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Salas, Diana From:Joanna Cazares <joanna.cazares.jc@gmail.com> Sent:Tuesday, June 16, 2020 2:07 PM To:eComment Subject:Santa Ana City Council Meeting 06/16/2020 To City Council: Community safety is something that cannot be provided by the police department. As a matter of fact, community safety is only possible with the enrichment of education, affordable housing, accessible healthcare, and opportunities for our growing homeless population. Increasing the budget for the police department in Santa Ana will only increase racially driven arrests. We must stop the terrorization and oppression of our community of color that law enforcement has brought upon Santa Ana, and instead allocate funds to our community. It is with this belief that I bring up the following reasonings. Santa Ana City Council should hold the Santa Ana Police Department accountable. There needs to be an establishment of strong Civilian Police Oversight Commission with subpoena, investigatory, and disciplinary powers. With that being said, Santa Ana City Council should deny any future requests for budget increases of the Santa Ana Police Department. As a community, we request and demand that the Santa Ana Police Department be defunded. Those funds can be allocated back into our communities, more specifically to the prominent problems our city faces. As we know, our homeless population is increasing, and efforts should be made for them such as housing, job opportunities and training, rehab programs if needed, mental health evaluations, COVID-19 treatments for free, etc. We must also enrich our youth in providing them programs that benefit them. More art programs and musical programs should be implemented in daily learning. Our students in need should be given free internet access in their homes in order to complete their studies as mandated by the state. Currently, our city is facing a rent crisis due to the gentrification of our communities and the pandemic. Rent assistance should be given to the residents of Santa Ana struggling to pay rent because of COVID-19. We should not stop there. Affordable housing should be made available to all Santa Ana residents as well. We have to think of our community and the people who make up the community! Rent should have never spiked to the insane amount it has in the past years. There are many ways to help our community and our people, what I mentioned is only a minimum. We must make it possible, our people are demanding to be heard. To reiterate, the people of Santa Ana are demanding that Santa Ana City Council defund the Santa Ana Police Department, allocate those funds to community enriching programs/parks/assistance, and also hold the department accountable. With gratitude, Joanna Cazares A Resident of Santa Ana 1