Santa Ana Planning and Building Agency staff to present at the American Planning Association CA Conference

The City of Santa Ana is proud to announce that its Planning and Building Agency staff will be prominently featured in two conference sessions at the American Planning Association California Statewide 2024 Conference, scheduled from Sept. 28 to October 1, 2024, in Riverside.

Highlighting Santa Ana’s Expertise and Commitment to Excellence

The first session, on Sept. 28, will spotlight Yvette Portugal, the City’s Code Enforcement Principal. She will join an esteemed panel of city code enforcement professionals, a city prosecutor, and a consultant from a code enforcement firm to tackle pressing issues such as massage parlors, cannabis, and sidewalk vending. This session, the first of its kind to ever discuss code enforcement issues at a Planning conference, aims to provide valuable insights and strategies developed by Santa Ana to balance these contentious topics and enhance the quality of life for residents, businesses, and diverse communities.

On Sept. 29, the focus will shift to “Santa Ana’s Environmental Justice in Action: Meeting Needs and Sowing Seeds.” This session will feature Santa Ana Planning Division team members, including Planning Manager Ali Pezeshkpour, Principal Planners Margarita Macedonio and Ricardo Soto, and Jose Rea, Executive Director of the Getting Residents Engaged in Empowering Neighborhoods-Madison Park Neighborhood Association (GREEN-MPNA). They will share Santa Ana’s pioneering efforts in implementing the General Plan Environmental Justice (EJ) framework, highlighting community needs, policy formation, regulatory accountability, investment opportunities, and the formation of the new EJ Action Committee.

Background on the Santa Ana’s Environmental Justice Initiatives

The City Council’s 2022 adoption of the General Plan Update marked a significant milestone, embedding 77 actions focused on environmental justice. This plan received robust support from Santa Ana’s EJ neighborhoods and advocacy groups. In July 2022, the City furthered its commitment by establishing an EJ section within the Planning Division, renaming the Neighborhood Initiatives Program to the Neighborhood Initiatives and Environmental Resources to better align with the City’s EJ goals. In October 2022, the Planning Division hired a dedicated staff member to develop the EJ section, focusing on environmental resources, education, and equitable public engagement.

The City has reinforced its long-term dedication to environmental justice through formation of the EJ Action Committee. This committee, which includes resident representatives from each of the five EJ Cluster areas, community-based organizations, and County Health and City staff, will play a pivotal role in implementing future EJ actions as outlined in the City’s General Plan. Their first community kickoff meeting is scheduled for September 2024.

A Vision for a Sustainable and Equitable Future

Santa Ana is steadfast in its mission to foster a sustainable and equitable environment for all its residents. For these efforts, the City has won numerous recognitions from esteemed organizations such as Harvard University, the American Planning Association, the Southern California Association of Governments, the American Institute of Architects, and the Orange County Business Journal. The City’s active participation and leadership at the American Planning Association California Statewide 2024 Conference demonstrate its commitment to sharing knowledge, advancing best practices, and collaborating with other cities to build resilient communities.

For more information about the APA California Chapter 2024 Conference, please visit https://www.apacalifornia.org/conference/2024-conferences/. For more information about Santa Ana’s environmental justice initiatives, please visit https://www.santa-ana.org/departments/neighborhood-initiatives/ or contact nies@santa-ana.org.