Several of our parks recently got an addition that many have been asking for: doggie waste stations! Fisher, Morrison, and Riverview parks have already gotten their stations, and Edna, Cabrillo, and Mabury will soon be getting theirs.

Another update that has recently been made was the addition of trash and recycling bins at Portola Park! Thank you to resident Edward Saldana for sending me these pictures of these nice new bins.

On Saturday, Sept. 11, 41 volunteers joined together at Santiago Park and planted 50 trees. At the end of the event, they decorated a tree with a red ribbon to commemorate those we lost in the terrorist attacks on 9/11 and the war following. These volunteers did a great job, and we are so grateful for all their hard work!

The City Parks, Recreation and Community Services Agency is systematically installing new LED security lighting in our parks and bike trail. The new security lighting completed recently included the Pacific Electric Bike Trail, Angels Park, Cabrillo Park, Cesar Chavez Park, Portola Park, Riverview Park, Rosita Park and Morrison Park. The new LED lighting is a white light that improves the visibility and security in our parks. The lights are programmed to stay on all night and are shielded to reduce light spillage onto adjacent residents.

Last week, we had a wonderful ceremony for the groundbreaking of the new Children’s Play and Learn Patio at the Main Branch of the Santa Ana Public Library. This project is transforming a previously underutilized, empty space outside of the library into an interactive play-and-learn space for children and families. The patio will include a Luckey Climber play structure, seating, reading and learning areas, lighting, hardscape, and drought-tolerant landscaping. This project was funded by the City’s Cannabis Public Benefit Fund, and will be opening in January 2022!

The City of Santa Ana and UCI Public Health collaborated to conduct large-scale COVID-19 antibody screening with an eye toward health equity. The study found that Santa Ana residents had more than twice the levels of COVID-19 antibodies during the winter 2020-2021 surge than the rest of Orange County. In addition to finding a greater prevalence of COVID-19 antibodies among adults (28%) and children (26%) than previously expected, the study found disparities in previous infection across racial/ethnic groups including Hispanics (29%), Asians (15%), Whites (12%), and other non-Hispanics (6%). The county-wide study had previously found that Hispanic participants were nearly 50% more likely to test positive for SARS-CoV-2 antibodies.

The City of Santa Ana is in the process of updating its long-range housing plan, called the Housing Element, which is being updated separately from the rest of the General Plan. The Draft Housing Element Update is now available for public review!

You are invited to mark your calendars and join in the upcoming community open houses and public hearings where we will discuss the update to the Housing Element, share the Community Housing Survey results and suggested policies and programs to address Santa Ana’s housing needs. 

Please see the Meetings & Events page for more details on the upcoming meetings and opportunities to stay involved. Learn more about the Housing Element at the link below. You can also reach out to the Planning Division by phone at (714) 667-2781 or by email at SAHousingElement2021@santa-ana.org.

Every 10 years, local governments use new Census data to redraw lines for areas of representation to reflect how local populations have changed. This process, called redistricting, is important in ensuring that each city councilmember represents about the same number of constituents in their ward. Redistricting determines which neighborhoods and communities are grouped together into a ward for purposes of electing a councilmember. In Santa Ana, the City Council is responsible for drawing council wards and the process must be completed by April 17, 2022.

Join the discussion! Participate in this process and have your voice heard.

As your Councilmember, I work hard to make sure my residents get the best from our City, and I am proud to say that the City Council approved the plan to have an ice rink in the Civic Center this winter! This rink will be a part of the Revive Santa Ana plan, funded by the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA). As allowed under ARPA, the ice rink will promote healthier living environments, outdoor recreation, and socialization to mitigate the spread of COVID-19 in a disproportionately impacted community. The ice rink will be open for four weeks beginning in December. Stay tuned for more updates as we get closer!

On Sept. 21, I presented fire captain Nathan Arellano a proclamation declaring October 3 through October 9, 2021, as Fire Prevention Week.

This year’s theme of Fire Prevention Week is, “Learn the Sounds of Fire Safety,” and it focuses on ensuring everyone knows the sound of their smoke and carbon monoxide alarms. Remember to check the batteries in your smoke detectors annually, and test the alarms monthly with family members around to ensure everyone knows what the alarm sounds like.

Are you or is someone you live with deaf or hard of hearing? There are special smoke detectors that use lights or vibrations instead of or in addition to sounds! You can learn more about fire safety tips for deaf and hard of hearing folks here.

Earlier this year, I shared with my colleagues on the City Council a policy resolution declaring a climate emergency. The resolution, based upon a climate resilience initiative called the SAFE Cities Movement, commits the City of Santa Ana to supporting policies that oppose fossil fuel expansion and accelerate the Clean Energy Transition, as well as endorses the call for a global fossil fuel non-proliferation treaty. This resolution lays out actionable items for the City to work on to achieve climate justice and environmental justice. Here are some of the ways we plan to achieve this:

These are just a few of the commitments that Santa Ana will make to work collectively to improve the health of our planet and spread awareness of how we can work together in combating climate change. To learn more about how your government is championing climate resilience, check out our Climate Action Plan.

The OCFA Fire Cadet Program is a community-based program that gives youth practical insight into the fire service profession by engaging in activities centered on emergency services. Fire cadets are provided learning opportunities designated to enhance their life skills, develop character, and encourage them to develop into productive adults.

This summer, seven cadets from the Santa Ana post graduated from the Cadet Academy and I got to celebrate with them. We are extremely proud and honored that our Santa Ana post had the most graduating female cadets out of all the posts in Orange County. Please join us in congratulating our Cadet Academy graduates: Catherin Razo, Kimberly Jimenez, Isaac Ortiz, Johnathan Dominguez, Alex Magana, Jose Arredondo, and Natalie Hernandez.

Our very own Santa Ana High School’s speech and debate team were awarded the top honors at the national speech and debate tournament! The team is made up entirely of Latina women. We are so proud of these young women for all of their hard work and dedication, and presented them with certificates recognizing them at the Aug. 17 City Council meeting. As a proud Santa Ana Saint myself, I can say with certainty that Saints are a force to be reckoned with! Watch out for these bright young leaders out to take the world by storm! Congratulations, ladies!

As a part of Hispanic Heritage Month, which goes from Sept. 15 - Oct. 15, I have been grateful to be included in a number of events, including the Fiestas Patrias and Community Resource Fair and Casa Morelos Carnaval Moralense. Both events were in partnership with various government officials from Mexico and Orange County, among other community partners.

To better understand policing in our community, I was invited to take a ride-along with our Santa Ana Police Department Major Enforcement Team.

Councilmember Phan and I presented a proclamation to Dr. Quynh Kieu and Dr. Chan Kieu in recognition of Tết Trung Thu, or the Mid-Autumn Moon Festival. This festival is celebrated by many cultures around the world and is considered the second-most important holiday in Vietnamese culture, only after Lunar New Year. Tết Trung Thu celebrates the fall harvest and full moon, a time when families get together to enjoy each other's company and the bountiful harvests after a year of labor and care. Doctors Quynh Kieu and Chan Kieu have been long-time residents of Santa Ana, and as Vietnamese refugees, they have made it their mission to share the history, culture, and heritage of Vietnam in the community. With their contributions to the community and to educating us all on Vietnamese heritage and culture, the City of Santa Ana proclaims Sept. 21, 2021, as Tết Trung Thu and presents this proclamation to Doctors Quynh Kieu and Chan Kieu for their work promoting Vietnamese history, culture, and heritage.

During the Oct. 5th council meeting, I presented a certificate of Recognition to Blinking Owl Distillery for their Outstanding Contributions to the Community. Blinking Owl was the first craft distillery in Orange County to open since prohibition. They make all of their spirits start to finish, they mill it, mash it, ferment it, distill it, and, in the case of whiskey, barrel age it, sourcing California-grown, organic grains, fruits and botanicals. At the start of the pandemic, the Blinking Owl team pivoted their space to help create PPE and hand sanitizer for the masses. We thank them for their contributions to our community!

Many thanks to the Riverview Neighborhood Association, Community Initiative Division, Public Works, and SAPD for October's community meeting discussing the issues impacting Ward 3 residents.

California is in the midst of what is likely to become a multi-year drought. The lack of rainfall across our entire state has led to our water supplies and reservoirs quickly diminishing. On average, 60% of household water goes to landscaping! Here are a few things you can do to help limit your water usage:

Outdoors:

Indoors

There are other ways to reduce your overall water footprint, too, like considering how much water goes into the production of things you consume. Beef requires significant amounts of water to produce, as do almonds. Opting into “meatless Monday” is a great way to reduce water usage, and try cashews instead of almonds. Another area of high water usage is the production of consumer goods. A pound of plastic takes 22 gallons of water to produce, and a new cotton T-shirt takes over 650 gallons of water across its production cycle! Thinking about a new phone? Manufacturing a single smartphone can use as much as 3,000 gallons of water! Shop at thrift stores instead of buying new, and try to use your stuff until it breaks instead of replacing it while it still has life left to give. Little changes can make a big difference! A pebble in the pond has a ripple effect.

For more information on the State’s program, visit https://www.cdfa.ca.gov/SeniorFarmersMrktNutritionPrgm/

From September to February, 2022, youth ages 6 to 18 are able to ride all OC Bus lines every day for free with this special Youth Pass.

It’s a great way for all youth to ride to school, work, and play and is particularly valuable for high school teens to help them access education and jobs as they enter the workforce. The Youth Ride Free pass became available in September and will work until February 28, 2022, on all of our clean, cool, reliable fixed-route buses.

OC MADE is a program presented by the CSUF SBDC in partnership with the Original OC Swap Meet, aimed at assisting start-up product-based businesses with entering the marketplace to validate their concepts. Participants will learn core concepts to create a successful business. Over a 4-week period, vendors learn about planning, marketing, financing and how to make their business dreams a reality. This quick-paced program will accelerate your concept in just a few short weeks and give you the ability to operate an Original OC Swap Meet vendor booth.

Mosquitoes carrying West Nile virus have been found in Santa Ana, according to the Orange County Mosquito and Vector Control District. Now more than ever it is important to check your outdoor spaces for standing water to prevent mosquitoes from breeding and spreading this disease.

Mosquitoes breed in even tiny amounts of standing water, such as in plant saucers, bowls, cups, fountains, tires, barrels, vases, and other containers. Take precautions outdoors and wear mosquito repellent.

Calvary Church in Santa Ana is providing free English as a Second Language courses on Friday nights from 7-8:30 p.m.

Join your Ward 3 neighbor, Dylan Almendral, at the Bowers Museum on Friday, Oct. 15, at 6 p.m. for part three of the Distilled California Series. Dylan and his cohost, Ryan Freisen, will share the history of the longest sea-battle you’ve never heard of, “The Battle of Santa Monica Bay.” The night will also feature a signature cocktail from Santa Ana’s Blinking Owl Distillery! Each ticket includes two cocktails.

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