11C - 2ND READ ORD - CODE VIOLATIONS

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G. The proposed amendment to Section 1 -8 would provide the citing officer with the discretion to issue infraction citations for violations of the Code that would otherwise constitute misdemeanors, as the officers may deem appropriate based on the circumstances surrounding the violation; and H. The proposed amendment to Section 1 -8 will help to alleviate the workload of the Police Department Court Liaison and City Attorney staff in amending misdemeanor charges to infractions, as well as create efficiencies in processing and prosecuting these criminal citations in the court system. SECTION 2. The adoption of this ordinance is exempt from the California Environmental Quality Act and a Notice of Exemption will be filed if this ordinance is adopted. SECTION 3. Section 1 -8 of the Santa Ana Municipal Code is hereby amended such that it reads as follows (new language underlined, deleted language in strikeout for tracking purposes only): Sec. 1 -8. - Violations - General penalty; continuing violations; adjudging fines and imprisonment; alternative enforcement. Unless otherwise specifically stated in this Code, it shall be unlawful and a misdemeanor for any person to violate or fail to comply with any provision of this Code and where no specific penalty is provided therefor in this Code, the violation of any provision of this Code shall be punished by a fine not exceeding one thousand dollars ($1,000.00) or imprisonment for a term not exceeding six (6) months or by both such fine and imprisonment. However, any such violation constituting a misdemeanor under this Code may, at his or her discretion, be prosecuted by the city attorney and cited by the issuing officer as an infraction. Each day any violation of any provision of this Code shall continue shall constitute a separate offense. As an alternative enforcement method, violations of this Code may be addressed through the use of an administrative citation as set forth in sections 1 -21.1 through 1- 21.9. Use of sections 1 -21.1 through 1 -21.9 shall not prevent the use of other methods of enforcement or abatement as provided by this Code. Such methods include but are not limited to criminal and civil actions. SECTION 4. If any section, subsection, sentence, clause, phrase or portion of this ordinance is for any reason held to be invalid or unconstitutional by the decision of any court of competent jurisdiction, such decision shall not affect the validity of the remaining portions of this ordinance. The City Council of the City of Santa Ana hereby declares that it would have adopted this ordinance and each section, subsection, sentence, clause, phrase or portion thereof irrespective of the fact that any one or more sections, subsections, sentences, clauses, phrases, or portions be declared invalid or unconstitutional. Ordinance No. NS -XXX 11C-4 Page 2 of 3