This year’s election debates in Santa Ana have put a spotlight on the nasty habit among the majority of Democratic city council members and senior city staff to avoid any kind of questioning from members of Orange County’s working press corps, especially in real time. 

Note that this is a city where leaders a couple years back wanted to literally pen in the press in the back corner of the city council meeting after debates over resolutions regarding Gaza were intensely debated. 

It’s also a city where Mayor Valerie Amezcua rarely agrees to take any kind of questions from the local press, much less grant interviews – especially when it comes to critical questions. 

Same goes for City Council members like Phil Bacerra, who rarely takes questions from reporters in real time and mainly only reaches out after stories are published. 

Bacerra this election is being challenged by OC Rapid Response Network’s Director of Policy Sandra De Anda. 

Councilwoman Thai Viet Phan also rarely returns a call from reporters seeking comment on public policy issues. 

Councilman David Penaloza has historically had a mixed record of returning calls for comment – one that’s improved this last year in the midst of a campaign for state assembly. He is running against his colleague, Councilwoman Jessie Lopez, who is consistently responsive to the press. 

Police Chief Robert Rodgriguez has never responded to my request for an interview on last year’s shooting of non-lethal rounds on peaceful protesters by law enforcement officers and in the same case, Santa Ana PD took a long time even acknowledging receipt of press questions.  

One local reporter, Daniel Diaz, who publishes the Santanero newspaper, told me last week he is still waiting for city officials to comply with his public records requests on the incident. 

Good luck getting Santa Ana City Manager Alvaro Nuñez on the phone. 

I’m still waiting to hear back on a request I submitted years ago to interview him once he was appointed after Amezcua and a majority of city council members agreed to settle a $600,000 claim by the former city manager claiming she was forced out. 

City council members also kept the claim letter secret for months until members of the media started threatening lawsuits. 

That’s about when Amezcua went silent in terms of taking my questions. 

I texted her at both her personal and city phone for comment on this story – with no response from either, as usual. 

The latest First Amendment flashpoint comes from an effort by Ben Camacho, who reports with Inadvertent, to ask Amezcua questions about Flock cameras at last week’s city council and mayoral debate.

Amezcua not only refused to answer questions after the formal debate but she threatened legal action against Camacho for recording his questions and interviewing her in the crowd. 

In a social media post, the mayor said she denied Camacho’s request for an interview and said he didn’t tell Amezcua he was recording her. 

It’s a tricky area of civil law, says David Loy, director of the First Amendment Coalition. 

“There’s a First Amendment right to record matters of public interest outdoors,” Loy said in a Tuesday phone interview. “Police making an arrest … the right to record street takeovers and sideshows. That’s the First Amendment – you do something out in public, whether you’re a police officer or someone else, it’s fair game” 

He added that recording indoors can be tricky. 

“There might not be an absolute constitutional right to record indoors, but California doesn’t categorically prohibit all recording inside,” Loy said. 

But, he said a debate is “designed for public consumption.” 

“The Privacy Act may not apply to that situation because it’s either a ‘public gathering’ or alternatively there’s no reasonable expectation that you won’t be overheard or recorded,” Loy said. 

From left to right: Mayor Valerie Amezcua, Mayoral Candidates Dan Shimell and Dwayne Shipp at a candidate forum hosted by Com-Link on Sept. 24, 2026 in Santa Ana. Credit: HOSAM ELATTAR, Voice of OC

Even more shocking was a video posted by resident and activist Fernando Deveras at the same event where Amezcua could be seen in the middle of the debate – while her opponent was talking about the need for accountable leadership that listens to the residents of the city – asking organizers to tell Deveras that videotaping was not allowed. 

At a public debate.

The interaction caught the attention of one of Amezcua’s mayoral challengers – Dan Shimell – who called out the mayor’s behavior on his own Instagram post. 

“I think it says a lot about our mayor that she would interrupt a debate to get one person to stop recording her speaking on matters of public concern,” said Shimell, an attorney who along with Dwayne Shipp, a city commissioner, is challenging Amezcua for mayor this year. 

“You won’t get that from me,” said Shimell, ending his comments by noting, “I support a free press.”

That’s a question that should be asked at every public debate this year in Santa Ana.

In fact, I see there’s a debate tonight from 5 pm to 8 pm at Santa Ana College sponsored by the Santa Ana Chamber of Commerce.

Hopefully these questions get asked – do you support a free press? 

Do you think a key part of being an elected leader in a democracy is that you answer press questions on public policy? 

Norberto Santana, Jr. is the Publisher and Editor-in-Chief for Voice of OC. He can be reached at nsantana@voiceofoc.org. 

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