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Dale Helvig Resident, Santa Ana CA 92706 October 17, 2023 Mayor Amezcua and Santa Ana City Councilmembers City of Santa Ana 20 Civic Center Plaza, 81" Floor Santa Ana CA 92702 Subject: ITEM 27 — Resolution to permit noncitizen voting in city municipal elections at which municipal officers are elected. Presenting a resolution to permit noncitizen voting in city municipal elections at which municipal officers are elected at this time is irresponsible. The major unknowns are the legality of this proposal, the complete fiscal impact, and the potential implications it can have on noncitizens seeking to obtain citizenship. Please do not present this to the residents of Santa Ana until you have done your due diligence and can clearly explain your proposal. What exactly is addressed in this proposal and is it currently legal? What are the potential unintended consequences? Clearly define those who you propose participate in the voting process and for what types of issues. Are these individuals' permanent residents with green cards, residents who have applied for asylum and are waiting for their court dates/decisions, DACA recipients, undocumented residents, etc.? For those referencing the San Francisco ruling, it was determined that noncitizens, with children in the school district, could vote on school district elections only ... not city-wide elections. The fiscal impact provided in the staff report addresses only the cost of placing the issue on ballot. It DOES NOT take into consideration the cost of creating a city voter registration/database, as well as the ongoing cost to administer this process. Other cities have estimated this could be well north of one million dollars ($1,000,000). Can you honestly say this will not have an adverse impact on obtaining citizenship? Do you want to be responsible for the inability of someone to obtain their citizenship if you are wrong? Do what is right and research this proposal prior to approving. Do not move forward with something which could seriously, and negatively, impact those whom you wish to empower. It is my understanding that the city has until mid-2024 to decide on what should be included on the 2024 ballot, so there is no rush to make an uninformed decision. OBTAIN THE FACTS PRIOR TO MOVING FORWARD ON THIS ISSUE. CREATE THE ADHOC so that you have a chance of doing it right the first time rather than paying for defending against lawsuits which could have been avoided! Respectfully, .. Dale A Helvig Resident, Santa Ana Page 1 of 1 2023-10-17 Letter to City Council -Item 27 Noncitizen Voting