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HomeMy WebLinkAboutCorrespondence - Closed Session #3Ibarra, Evelyn From: Jackie Angel Investor < > Sent: Monday, October 28, 2024 11:43 AM To: eComment Subject: The People's Choice for Independent Police Oversight Director Attention: This email originated from outside of City of Santa Ana. Use caution wnen opening attachments or links. My name is Jackie Cordova and as a resident and Mother of Santa Ana, I am calling to demand that Santa Ana City Council immediately hire Sean Garcia-Leys for Independent Oversight Director. Candidates like IntegrAssure or JL Group LLC are not acceptable, because former police officers have a long record of not holding other officers accountable. We are not interested in "middle of the road" candidates like Oppenheimer Investigations LLP or LE Professionals either. We want a candidate who actually stands for accountability! We want a Commission that actually operates independently of Santa Ana Police Department. We want Sean Garcia-Leys for Independent Oversight Director. The vote for Independent Oversight Director should also be held during the regular open meeting of City Council. We deserve to know how and why Council members are voting for this important position. We have been waiting since 2022 for the Police Oversight Commission to actually function and two years is long enough! Jackie Cordova Santa Ana California Ibarra, Evelyn From: CSO Orange < Sent: Friday, November 15, 2024 2:28 PM To: eComment Subject: Closed Session Item #3 Attachments: IOD Letter to Council_20241115_141639_OOOO.pdf Attention: This email originated from outside of City of Santa Ana. Use caution when opening attachments or links. Santa Ana City Council, Please see the attached letter regarding closed session item #3, the hiring of the IOD for the Police Oversight Commission. The letter is signed by various community organizations and their members. -CSO Orange County 1 HIRE AN IOD FOR POLICE Signed: OF__,4% ORANGE COUNTY C S O Orange County Tenants United Santa Ana 90CRRN QC Rapid Vespanse Nekwark Orange County Rapid Response Network AGE COS ChicanxsUnidxs U.S. PALESTINIAN COMMUNITY NETWORK (USPCN) ACCOUNTABILITY FRIDAY 11.15.2024 To the Santa Ana City Council: We, the organizations signed, demand that Santa Ana City Council vote to hire Sean Garcia-Leys for Independent Oversight Director in the upcoming November 19th City Council meeting! The vote should be held during the open session of a City Council meeting. Two years ago, the Police Oversight Commission of Santa Ana was established after the George Floyd protests against racist police violence swept the nation and accelerated the fight for accountability here in Santa Ana. But today, our Commission still does not function. It lacks the ability to make any recommendations on complaints received because it lacks an Independent Oversight Director (IOD). The commission has a time limit for reviewing complaints, so while an IOD is not hired, these complaints are collecting dust. Alarmingly, two of the five candidates for IOD include former police officers and FBI agents. The purpose of the Independent Oversight Commission is to conduct independent investigations of and make independent recommendations to Santa Ana Police Department (SAPD). An internal audit of SAPD's Department of Internal Affairs found that its investigation into allegations of sexual harassment and assault by police officers was "severely hampered" by its then -Commander, current police chief Robert Rodriguez. A nationwide evaluation of US departments called The Police Scorecard found that in Santa Ana from 2013 - 2017, only 3% of civilian complaints of police misconduct were ruled in favor of civilians. From 2011 to 2020, the City of Santa Ana paid over $24 million towards lawsuits against the police department. We don't need more lawsuits caused by police being unaccountable. So the need for an oversight body independent of any current or former police is clear. Civil rights attorney and public safety advocate Sean Garcia-Leys is the strongest candidate with a history of fighting for police accountability. He has successfully fought back against gang injunctions in LA, Ventura, and Orange counties. These injunctions have a record of discriminating on the basis of race, clothing, and location, disproportionately targeting people of color. He also fought to enforce the California Racial Justice Act, which was designed to address racial disparities in prosecutions. When D.A. Todd Spitzer refused to release prosecutorial data showing how the county implemented the Racial Justice Act, a coalition including Garcia-Leys filed suit. Sean Garcia-Leys is the type of IOD Santa Ana needs: a hire with a proven track record of working for police accountability. Two years is long enough! Hire an IOD for police accountability! Hire Sean Garcia-Leys! Ibarra, Evelyn From: Bulmaro Vicente <boomer@chispaoc.org> Sent: Tuesday, November 19, 2024 3:03 PM To: eComment Subject: 11/19 SA Public Comment: Item 3 Attachments: Item 3- Chispa Public Comment.pdf Attention: This email originated from outside of City of Santa Ana. Use caution when opening attachments or links. H i, Please find our attached letter for Item 3. In Solidarity, Boomer Policy and Political Director I Chispa e: boomer�kchispaoc.org c: 714,747.427i 1505 E 17th Street Suite 117 Santa Ana, CA 92705 Chispa is buildingaa Political home for young Latinxs in Orange County! Please consider making a donation to help us build our casita. Chispa is a project of Tides Advocacy, a 501c4 non-profit organization. F-1 1 HIRE AN IOD FOR POLICE Signed: CSO ORANGE COUNTY it CSO Orange County Tenants United Santa Ana Orange County Rapid Response Network )CS (J 0� U * cn ChicanxsUnidxs �Ij ) 14�e U.S. PALESTINIAN COMMUNITY NETWORK (USPCN) ACCOUNTABILITY I FRIDAY 11.15.2024 To the Santa Ana City Council: We, the organizations signed, demand that Santa Ana City Council vote to hire Sean Garcia-Leys for Independent Oversight Director in the upcoming November 19th City Council meeting! The vote should be held during the open session of a City Council meeting. Two years ago, the Police Oversight Commission of Santa Ana was established after the George Floyd protests against racist police violence swept the nation and accelerated the fight for accountability here in Santa Ana. But today, our Commission still does not function. It lacks the ability to make any recommendations on complaints received because it lacks an Independent Oversight Director (IOD). The commission has a time limit for reviewing complaints, so while an IOD is not hired, these complaints are collecting dust. Alarmingly, two of the five candidates for IOD include former police officers and FBI agents. The purpose of the Independent Oversight Commission is to conduct independent investigations of and make independent recommendations to Santa Ana Police Department (SAPD). An internal audit of SAPD's Department of Internal Affairs found that its investigation into allegations of sexual harassment and assault by police officers was "severely hampered" by its then -Commander, current police chief Robert Rodriguez. A nationwide evaluation of US departments called The Police Scorecard found that in Santa Ana from 2013 - 2017, only 3% of civilian complaints of police misconduct were ruled in favor of civilians. From 2011 to 2020, the City of Santa Ana paid over $24 million towards lawsuits against the police department. We don't need more lawsuits caused by police being unaccountable. So the need for an oversight body independent of any current or former police is clear. Civil rights attorney and public safety advocate Sean Garcia-Leys is the strongest candidate with a history of fighting for police accountability. He has successfully fought back against gang injunctions in LA, Ventura, and Orange counties. These injunctions have a record of discriminating on the basis of race, clothing, and location, disproportionately targeting people of color. He also fought to enforce the California Racial Justice Act, which was designed to address racial disparities in prosecutions. When D.A. Todd Spitzer refused to release prosecutorial data showing how the county implemented the Racial Justice Act, a coalition including Garcia-Leys filed suit. Sean Garcia-Leys is the type of IOD Santa Ana needs: a hire with a proven track record of working for police accountability. Two years is long enough! Hire an IOD for police accountability., Hire Sean Garcia-Leys!