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<br />Orozco, Norma
<br />From:Melissa Palmerin <palmerinmelissa@yahoo.com>
<br />Sent:Monday, July 06, 2020 10:52 PM
<br />To:eComment
<br />Subject:item number 25g, 55B, 65d.
<br />My name is Melissa Palmerin. I live in ward 6 and today I will be addressing item numbers 25g, 55B, and 65d,
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<br />Item number 25g:
<br />I hope that as council members, you all see the extension of the wages over the next 2 years, not as a symbol of
<br />generosity, but rather a confirmation of the claims many in the community have made about the police department and the
<br />POA. The fact that the POA are using the plight that the city of Santa Ana are in to push their agenda of increasing funds
<br />allocated to the police department, in any form is absurd. To add the 2% ($1,226,321) increase for the retiree health fund
<br />for police officers, that tax payers will have to pay, when many of us do not want to, is built on the assumption that the city
<br />council is in favor of all things police. This assumption is built on the actions brought forth from this council during the 2
<br />previous city council meetings. The $200,000+ in vehicles, the majority of the city council in favor of the budget as
<br />presented, the claims affirming the jobs of police officers regardless of the neglect and abuse residents of Santa Ana
<br />endure from the SAPD. I vote to take out the one-time contribution to the retiree health fund. Instead, I would like to see
<br />those funds, that we seem to have, be allocated to Covid testing for those who do not have insurance, for remote therapy
<br />for those who are experiencing mental health issues enhanced by the pandemic, and financial support for those
<br />unemployed. If the best the city council can do is providing sanitizer and supporting the wearing of masks, during a time
<br />when we have the highest cases in OC, demonstrates the priorities for the council. If we have the $1,226,321 to give to
<br />the police retiree health fund, we have the funds to provide testing, medicine, money to those unemployed and
<br />uninsured. Many of you may have voted to increase the salaries of police wages, but I urge each and everyone of the
<br />council members to represent the residents of Santa Ana, in the manner in which we have told you. We have stated that
<br />we do not want to fund the police department, this also means the benefits police officers get.
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<br />Item number 55B:
<br /> I vote against the council charging candidates for the 200 or 400 word candidate statement. Why is there a cost for an
<br />electronic copy? According to the statement in the staff report "election code allows the Council to establish a charge to
<br />be levied against candidates in order to recover the cost of printing, handling and mailing these statements (pg 2).
<br />Therefore, why is there a charge for the electronic copy? Shouldn't the city council give all those running to have the same
<br />opportunity to advocate for themselves without the burden of having to pay $2,601.10 for a candidate statement. I find it
<br />unfair for those who are running, who do not have the means to pay these funds, regardless if it is optional, having to opt
<br />out. As a resident of Santa Ana, I want to hear the voices of each candidate equally. Why can't each candidate post their
<br />statement on the Santa-ana.org website under city hall for free? Having candidates statements included in the voter
<br />pamphlet should not be based on monetary returns for printing, handling and shipping. It is our rights as residents to have
<br />every candidate represented in the voter pamphlet, regardless if the candidates can pay the cost or not.
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<br />Item number 65D:
<br />I oppose the budget, along with many residents in Santa Ana. I would like to refer to statements from Villegas and Pulido
<br />in 2017. A The reason why I want to bring up certain statements from 2017, is because during this time there was $17
<br />million in legal fees taxpayers had to pay for the killings and use of excessive force by SAPD. In 2017, there was not a
<br />large public demand to defund the police, but rather to create a citizen oversight committee. According to the Voice of
<br />OC, Pulido stated in response to the committee in 2017, “I think it’s not broken. Don’t fix it, leave it
<br />alone. They have plenty, plenty of review.” Villegas stated "People make mistakes. We all
<br />make mistakes". Now 3 years later, residents of Santa Ana are calling for both, the defunding of SAPD and a
<br />citizen oversight committee. Yet, for members in the city council, the rhetoric for three years have stayed the same.
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