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VOTE NO
Santa Ana City Council Recall Effort - VOTE NO
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Elect Courage California endorses Ward 3 Councilmember Jessie Lopez and encourages a NO vote against her recall.
About The Recall Effort
Two members of the Santa Ana City Council – Councilmember and Mayor Pro Tem Jessie Lopez (Ward 3) and Councilmember Thai Viet Phan (Ward 1) – were targeted for a recall effort led by the Santa Ana Police Officers Association (SAPOA). Ultimately, the recall petitions for Councilmember Lopez were verified and her recall election has been scheduled for November 14th, 2023. Petitions for Councilmember Phan were not submitted by the August 7th deadline.
In December 2022, four of the seven members of the City Council voted in favor of limiting police officer salary raises to 3%. This salary deal is estimated to cost the city $1.23 million, while previous proposals the SAPAO were advocating for were estimated to cost the city as much as $25 million. The deal also required that SAPAO president, Gerry Serrano, spend at least 50% of his time on police duties. Although four members of the City Council voted in favor of the smaller salary package, Serrano and SAPOA targeted only the two women of color for their recall effort.
This special election is estimated to cost Santa Ana taxpayers over $600,000.
This is not the first time the police union has led a recall effort against a member of the city council. In 2020, the union advocated for the successful recall of Councilmember Cecilia Iglesias after she publicly opposed a multi-million dollar salary increase for the police union.
The SAPOA was recently forced by an Orange County Superior Court to pay the City of Santa Ana over $40,000 for filing frivolous claims against city employees.
Top Funders in Support
The SAPOA is the primary funder of the recall committees, Residents for Responsible Leadership in Support of the Recall of Jessie Lopez. Total donations of over $432,000 have been issued through the SAPOA Independent Expenditure Committee since the recall effort was established in December 2022. The Independent Expenditure Committee is primarily funded through the donations of individuals affiliated with the police department, but has also received funds from Apartment Association of Orange County PAC.
The committee is chaired by Tim Rush, a local real estate professional, who has spoken out in support of real estate interests on several recent City Council decisions, including a 2021 rent control policy, limiting landlord rights, housing development fees, and vacancy taxation on empty rental properties.
Top Funders in Opposition
Councilmember Lopez has the support of two committees - Santa Ana Taxpayers Against the Corrupt Recall of Jessie Lopez and Working Families Against the Recall of Jessie Lopez - that have raised $77,000 from individual donors as of the June campaign finance filing. She has the sponsorship of United Food and Commercial Workers Local 324.
Organizations Opposing the Recall
Councilmember Lopez has received endorsements from Working Families Party, Chispa, United Food and Commercial Workers Local 324, Unite Here Local 11, Orange County Labor Federation, and Democratic Party of Orange County. She has also received the endorsement of many local leaders, including Orange County Supervisor Vicente Sarmiento, SAUSD President Carolyn Torres, Orange County Supervisor Katrina Foley, Assm. Sharon Quirk-Silva, and three of her fellow Santa Ana Councilmembers.
Misinformation About the Recall
- There are FALSE assertions from those in favor of the recall that recent policy decisions from Councilmember Lopez have encouraged landlords to increase local rents by an average of 15%. In reality, they each voted in favor of a rent control measure in 2021 that capped rent increases at 3% annually.
- Councilmember Lopez has supported a vacancy tax on empty buildings in an effort to incentivize owners to develop their properties, contribute to improving the housing crisis, and diminish blight in local communities. Claims that this taxation is designed to further the housing affordability crisis are FALSE.
- The narrative that Councilmember Lopez has supported a full defunding of the police is FALSE. In October 2021, she supported a new program designed to route some 911 calls to mental health providers, and supported reductions in some corrupt and ineffective violent crime divisions. These reforms were necessary after the Santa Ana Police Department was ranked among the worst in the state in a 2019 report based on incidents of brutality and the operating expense to taxpayers.
The Candidate
Councilmember Lopez has served on the Santa Ana City Council since 2020 when she was elected with over 34% of the vote in a five-person race. During her time on the Council, she has championed a variety of progressive initiatives, including expanding outreach services for unhoused people, updating the city’s Climate Action Plan, increasing staffing and oversight for the police department, and improving local parks and infrastructure. Councilmember Lopez has been a strong supporter of expanding housing resources through a $24 million dollar allocation in the 2022-23 budget that is marked for affordable and supportive housing development. Councilmember Lopez, an organizer and community health worker, is a lifelong resident of Santa Ana. She is serving a four-year term on the City Council and will be eligible for re-election in November 2024.
Our Endorsement
Courage California’s analysis shows this recall to be a bad faith effort by law enforcement and real estate developers to secure a City Council more favorable to their interests. This effort has been launched in direct opposition to the will of the voters who elected Councilmember Lopez to the City Council in 2020. Courage California endorses Councilmember Lopez against this recall and encourages voters to reject this effort with a NO vote on November 14th, 2023 to retain her seat on the Santa Ana City Council.
Resources
https://ballotpedia.org/Cecilia_Iglesias
https://www.kcrw.com/news/shows/greater-la/lunar-new-year-oc/santa-ana-police-recall
https://voiceofoc.org/2021/10/santa-ana-becomes-first-orange-county-city-with-rent-control/
https://www.thepanthernewspaper.org/politics/sxheaepawhg3qp68g4k0a020nws5c7
https://standwithjessie.com/home/#about
https://voiceofoc.org/2023/08/voters-to-decide-santa-ana-council-members-fate-in-police-union-backed-recall-election/https://www.santa-ana.org/adopted-2022-2023-santa-ana-budget-expands-city-services/
https://www.santa-ana.org/jessie-lopez/
Last updated: 2023-09-28Elect Courage California endorses Ward 3 Councilmember Jessie Lopez and encourages a NO vote against her recall.
About The Recall Effort
Two members of the Santa Ana City Council – Councilmember and Mayor Pro Tem Jessie Lopez (Ward 3) and Councilmember Thai Viet Phan (Ward 1) – were targeted for a recall effort led by the Santa Ana Police Officers Association (SAPOA). Ultimately, the recall petitions for Councilmember Lopez were verified and her recall election has been scheduled for November 14th, 2023. Petitions for Councilmember Phan were not submitted by the August 7th deadline.
In December 2022, four of the seven members of the City Council voted in favor of limiting police officer salary raises to 3%. This salary deal is estimated to cost the city $1.23 million, while previous proposals the SAPAO were advocating for were estimated to cost the city as much as $25 million. The deal also required that SAPAO president, Gerry Serrano, spend at least 50% of his time on police duties. Although four members of the City Council voted in favor of the smaller salary package, Serrano and SAPOA targeted only the two women of color for their recall effort.
This special election is estimated to cost Santa Ana taxpayers over $600,000.
This is not the first time the police union has led a recall effort against a member of the city council. In 2020, the union advocated for the successful recall of Councilmember Cecilia Iglesias after she publicly opposed a multi-million dollar salary increase for the police union.
The SAPOA was recently forced by an Orange County Superior Court to pay the City of Santa Ana over $40,000 for filing frivolous claims against city employees.
Top Funders in Support
The SAPOA is the primary funder of the recall committees, Residents for Responsible Leadership in Support of the Recall of Jessie Lopez. Total donations of over $432,000 have been issued through the SAPOA Independent Expenditure Committee since the recall effort was established in December 2022. The Independent Expenditure Committee is primarily funded through the donations of individuals affiliated with the police department, but has also received funds from Apartment Association of Orange County PAC.
The committee is chaired by Tim Rush, a local real estate professional, who has spoken out in support of real estate interests on several recent City Council decisions, including a 2021 rent control policy, limiting landlord rights, housing development fees, and vacancy taxation on empty rental properties.
Top Funders in Opposition
Councilmember Lopez has the support of two committees - Santa Ana Taxpayers Against the Corrupt Recall of Jessie Lopez and Working Families Against the Recall of Jessie Lopez - that have raised $77,000 from individual donors as of the June campaign finance filing. She has the sponsorship of United Food and Commercial Workers Local 324.
Organizations Opposing the Recall
Councilmember Lopez has received endorsements from Working Families Party, Chispa, United Food and Commercial Workers Local 324, Unite Here Local 11, Orange County Labor Federation, and Democratic Party of Orange County. She has also received the endorsement of many local leaders, including Orange County Supervisor Vicente Sarmiento, SAUSD President Carolyn Torres, Orange County Supervisor Katrina Foley, Assm. Sharon Quirk-Silva, and three of her fellow Santa Ana Councilmembers.
Misinformation About the Recall
- There are FALSE assertions from those in favor of the recall that recent policy decisions from Councilmember Lopez have encouraged landlords to increase local rents by an average of 15%. In reality, they each voted in favor of a rent control measure in 2021 that capped rent increases at 3% annually.
- Councilmember Lopez has supported a vacancy tax on empty buildings in an effort to incentivize owners to develop their properties, contribute to improving the housing crisis, and diminish blight in local communities. Claims that this taxation is designed to further the housing affordability crisis are FALSE.
- The narrative that Councilmember Lopez has supported a full defunding of the police is FALSE. In October 2021, she supported a new program designed to route some 911 calls to mental health providers, and supported reductions in some corrupt and ineffective violent crime divisions. These reforms were necessary after the Santa Ana Police Department was ranked among the worst in the state in a 2019 report based on incidents of brutality and the operating expense to taxpayers.
The Candidate
Councilmember Lopez has served on the Santa Ana City Council since 2020 when she was elected with over 34% of the vote in a five-person race. During her time on the Council, she has championed a variety of progressive initiatives, including expanding outreach services for unhoused people, updating the city’s Climate Action Plan, increasing staffing and oversight for the police department, and improving local parks and infrastructure. Councilmember Lopez has been a strong supporter of expanding housing resources through a $24 million dollar allocation in the 2022-23 budget that is marked for affordable and supportive housing development. Councilmember Lopez, an organizer and community health worker, is a lifelong resident of Santa Ana. She is serving a four-year term on the City Council and will be eligible for re-election in November 2024.
Our Endorsement
Courage California’s analysis shows this recall to be a bad faith effort by law enforcement and real estate developers to secure a City Council more favorable to their interests. This effort has been launched in direct opposition to the will of the voters who elected Councilmember Lopez to the City Council in 2020. Courage California endorses Councilmember Lopez against this recall and encourages voters to reject this effort with a NO vote on November 14th, 2023 to retain her seat on the Santa Ana City Council.
Resources
https://ballotpedia.org/Cecilia_Iglesias
https://www.kcrw.com/news/shows/greater-la/lunar-new-year-oc/santa-ana-police-recall
https://voiceofoc.org/2021/10/santa-ana-becomes-first-orange-county-city-with-rent-control/
https://www.thepanthernewspaper.org/politics/sxheaepawhg3qp68g4k0a020nws5c7
https://standwithjessie.com/home/#about
https://voiceofoc.org/2023/08/voters-to-decide-santa-ana-council-members-fate-in-police-union-backed-recall-election/https://www.santa-ana.org/adopted-2022-2023-santa-ana-budget-expands-city-services/
https://www.santa-ana.org/jessie-lopez/
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