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CITY ATTORNEY <br />Sonia R. Carvalho <br />CITY MANAGER <br />Alvaro Nuñez <br />CITY CLERK <br />Jennifer L. Hall <br /> <br />20 CIVIC CENTER PLAZA - P.O. BOX 1988, M-31 - SANTA ANA, CALIFORNIA 92702 <br />TELEPHONE (714) 647-6900 - FAX (714) 647-6954 - www.santa-ana.org <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br />Councilmember-Requested Item Report <br /> <br /> <br />DATE <br />March 4, 2025 <br /> <br />TOPIC <br />Ordinance requiring applicants for contracts, licenses, permits, or other entitlements for use to <br />disclose pending or prior FPPC and FEC enforcement. <br /> <br />COUNCILMEMBER-REQUESTED ITEM TITLE <br />Discuss and consider directing the City Manager to direct City staff to draft and bring back an <br />ordinance for Council consideration that would require applicants for contracts, licenses, permits, <br />or other entitlements for use to disclose pending or prior FPPC and FEC enforcement actions. <br /> <br />DISCUSSION <br />The City of Santa Ana is committed to transparency and is a local leader in transparency and <br />public participation. Our City’s robust sunshine ordinance allows for public participation through <br />notifications and community meetings, where members of the public can engage directly with <br />developers and contractors. <br /> <br />Developments in Santa Ana have the ability to significantly alter the character of a neighborhood <br />in more impactful ways than developments in other less dense cities. Developments in Santa <br />Ana also have the potential to yield tremendous profits for developers. It is therefore not <br />surprising that developers are politically active in locations they wish to develop and have been <br />known to contribute directly to candidates and to political action committees supporting or <br />opposing candidates or measures. Various reports on community impacts, such as traffic, <br />parking, and the environment, are made available to the public when proposed developments <br />meet certain criteria. Information about unlawful political activities by applicants for <br />developments should also be made available to the public. Given the stakes involved for both <br />constituents and developers and the fact that certain developments require Planning <br />Commission and/or City Council approval, it is imperative that stakeholders, such as residents <br />and businesses, be fully informed as to who is proposing development in their city and <br />neighborhoods, and whether they have engaged in unlawful political activity. Development can <br />be complex and often undertaken by corporate entities, which can create a situation where the <br />public sees nothing more than a corporate entity’s name on an application. This allows for