Voice of OC (https://voiceofoc.org/tag/vicente-sarmiento/)
It is time for the Orange County Board of Supervisors to recognize that homelessness is a countywide problem and that the City of Santa Ana has gone above and beyond to do its part. Other cities must share the responsibility, and the County should not build its proposed replacement shelter on Yale Street in Santa Ana.
Residents of both the Santa Anita neighborhood and Park Santiago neighborhood agree the Council has ignored their opposition to development near their homes — but residents of Santa Anita, a lower-income and predominantly Latino area, say they weren’t listened to as much as residents of Park Santiago, which has more white and higher-income residents.
Santa Ana housing advocates say local landlords are rushing to evict tenants or raising rents to get ahead of a new California rent control law, and calling on the City Council to follow other cities across the state in enacting protections for tenants until the state law takes effect.
Several Democrats are challenging First District County Supervisor Andrew Do. Meanwhile, Third District County Supervisor Don Wagner has drawn a sole challenger, Asheigh Aitken – who lost a close battle for Anaheim’s Mayor’s seat last year.
Vicente Sarmiento, a Santa Ana City Council member, writes that Santa Ana should be proud to be a national leader on legal defense for immigrants.
Two top Santa Ana officials, including a former police chief, alleged under oath the city’s police union leader engaged in bribery of City Council candidates in 2016, saying Sgt. Gerry Serrano told candidates they had to agree to fire then-Police Chief Carlos Rojas in order to benefit from $400,000 in campaign spending.
Santa Ana is now set to get a new city manager May 1, but will hold a special election this November to fill the vacant City Council seat formerly held by Roman Reyna.
Santa Ana City Attorney Sonia Carvalho adjourned Tuesday’s city council meeting in the middle of public comment while people were still waiting — some for four hours — to address a half-empty dais.
A federal appeals court this week supports what U.S. District Judge David O. Carter has been warning county and city leaders about for six months: If they don’t offer a realistic option for homeless people to stay overnight, police can’t enforce anti-camping ordinances. On Friday, Carter is bringing OC civic leaders back to court to gauge progress.
City officials say they need the extra $63 million to maintain existing service levels and fix aging infrastructure. Most of the increase apparently would go toward maintaining existing services and the pension cost increases for the existing workforce and retirees.