Irvine officials have approved the initial step in building the first homeless shelter in town — a location.

The council voted 4-1 Tuesday night to approve a $20 million purchase of two adjacent buildings in the Irvine Business Complex. 

The homeless shelter is expected to offer beds in addition to medical care, case management and other services. 

City Manager Oliver Chi said the city has already hired a Chief Health and Wellness Director who will build out a staff that’s embedded in the facility.

It’s slated to become the first homeless shelter in the city — something residents heavily opposed six years ago when the idea was briefly floated by the OC Board of Supervisors. 

“We definitely need to be taking care of our homeless population,” Councilmember Kathleen Treseder said. “I hear from residents they notice the population is increasing. As far as I understand it’s mostly elderly folks and women with children. We need to make sure they are taken care of.”

Councilmember Mike Carroll voted no, saying it’s “extreme” to approve a purchase that’s rushed and expensive without robust community feedback or any commission oversight.

“You should not casually put your vote down on $20 million on a facility that could bring a lot of difficulty to our city if it isn’t fully fleshed out,” Carroll said.

[Read: Is a Homeless Shelter Coming to Irvine?]

The building purchase did not go through any commission review. Instead, it was rushed by staff who emphasized the importance of moving quickly to purchase this site before the opportunity was lost.

Chi said in order to acquire the property, the city was required to put down a nonrefundable $1 million deposit by Oct. 24 — two days after the item was introduced and approved by the council for the first time.

The shelter is part of a larger, multi-pronged effort to address homeless and at-risk populations within the city — a project called “The System.”

The System includes creating the homeless shelter — meant to function as a bridge housing facility — creating more transitional housing and gaining control of more affordable housing with local preferences. 

The project also seeks to strengthen the city’s mobile crisis response program. 

That response team was previously contracted out through Be Well OC and will soon be brought in-house through the Irvine Police Department. 

The site for the homeless shelter — called “The Sanctuary” — is the first major step in this effort.

The city is expected to close on the purchase and search for an operator starting next month.

At the first council meeting in November, staff is also expected to bring forth an updated anti-camping ordinance for council discussion. 

It’s a move officials across the county have been approving after a Supreme Court decision this summer gave cities more power to enforce anti-camping laws — citing people for sleeping in public.

The Supreme Court Justices’ ruling in the Grants Pass v. Johnson case reversed the 9th Circuit Court of Appeal ruling in Martin v. Boise, which mandated that cities must provide a certain number of beds before they can push homeless people off the streets. 

Other cities like San Clemente, Aliso Viejo and Anaheim strengthened their anti-camping laws earlier this year after the Supreme Court decision. 

[Read: Is Orange County About To Enforce Anti-Camping Laws Again?]

It’s not the first time officials have tried to establish a shelter in Irvine.

In 2018, hundreds of people protested against plans for a homeless shelter in Irvine, raising concerns about drug use and safety risks for local children. Thousands also showed up to an OC Board of Supervisors meeting to protest the county’s proposal, which officials ultimately shot down. 

A year later, Irvine and four other south OC cities found themselves at the receiving end of a federal lawsuit calling out the region’s lack of shelters.

Some residents at Tuesday night’s meeting expressed concern that the shelter would attract more homeless people from outside the city looking for services.

“If Irvine does this, and it works the way we think it will, it’s going to be very successful,” one resident said. “What’s going to stop that facility from being overrun with homeless people from other cities? Not to say they shouldn’t be helped, but what’s going to stop that from happening?”

Chi said the shelter could require people to have some sort of connection to Irvine before they’re allowed in.

Councilmember Tammy Kim asked about funding and billing, emphasizing the model needs to be sustainable because a project like this “could suck a city dry.”

Chi emphasized that many of the services offered at the future shelter — medical care and case management — could be reimbursed through the state’s CalAIM program, which uses Medi-Cal dollars to improve healthcare, especially for the homeless population.

The council is expected to bring back an update on The System to council sometime next year.

“I really think this initiative is really going to set us apart because it’s comprehensive,” Kim said. “It’s a comprehensive care model that integrates multiple facets that no other city has been able to achieve at this point.” 

“What makes this plan so aspirational is the compassionate care that it brings.”

Angelina Hicks is a Voice of OC Tracy Wood Reporting Fellow. Contact her at ahicks@voiceofoc.org or on Twitter @angelinahicks13

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Voice of OC is Orange County's nonprofit newsroom. We rely on donations from people like you to sustain our news agency. Please make a contribution today: https://voiceofoc.org/donate

Award-winning Voice of OC reporter Hosam Elattar was elected to the Orange County Press Club Board in October. 

Elattar covers Anaheim and North Orange County, the Arab & Muslim American community, food insecurity, housing & homelessness, religion and education at the Voice of OC.

“This is an opportunity for me to give back to my profession, and the professional storytellers and journalists reporting on things impacting the quality of life of residents in this county,” he said. 

Elattar was elected alongside Destiny Torres and Hanna Kang of the Orange County Register, as well as Carrie Freitas, CEO of Kitchen Table Marketing + PR (KTM). 

They join the board’s returning members: Andrew Turner, Breeana Greenberg, Clara Beard, David N. Young and Patty Marsters.

“I am always wary of glorifying journalists as ‘heroes’ — but that is precisely who Hosam Elattar is. For five years, I watched Hosam supply Orange County residents with news that is unflinching yet compassionate.  He was a premier voice in Little Arabia’s fight for formal recognition in West Anaheim.” said Brandon Pho, the OC Press Club’s outgoing president and former Voice of OC reporter. 

“His reporting pressured Anaheim council members to proceed with an internal investigation of corruption at City Hall. He is not just a reporter — he’s an artist. And it takes an artist to envision a future for Southern California’s journalism landscape as the industry faces unceasing threats to its humanity: From hedge fund takeovers to AI outsourcing.”

“Ecstatic doesn’t even begin to describe my reaction to his election to the OC Press Club Board of Directors.”

Pho has served on the board since 2021.

Orange County’s journalists began organizing in the 1910s, when reporters from Orange and Santa Ana gathered at Downtown Santa Ana cafe to launch the first press club. 

The club’s current iteration was formed in 1953 by former OC Register Civic Editor Harry Harvey.

“It’s important to be involved in the Press Club to stand up for the interests of journalists across the county and to make sure they’re not silenced,” Elattar said. “And to advocate for a better future for all reporters.”

Voice of OC is Orange County's nonprofit newsroom. We rely on donations from people like you to sustain our news agency. Please make a contribution today: https://voiceofoc.org/donate

In the aftermath of the resignation of Supervisor Andrew Do and his plea agreement admitting to bribery, federal prosecutors, the OC District Attorney and his former colleagues on the board of supervisors made one thing clear this week.   

It is not over.

“Today was important,” Supervisor Vicente Sarmiento said in a Tuesday interview on the steps of the county administration building Tuesday afternoon. “Now comes the hard part.” 

Do formally resigned his seat on the board Tuesday morning as federal prosecutors and Orange County District Attorney Todd Spitzer announced he’d agreed to plead guilty to a felony bribery charge, admitting to accepting over $700,000 in bribes to enrich himself and his extended family. 

[Read: OC Supervisor Andrew Do Charged With Corruption by Federal Prosecutors]

“His dream of America has now become a nightmare for Orange County taxpayers,” Spitzer said at Tuesday’s news conference. “Corruption of any kind will not be tolerated … this investigation is far from over.” 

Federal prosecutors also said the investigation continues.

Do’s attorney, Paul Meyer, said Tuesday it’s still too early to comment on the situation. 

“However, it is appropriate to convey Andrew Do’s sincere apology and deep sadness to his family, to his constituents in District One and to his colleagues,” Meyer said in an email statement.

‘Systemic Problems’

At their Tuesday meeting, Sarmiento and Supervisor Katrina Foley spoke about the need to implement protocols and reforms to shield the county and protect taxpayers from any future misuse of public funds.

“We will continue to investigate any further actions coming out of district one, and I know that our board as a whole is committed to implementing reforms and protocols that will prevent something like this from ever happening again in the county of Orange,” Foley said.

Sarmiento called it a sad day for the county.

“We know it doesn’t begin and end with one office. It doesn’t begin and end with one person,” he said. “I don’t think that we should just breathe a sigh of relief, because we know that there are some systemic problems with the way the county has functioned.” 

But neither one of them had clear answers on what those next steps for reform might look like. 

Sarmiento said they needed to study how to end a “culture that allowed abuse.” 

“The system did not have sufficient guard rails,” Sarmiento said in an interview, adding that there were ongoing audits reviewing more of what happened that would inform the county’s response. 

What Kind of Reforms Can Be Made?

Foley pointed out how the county’s civil lawsuit against Do’s daughter, Rhiannon Do, and the nonprofit Viet America Society, where Do sent millions of dollars of county funding, was still ongoing and likely remains the county’s only chance at getting the tax money back.

But she also said that many of the necessary reforms have already come, pointing to several contracting reforms adopted by the board last month like having the county’s procurement office review discretionary contracts moving forward. 

“I think the package of reforms my office proposed and the board voted on will cover most all of this,” Foley said.

She said one of her remaining priorities is making it easier for county employees to report problems via hotline, saying former Health Care Agency Director Clayton Chau knew about the problems with Do’s spending but kept it under wraps. 

“I think that piece we still need to work on,” Foley said. “I’m not sure what that looks like … it wasn’t just this where we saw a long delay before the board was informed about failure to comply.” 

Chau said he was offended by Foley’s claim, pushing back in a text on Tuesday afternoon. 

“I am not sure why she would say that when the contracts for meals was never under health care agency,” Chau wrote. “I don’t know which agency they would fall under. Doesn’t she?” 

Foley pointed out Chau was responsible for managing contracts with the Warner Wellness Center, which she noted staff raised concerns about when Rhiannon Do got involved.

Chau denied ever overseeing that contract.

In a Tuesday afternoon phone interview, Supervisor Don Wagner disputed the need for more regulations but encouraged county staff who see wrongdoing to speak up. 

“To any county employee I would say if you get that pressure from a supervisors’ office, you say no and you report it,” Wagner said. “Try as you might, you can’t pass a law against bad judgment. All you can do is empower folks who see it to say something.”

Supervisor Doug Chaffee, who once called Do his “mentor,” did not return requests for comment, but issued a short statement saying the case “highlights the critical need for ethical leadership.”  

Calls For Accountability 

Tuesday’s comments from supervisors came within hours of the U.S. District Attorney’s Office announcing that Do was charged with – and agreed to plead guilty to – a conspiracy to commit bribery.

The charges against Do come after his home was raided by federal agents in August and after County lawyers sued his daughter and other leaders of the nonprofit Viet America Society for allegedly embezzling millions of tax dollars to buy homes – including one for his daughter. 

[Read: Orange County Sues County Supervisor’s Daughter and Nonprofit Over Missing COVID Money]

The money was intended to be used to help feed seniors amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

Do’s plea agreement and resignation also landed two weeks before the Nov. 5 election in which Cypress City Councilwoman Frances Marquez and State Senator Janet Nguyen face off to succeed Do as the District 1 supervisor.

In a Tuesday statement, Marquez said district residents want transparency and ethics restored at the board of supervisors.

“Under Do, our most vulnerable seniors did not receive the meals they desperately needed during a deadly pandemic. For how long do our residents need to pay the consequences for our representatives’ corruption?,” reads the statement.

Marquez has also spoken at public meetings, calling for reforms like creating an office to vet businesses and nonprofits seeking county funding and contracts.

Nguyen said in a statement on social media that taxpayers have every right to be outraged by Do.

“The county needs to aggressively seek out wrongdoing with full transparency then reform its operations,” reads her Tuesday statement.

They are not the only elected leaders criticizing Do.

In an email statement Tuesday, Congressman Lou Correa said anyone involved in the scheme to defraud taxpayers should be held accountable to the fullest extent of the law.

“Corruption leads to loss of confidence in all our democratically elected officials. These federal funds were COVID relief funds meant to feed our hungry Orange County neighbors, seniors, and others, through the American Rescue Plan Act,” reads his statement.

“They were to help the needy—and it’s clear these funds never made it to those who needed them. This is morally reprehensible and criminal.”

In August, Correa called on U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland and U.S. Secretary of Treasury Janet Yellen to investigate allegations against the Viet America Society and their alleged misuse of public funds.

State Assemblyman Avelino Valencia said in a Tuesday statement that the OC Board of Supervisors opposed a bill he authored – AB 2946 – that will require a majority vote of the county’s board of supervisors to award discretionary funds to nonprofit groups.

That bill goes into effect next year. 

“Our community deserves leaders dedicated to ethical governance and responsible stewardship of public resources. Today’s announcement underscores our commitment to rooting out corruption and holding those who defraud the public accountable,” reads his statement.

Meanwhile in Little Saigon, community groups including VietRise, the Harbor Institute and Orange County Justice Fund put out a joint statement saying Do’s agreement to plead guilty and resign is just the first step to justice.

“We call for restitution of the misappropriated funds to support the community it was meant to serve. Community members have lost their savings, their livelihoods, and their homes. Orange County residents deserve real justice for the harm Andrew Do and his conspirators have caused,” reads the Tuesday statement.

“Do did not do this alone.”

Santa Ana Mayor Valerie Amezcua said in a Tuesday evening statement that Do’s plea agreement is a necessary step towards accountability.

“His resignation raises critical questions about the systems in place and I urge the Board of Supervisors to embrace this moment as an opportunity for reflection and reform,” she said.

“As Mayor, I will work with the City Manager and his Executive Management Team to safeguard the City’s current protocols and vet the mechanisms in place to avoid similar incidents at City Hall.”

Santa Ana Councilwoman Thai Viet Phan – the city’s first Vietnamese elected official – lambasted Do in a Tuesday afternoon statement. 

“It is shameful that Mr. Do and his circle of accomplices represented the Vietnamese American community,” she said.

“We will not allow the stain of Mr. Do’s actions to color the great achievements of our Little Saigon community, many of whom fled the Vietnam War and came here as penniless refugees.”

Noah Biesiada is a Voice of OC reporter and corps member with Report for America, a GroundTruth initiative. Contact him at nbiesiada@voiceofoc.org or on Twitter @NBiesiada.

Hosam Elattar is a Voice of OC reporter and corps member with Report for America, a GroundTruth initiative. Contact him at helattar@voiceofoc.org or on Twitter @ElattarHosam.

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Voice of OC is Orange County's nonprofit newsroom. We rely on donations from people like you to sustain our news agency. Please make a contribution today: https://voiceofoc.org/donate

Another 21 people died “without fixed abode” in OC in September.  Their names are:

Marten BRANDEL who died on Sept 2nd in Santa Ana

Morgan KELLY who died on Sept 3rd in Mission Viejo

Juan DIAZ ESCOBEDO who died on Sept 3rd in Anaheim

James ISHEE who died on Sept 4th in Santa Ana

Kenneth PERSONS who died on Sept 5th in Laguna Beach

Stephen DEKRUIF who died on Sept 6th in Stanton

Wayne GRAFFIA who died on Sept 8th in Huntington Beach

Louise FOSTER who died on Sept 8th in Huntington Beach

Addison ERTLER who died on Sept 11th in Costa Mesa

Jessica GUTIERREZ who died on Sept 11th in Newport Beach

Michael MIERA who died on Sept 12th in Orange

Richard GARCIA DOMINGUEZ who died on Sept 14th in Anaheim

Sabrina ADAME who died on Sept 15th in Orange

Jesus ORTIZ CASILLAS who died on Sept 15th in Orange

Jessica PIOVESAN who died on Sept 16th in Garden Grove

Manuel RAMOS-MEJIA who died on Sept 16th in Fullerton

Augustine MIRAMONTES who died on Sept 21st in Santa Ana

Kenetthera STEWART who died on Sept 23rd in Santa Ana

Brian POPOVICH who died on Sept 24th in Santa Ana

Tina GREATHOUSE who died on Sept 25th in Anaheim

Kristin BELLOVICH who died on Sept 30th in Orange

Additionally, three others who died “without fixed abode” in OC in previous months were added to the OC Coroner’s list.  Their names are remembered here as well:

Roger ULRICH, JR. who died on July 24th in Tustin

Lucky LEE who died on Aug 19th in  [Not Recorded]

James YOUNG who died on Aug 22nd in Laguna Beach

If the number holds, this September would have had the lowest homeless death toll in OC since June, 2020.  Overall, the county’s year to date homeless death toll of 289 remains comparable to 2021 when it was 291 at this point of the year, but significantly lower than the previous two years when the death toll through September was 371 in 2022 and 400 in 2023.  Still in 2019, the death toll through September was 142.

As I wrote last month, it would certainly be worth while if the County reconvened the OC Sheriff Barnes led commission which two years ago was empaneled to better understand why homeless deaths in the County then were increasing.  It would be interesting to see what has happened since, yes, to see what the County has done right for the death rate to now be decreasing. 

That said, we must continue to remember that to date 289 people have died “without fixed abode” on our County’s streets this year or still more than one per day, every day.

Fr. Dennis Kriz, OSM, Pastor St. Philip Benizi Catholic Church, Fullerton.

Opinions expressed in community opinion pieces belong to the authors and not Voice of OC.

Voice of OC is interested in hearing different perspectives and voices. If you want to weigh in on this issue or others please email opinions@voiceofoc.org.

Voice of OC is Orange County's nonprofit newsroom. We rely on donations from people like you to sustain our news agency. Please make a contribution today: https://voiceofoc.org/donate

Orange County Supervisor Andrew Do is facing federal charges of corruption – something federal officials say he’s agreed to plead guilty to. 

He also agreed to resign from the Orange County Board of Supervisors.

Do was charged by the U.S. Attorney’s Office Tuesday morning at the Ronald Reagan courthouse in Santa Ana. 

During a Tuesday morning news conference at the Ronald Reagan Courthouse in Santa Ana, the U.S. District Attorney’s office said Do was charged with and agreed to plead guilty to a conspiracy to commit bribery.

“Mr. Do made sure the money went to this group,” U.S. Attorney Martin Estrada said Tuesday. “Of the $9.3 million that was sent to Viet America Society, only 15% was used for that purpose. The rest was stolen and used for bribes.”  

Click here to read the plea agreement.

“As a member of the Orange County Board Of Supervisors, Mr. Do had great authority,” Estrada said, adding he didn’t disclose his daughter worked there. 

He also said Do and his family received $700,000 of the COVID bailout funds.

Estrada said Do could face a maximum of 5 years in prison.  

“He threw it all away to enrich himself and his family,” Estrada said. “He’s also agreed today to resign from the Orange County Board of Supervisors.” 

Orange County District Attorney Todd Spitzer echoed some of Estrada’s comments. 

“We have the largest population of Vietnamese Americans living outside of the country of Vietnam in Orange County,” Spitzer said. “It’s a stand up community and Mr. Do emerged out of the flames of Saigon to become a leader of the community and he completely betrayed that trust and that’s why we’re here today.”

Spitzer said it’s the first time in 50 years an Orange County Supervisor has pleaded guilty to such corruption charges.

Do’s attorney, Paul Meyer, said it’s still too early to comment on the situation. 

“Out of respect for the legal process, no statement is appropriate at this time. However, it is appropriate to convey Andrew Do’s sincere apology and deep sadness to his family, to his constituents in District One and to his colleagues,” Meyer said in an email statement.

In response to questions from reporters, Estrada said OC Superior Court Assistant Presiding Judge Cheri Pham – Do’s wife – isn’t facing charges.

But, officials say the investigation is ongoing and wouldn’t comment further. 

Estrada also said Do’s daughter, Rhiannon Do, signed a diversion agreement with federal prosecutors – admitting to criminal conduct, but won’t be charged. But, she has agreed to fully cooperate with the federal investigation.

The charges come after Do’s house was raided by the FBI in August.

It also comes after county lawyers sued his daughter and the nonprofit she helped lead – Viet America Society – in civil court, accusing nonprofit officials of embezzling millions of tax dollars and buying homes, including one for Do’s daughter. 

[Read: Orange County Sues County Supervisor’s Daughter and Nonprofit Over Missing COVID Money]

“Defendants saw the opportunity and conspired to embezzle pandemic relief funds by executing contracts that they never intended to perform,” county lawyers wrote in their suit filed August. 

Now, Rhiannon Do is slated to give up the Tustin house, according to her diversion agreement filing. 

Estrada said federal prosecutors began looking into the controversy after media reports.

While he didn’t name an outlet, LAist was the first publication to report the connection between Do and Viet America Society. 

A Voice of OC investigation found that Do continued sending money to the nonprofit even after county staff had begun raising red flags, approving over $6 million in contracts with them through his discretionary funds. 

[Read: OC Staff Raised Early Concerns on Viet America Society Contract That Saw FBI Raids]

Do had refused to resign following the raid, despite a weeks-long campaign from fellow supervisors, city council members and the public demanding he step aside after his colleagues censured him. 

[Read: OC Supervisors Censure Colleague Under Federal Investigation]

Do’s plea agreement caps off a nearly two decade stint in local politics that saw repeated investigations into his conduct. 

Last November, Do failed to disclose that his wife was a judge when he was called to speak as a witness at a trial, which triggered a controversial mistrial. 

He resigned his seat last year on the board of CalOptima, Orange County’s public health plan for the poor, amidst a state audit over executive pay hikes and other hiring practices that raised questions over a program he was involved with. 

[Read: Top Official Resigns From OC’s Health Plan for the Poor Following Revelations of State Probe]

In 2022, he was fined $12,000 by state regulators for trying to steer public lobbying contracts to his campaign donors. 

[Read: Orange County Supervisor Andrew Do Faces $12,000 State Fine Over ‘Pay to Play’ Politics]

Do has faced questions for years over whether he even lives in the district he represents, questions which are now circulating again after federal agents raided a house he owns outside of his district. 

[Read: OC Supervisor Andrew Do Accused of Residency Fraud Again as He Runs for Re-Election]

He also faced investigations from state agencies in 2020 over whether or not he used his campaign accounts to launder money, but he was later cleared due to there being insufficient evidence he broke the law. 

[Read: State Launches Money Laundering Investigation into Andrew Do and OC Republican Party]

State leaders also passed new rules banning elected officials from sending out taxpayer funded mailers with their names on it 60 days before an election after Do spent $1.2 million on mailers to voters in his district in 2016, which state regulators did not pursue charges on. 

[Read: State Will Not Pursue Enforcement Over Do’s 1.2 Million Taxpayer-Funded Mailers]

That investigation also came as there were questions about how Do’s then chief of staff Brian Probolsky was working full time on the supervisor’s reelection campaign while receiving a county salary. 

[Read: Ethics Experts Question Campaign Work by Supervisor’s Top Aide]

Do also was investigated by the DA’s office in 2017, but no charges were ever filed, according to a legal complaint from a former DA investigator at the time. 

[Read: DA’s Former Top Investigator Seeks Records of Pulido, Do, and Nguyen Probes]

Before his time on the board of supervisors, Do served on the Garden Grove City Council but resigned in 2011 amidst questions over whether or not he lived in the city. 

[Read: Santana: OC Supervisor Andrew Do’s Political Journey That Ended in FBI Raids]

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Voice of OC is Orange County's nonprofit newsroom. We rely on donations from people like you to sustain our news agency. Please make a contribution today: https://voiceofoc.org/donate

Buena Park city officials are moving to phase in all-electric lawn mowers and other landscaping equipment for city employees and residents.

It comes after a new state law banned the sale of gas-powered lawn equipment and other equipment using similar small motors, which kicked in at the start of this year.

The move to slowly phase out gas-powered lawn mowers, leaf blowers, trimmers and other lawn equipment follows other cities like Irvine in their transition away from what is no longer sold in the market. 

So far, Irvine is the only Orange County city to adopt an ordinance to switch from gas-powered to electric lawn equipment, with Buena Park considering it back in July.

[Read: Buena Park Considers Cracking Down on Gas Lawn Mowers, Street Vending]

Businesses that employ 50 or more people are banned from using gas powered lawn mowers and leaf blowers in Irvine, according to the ordinance adopted in December 2023. That ban kicks in on all people when the new year hits. 

By July 1, 2026, people in Irvine will be forbidden from using all other gas-powered lawn equipment – like chainsaws, weedwackers and hedge trimmers.

Buena Park’s lawn equipment crackdown proposal comes as city officials start to fall in line with bill AB 1346 – state legislation that was approved a couple years ago outlawing the sale of small engines found in equipment as of January 2024.

During an Oct. 8 regular council meeting, Councilwoman Joyce Ahn pushed back on how soon enforcement of electric equipment would come, concerned over how it might disadvantage local businesses.

“I’m just wondering how fast and how much awareness we can create first,” she said.

But her council colleagues said it’s better for an ordinance to be considered sooner than later.

Since only electric lawn equipment is sold in California, Mayor Susan Sonne said city officials need to address it to allow for access to a rebate program for residents and small business – which is expected to be further discussed at a later meeting.

When asked about a future ordinance, Jessica Fewer, management analyst for Buena Park, said a new municipal code is expected to be voted on by City Council early next year.

When will new code come into effect?

After being reviewed by the Climate Action Commission at the request of Buena Park City Council members during a June 11 regular meeting, city staff laid out the four-year timeline for phasing out old equipment by the end of 2027.

City staff is recommending that all city-owned lawn equipment be fully electric – estimated to cost roughly $50,000 to replace 55 appliances, after one year from an ordinance being adopted.

Buena Park City leaders agreed with the staff report’s recommendation of adding a rebate program on lawn mowers for both small businesses and residents, allocating $50,000 in city funds.

While small businesses and residents are still permitted to use certain gas-powered engines for the time being, city officials are pushing for the switch to electric equipment.

Councilman Connor Traut said that on top of climate concerns, it’s important that the city provides avenues for local businesses to continue wanting to work in Buena Park.

“We don’t just want to be taking people’s equipment away – we want to incentivize and this does exactly that,” Traut said in last week’s council meeting.

The rebate program for residents – which is exclusive to electric lawn mowers – would start in the following year after all city-owned equipment is bought. 

The reimbursements for residents vary on price range: the city plans on paying back a minimum of $150 on an electric mower purchase, maxing out rebates at $250.

The three-year transition plan mirrors that of another OC city, Irvine, which also anticipates all businesses and residents to primarily use electric lawn equipment after adopting new city laws.

Hugo Rios is a Voice of OC reporting fellow. Contact him at hugo.toni.rios@gmail.com or on Twitter @hugoriosss.

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Voice of OC is Orange County's nonprofit newsroom. We rely on donations from people like you to sustain our news agency. Please make a contribution today: https://voiceofoc.org/donate

With two weeks to go before Election Day, campaigning is heating up in Irvine with big last-minute spending from candidates and the interests supporting them. 

The spending will help shape the outcome of one of Irvine’s most consequential elections in years, marking the city’s shift to district voting and a guarantee of at least three new council members joining the dais. 

This year, the biggest spenders in town are the county firefighter union, the Lincoln Club conservative donor group and a coalition of McDonalds franchise owners, who’ve collectively spent nearly $800,000 on their favored candidates. 

Last month, candidates gave their views on how to best run the city in a forum held by the Irvine Watchdog.

[Read: Irvine City Council Candidates Split on Green Power and Housing]

Who’s Spending in the Mayor’s Race? 

Irvine Councilwoman Tammy Kim has seen the most spending in the mayor’s race, with over $300,000 in support from the Orange County Professional Firefighters Association and an additional $213,000 fundraised from largely small dollar donations over the past two years. 

About half the firefighter union’s support came from ads purchased without Kim’s involvement, but they also donated $150,000 directly to Kim via a committee she set up to protect herself from a recall effort. 

While the recall effort has not qualified for the ballot, organizers still have until late November to gather signatures. 

Ordinarily, candidates aren’t allowed to accept donations that large, but Kim said that under state law it’s protected because she’s the target of a recall. 

“I wasn’t circumventing anything, I did not ask to be recalled, I did not want to be recalled,” Kim said in an interview last Thursday. “But I do have the legal right to defend myself, that’s all.”

Jay Wierenga,  spokesperson for the Fair Political Practices Commission, declined to comment on the issue last week because the agency is currently reviewing Kim’s spending, but provided a copy of the agency’s guidelines for recall fundraising. 

“The Act expressly states that an elected state officer who is the target of a recall may accept

contributions into a committee established to oppose the qualification of the recall or the recall election without regard to the contribution limits,” the rules read. 

Kim sits on the Orange County Fire Authority’s board, while Councilman Larry Agran, one of her leading opponents, has publicly questioned if Irvine should remain in the countywide agency that the firefighter’s union belongs to. 

The only other outside spending on Kim came from Unite Here Local 11, the union that represents hotel workers throughout Orange County, who spent $20,000 advertising her candidacy. 

Agran has raised about $35,000 in small dollar donations over the past two years for his campaign according to his campaign disclosures, with another $31,000 he contributed himself via a loan. 

Ron Scolesdang, who’s endorsed by the county Republican Party, has raised $7,300 for his race. 

Lee Sun has raised around $23,000 in donations, and loaned $30,000 of his own money to the campaign. 

Wing Chow and Felipe Delgado have raised less than $2,000. 

Akshat Bhatia did not disclose any fundraising. 

City Council District #1

This year residents on the northern edge of the city in neighborhoods like Orchard Hills will elect their first district council person, and no matter who they pick it’ll be a new face on the dais. 

Finance Commissioner Melinda Liu is leading the pack for fundraising, having raised over $50,000 in direct contributions from donors including the firefighter’s union, several construction unions and other residents, along with $70,000 of her own money. 

Transportation Commissioner John Park is not far behind, having raised $25,000 from residents and donors such as the firefighters and police officers unions, alongside nearly $24,000 of his own money he’s invested in the race.  

The Lincoln Club, a conservative donor group based in Orange County, has also spent over $77,000 advertising his candidacy. 

The group has also spent over $14,000 opposing Liu. 

Planning Commissioner Michelle Johnson, who also drew the map the city is now using for district elections, has raised around $35,000 from donors and loaned her campaign $125,000 of her own money. 

The Lincoln Club has spent $5,000 opposing her campaign. 

Small business owner Jackie Kan has raised nearly $16,000, and loaned $27,500 of her own money to the campaign. 

Jeff Kitchen has raised less than $8,000. 

City Council District #2 

The newly created second district covers most of the Great Park and the surrounding neighborhoods, who for years have brought up concerns that their interests aren’t represented on city council. 

Now, they’re guaranteed a new council member on the dais. 

One of the leading fundraisers in the race is Transportation Commissioner William Go, who’s raised nearly $60,000 from donors including several construction unions, the police union and the county firefighter’s union, who’ve also spent $8,000 on their own advertising Go. 

The California Alliance of Family Owned Businesses political action committee has also spent over $70,000 advertising Go. All of the committee’s Orange County donors are McDonald’s franchisees, according to campaign disclosures. 

Go also loaned himself $100,000 for the race. 

Finance Commissioner Jeff Starke has raised nearly $19,000 in direct donations, and loaned the campaign $20,000 of his own money. 

Parissa Yazdani, a planning commissioner who co-chaired the now decommissioned Great Park Task Force, has raised less than $10,000. 

Architect Gang Chen has raised less than $5,000 this year. 

Mohammed Kothermydeen disclosed no fundraising. 

City Council District #3 

The city’s third district covers the heart of the city in neighborhoods like College Park, The Ranch and Northwood – and all three candidates are members of the city’s Community Services Commission. 

So far, James Mai has raised less than $8,000, and loaned nearly $41,000 of his own money to the campaign. 

He’s also received strong support from both the Lincoln Club and the firefighters union, with the club spending over $88,000 advertising his candidacy alongside an additional $8,000 from the union. 

Mai also received another $70,000 in advertising from a coalition of McDonalds franchisees via a committee – A Better Orange County, Sponsored by California Alliance of Family Owned Businesses.

Tom Chomyn raised over $15,000 from donors and loaned the campaign $3,000 of his own money according to disclosures. 

He also received nearly $19,000 in support from the Lincoln Club according to disclosures. 

Jing Sun has raised nearly $54,000 in direct contributions from residents, along with donations from the firefighters’ union and several unions. 

City Council District #4

Councilman Mike Carroll is running for reelection in the city’s Fourth District against Ayn Craciun, an environmental policy advocate who was one of the leading advocates behind establishing the Orange County Power Authority, in which Irvine was a founding member. 

Carroll was the power authority’s founding chairman and later tried to pull Irvine out of the agency altogether. He also served as chair of the Great Park Board over the past two years, during which the city has been moving forward with its new vision of the park. 

[Read: Irvine’s Great Park Has Its First Development Plan in Years, Can the City Deliver?]

So far, he has raised over $62,000 this year from direct donations, including donors such as the police union, the firefighter’s union, the county employee union and Irvine residents. 

Carroll has also received over $150,000 in advertising from a mix of the Lincoln Club, the county firefighter’s union and a coalition of McDonald’s franchisees. 

Craciun has fundraised over $53,000 in direct donations from donors including the Democratic Party of Orange County, the OC League of Conservation Voters and others, with most of her donations coming from Irvine residents.  

The Lincoln Club also spent an additional $24,000 on ads opposing Craciun’s campaign. 

Unite Here Local 11, the local union that represents hotel workers, has spent around $20,000 supporting Craciun’s campaign.

Noah Biesiada is a Voice of OC reporter and corps member with Report for America, a GroundTruth initiative. Contact him at nbiesiada@voiceofoc.org or on Twitter @NBiesiada.

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Voice of OC is Orange County's nonprofit newsroom. We rely on donations from people like you to sustain our news agency. Please make a contribution today: https://voiceofoc.org/donate

Irvine city officials are considering purchasing some property to create what could become the first homeless shelter in the city.

It’s not the first time a homeless shelter has been considered in the city. 

During the countywide federal lawsuit over homeless policies in 2018, Orange County Supervisors considered building a county-run shelter in the city – ultimately killing the proposal after staunch opposition from Irvine residents. 

[Read: OC Supervisors Back Off New Homeless Shelters, Make Promise to Work With Cities] 

Now, Irvine City Council members at Tuesday’s 4 p.m. meeting are slated to consider buying two buildings at 17572 and 17622 Armstrong Avenue to be used as a bridge shelter housing facility for the city’s homeless population and those at risk of homelessness.

It would cost the city approximately $18.5 million for the 3.66-acre site.

“As Irvine approaches a build-out condition, the City has seen noticeable growth in our local homeless population,” reads the staff report included with the meeting agenda. 

“When coupled with the fact that Irvine has nearly 60,000 residents who receive their health insurance from CalOptima / Medi-Cal, the City Council has previously directed that staff work to develop an at-risk and homeless population response system now, before the situation deteriorates further.”

The move is part of a larger effort – a project called “The System” – to address homelessness in Orange County’s second largest city, home to roughly 315,000 people.

The staff report explains that after a shelter is established, the city will move toward instituting new homelessness and anti-camping regulations, develop more affordable and transitional housing options and institute more crisis intervention support systems.

Currently, the city’s homelessness services page mainly directs visitors to county services and partner programs.

It’s not the first time officials have tried to establish a shelter in the city.

In 2018, hundreds of people protested against plans for a homeless shelter in Irvine, raising concerns about drug use and safety risks for local children. Thousands also showed up to an OC Board of Supervisors meeting to protest the county’s proposal, which officials ultimately shot down. 

A year later, Irvine and four other south OC cities found themselves at the receiving end of a federal lawsuit calling out the region’s lack of shelters.

That concern over needing a certain number of shelter beds largely changed this year after the Supreme Court Justices’ ruling in the Grants Pass v. Johnson case reversed the 9th Circuit Court of Appeal ruling in Martin v. Boise, which mandated that cities must provide adequate beds before they can push homeless people off the streets. 

[Read: Is Orange County About To Enforce Anti-Camping Laws Again?]

Now cities no longer need to have shelter space available to cite someone for sleeping in public.

That prompted cities like San Clemente and Aliso Viejo — both of which were sued along with Irvine in 2019 — to strengthen their anti-camping laws earlier this year by removing the shelter bed rule that is no longer mandated by Martin v. Boise.

Anaheim officials also strengthened anti-camping laws with police officers clearing out parks and railways earlier this month.

If approved by the Irvine City Council, the two parcels would be redeveloped into a homeless shelter facility called The Sanctuary. 

It would be a bridge shelter — meaning it would serve as a transitional space for homeless people who are yet to find permanent housing solutions.

According to the staff report, nearly 300 students in the Irvine Unified School District are classified as homeless or housing insecure. 

Additionally, city staff detailed recent events that show the need for a shelter. 

“A recent fire under the MacArthur Bridge, caused by a homeless encampment, highlighted the risk to the community and to those who are unhoused,” reads the staff report. “Additionally, following the Grants Pass decision, as jurisdictions begin to implement increased homeless enforcement activities, there is an increased risk of growth in our local unhoused population if the City takes no action.”

The shelter is expected to offer medical and behavioral health services, including short-term post-hospitalization stays.

If approved, the council is expected to search for an operator in November. The council is also expected to discuss an updated anti-camping law at a meeting next month.

Angelina Hicks is a Voice of OC Tracy Wood Reporting Fellow. Contact her at ahicks@voiceofoc.org or on Twitter @angelinahicks13

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Voice of OC is Orange County's nonprofit newsroom. We rely on donations from people like you to sustain our news agency. Please make a contribution today: https://voiceofoc.org/donate

Rancho Santa Margarita and La Palma officials still won’t allow residents to watch public meetings online in real time – where critical decisions about quality of life issues are decided. 

Voice of OC, in collaboration with Chapman University students, conducted an investigation earlier this year that found they were the only two cities in Orange County who did not livestream their meetings.

[Read: Making it Easy to Watch Local Government From Home]

The investigation graded Orange County cities on how accessible their respective city council meetings are to the general public. 

Every city in Orange County received either an A or B grade.

But not La Palma and Rancho Santa Margarita, who each received a D grade. 

Annie Cappetta, a legal fellow at the First Amendment Coalition– a public interest group dedicated to free speech and open meetings–  said the lack of virtual accessibility keeps residents in the dark. 

“People have to know what’s going on to be able to hold their government accountable and raise issues as they see them,” said Cappetta. 

Cappetta also raised issues about accessibility to those who are physically unable to attend the meetings in-person. 

“Remote public access and participation are essential to allow people who may have barriers to entry for in-person civic engagement,” said Capetta. “From work to child care to transportation to health reasons, it gives them the opportunity to see what’s going on in their community.”

Audio-only meetings can make it more difficult to understand who is speaking throughout meetings. 

A lack of captioning could also make meetings inaccessible for those with hearing loss.

[Read: Unheard: Orange County Shuts Out Deaf Residents From Public Meeting Broadcasts]

Capetta said The Brown Act in California protects residents’ rights to access official city meetings and select city documents. However, the Act does not address the live streaming of meetings. 

“It is legal to not live stream, not post a video, not post audio,” Capetta said. “From our perspective, that’s a real problem with the Brown Act.” 

When contacted, Rancho San Margarita’s city officials refused to comment or respond to questions regarding their decision. 

La Palma’s official website does not list the contact information for city council members and La Palma Deputy City Manager Joseph Cisneros didn’t respond to requests for comment or requests for contact information of city council members. 

But debates on live streams have popped off in La Palma before.

According to La Palma City Clerk Kimberly Kenney, the last time the city discussed live streaming city council meetings was during a meeting on February 7, 2023.

At that meeting, Councilmember Janet Conklin urged the council to consider looking at implementing video live streaming.

“I would like for us to be a little more open and transparent to the rest of our community, respectfully, I just think that we are not in the Stone Age,” Conklin said.

During discussion of the issue and especially between comments from different council members, the meeting audio was repeatedly cut off – prompting Conklin to comment.

“To my point, we need to improve our technology,” she said. 

La Palma City Councilmembers Nitesh Patel, Mark Waldman and Debbie Baker opposed the implementation of video live streaming.

“I don’t know that video would really add that much,” Waldman said.

“My concerns going forward with this are cost, infrastructure, and how we would implement it. I get that other cities do this, but they are a lot larger than us,” Patel said.

Council member Marshall Goodman proposed directing staff to look into both improving audio quality and what video live streaming options might be available without committing any city funding.

The proposal was rejected.  

Kenney said the city council has not changed its stance on the issue. 

Rancho Santa Margarita Public Information Officer Laura Lopez said the city adheres to state law.

“The city complies with all aspects of the Brown Act. At this time we do not video stream council meetings. The city has no further information, response, or statements related to this inquiry,” she said.  

Matthew Jarvis, an associate professor of Political Science at California State University, Fullerton, said there are some drawbacks to livestreaming meetings. 

Jarvis said the tradition of video live streaming began with C-SPAN TV broadcasts of Congressional hearings in the 1970s, and how this has “been transforming the floor of Congress into political theater.” 

“Since everything on the floor could be used for a campaign commercial, that’s all it really is at this point,” said Jarvis. 

Jarvis also said many big government decisions happen behind closed doors, diminishing the seeming importance of live streaming. 

“The actual work of legislating and compromising happens off the floor, out of sight,” Jarvis said.

However, Fred Smoller, associate professor of Political Science at Chapman University and expert on California local politics said it benefits residents to live stream video of city council meetings.

“Being able to watch or tune in to city council meetings helps to increase the informed electorate, and makes the system more user friendly,” Smoller said.

Smoller also said in today’s day and age, there is no real justification for city councils to fail to provide video streams of meetings.

“It’s just not that expensive to video stream city council meetings, most of the cities have cameras set up anyway,” he said.   

“They should all be doing it.”

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Voice of OC is Orange County's nonprofit newsroom. We rely on donations from people like you to sustain our news agency. Please make a contribution today: https://voiceofoc.org/donate

Huntington Beach City Council members shot down proposals for installing metal detectors at city hall last month, claiming the police department didn’t need the extra security measures. 

“We don’t need another study,” said Councilman Casey McKeon at the council’s Sept. 17 meeting. “I trust implicitly our first in class police department have all the tools they need.” 

It comes after the council’s minority members have said they’ve heard safety concerns from residents. 

It’s also an issue that was also quietly considered by the police department earlier this year. 

Documents obtained by Voice of OC through a public records request show a police captain recommended purchasing metal detectors following a security study in January, but Police Chief Eric Parra shot the idea down. 

The study recommended several security upgrades to the council chambers, most of which focused on improving the security of the council’s private caucus room with new deadbolts, peepholes and alarming several doors at the back of the chambers to prevent outside entry. 

To see a copy of the study, click here. 

Those recommendations were all implemented according to city records. 

Captain Gaute Svendsbo also recommended metal detectors at the council chambers’ main entrance to Parra, who was both the police chief and acting city manager at the time. 

“Although these additions provide enhanced security, additional investments can be made to increase safety and security for attendees and city personnel at future meetings,” Svendsbo wrote in a memo. “One such feature is the purchase of walk-through metal detectors.” 

In a statement last Thursday, police department spokesperson Jessica Cuchilla said Parra made the choice not to move forward with the upgrades because the other measures beefed up security.. 

“While Captain Svendsbo provided options – including the potential purchase of walk-through metal detectors – he clearly noted that such recommendations would only be implemented if a decision was made to proceed,” Cuchilla wrote. “At this time, Chief Parra has determined the current security updates … provide sufficient public safety.”  

When asked why Parra didn’t tell council members about the study, Cuchilla said that was up to Parra’s discretion. 

“Should Chief Parra feel that additional safety measures are necessary,” she wrote. “He would inform the City Council and implement them.” 

Svendsbo also attached a proposed budget for the new detectors, which would cost around $14,500 to purchase and require security personnel to man them at a cost of around $1,500 per month.

To review a copy of that memo, click here. 

Meanwhile, three council members have raised security concerns and called for a study on the issue – even after the police department privately conducted one. 

“We have received many emails and in-person communications from residents saying they do not feel safe coming down to these chambers to exercise their constitutional rights,” wrote Councilmembers Dan Kalmick, Natalie Moser and Rhonda Bolton in a memo last month. 

“An evaluation is overdue to ensure that our Police Department has the best available tools at its disposal to physically secure the Council Chambers,” they continued. “Of particular interest are innovative tools that can detect individuals attempting to enter the building with weapons.” 

Noah Biesiada is a Voice of OC reporter and corps member with Report for America, a GroundTruth initiative. Contact him at nbiesiada@voiceofoc.org or on Twitter @NBiesiada.

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Voice of OC is Orange County's nonprofit newsroom. We rely on donations from people like you to sustain our news agency. Please make a contribution today: https://voiceofoc.org/donate

Located on the outskirts of Anaheim Hills and Yorba Linda, lies 500-acres of Gypsum Canyon Wilderness located within the OC Parks’ Irvine Ranch Open Space. 

After being opened to the public in November 2023, approximately 2,000 people have visited Gypsum Canyon Wilderness. There are seven trails in total ranging from easy to moderate in difficulty allowing options for varying levels of mobility and outdoor experience.

Benjie and Arlene Garcia from Ontario, Calif. said Gypsum Canyon Park is one of their favorite trails to hike, amongst other hikes at the Irvine Ranch Open Space like Red Rock Wilderness and Limestone Canyon Nature Reserve. 

“I like it personally because [the hike is] about five and a half miles so with my experience of hiking, it’s doable,” said Arlene Garcia. “It’s not time consuming where you have to spend a full day or half a day hiking.”

Lisa Roxas from Irvine, Calif. also enjoys hiking at OC Parks with Gypsum Canyon due to the less crowded trails, especially in comparison to Crystal Cove. 

“There’s a lot more to see here,” said Roxas. “There’s more vegetation and there’s a lot of different trails that you can get on that are not as crowded.”

Roxas hikes at least twice a week and was drawn exploring the new space due to the Wilderness Access Day event through the Let’s Go Outside website. 

Featuring rock formations believed to have formed between 16 to 20 million years ago, Gypsum Canyon Wilderness is home to many plants and animals; including coast live oak, western sycamore, mule deer, red-tailed hawks and California gnatcatchers.

With 6 miles of trails for hiking, biking and horseback riding, visitors can take in the expansive views of the surrounding landscape and colorful rock formations from two scenic overlooks.

Gypsum Canyon Wilderness is accessible through scheduled guided and self-guided activities and programs including Wilderness Access Days and scheduled early morning hikes. While registration for Wilderness Access Day is not required, access is first come, first served until parking capacity is reached. 

There are approximately 100 parking spaces within the parking lot, which includes space for horse trailer parking. OC Parks also provides picnic tables and portable restrooms that are accessible to visitors. 

Visit ocparks.com/events for a full list of upcoming activities and programs.

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Voice of OC is Orange County's nonprofit newsroom. We rely on donations from people like you to sustain our news agency. Please make a contribution today: https://voiceofoc.org/donate

Wallace

Wallace has been at OC Animal Care in Tustin for about three weeks after coming into the shelter as a stray. At 8 years old, he’s one of the older faces at the shelter.

Staff notations describe Wallace as a friendly and adventurous pet who already knows how to “sit” and “shake” on command.

He is available for adoption and eligible for the shelter’s October adoption promotion, which is waiving adoption fees for all dogs 25 pounds and over.

Click here to see a video of Wallace. Here are his details:

• Pet ID: A1890322
• Sex: Male (neutered)
• Age: 8 years
• Weight: 68 pounds
• Color: White, brown
• Breed: American bulldog
• Intake Date: 9/30/2024
• Intake Jurisdiction: Villa Park
• Kennel: #204

Bo Peep

Bo Peep has been at the shelter for about three months after she was returned by a previous adopter.

Staff notations describe that she’s friendly and has lots of love to give. Staff also recommend Bo Peep be placed in a family without any other pets since she can be reactive around other dogs. She would do best as the only dog in the household.

Bo Peep is currently available for adoption — her kennel is in the last row at OC Animal Care. She’s also eligible for the shelter’s October adoption promotion, which is waiving adoption fees for all dogs 25 pounds and over.

Click here to see a video of Bo Peep. Here are her details:

• Pet ID: A1872167
• Sex: Female (spayed)
• Age: 3 years
• Weight: 55 pounds
• Color: Gray, white
• Breed: Pit bull
• Intake Date: 7/10/2024
• Intake Jurisdiction: Brea
• Kennel: #428

Coraline

Coraline has been at the shelter for about two weeks after coming in as a stray.

She is currently available for adoption. OC Animal Care is also offering a promotional cat adoption event every Friday — cat adoption fees are reduced to $50 on Fridays only.

Here are Coraline’s details:

• Pet ID: A1890964
• Sex: Female (spayed)
• Age: 9 months
• Weight: 6.23 pounds
• Color: Brown tabby, white
• Breed: Domestic shorthair
• Intake Date: 10/4/2024
• Kennel: C709

OC Animal Care, the county-run animal shelter in Tustin, is open daily for adoption visits from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. 

To schedule an adoption visit, call the main line at (714) 935-6848 and mention the animal ID number for any specific pet you might be interested in.

The shelter also offers viewing hours daily from 2 to 5 p.m., including weekends. During this time, visitors can freely walk through the kennel areas.

For more information about OC Animal Care click here.

Visit the pet adoptions page to see more available pets.

Angelina Hicks is a Voice of OC Tracy Wood Reporting Fellow. Contact her at ahicks@voiceofoc.org or on Twitter @angelinahicks13.

Voice of OC is Orange County's nonprofit newsroom. We rely on donations from people like you to sustain our news agency. Please make a contribution today: https://voiceofoc.org/donate

Santa Ana police officers are clearing out homeless encampments throughout the Union Pacific Railroad multiple days a week as they ramp up cleanup efforts along the privately owned tracks.

It comes as cities across Orange County like Anaheim and Newport Beach bolster anti-camping laws and enforcement following a Supreme Court ruling this year that clears the way for cities to crack down on encampments more freely.

City Manager Alvaro Nuñez said at Tuesday’s city council meeting that since last month police officers have been going multiple times a week for the last month to help cleanup the railroad and are taking a zero tolerance approach to the homeless people out by the tracks.

He said the goal in sending out police enforcement was to keep the railroad clean and address any trespassing issues.

“If they return back to the railroad after it was cleaned they’ll receive a citation,” Nuñez said. 

Under the updated program, cleanup days will happen Tuesdays, Thursdays and weekends with police presence on Fridays through Sundays along with CityNet, a homeless outreach program.

It comes after Mayor Valerie Amezcua, who is up for reelection, called at several public meetings this year for officials to take a stand against one of the city’s biggest issues – homelessness – and arrest people who are breaking the law.

[Read: How Are Santa Ana Officials Going to Address Homeless Encampments?]

According to the staff presentation, the city has spent about $10,000 in overtime costs to police officers so far. The police budget for this year is just over $157 million, according to their fiscal year budget.  

In June, the police department received a $27 million salary contract to be spent over the next three and half years. The contract features a pay increase for local officers.

[Read: Can Santa Ana Afford a $27 Million Police Contract?]

Nuñez said in the first two weeks of enforcement they contacted 40 people and law enforcement gave out 34 citations for railroad trespassing. 

All were talked to about resources but no one requested assistance. Five people were arrested with warrants, he said. 

The services offered were substance abuse programs, mental health services and shelter services under CityNet. 

Earlier this month, Anaheim cracked down on their homeless encampments citing concerns of public safety.  

[Read: Anaheim Bolsters Anti-Camping Laws, Clears Out Parks]

Mayor Valerie Amezcua echoed similar words to Anaheim Councilman Jose Diaz, who said if homeless people didn’t want to take their services offered then they needed to leave.

“We have a shelter, we have programs available. They could go. If they don’t want the assistance then they need to go somewhere else and they need to not be in our city causing a problem,” Amezcua said.

“I don’t want another shelter. We’ve done enough for the homeless,” she said later at Tuesday night’s city council meeting. 

The city manager also said they looked into the arrest history of the homeless people they encountered, listing previous arrests ranging from murder to narcotic violations. 

The crackdowns on railroad homeless camps come off the heels of Gov. Gavin Newsom asking local legislators to clean up encampment sites. 

[Read: Gov. Newsom Calls on Local Leaders to Clean Up Encampments – Will They?]

The pilot program so far has shown that people pushed out of their railroad encampments have headed toward surrounding businesses and residential areas.

As of the Oct. 15 city council meeting, the program for the Union Pacific Railroad enforcement will continue for another 45 days as the city determines their next course of action.

Santa Ana currently has 1,428 homeless people, according to the latest count.

Gigi Gradillas is a Voice of OC Tracy Wood Reporting Fellow. Contact her at gigi.gradillas@gmail.com or on Twitter @gigigradillas.

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Voice of OC is Orange County's nonprofit newsroom. We rely on donations from people like you to sustain our news agency. Please make a contribution today: https://voiceofoc.org/donate

Fullerton city officials are taking the next steps in making downtown’s only outdoor dining area a lasting staple in the city.

This comes after community members and residents voiced concerns about the city potentially closing down ‘Walk on Wilshire’ – a 200-foot pedestrian zone that was brought into question by city leaders.

On Tuesday, Fullerton City Council voted 3-1 to extend ‘Walk on Wilshire’ until Jan. 31, 2025, while directing city staff to look into blocking off the entire street segment to make the plaza a permanent fixture in downtown.

[Read: Will Fullerton’s Walk On Wilshire Become Permanent?]

As part of their direction, city staff is expected to research ways to make the pedestrian zone a long-term enclosure for a City Council vote in January. 

Councilman Bruce Whitaker was the only dissenting vote, with Mayor Nick Dunlap recusing himself from the vote.

Community members and residents packed City Hall for Tuesday’s regular meeting, many showing their support for the pedestrian plaza that was established during the pandemic.

“If we’re going to look into a closure of any street, why not the entire street? Why a quarter of it?” Councilman Fred Jung said during Tuesday’s meeting. “Make it so that there’s a legitimate investment to be made.”

Jung, who has been critical of the outdoor dining program on Wilshire Avenue in the past, added that he would like to see how more resources could benefit the plaza and increase revenue for businesses.

In response to Jung, Councilwoman Shana Charles highlighted the support shown for downtown open space including a volunteer event that was held weeks prior dubbed “Chalk on Wilshire” which had no city involvement.

The event was hosted by an community-led organization called “Save Walk on Wilshire,” which tallied 2,000 signatures in support of keeping the downtown space.

“This grassroots organization – that is absolutely volunteer – is extraordinary,” she said.

Charles – who advocated for ‘Walk on Wilshire’ throughout its existence – added, “I think we need to give the people what they want.”

Despite a majority in attendance supporting an ordinance that would make an outdoor dining space permanent in downtown, not everyone was on board.

Chris Presta, owner of Back Alley Bar & Grill on Wilshire Avenue, said that his part of the street hasn’t seen much foot traffic, so he finds it hard to support a continued street enclosure.

In an interview outside of council chambers, Presta said that he enjoys that people use the community space to host events, take graduation photos, but does not see the space benefitting his business.

“What everybody says – it sounds amazing. Problem is, I never see those people there,” Presta said during public comment.

In a city staff report, the city claims that “Many of the businesses not part of the closure noted it has not generated enough increased foot traffic or sales to justify their support.”

The report continues “These businesses show more support if they had equal opportunities to participate such as extending the closure to their storefronts or allowing them to create parklets.”

But dozens of people spoke during Tuesday’s meeting about how important a community space is for Fullerton.

Leah Cook, a Fullerton resident, said during the meeting that ‘Walk on Wilshire’ is a place that she takes her children to, recalling fond memories that she’d like to continue with her daughters.

“We’d love more memories like that. And as a mom, that’s going to be a memory that I take with me to the grave.”

 Hugo Rios is a Voice of OC reporting fellow. Contact him at hugo.toni.rios@gmail.com or on Twitter @hugoriosss.

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Voice of OC is Orange County's nonprofit newsroom. We rely on donations from people like you to sustain our news agency. Please make a contribution today: https://voiceofoc.org/donate

Consider starting your weekend this Saturday by visiting the Hilbert Museum, or take a sunset fitness hike. 

On Sunday, take the kids to an Arabic storytime, or spend time volunteering outdoors. 

This is just a handful of the many free events and activities happening throughout Orange County — funded by public tax dollars.  

CHECK OUT OUR FULL CALENDAR HERE

Every week, Voice of OC reporters work hard to help residents stay connected to upcoming civic events, putting locals in a position to save tax dollars and hold leaders accountable. 

You can cut through the noise every morning by reading the free Voice of OC daily email newsletter. 

Sign up here.

You can also bookmark the Voice of OC calendar to stay ahead of key civic meetings during the week. 

That same kind of watchdog reporting now fuels a vibrant weekend calendar, choc full of free public services and assets your tax dollars finance.  

Here are a few noteworthy free events happening this weekend. 

Saturday, October 19

Visit the Hilbert Museum

Spend time at the Hilbert Museum of California Art, one of the largest collections of California narrative art from from the late 19th century to present day. 

Reservations are required, but admission is free. 

When: 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.

Where: 167 N. Atchison St., Orange, CA  92866

Cost: Free

For more details, contact the museum at (714) 516-5880

Work on a Creative Project at Placentia Library

Visit the Placentia Library’s Hangar DIY Lab – a creative makerspace.

Use the cricut, sewing machine, embroidery machine or craft materials on a creative project. 

The equipment can be used by adults and teens ages 14+ with a valid library card, ID and signed waiver, available for use on a first-come, first-served basis. Children under 14 years old can use the craft materials with parental supervision.

When: 11:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.

Where: 411 E. Chapman Ave., Placentia, CA 92870

Cost: Free

For more details, contact the library at (714) 5281906

Sunset Fitness Hike

Enjoy panoramic views of Orange County on a sunset fitness hike on the paved Hicks Haul Road. 

Registration is required.

When: 4:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m.

Where: 13333 Black Star Canyon Rd., Silverado, CA 92676

Cost: Free

For more details, contact the Irvine Ranch Conservancy at irvineranchopenspace@ocparks.com or info@irconservancy.org

Sunday, October 20

Arabic Storytime

Take the kids to a bilingual Arabic storytime with songs and crafts in Arabic.

When: 11:00 a.m. to 11:30 a.m.

Where: 14361 Yale Ave., Irvine, CA 92604

Cost: Free

For more details, contact the library at (949) 936-4040 or ocpl.heritage@occr.ocgov.com

Garden Volunteer Opportunity

Volunteer to maintain the Native Seed Farm’s demonstration garden, used to demonstrate how to build a garden with regionally-suitable plants. Activities include weeding, clearing, cutting, digging, watering and more.

Registration is required. 

When: 7:30 a.m. to 11:00 a.m.

Where: 13333 Black Star Canyon Rd., Silverado, CA 92676

Cost: Free

For more details, contact the Irvine Ranch Conservancy at irvineranchopenspace@ocparks.com or info@irconservancy.org

Halloween Decorations

Enjoy photo opportunities with Halloween and Fall decorations at Heritage Hill Historical Park.

When: 4:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.

Where: 25151 Serrano Rd., Lake Forest, CA 92630-2534

Cost: Free

For more details, contact the park at (949) 923-2230 or heritagehill@ocparks.com

If you know of a free public agency event that the Voice of OC should be aware of, send an email to etaylor@voiceofoc.org

For more events, please refer to the Voice of OC Calendar.

Voice of OC is Orange County's nonprofit newsroom. We rely on donations from people like you to sustain our news agency. Please make a contribution today: https://voiceofoc.org/donate

After serving four years on the City Council, and as long on the Planning Commission, I’ve heard a constant refrain from Costa Mesa residents—housing has become scarce and far too expensive.

In fact, my daughters (17 and 21 years old) have lamented how they’ll never be able to afford a home here. The city’s median home price is $1.3 million, and starter homes are often on the market for only a few days due to the high demand. The average monthly rent for a 2-bedroom apartment is over $3,200.

Rising housing costs have significantly outpaced wages, not enough new homes have been built, and we have a 3 percent vacancy rate. People who are fortunate enough to own homes are staying put, which creates scarcity for new homebuyers. It is an unstable situation, and a crisis for many in our community.

In Costa Mesa, we have seen very little housing built over the last eight years—fewer than 200 new units from entitled projects. Because of a previous no-growth initiative, which halted virtually all new residential development, builders and developers found better opportunities in nearby cities. As a result, our home prices and rental rates have skyrocketed.

But over the last four years, our City Council has made a concerted effort to correct course:

• Initiating (and passing by Costa Mesa voters) Measure K, which preserved traditional neighborhoods while creating opportunities to revitalize our major commercial corridors and north of the 405 freeway, will facilitate housing for working professionals, families, and seniors;
• Working with partners such as Jamboree Housing on a 70-unit affordable senior housing project near our Senior Center;
• Approving the One Metro West project north of the 405 freeway, which will provide 1,057 homes. This development will include 106 affordable units, the largest single-site allocation of affordable housing in the history of Costa Mesa; and
• Preparing a community-driven Master Plan for reimagining the 100-acre Fairview Developmental Center as a new neighborhood guided by smart growth principles.

Most recently, after months of study and debate, the Council adopted an affordable housing ordinance. Like five other cities in Orange County, Costa Mesa now requires applicants of housing projects of a certain size (50 units) to either build a percentage of deed-restricted affordable units on site, or pay an in-lieu fee. Applicants offering for-sale homes are exempt. In addition, the Council approved $2.5 million allocated to an Affordable Housing Trust Fund, which will help increase housing availability for families.

Importantly, we’ve also focused on making sure people remain housed and do not slip into homelessness. During the pandemic we adopted an eviction moratorium, provided $16 million in rent relief with State COVID funds, and made grants to local businesses to ensure our economy kept growing.

To address this complex and pervasive issue, the Council built our bridge shelter near the Airport in 2020. Currently housing 85 beds, the shelter will add 15 in the coming months through a County grant which also provides supportive services to the residents. Since 2019, we’ve permanently housed over 383 people, getting them off the streets and into clean, safe, and affordable homes.

The main obstacle to moving more people out of homelessness is the lack of available housing. But over the last two years, Costa Mesa has partnered with our state and county agencies to convert motels to much-needed permanent supportive housing. Through Project Homekey, the Motel 6 on Newport Boulevard was transformed into 88 affordable rental units for at-risk seniors and veterans; and the Travelodge on Bristol Street is slated to be redeveloped with 76 homes.

Creating more housing opportunities is critical to our economic and social health. As we compete with our neighboring cities for new investment, we need to ensure everyone–seniors, young adults, growing families, and individuals–has options to live near where they work and play, and to build a future in Costa Mesa. Our growth and prosperity depends on it.

Jeffrey Harlan is the Costa Mesa City Councilmember representing District 6 (the Eastside), since 2020. A land use attorney and former urban planner, Jeff’s policy focus is on housing, economic development, and public safety.

Opinions expressed in community opinion pieces belong to the authors and not Voice of OC.

Voice of OC is interested in hearing different perspectives and voices. If you want to weigh in on this issue or others please email opinions@voiceofoc.org.

Voice of OC is Orange County's nonprofit newsroom. We rely on donations from people like you to sustain our news agency. Please make a contribution today: https://voiceofoc.org/donate

OC Sheriff to test emergency mass notification system, Alert OC

SANTA ANA, Ca. (Oct. 16, 2024):  The Orange County Sheriff’s Department will test its emergency mass notification system, AlertOC, at 10:17 a.m. Oct. 17 with a test emergency alert that will be sent to residents’ mobile devices and home phones.

The test will replicate a large-scale, multi-jurisdictional emergency requiring thousands of numbers to be called simultaneously across Orange County.

“Recent earthquake and fire activity serve as an important reminder to us all to be ready for disasters that could happen at any time, disrupting our daily lives,” said Michelle Anderson, County Emergency Manager. “Our goal during National Preparedness Month is to encourage individuals, families, businesses, and community organizations to get involved in preparing at home, work, school, and places of worship. By taking small steps to prepare today, we protect our future.” 

Disasters, such as the state’s historic wildfires or earthquakes, often occur rapidly, forcing evacuations and road closures to neighborhoods.

AlertOC is a critical link for residents to immediately learn of any required actions, such as evacuating their homes.

The distinctive feature of AlertOC is the ability for individuals to register multiple contact methods and addresses. Registration of cell phone and alternate numbers dramatically increase the ability to reach the greatest number of community members within minutes. This enables landlines, cell phones, and e-mail addresses to be incorporated into a single notification system.

Residents are encouraged to sign up at AlertOC.gov and also visit ReadyOC.org for emergency preparedness resources, including templates for family plans, checklists to build emergency kits, and more.

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Voice of OC posts press releases to provide readers with information directly from organizations. We do not edit or rewrite press releases, and encourage readers to contact the originator of a given release for more information.

To submit a press release email pressreleases@voiceofoc.org.

Voice of OC is Orange County's nonprofit newsroom. We rely on donations from people like you to sustain our news agency. Please make a contribution today: https://voiceofoc.org/donate

City-hired Investigators have reportedly concluded that they can’t sustain allegations that Santa Ana Mayor Valerie Amezcua created a hostile workplace environment for former city manager Kristine Ridge and interfered with her work City Attorney Sonia Carvalho announced this week at a public meeting. 

City officials have not released the reports nor responded to requests to review the documents. 

The findings in the probe come a year after a majority of officials, including Amezcua, voted to pay Ridge over $600,000 to settle her claim in which Ridge also alleges a pressure campaign by elected officials on behalf of the police union to get her to boost former union president Gerry Serrano’s pay and pension. 

[Read: What Are Santa Ana Officials Hiding in a Claim Alleging The Police Union Runs City Hall?]

Her departure came weeks after former Police Chief David Valetin announced his retirement citing “corrupt and compromised politicians” and “compromised staff.”

At Tuesday’s city council meeting, Carvalho publicly announced that investigators found that the preponderance of evidence did not support allegations that Amezcua, who is up for reelection this November, violated the city charter, the city’s code of ethics and harassed Ridge.

“The truth always comes out,” said Amezcua, whose campaigns have received significant financial support from the police union, at the meeting. 

“I sleep very well at night, knowing that every decision I make up here is for the community and so they ranted and raved how I did some awful things. Not one of my allegations were sustained.”

Yet if Amezcua didn’t do anything improper, it’s unclear why city officials voted to pay out Ridge’s claim – something council members have never addressed publicly.

Amezcua did not respond to a request for comment Wednesday.

The investigators weren’t just looking into allegations against the mayor.

At Tuesday’s city council meeting, Carvalho also said investigators found a preponderance of evidence sustained allegations that Councilman Johnathan Hernandez interfered with city staff’s work to plan the Juneteenth celebration, the Chicano Heritage Festival and Indigenous People’s day.

Carvalho added that allegations that Hernandez, who is also up for reelection this November, also engaged in conduct related to the events that could be deemed to violate the city charter and city’s code of ethics and conduct were sustained by city-hired investigators.

Hernandez said in a Wednesday phone interview that the allegations against Amezcua were not sustained because investigators couldn’t reach Ridge and that the findings don’t list the specific sections of the city codes he himself allegedly violated. 

Hernandez criticized the process as unfair – noting that members of the Black, Chicano and Indigenous communities asked him to sit in on meetings with staff about the cultural events because of concerns of racism from staff.

“The only issue that the city staff had is that I was overly advocating for my constituents. When my constituents felt uncomfortable and discriminated against, I was willing to sit in the room with them,” he said. 

“If anyone reads the allegations against me. They’re rooted in me doing my job for my constituents.” 

[Read: Orange County Gears Up For Juneteenth Celebrations]

Hernandez said that he is supportive of releasing the full findings of both investigations to the public, adding that officials called for the investigation into the allegations against Amezcua as part of the vote to settle Ridge’s claim.

Carvalho said a fourth allegation that Hernandez tried to solicit donations for the Juneteenth Celebration, Indigenous People’s Day and the Chicano Heritage Festival was not sustained by investigators.

“The city now deems these matters to be resolved unless an ad hoc committee gives further direction to our office, and that’s all I have to report,” Carvalho said at Tuesday’s meeting.

Ridge, through her attorney listed on the claim, did not respond to a request for comment Wednesday.

Penaloza, whose previous campaign has received financial support from the police union, said there are numerous parks and recreation staff terrified to be in the room with Hernandez and that any violation of the city charter is a misdemeanor.

“I have personally inquired about the city attorney – or the district attorney (Todd) Spitzer if needed  – to prosecute this,” he said in a Wednesday phone interview. “Staff shouldn’t have to work that way.”

Hernandez said there is nothing criminal about what he did.

“The city attorney made it very clear to the council, there isn’t much that they can do to penalize me for my role in advocating for the event. There’s nothing criminal about sitting in a meeting,” he said

Penaloza said if it’s legal to release the findings of the investigations he’d support doing so and that he had not read the findings.

“The allegations against Mayor Amezcua have been so beefed up by Councilman Hernandez and (Councilman Ben) Vasquez and (Councilwoman Jessie) Lopez, because they hate her and it’s been a hit piece ever since,” he said.

Councilmembers Phil Bacerra – who also has received substantial campaign finance support from the local police union – said in a Wednesday text message after publication of this story that Hernandez’s claim that staff found his interference to be “‘overly advocating,’ shows that he does not understand our City Charter.”

“On Tuesday evening, Councilmember Hernandez falsely portrayed the investigation into his violation of City Charter Section 408 as retaliation, when the investigation was actually initiated after the City Council received a formal complaint from the former City Manager [Ridge] regarding Councilmember Hernandez’s interference with our City’s Parks Department staff,” he wrote.

Councilwoman Thai Viet Phan did not respond to a request for comment Wednesday.

Will The Findings Be Made Public?

Neither of the findings have been made public.

Voice of OC has filed a public records request for the findings of both investigations and asked Carvalho and City Spokesman Paul Eakins for a copy of the full reports.

Carvalho pointed to her remarks at the end of the meeting when asked for the reports. Eakins did not respond to an email, text message or voicemail requests for the reports.

At the meeting, Amezcua said that council members can go to the seventh floor of city hall to read the findings. Both Eakins and Carvalho did not respond to questions about if residents can do that too.

In nearby Anaheim, officials last year publicly released –  with redactions – an over 350 page report on the findings of a city-contracted corruption investigation in the wake of the FBI corruption probe scandal.

[Read: Anaheim’s Own Look at City Hall Finds Disneyland Resort Businesses Improperly Steer Policymaking]

Carvalho’s announcement comes roughly three weeks before the November election in which both Amezcua and Hernandez are running to stay in office.

In a press release for her campaign that came out just before Tuesday’s meeting ended, Amezcua called the findings of the investigation a vindication, called Ridge’s allegations false and blamed “certain media outlets” for amplifying the allegations.

“As the first woman to serve as Mayor of Santa Ana, I have faced an unprecedented level of politically motivated attacks,” said Amezcua in the release. “Today, the truth has prevailed. I appreciate that our focus can now turn towards more pressing issues facing the people of Santa Ana.” 

Hernandez said that the community events didn’t cost the city hundreds of thousands of dollars.

“My actions as a councilman have not cost the city any amount of money in lawsuits. But the mayor’s have, whether she’d like to say it or not, ” he said.

An Over $600,000 Pay Out Before an Investigation

Instead of fighting Ridge’s claim in court, a majority of officials decided to pay out the former city manager hundreds of thousands dollars and quietly settle the claim in October – something they never publicly explained why they did.

[Read: Why Did Santa Ana Pay Out Over $600K to Settle a Claim Alleging the Police Union Runs City Hall?]

Councilwoman Jessie Lopez, who is up for reelection, was the lone dissenting vote.

“I voted no because I did not agree with the council’s priority to try and make a problem go away as quickly as possible the way that situation transpired,” Lopez said in a Wednesday phone interview 

She said that she still believes Ridge’s allegations but had not read the findings.

“Based on my own experience, I have no reason to doubt her,” Lopez said. 

She also said the decision to settle the claim before doing an investigation impacted the probe.

“The investigator said some claims are unsustained. That is not the same as those things did not actually happen, and a proper investigation would have placed the former city manager on administrative leave. It would have assessed the credibility, and it would have ensured cooperation,” she said.

In her claim, Ridge alleged that Amezcua made discriminatory gender and ethnicity based remarks about her and that Amezcua prohibited her from speaking during labor negotiations with the police union.

Ridge also alleges Amezcua requested she agendize an item to be discussed behind closed doors that Ridge said was a violation of the Brown Act – the state’s open meeting law. Due to the redactions, it’s unclear what the request was.

To read the claim letter, click here.

Hernandez told the Voice of OC in April that the redactions have to do with a complaint he filed in 2023 alleging Amezcua violated the Brown Act amid efforts to fire Ridge and former Police Chief David Valentin.

To read Hernandez’s complaint, click here.

On Tuesday, Carvalho said the Orange County District Attorney found that there was insufficient evidence to substantiate allegations that Amezcua violated the Brown Act and they closed the matter.

A Sept. 24 letter from the District Attorney’s office given to the Voice of OC by Eakins states that there were allegations that council members shared confidential information with the police union during negotiations.

It also states that there were allegations that several officials had serial meetings related to ongoing negotiations with the police union as well as a performance evaluation of Ridge.

“There was insufficient evidence to substantiate the allegations,” reads the letter. “To avoid concerns regarding future Brown Act complaints, we recommend members undergo supplemental training, particular with respect to meeting requirements and the disclosure of confidential information.”

To read the letter, click here.

Hernandez publicly called out on Tuesday night District Attorney Todd Spitzer’s office for failing to contact him after his complaint, saying that Amezcua opened an ad hoc committee to investigate him after his complaint.

“This is an inside look at what happens when you oppose special interests, and when you side with the community, they will do everything and anything to try to destroy you,” he said.

Amezcua said at Tuesday’s meeting that Carvalho had told her to create an Ad Hoc committee to investigate the allegations  – which prompted the group then to turn the probe over to an outside investigator to ensure fairness.

She noted the Ad Hoc committee was made up of herself, Bacerra and Councilman Ben Vazquez.

Vazquez said he supports the findings of the investigations to be released and that he had not read the findings.

“I just want to make sure that we get the investigation reports open to the public, and don’t hold off, just so we can be transparent to the public as to what has happened here,” he said. “The mayor was not exonerated or found not guilty, it was just that the arguments were not sustained.”

Vazquez said he regrets voting to settle the claim before the investigation and he did so initially to protect the city from legal fees.

“She got paid to leave basically,” he said

Who is Behind the Investigation? What’s Next?

Carvalho, the city attorney,  and Eakins, a spokesman, did not answer emailed questions Tuesday night on who conducted the investigation and how much they were paid to do the probe. 

Both also didn’t respond to a question on why officials settled the legal claim before launching an investigation.

When the claim went public in April, Carvalho and Eakins also remained quiet on who was conducting the probe and the cost.

Officials also kept Ridge’s claim secret for months until being threatened with a public records lawsuit – a threat that prompted release of the claim letter.

[Read: What Are Santa Ana Officials Hiding in a Claim Alleging The Police Union Runs City Hall?]

The OC Register reported that Santa Ana officials agreed to expand a contract by up to $175,000 with Hanson Bridgett LLP, a law firm, to investigate working conditions at city hall.

None of the council members that spoke to Voice of OC could immediately speak to who did the investigation and how much they paid

Carvalho said at Tuesday’s meeting the ad hoc committee can direct her to draft a memo on the process of filing an ethics complaint against Hernandez and the investigation materials were available to the council.

Police Union Spends Big Again in Santa Ana Races

Meanwhile, the Santa Ana Police Officers Association – at the core of Ridge’s allegations – is spending big on local city council races this election.

So far, the police union has spent over $130,000 between Mayor Amezcua’s reelection campaign, City Commissioner Mario Alvarado’s Ward 5 campaign and lawyer Jeffery Katz’s Ward 3 campaign – with a greater portion of the money going to Alvarado.

[Read: Police Union, Real Estate Interests Spend Big in Santa Ana Elections]

The union spent $37,000 to support Amezcua through mailers.

Hosam Elattar is a Voice of OC reporter and corps member with Report for America, a GroundTruth initiative. Contact him at helattar@voiceofoc.org or on Twitter @ElattarHosam.

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Voice of OC is Orange County's nonprofit newsroom. We rely on donations from people like you to sustain our news agency. Please make a contribution today: https://voiceofoc.org/donate

Placentia’s police officer and firefighter unions unanimously voted no confidence in City Administrator Damien Arrula this week as city council members review an investigation into whether he misspent taxpayer dollars on things like car washes and lunches. 

No members of the public have seen the results of the investigation, but city council members approved new rules tightening their policies on city-issued credit card spending and travel allowances while debating whether or not to fire Arrula in closed session. 

Arrula has not been fired, but hasn’t appeared at any city council meetings since the council reviewed the report and did not respond to requests for comment from Voice of OC. 

[Read: Placentia City Administrator Under Investigation For Suspect Purchases]

Most of those discussions came after Placentia resident Julie Suchard started raising questions about Arrula’s expenses earlier this year, coming to city council meetings and asking why he was getting free car washes and using his city credit card to buy lunch regularly. 

“Our community has an interest in seeing the investigator’s report. After all, our tax dollars paid for it,” Suchard said at the council’s October 15 meeting. “Placentia taxpayers should not be expected to fund Mr. Arrula’s Nordstrom lifestyle on our Walmart budget.” 

Thomas McKenzie, president of the Placentia Police and Fire Management Association, spoke publicly on Tuesday night at the city council meeting on behalf of both his union and the city’s other police and fire unions, backing up many of the complaints Suchard had shared about Arrula. 

McKenzie said an employee of the police department was the one taking Arrula’s car to get washed every Monday. 

“This city employee was told to have city administrator Arrula’s vehicle washed every Monday,” McKenzie said during the council’s Tuesday night meeting. “I know this to be true, because I personally read the email…requesting a staff member from the police department to handle this.”

“We will not allow one member of this administration to ruin the hard work,” McKenzie continued. “I would ask the investigation that was completed be forwarded to the district attorney’s office.” 

Scott Ferguson, president of the Placentia Firefighters Association, said Arrula has run city hall through “fear and intimidation,” and said Arrula failed to properly oversee the city’s fire department, which was established in 2020 after they left the OC Fire Authority. 

[Read: Placentia Fire Department to Take Reins From OC Fire Authority After Year-Long Battle]

Arrula helped Placentia become the first city in the county to leave the countywide agency after strong pushback from the county’s firefighter unions and the agency itself. 

“The city administrator has failed to deliver on these promises,” Ferguson said, claiming that Placentia’s fire department was understaffed and that they were not doing enough to coordinate with other cities’ fire departments. 

Other city leaders also brought up questions about Arrula, with elected city treasurer Kevin Larson calling for a second audit reviewing the whole city’s credit card policies and spending. 

“It is very important an audit of this matter be conducted by an independent subject matter expert,” Larson said, noting he had “nothing but the greatest admiration for Arrula.” 

He also called for the results of any audit to be reviewed behind closed doors behind council members before they brought their recommendations out to the public. 

Placentia Mayor Jeremy Yamaguchi told the unions and Larson that he “heard them loud and clear,” and that they would consider moving forward with additional audits. 

“There are a number of things we can and can’t talk about publicly based on timelines but just know that I understand that’s not something that just happens on a whim,” Yamaguchi said. “That is a bold statement for you guys to make, so the brevity of that comment has been received by me loud and clear.” 

Noah Biesiada is a Voice of OC reporter and corps member with Report for America, a GroundTruth initiative. Contact him at nbiesiada@voiceofoc.org or on Twitter @NBiesiada.

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Voice of OC is Orange County's nonprofit newsroom. We rely on donations from people like you to sustain our news agency. Please make a contribution today: https://voiceofoc.org/donate

Public safety unions and real estate interests are spending tens of thousands of dollars on their preferred candidates in Santa Ana’s city council races this year – amid allegations that the police union has outsized influence on city hall.

It also comes as a rent control measure on the ballot in November – something real estate interests are heavily spending against and pushing back on.

[Read: OC Landlord Group Moves to Sue Santa Ana to Overturn Rent Control]

Meanwhile, progressive groups like OC Action are also spending thousands of dollars on their preferred candidates, but in significantly smaller amounts, according to city campaign finance disclosures.

It comes about a year after a majority of Santa Ana officials voted to pay out the former City Manager Kristine Ridge $600,000 to settle a claim alleging a pressure campaign by elected officials on behalf of the police union to get her to boost former union president Gerry Serrano’s pay and pension.  

[Read: What Are Santa Ana Officials Hiding in a Claim Alleging The Police Union Runs City Hall?]

Ridge’s departure came weeks after former Police Chief David Valetin announced his retirement citing “corrupt and compromised politicians” and “compromised staff.”

The departures and the legal claim took center stage at a mayoral candidate debate last month.

[Read: The Race for Santa Ana Mayor Heats Up]

Ridge also alleged in her claim Mayor Valerie Amezcua created a workplace harassment environment for her.

On Tuesday, City Attorney Sonia Carvalho announced publicly that private investigators hired by the city found that a preponderance of evidence did not sustain allegations that Amezcua harassed or retaliated against Ridge.

Carvalho added allegations that Amezcua violated the city charter by interfering with administrative matters were also not sustained by the investigators.

Public Safety Campaign Spending 

So far, the police union has spent over $130,000 between Mayor Valerie Amezcua’s reelection campaign, City Commissioner Mario Alvarado’s Ward 5 campaign and lawyer Jeffery Katz’s Ward 3 campaign – with a greater portion of the money going to Alvarado.

The police union has spent over $96,000 in support of Alvarado through mailers, door hangers and digital ads.

They also spent $37,000 on Amezcua through mailers and over $6,000 on Katz on mailers as of Oct. 15.

The spending comes after the city council narrowly approved a $27 million police contract in June. 

[Read: Can Santa Ana Afford a $27 Million Police Contract?]

The police union has also spent over $9,000 on mailers against a ballot measure, dubbed DD, that would allow noncitizens to vote in local elections.

Meanwhile, the OC firefighters union has spent $67,000 on TV advertisements in support of Amezcua as of Oct.15.

Real Estate Campaign Spending

Real estate interests are also spending significantly on local races in Santa Ana – the only city in Orange County to adopt a citywide rent control ordinance.

The California Real Estate Independent Expenditure Committee, funded primarily by the National Association of Realtors, has spent over $93,000 on text messages, digital ads, polling, phone calls and mailers against Councilwoman Thai Viet Phan – a proponent of rent control. 

Meanwhile, the California Apartment Association has spent over $21,000 in support of Phan’s opponent – Julie Tran, who owns beauty boutiques and spas, as of Oct. 15.

Voters in Santa Ana will also decide on a ballot measure dubbed CC in November that if approved would enshrine rent control in their city’s charter.

Another committee, funded by real estate interests, is also spending big against three local measures on the November ballot including rent control, noncitizen voting and a measure, dubbed FF, that if approved would increase city council member pay.

As of Sept. 21, the committee has spent over $179,000 on things like mailers, polling and consulting against the measures.

A California Association of Realtors political action committee has donated an additional $385,000 to the committee since then and the National Association of Realtors donated $500,000 to the committee on Sept. 25, according to campaign finance disclosures.

Other Contributions

One committee dubbed “A Better Orange County,” spent $61,000 supporting Amezcua’s campaign, and was entirely funded by the California Alliance of Family Owned Businesses, an advocacy group aimed at helping family owned businesses. 

The alliance is made up of various business interests, including business consulting firms and companies that run a string of McDonald’s franchises. 

They received no donations from Santa Ana based businesses in the past year, according to their campaign finance disclosures. 

Other advocacy groups like Chispa, OC Action and Democratic campaign donor Quinn Delaney are also throwing cash toward candidates in Santa Ana through political action committees.

The Orange County Political Action Committee, which was primarily funded by OC Action and Chispa, spent over $18,000 on Councilman Johnathan Hernandez’s reelection campaign on things like mailers and $4,000 in support of Councilman Ben Vazquez’s mayoral campaign on canvassing as of Oct. 15.

The California Working Families Party, who reported Delaney as the source of over half its funding, spent $5,000 on digital advertisements in support of Hernandez and another $5,000 in support of Councilwoman Jessie Lopez’s reelection campaign.

A committee named Santa Ana Citizens for Voting, funded primarily by the Policy Issues Institute, has spent over $31,000 on things like campaign literature against the noncitizen voting measure.

Noah Biesiada contributed to the reporting in this article.

Hosam Elattar is a Voice of OC reporter and corps member with Report for America, a GroundTruth initiative. Contact him at helattar@voiceofoc.org or on Twitter @ElattarHosam.

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Voice of OC is Orange County's nonprofit newsroom. We rely on donations from people like you to sustain our news agency. Please make a contribution today: https://voiceofoc.org/donate