Three progressive backed candidates are on track to flip Santa Ana’s ruling council majority – made up of politicians who are backed by the police union – a switch that could result in a change to the city’s approach to responding to ICE raids and holding police accountable.
It’s a flip that could also potentially leave Mayor Valerie Amezcua – the only police-union candidate leading slightly in their respective race – surrounded by a city council critical of her, her response to the ICE raids and her close ties to police union interests.
And it could potentially mean an end to the city’s contracts for automated license plate readers with three leading candidates voicing opposition to the cameras and with elected officials expected to receive a report on the technology at a future council meeting.
City Manager Alvaro Nuñez, whose management of city hall has raised questions around a lack of transparency, also could get increased scrutiny from new council members who have touted transparency as a main goal.
In Ward 4, Immigrant Rights Advocate Sandra De Anda grew her lead over Councilman Phil Bacerra, a seven-year incumbent whose campaign received heavy financial support from the Santa Ana Police Officers Association, as of 5:00 p.m. Thursday.
De Anda was in the lead with about 55% of the votes ahead of Bacerra who had about 45% of the vote – a difference of 922 votes. There were over 9,200 votes counted so far in the race as of Thursday evening.
De Anda said her priority would be Ward 4 – the southern part of Santa Ana.
“They elected me and expect me to deliver – that means getting ICE out of our community, getting FLOCK cameras out of our city, funding key community programs and services, and making Santa Ana a safe place to raise a family. I’ll hold our Mayor and council accountable to deliver for Santa Ana,” she said in a Thursday text message.
De Anda is not the only progressive on track to be elected.
In Ward 6, Planning Commission Chair and Chispa Executive Director Isuri Ramos was in the lead with about 56% of the votes ahead of attorney Giovanni Chavez, another police union-backed candidate, who had about 44% of the vote – a difference of over 700 votes.
There were over 6,400 votes counted so far in the race as of Thursday evening.
After publication of this article, Ramos said she ran a community centered campaign and the results so far are a reflection of those efforts.
“ Since my time on the Youth Commission to now, Santa Ana has always shown me that progress is made when people come together and advocate for their neighborhood, their schools, their family, their neighbors,” she said in a Thursday evening text message.
“I look forward to continuing that community-centered work on the City Council. I’m excited to see us deliver on policies that keep our community safe, thriving, and affordable for the working families who call Santa Ana home.”
After Wednesday’s results update, Chavez seemingly conceded from the race in an Instagram post.
Amezcua, whose campaign’s received heavy financial support from the Santa Ana Police Officers Association, remained on track to win reelection against to two first-time candidates– despite initially holding 50% of the vote Tuesday night before it dwindled down to about 44% Thursday evening.
The incumbent was in the lead with about 44%. Attorney Dan Shimell trailed behind her with about 42% of the 48,100 votes counted as of 5 p.m. Thursday – a difference of over 900 votes between him and Amezcua.
Dwayne Shipp, a city commissioner, had almost 14% of the votes and seemingly conceded in an Instagram post Wednesday morning.
Amezcua did not respond to a request for comment Thursday.
In Ward 2, Incumbent Ben Vazquez was in the lead with about 73% of the votes ahead of his opponent Selica Diaz, a realtor whose campaign was heavily supported by the police union, who had about 27% of the vote.
There were over 5,900 votes counted so far in the race.
Vazquez did not respond to a request for comment Thursday.
In a Thursday Instagram post, Vazquez said he will support investing in youth programs, work with county officials to address homelessness and increase legal aid spending for residents impacted by deportation raids.
“We’re going to invest in youth and make sure they have secure places to be. Bring down the crime rate. We’re going to partner up with the county and other orgs to make sure we have less homelessness in Santa Ana, and of course we’re going to increase the legal defense fund for those families who are affected by ICE,” he said.
Meanwhile at the state level, City Councilman David Penaloza was in the lead with around 51% of the over 77,600 votes counted in the 68th State Assembly District race.
Councilwoman Jessie Lopez trailed behind at about 49% – a difference of over 1,465 votes.
The Spending Battle For Santa Ana’s City Council
The ballots are being counted after the police union this year dropped nearly $270,000 on mailers and ads supporting Amezcua, Bacerra, Chavez and Diaz and spent about $58,000 collectively on ads and mailers opposing Vazquez and Ramos, as of Nov. 2.
In an email statement Wednesday, Santa Ana Police Officers Association President John Kachirisky said they will respect the vote and work with council members to advocate for their union members.
Meanwhile, De Anda, Ramos and Vazquez campaigns received support from progressive groups like OC Action, California Working Families Party and Chispa.
OC Action spent nearly $56,000 to support De Anda and Ramos’ campaign while Chispa sent nearly $18,000 to support the duo.
The California Working Families Political Action Committee spent over $12,000 to support Vazquez’s campaign, as of Oct. 23 and over $5,000 to support Ramos’ campaign.
Progressive groups ultimately spent roughly $8,300 more to support De Anda’s campaign than the police union did on supporting Bacerra’s campaign.
The spending came amid recent scrutiny of city hall – including city officials refusing to answer questions about why they held a ribbon cutting for a new aquatic center featuring the entire city council weeks before the election when the pools were not open.
At the same time, there have been demands for police accountability over the viral violent arrest of resident Florentino Lopez and scrutiny over police arresting two immigrant advocates that were observing ICE agents last month, after the federal officers called for help.
It all comes while the city continues to face a structural deficit that some current elected officials hope a measure on the ballot will help address.
The initiative, dubbed Measure N, would if approved indefinitely keep a 1.5% sales tax increase that was supposed to decrease in a couple of years before ending in 2039.
As of 5 p.m. Thursday, about 67% of voters were in favor of Measure N. There were over 49,700 votes counted so far in the race.
Hosam Elattar is a Voice of OC reporter. Contact him at helattar@voiceofoc.org.
