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Orozco, Norma <br />From: <br />Barela, Waldo <br />Sent: <br />Monday, June 29, 2020 7:01 AM <br />To: <br />eComment <br />Subject: <br />FW: FY 2020-21 Budget Comments <br />Categories: Correspondence <br />From: Ivy Miller <ivykmiller@gmail.com> <br />Sent: Friday, June 26, 2020 10:36 AM <br />To: BudgetOffice <BudgetOffice@santa-ana.org> <br />Subject: FY 2020-21 Budget Comments <br />Dear City Council Members, <br />My name is Ivy Miller, and I am a resident of Santa Ana (92707). I am writing to express my deep concern <br />regarding the planned budget for the 2020-2021 fiscal year. In particular, I was shocked to see that even after <br />outcry from many, many residents of Santa Ana, the city is still planning to allocate a whopping 43% (140.8M) <br />of general funds to the police. This is unacceptable. <br />Our policing system is absolutely broken. We expect officers with little training or screening to do the work of <br />social workers, crisis intervention specialists, mental health specialists, and emergency medics. Because police <br />officers can't possibly be all of these things at once, why not hire social workers, crisis intervention <br />specialists, mental health specialists, and emergency medics in their place? I see no valid reason NOT to <br />reallocate funds from policing into hiring these kinds of community workers. In fact, data shows that 9 out of <br />10 calls from residents to service agencies are for nonviolent situations/encounters. This statistic only serves to <br />drive home the point that we do not need police in these situations. <br />As I sincerely hope you are aware, increasing funding to the police does not actually make communities <br />safer. If you are serious about your 5-year goals ("reduce the number of Santa Ana's Unsheltered Homeless" <br />and "Implement programs and facility/infrastructure improvements that will prevent crime"), goals which I am <br />quoting from this document, you would consider an alternative approach. Fund programs that give people the <br />basic resources they need to survive. Hire social workers and crisis intervention specialists who are trained to <br />work with people in crisis. Shift your strategy from reactive (funding police) to proactive (funding community <br />programs that reduce the need for police). <br />When we provide people with what they need, we all prosper. I would love to hear back from you to show that <br />you are interested in hearing what your residents have to say. <br />Sincerely, <br />Ivy Miller <br />