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Flores, Dora From:Erlynne Ballo <erlynne.ballo@gmail.com> Sent:Monday, January To:eComment Subject:City Council Meeting 1/26/2026 - Agenda Item 1 Attention: This email originated from outside of City of Santa Ana. Use caution when opening attachments or links. My name is Erlynne Ballo, and I work as a student support professional at Saddleback College. While my community college is not in Santa Ana, many of my students are from your city. In education, we are taught that accountability is not punishment—it’s a pathway to trust. When students know there is a fair, transparent process for addressing harm, they are more likely to engage, to stay, and to believe in the system. The same principle applies to public safety. I work with students who are navigating trauma, fear, and uncertainty—many of whom have had direct or indirect experiences with law enforcement that shape how safe they feel in our community. When oversight is weak or symbolic, that fear doesn’t stay abstract. It shows up in classrooms, in mental health, and in whether people feel protected or targeted by the systems meant to serve them. A police oversight committee without meaningful authority cannot fulfill its purpose. True oversight requires access to information, the ability to make binding recommendations, and independence from the very systems it is meant to review. Without that, we are asking the community to trust a process that lacks real power—and trust does not grow in that environment. I ask that the Police Oversight Commission have the authority to conduct investigations of police misconduct independently from the police department. The Commission must to be able to review, evaluate, and make recommendations to the Police Chief and City Council. The audit model and the hybrid model limits scope of investigations, and so limits the integrity and legitimacy of the Police Oversight Commission. Educators know that systems improve when they are transparent, accountable, and open to correction. Strengthening the authority of the police oversight committee is not anti-police. It is pro-community, pro-trust, and pro-safety. I urge this council to expand the powers of the oversight committee so it can operate with integrity and effectiveness. Our residents—and especially our young people—are watching what we choose to prioritize. Thank you for your time. 1