Voice of OC (https://voiceofoc.org/tag/santa-ana-city-council/)
The Santa Ana City Council is considering filing a lawsuit against the county – and inviting other cities to join – alleging mismanagement of the millions of dollars in federal homelessness money the county gets each year.
The council action came as demonstrators also gathered in a Santa Ana park to protest the scheduled elimination of the six-year-old program.
Santa Ana is the first city in Orange County to have such an agreement, which requires construction contractors to hire workers through a union referral system.
Santa Ana officials recently added five new water-related fees for building construction, but their public notice left that out when describing what the City Council’s action would do.
The City Council directed staff to study actions to assist cooperatives – such as reducing business license fees and allowing them to apply for small business grants – and bring back recommendations to the council within 90 days.
City Council members had voted in June to reduce staffing at their mostly-empty jail. But a new plan emerged to house additional U.S. Marshals inmates, which the acting police chief said would reduce the city’s budget deficits and save jail jobs.
Roberto Herrera, who works in Santa Ana as the Community Engagement Advocate for Resilience Orange County, argues that Santa Ana City Council members need to get out of the jail business and start investing in other strategies that enhance public safety.
In a legal claim he filed against the city, Carlos Rojas said he “was forced to involuntarily resign his civil service position as a result of potential illegal activity and/or noncompliance [with rules and/or regulations] among city officials.”
The new contract raises the base salary for officers and sergeants by 5.6 percent to 10.6 percent, depending on seniority and work schedule. Supporters say it’s needed to keep compensation competitive, while opponents say Santa Ana can’t afford the increase.
If the deficits continue and the city has to draw from rainy day funds, it could be pushed to the brink of bankruptcy a few years from now. City officials say they’re working hard to find ways to save costs and grow revenues.