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Salas, Diana <br />From: <br />Barela, Waldo <br />Sent: <br />Thursday, June 11, 2020 7:17 AM <br />To: <br />'Christina Ruiz'; BudgetOffice <br />Cc: <br />eComment <br />Subject: <br />RE: FY 2020-21 Budget Comments <br />Thank you for your comments. We will forward this email to the City Clerk's Office to distribute to the City Council as <br />budget comments for upcoming City Council Meeting. <br />Waldo Barela I Budget Supervisor <br />Finance & Management Service's 1 20 Civic Center Plaza I Santa Ana, CA 92701 <br />wbarela@santa-ana.ore <br />020 <br />I'l 11 : U IS,j NTA ANA COUNTS <br />http://www.santa-ana.org/ <br />From: Christina Ruiz [mailto:ruizcm118@gmail.comj <br />Sent: Monday, June 8, 2020 2:50 PM <br />To: BudgetOffice <BudgetOffice@santa-ana.org> <br />Subject: FY 2020-21 Budget Comments <br />To Mayor Pulido, the Santa Ana City Council, and Police Chief Valentin <br />My name is Christina and I am a resident of Santa Ana. I am writing to demand that the City Council adopts a <br />people's budget that prioritizes community wellbeing and redirects funding away from the police department to <br />much -needed social services. <br />This past week, our nation has been gripped by protests calling for a rapid and meaningful reconsideration of <br />the role of policing in communities, in addition to an end to racism and anti -Blackness in America. It has come <br />to my attention that the city government, like many others across the country, is struggling to balance budgets in <br />the midst of the coronavirus pandemic. <br />Last year, the City Council approved a total of $25 million in raises for police's salary and benefits for the next <br />two and a half years. The proposed $13.5 million increase in public safety spending is unacceptable, especially <br />since the city has less budget flexibility during this economic downturn. <br />While we've spent an astonishing amount of money on policing, we have not seen vast improvements to safety, <br />homelessness, mental health, or housing affordability in the city. I am joining the calls of those across the <br />country to defund the police. I demand a budget that adequately and effectively meets the needs of at -risk city <br />residents during this trying and uncertain time, when livelihoods are on the line. I call on you to halt annual <br />SAPD raises and reallocate fimds towards social services, including education, public health, youth <br />