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Planning and Building Agency <br />www.santa-ana.org/planning-and-building <br />Item # 30 <br />City of Santa Ana <br />20 Civic Center Plaza, Santa Ana, CA 92701 <br /> Staff Report <br />May 16, 2023 <br />TOPIC: Sunshine Ordinance Amendments <br />AGENDA TITLE <br />Ordinance Amendment No. 2023-01 Amending Article II.II of Chapter 2 (Sunshine <br />Ordinance) of the Santa Ana Municipal Code Related to Noticing, Meeting Format, and <br />Transparency Measures for Community Meetings for Certain Development Projects <br />RECOMMENDED ACTION <br />Conduct a first reading and adopt Ordinance Amendment No. 2023-01 amending <br />Section 2-153 in Article II.II of Chapter 2 of the Santa Ana Municipal Code. <br />DISCUSSION <br />The Sunshine Ordinance is a set of measures required by the Santa Ana Municipal <br />Code (SAMC) that are aimed at increasing transparency and community involvement in <br />the decision-making and development processes. The ordinance was adopted in its <br />initial format on October 15, 2012 (Ordinance No. NS-2838) and was subsequently <br />amended on December 7, 2021 (Ordinance No. NS-3012) to require two community <br />meetings and increase the notification radius for discretionary projects from 500 to <br />1,000 feet. <br />Background <br />At its September 20, 2022 regular meeting, the City Council requested that staff <br />evaluate updates to the Sunshine Ordinance to increase transparency, awareness, and <br />public engagement opportunities. Following the City Council’s discussion and direction on <br />the topic, staff evaluated the existing Sunshine Ordinance to determine which specific <br />sections to amend to reflect these goals. A work-study session took place during the <br />regular City Council meeting of April 18, 2023 to confirm the topical areas and proposed <br />amendments, which were also reviewed with individual City Council members upon <br />request. In summary, the proposed changes focus on the following measures: <br />1) Require a single presentation format during community meetings hosted by <br />applicants. <br />2) Require a livestream and recording of the meeting that will be posted to the <br />project webpage online after the community meeting takes place.