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Alcala, Abigail From: Mitre - Ramirez, Norma Sent: Wednesday, December 21, 2016 9:45 AM To: Alcala, Abigail Subject: FW: City Council Meeting Agenda Item 65E, December 20, 2016 From: Dave and Darren [ Sent: Tuesday, December 20, 2016 12:21 PM To: eComment Subject: City Council Meeting Agenda Item 65E, December 20, 2016 Dave Hoen December 20, 2016 City of Santa Ana Mayor and Councilmembers Via email: eCommerugsanta- ana.org RE: City Council Meeting December 20, 2016, Agenda Item 65E. [EVALUATION OF OPTIONS CONCERNING POTENTIAL TRANSITION TO A BY- DISTRICT ELECTIONS SYSTEM] Dear Mayor Pulido and Councilmembers: I wanted to deliver these comments during public comment this evening but seeing the other agenda items, I knew that there would be a line outside making it difficult to even get into the meeting in time to submit a comment card and that time limits would be imposed on public comment. Darren and I have a very diverse group of friends here in Santa Ana and in our various social gatherings we sometimes talk about all of you and the positive and the negative things about each of you. Yep, sounds boring but you should hear some of the things people think of you! We inevitably play the game of, "Who would make a good Councilmember". The overriding game rule is that our candidate must have a Latino last name. We come up with some that would be great but don't want to serve under the present system. Occasionally someone forgets the rules and suggests someone who would be really great but doesn't have a Latino last name. Then we laugh about the truckload of money that would be required to overcome the lack of a Latino last name. I am in no way saying that there is anything wrong with having all Latino names on the City Council, especially in a City that is mostly Latino. But what I am saying is there is something wrong if a great candidate is excluded from serving because of his or her last name. Because there are great candidates that have Asian names and European names and African American names and Middle Eastern names, and, and, and.... And there are great candidates who have Latino names. Three of you on the Council have spouses with a different ethnicity than yourself. What if by some fluke of tradition you took your spouse's name instead of your family name? Should that disqualify you or your children from serving on this Council?