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March 15, 2022 <br />Mayor Sarmiento and Members of the Council <br />City of Santa Ana <br />20 Civic Center Plaza <br />P.O. Bo 1988, M31 <br />Santa Ana, CA 92701 <br />Re: Agenda Item 26 - Early Direction for Fiscal Year 2022-23 Budget Cycle <br />Mr. Mayor and Members of the City Council <br />I write on behalf of Chispa to urge you to direct city staff to adopt the following priorities within the first <br />draft of the city's 2022-23 FY Budget, and in their processes for soliciting resident feedback on budget <br />priorities: <br />1. Anticipate the cost of pending Police Oversight legislation, and include space within the first <br />draft of the 2022-23 FY Budget to properly fund a robust and effective Police Oversight <br />Board. <br />2. Allocate Funding for Grants to Community Based Organizations that do work in the <br />following areas and which meet the following criteria: <br />a. Grants must be a minimum of S65k - S75k to provide support for such services and <br />programming. <br />b. Prioritize organizations with an annual budget of less than I million annually, in order to <br />build capacity among smaller organizations; youth who are difficult to reach or <br />systems -impacted often trust these organizations more than some larger service providers, <br />whom they may associate with the City <br />c. Provide Mental Health Services for Trans/Queer and LGBTQ youth, for example from <br />Alianza Translatinx, a trusted organization that provides such mental health services <br />d. Re-entry programs and services for system impacted youth, for example Underground <br />GRIT & Project Kinship, which provides holistic, integrated support and services to <br />systems -impacted youth <br />e. Provide counseling support and preventative services for youth for example Project <br />Kinship, which provides support and resources for young people impacted by <br />incarceration and violence through healing & transformation. <br />3. Allocate Increased Funding for Jobs for Youth Within City Government such as: <br />a. Santa Ana Public Library Job Opportunities, such as receptionist positions, library aides <br />b. Paid Youth City Internships in City departments, especially with the opportunity to <br />develop STEM skills. <br />c. Trade and Construction Jobs for local city projects, in partnership with entities that can <br />provide training and support, such as Santa Ana College and Taller San Jose, and that <br />can lead to long-term career opportunities. <br />