enforcement powers to police and prosecutors to hold criminals accountable for looting/repeated shoplifting and other crimes that were considered FELONIES before state politicians watered-down the crimes to simple misdemeanors or less. Prop 20 also expands use of DNA to help catch criminals. For more information OR to request a free “Yes on Prop 20 – Support the Police” lawn sign, go to https://reformcalifornia.org/petitions/support-police/
Prop 21: NO
Prop 21 is a disastrous measure that will increase the cost-of-living in California and lead to less housing supply. Rent control may sound good to some but everywhere rent control has been tried rents have actually skyrocketed higher. Economic studies show that Prop 21’s approach to rent control makes rents rise quicker because property owners will take the maximum allowed increase each year whether or not market conditions justify it just because they know future increases are always capped. Prop 21 will choke the supply of apartments by providing a disincentive for builders to invest in them.
Prop 22: YES
Deceptive title on your actual ballot will claim it “Exempts App-Based Transportation and Delivery Companies from Providing Employee Benefits…” when Prop 22 actually FAVORS the drivers of these companies by allowing them the freedom to continue to work as independent contractors with a variety of benefits and protections. Prop 22 is part of the larger fight to repeal the terrible AB 5 law that state politicians imposed this year that has all-but banned the use of independent contractors. 1 million jobs are at stake and are being damaged by AB 5. To join the fight against AB5 and in support of Prop 22, go to www.DefendFreedomToWork.com
Prop 23: NO
Deceptive title on your actual ballot will claim it “Establishes State Requirements for Kidney Dialysis Clinics” when 1) there are already numerous regulations governing these clinics and 2) Prop 23 would add unnecessary costs and burdens on kidney dialysis clinics in an attempt to force workers into unions to pay dues that then are given to politicians in the form of campaign contributions. Prop 23 is a sham initiative that is hazardous to public health.
Prop 24: NO
Everyone likes privacy, but Prop 24 is a flawed initiative that creates a $10 million-a-year government bureaucracy that would only be able to be reformed or eliminated by requiring voters to consider yet another ballot measure in the future. This flawed initiative actually reduces privacy in a number of ways and distracts from implementation of a new law that just went into effect to improve privacy in the digital age. Let’s wait to see the results of that existing law first before adding to costly mandates.
Prop 25: NO
State politicians intentionally worded Prop 25 in a confusing way so that people don’t know whether a Yes vote means No and a No vote means Yes or whatever. To simplify things, vote NO on Prop 25 if you want to block a flawed law that the politicians imposed that would ban bail as a requirement of releasing individuals charged with serious crimes. Liberals want to replace bail with the “honor system” of hoping criminals show back up for their court date. Prop 25 would result in the creation of a new costly bureaucracy where government workers would be hired to “trace” people and ask them to voluntarily come to court hearings. Prop 25 is a dangerous law that puts crime victims at risk.
About the Editor: Art Pedroza founded the New Santa Ana Blog in 2009. This year the blog has already racked up over 2.2 million views while its sister Facebook page reaches close to 300,000 people a month. Pedroza has served on several Santa Ana City Commissions, most recently the Parks and Rec Commission, and he currently serves on the O.C. Emergency Medical Services Commission. Pedroza has run for both the Santa Ana City Council and the SAUSD School Board. He has an MBA from Keller Graduate University and he resides with his family in the Park Santiago Neighborhood.