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Home My WebLink AboutCORRESPONDENCE - 65BApril 19, 2016 City Council Meeting Correspondence 656 - SANTA ANA JAIL NEGOTIATIONS & AUTHORIZATION DEVELOPMENT OF TRANSGENDER CARE PILOT Date of Sender/Representative Agency In support of item 1, 04/19/2016 Lupeli Lee Maneafaiga 2, 04/19/2016 Gerry Serrano 1AAgendas12016 AgendWahibits 2016 - Cunent MeetngQ016-M 19_Exhibi� Couespondence 65B.dmx SAPD/ Jail Division SAPOA Mitre -Ramirez, Norma From: Maneafaiga, Iupeli Sent: Tuesday, April 19, 2016 5:59 AM To: eComment Subject: Santa Ana City Jail Categories: Correspondence Hi I am a Correctional Officer at SAJ. Since I can't make the meeting on 04/19/16 1 am sending this email in support of keeping the jail open. First and foremost thank you for taking the time to hear both sides of the issue. It is no secret that the Santa Ana City Council is under tremendous pressure from the LGBT and other special interest group. So first I would like to address the concern pertaining to the housing of transgender at SAJ. I have been with the jail 12 years and my experience with this group has always been positive. Its seems that most of them share the same story of abuse at their previous facility. When they first arrive a SAJ there is a senses of fear and nervousness as they await for processing. Some talk openly about their unpleasant experience at the facilities where they came from being housed in a General Population unit. Currently a SAJ the transgender are housed with other transgender which over the years has become a "safe haven" for them compared to the option of general population housing. If the ICE contract is discontinue this safe haven will be no more and it would be a disservice to the transgender population. This fight is not with the city of Santa Ana but with the Federal Government, they are going to be housed somewhere why not Santa Ana Jail where they are safe and treated with dignity and respect. On the money side of SAJ, I truly believe that the city council should strongly consider a YES VOTE on the new ice contract. This would help stabilize the jail moving forward. This contract will bring roughly 2 million dollars and help offset some of its the expenses. With 8 years left on the bond payment I believe the city will recoup its loses after the bond has been satisfied. Therefore I urge the city council to VOTE YES on the new ice contract because this would best benefit the citizens of Santa Ana. May God bless the Mayor and the City Council as you make this very significant decision. Iupeli Lee Maneafaiga Correctional Officer SAPD /Jail Division Mitre -Ramirez, Norma From: Escamilla, Manuel Sent: Tuesday, April 19, 2016 12:34 PM To: !City Clerk Cc: Cavazos, David; Lawrence, Mark; Castro -Cardenas, Julie Subject: FW: SAPOA - Letter to Mayor & City Council Regarding SAPD Jail Attachments: SAPOA-DetentionCenterLetterToMayor&CityCouncil.Aprill9,2016Agenda.pdf Importance: High Categories: Correspondence FYI — Regarding Correspondence for Item 65B Manny Manuel J. Escamilla City Manager's Office City of Santa Ana 714-647-5209 (Office) 714-430-4658 (Cell) From: Rosie Reed [mailto:rosie.reed@santaanapoa.com] Sent: Tuesday, April 19, 2016 12:28 PM To: Cavazos, David; Amezcua, Angelica; Benavides, David; Castro -Cardenas, Julie; Cortez, Robert; Escamilla, Manuel; Flores, Alma; Flores, Rosa; Garcia, Jorge (CMO); Lawrence, Mark; Magallon, Becky; Martinez, Michele; Pulido, Miguel; Reyna, Roman; Sarmiento, Vicente; Soto, Daniel; Tinajero, Sal; Vazquez, Yasmin; Woods, Gail; Woods, Gail; Rojas, Carlos; Holland, Christina Cc: Gerry Serrano; Charles Goldwasser Subject: SAPOA - Letter to Mayor & City Council Regarding SAPD Jail Importance: High Please see attached PDF letter... Rosie Reed Office Manager Santa Ana Police Officers Association 1607 N. Sycamore Santa Ana, CA 92701 @ 714.836.1211 Phone April 19, 2016 SANTA ANA POLICE OFFICERS ASSOCIATION 1607 NORTH SYCAMORE SANTA ANA, CALIFORNIA 9 27 01-3 513 (714) 836-1211 FAX (714) 836-6108 MAYOR AND CITY COUNCIL CITY OF SANTA ANA 20 CIVIC CENTER PLAZA SANTA ANA, CA 92701 Re: Santa Ana City Jail and April 19, 2016 City Council Agenda Item No. 65B Honorable Mayor and Members of the City Council: The Santa Ana Police Officers Association writes to make you aware of its concerns regarding the future of the Santa Ana City Jail. More particularly, the Association requests that you revisit your action of February 2, 2016, that denied the contract amendment with the federal government for the use of the jail and directed staff to explore keeping the jail open without federal (ICE) money or propose options to terminate jail services. The Association believes that maintaining the federal contract is the best course of action as it provides the best services for local detainees, those having special needs while detained, the citizens of the City of Santa Ana and, of course, our members who work in the jail. The Association was gratified when some of your members, the City Manager, the Chief of Police and our Jail Administrator were able to successfully negotiate an increase in the fee for housing federal detainees. We believed that this meant that the City would be better able to face the costs of maintaining the jail. We were surprised when the community voiced objection to the housing of federal detainees and were even more surprised when you agreed. One of the "selling points" of the jail is that it provides local residents access to detainees. Regardless of the strongly held beliefs of the various community organizations that advocate on behalf of ICE detainees, closing the Santa Ana Jail to federal detainees will not do away with detention. Recognizing that truth, one has to wonder why these groups would choose to make life more difficult for detainees and their families by insuring that the people who would otherwise be kept in Santa Ana would then be sent to facilities around the country. The issue of detention is not one that can be resolved by the City of Santa Ana; it is an issue for the federal government. The practicalities of detention are best addressed by accepting the contract amendment so ably negotiated by you and city staff. Additionally, when you discuss the Transgender Care pilot program, please consider the observations of our members who staff that part of the facility: Our gay male and transgender detainees are from all over, but there is a definite compassion aspect to what we have here. This might be the only facility that ICE has where gay males and transgender detainees can be housed in civil detention with their peer group. ICE brings these detainees to our facility because anywhere else they go they are on lockdown or highly restricted PC (protective custody). We see these people (especially the transgender) come to us very fearful because of the treatment they received at other facilities around the country. Here we house them with other detainees with life situations just like theirs, they have a sense of community that they will get no place else. Closing this facility eliminates that option and they get scattered around again, back to isolation, back to the places that scared them enough that they arrive here they are shaking and crying because all they know is what they came from. Honorable Mayor and Members of the City Council April 19, 2016 Page Two The jail employs about 80 of our Association members, many of whom were born and raised in Santa Ana. There are also numerous residents of the City among the jail employees who are our members. There are food service workers, nurses, counselors and teachers who will lose their jobs if the jail is closed because you do not accept the contract amendment. When you consider that you will have a cost of $3,000,000.00 per year whether or not you close the jail, the negative economic impact on your loyal employees makes approving the contract not only the most compassionate course of action, but the most fiscally prudent course of action. Finally, it appears that there is a marked increase in crime in the City. Our officers are making more arrests and handling more calls for service every day. Even if the booking operation of the jail is kept open, we expect that there would be an impact on the amount of time that our officers are out of the field when taking suspects to jail. This letter is not written for the purpose of arguing the issues raised by those who advocate on behalf of detainees and others. We want to emphasize that those issues are best addressed elsewhere. We also want to emphasize that by accepting the federal contract amendment and continuing to operate the jail, you will best serve the needs of the detainees, the citizens of Santa Ana and our members. Thank you for your consideration. Very truly yours, GERRY SERRANO VICE PRESIDENT SANTA ANA POLICE OFFICERS ASSOCIATION GS/rr SAPOA-bete ntionCenterLetterTaM ayor&CityCouncil.April19,2016Ag and a Copy: City Manager, Chief of Police, Jail Administrator