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Santa Ana, CA 92704 <br />info@thaivietphan.com <br />July 7, 2020 <br />Dear Honorable Mayor and Members of the Santa Ana City Council, <br />I am writing you today regarding several items to be discussed tonight at the Santa Ana City <br />Council meeting. <br />Item 65C: Charter Amendments <br />Section 401.01 Term Limits <br />The charter should be amended to remove the eight -year cooling period and allow an elected <br />official to serve no more than a total of 20 years on the dais. By allowing an eight -year cooling off <br />period after the 20-year total, we're encouraging career politicians to bide their time, continue to <br />raise money, and come back to office. The current "term limits" do nothing more than uphold a <br />system in which politicians are rewarded for nothing more than being around for a long time, <br />whether or not they were effective or responsive to the community. Residents are thankful for the <br />public service council members have provided, but we must make room for the next generation of <br />leaders. <br />Residents don't have to be a council member to be public servants —they can serve on city <br />commissions, lead neighborhood associations, be a part of Comm -Link, or join myriad other <br />community -oriented organizations that help residents in Santa Ana. <br />Section 1206: Campaign Contribution Limitation <br />Candidates for elected office should be as transparent as possible, because voters have a <br />right to who is influencing their elections. <br />Section 1206.01: Required Disclosures <br />I fully support this new disclosure provision. As stated above, we should strive for as much <br />transparency in our elections as possible, because voters have a right to know who is donating to <br />whom. Further, one additional campaign filing is not difficult to do, and any serious candidate for <br />office will be able to figure it out. This pre -election filing helps ensure that no last-minute <br />contributions are hidden, only to be discovered after the election has ended. <br />Item 65D: Budget Ordinance <br />I do not support the budget as it is currently crafted. The Universal Representation program <br />in Santa Ana is a vital part of ensuring that our underrepresented residents facing deportation have <br />