![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/1785486435_875_BlueSky-newsletter-ad.png\")
<\/a><\/p>\n\u201cResidents will still have access to plant and maintain the gardens during the current regular hours. We won\u2019t have any programming like workshops at this time,\u201d City spokesman Paul Eakins wrote in a Tuesday text message, without stating how the decision was made.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Eakins, who didn\u2019t return calls this week and only communicated through text messages and emails, didn\u2019t elaborate further on what he meant exactly by programing.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Officials have yet to publicly make a clarification even as volunteers \u2013 who have helped tend the vegetable patches \u2013 began raising alarms about the gardens\u2019 future, saying they were told by parks and recreation staff this month the program would be facing drastic changes, maybe even closing to residents.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Elected city council members are raising their own questions on the issue and asking staff to clarify what\u2019s going on after getting calls from worried residents.<\/p>\n
City signs posted on the gates of the Jerome Park Community Garden and Madison Park Community Garden and seen Tuesday by Voice of OC seemed to confirm volunteers\u2019 suspicions but Eakins said the postings were made by mistake.<\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/Garden-Santa-ana-Elattar-2026-6690.jpg\")
A sign posted outside the Madison Park Community Garden on July 28, 2026. Credit: HOSAM ELATTAR, Voice of OC<\/p>\n
\u201cDue to restructuring of the community garden program, operations will be reduced as of July 31, 2026,\u201d read a sign with the city\u2019s logo tied to the gate of the Jerome Park community farm \u2013 arguably the mainstay garden of the program.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe apologize for the inconvenience.\u201d<\/p>\n
The sign outside the Madison Park Garden stated operations there would be reduced as of July 24.<\/p>\n
\u201cThose were posted in error and have been removed,\u201d Eakins said in a text message Tuesday about the signs, not elaborating on how such a mistake could be made and avoiding multiple other questions about the issue.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Councilwoman Jessie Lopez, who is running for state assembly, said the city manager has some explaining to do and it wasn\u2019t a decision the city council made.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s obviously very confusing and only the city manager\u2019s office can address who directed the posting of signs,\u201d Lopez said in a Wednesday phone interview\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s really disappointing to get all the calls that we\u2019re getting and it\u2019s really frustrating to not be able to answer questions directly because we\u2019re learning about it as the community is also learning about it.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Councilman David Penaloza, who is running for state assembly against Lopez, said the situation was troubling and he is unclear how the signs went up and he would be talking with staff Thursday to find out what happened.<\/p>\n
\u201cUnfortunately, city departments in this city for decades have operated in silos,\u201d he said in a Wednesday phone interview.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Penaloza said he didn\u2019t hear about it until called for questions.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cThe fact that I hear it from the media first is also troubling. When you called yesterday, I had no idea of what was happening. The community volunteers that volunteer at these gardens could easily call and vet this information so the fact that their first call was to Voice of OC also kind of raises questions as to okay what\u2019s happening here,\u201d the councilman said.<\/p>\n
City Manager Alvaro Nu\u00f1ez did not respond to questions Wednesday.<\/p>\n
In an emailed statement Wednesday, Eakins said the city is focused on maintaining the core functions of the parks department amid budget cuts.<\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/1785486436_717_Computer-megaphone.png\")
<\/p>\n
Did you catch that? <\/p>\n
From local politics to the people and policies shaping our daily lives\u2014it\u2019s all in The Morning Report. Don\u2019t miss out on this free daily email.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat includes ensuring that our community centers and other facilities, including community gardens, remain open and accessible to the public, and that we maintain clean and safe parks and public facilities. Santa Ana\u2019s community gardens WILL remain open to the public,\u201d he wrote.<\/p>\n
Volunteers & Residents Speak Out<\/p>\n
The lack of clarity or explanation, city signs mistakenly put up saying the program would be restructured and reduced and conflicting narratives from city employees and leaders about the garden are raising questions on how exactly the city is being run.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Cynthia Perez, a 34-year-old mom who started volunteering at the Jerome Park community garden before the city took it over, said she was disappointed by the city.<\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/Garden-Santa-ana-Leopo-Edit2026-.jpg\")
Cynthia Perez and her daughter on Wednesday, June 29, 2026. Perez is a longtime volunteer at the Jerome Park community garden. Credit: JULIE LEOPO, Voice of OC<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t care who to blame or who made these decisions. I\u2019m not about punishment. I\u2019m more about can we move forward and find resolutions that are gonna give back and nourish our communities because we really don\u2019t need unnecessary stress or extraction of third spaces,\u201d Perez said.<\/p>\n
She also said the confusion is an example of what happens when city officials aren\u2019t creative with the budget and residents deserve more clarity.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis literally just blew up in a couple of days and this is just kind of a repercussion of how unorganized communication is, how little their connection is to their own community and it\u2019s unnecessary stress for us,\u201d said Perez, who has been volunteering at the gardens for years, in a Wednesday interview.<\/p>\n
\u201cParents are making time out of their day to focus on what we can do to come up with resolutions.\u201d<\/p>\n
Rosa Pizano, a Guatemalan American resident and activist who has used the Jerome Park garden for decades, said she was upset when staff had said the gardens were closing and it impacted her profoundly as someone who has been tending for years as a volunteer.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt is not fair that they [city] fool us or frustrated us, because my heart was very hurt, and I began to cry,\u201d Pizano said in interview in Spanish after hearing they wouldn\u2019t be closing the gardens.\u00a0<\/p>\n
She said the gardens are important to residents\u2019 health and nutrition.<\/p>\n
\u201cI have seen many people care for this garden, water the plants, pick up plastic bags and take some harvest home, like Nopales, or make tea from the mint, lemon, there is so much that people take from this garden.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/Garden-Santa-ana-Leopo-2026-2.jpg\")
From left, Gloria Espino, Rosa Pizano and Irene Pimentel gather regularly to visit community gardens throughout Santa Ana. The three are members of the senior center near the Jerome Park Community Garden. Credit: JULIE LEOPO, Voice of OC<\/p>\n
Irene Pimentel, a 66-year-old resident, said it is a place for her and her friends to go and pass the time.<\/p>\n
\u201cI got sad because where else are we going to go? We do not work, we have free days to go to the gardens,\u201d she said in interview in Spanish.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cWe cannot be locked up in our home, we would go crazy, this garden motivates us to keep going.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
What Sparked Confusion? Elected Officials Raise Questions<\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/AP_4521-copy.jpg\")
A planting event at the Jerome Park Garden in 2023. Credit: JULIE LEOPO, Voice of OC<\/p>\n
The confusion also sparked questions from city council members about what\u2019s going on with the gardens.<\/p>\n
City Councilman Ben Vazquez said the confusion was sparked when City Manager Nu\u00f1ez informed the parks and recreation department of their staff reductions and told them to figure out how to manage the program and the department used their given discretion.<\/p>\n
He also said council members should have been clearer with staff when they made budget cuts.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think we give him clear directions, and sometimes when you think you\u2019re clear, you\u2019re not. You have to be very specific. We\u2019re going to reduce the number of staff at the garden but we want the programming to continue,\u201d Vazquez said Wednesday after meeting with Nu\u00f1ez the day prior.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cWe have a big change with the budget cuts, and I think it came from that, and it\u2019s unfortunate the messaging was not clear but hopefully we move forward,\u201d he said. \u201cThis is a blip in the running of the city.\u201d<\/p>\n
Parks and Recreation staff aren\u2019t speaking to reporters about the issue, referring questions about the gardens to a city spokesman.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Penaloza said it could be a situation where city management told the department to find places to cut spending and that\u2019s what they decided \u2013 noting the vacancy in the park and recreation director role and that it was possibly a decision Scott made before he left.<\/p>\n
Penaloza said going forward notices as significant as the ones that went up on the gardens should be vetted by management and that the council as whole is supportive of the program especially in areas surrounded by high density apartments.<\/p>\n
Lopez said someone is not taking responsibility for the ensuing confusion that was created.<\/p>\n
\u201cSomeone is clearly not taking accountability and being honest about what has happened here and my responsibility is to speak with my direct employee, which is the city manager,\u201d she said.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cAfter all, this is a city manager form of government. He is the one in his team that issues the directives, that speaks with the department heads and so I need to speak with my employee about what has transpired.\u201d<\/p>\n
Lopez also has questions for the city manager on what the programming changes will mean for the gardens that are located in areas with limited open space.<\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/Garden-Santa-ana-Elattar-2026-6678.jpg\")
The community garden at El Salvador Park on July 28, 2026 Credit: HOSAM ELATTAR, Voice of OC<\/p>\n
\u201cIf the city and the city manager\u2019s office needs to make cuts, they need to make cuts somewhere else but not by taking away the very amenities that improve our quality of life, particularly in neighborhoods that have gone without them for far too long,\u201d she said.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Santa Ana\u2019s Budget<\/p>\n
The debacle comes after city council members adopted their budget<\/a> last month, approving about $11 million in spending cuts without ever explicitly discussing any cuts to any of the city\u2019s five community gardens.<\/p>\nAmid discussions on cuts, elected officials opted not to reduce their $420,000 budget for political aides or dial back council members\u2019 nearly $80,000 travel budget.<\/p>\n
Some of those cuts impacted parks and the Parks and Recreation department including a nearly $1 million reduction in park maintenance and an over $113,000 cut to overtime for Parks and Recreation related to programs and schedule adjustments.<\/p>\n
The biggest cut, however, was a nearly $5 million reduction in vacant positions and their part time employee budget. Officials also dissolved the city\u2019s Parks and Recreation Commission and four other city advisory boards.<\/p>\n
Eakins did not respond to questions on how those cuts impacted the department.<\/p>\n
\u201cJust as all cities are dealing with budget constraints, the City of Santa Ana has made strategic budget decisions to ensure our long-term financial stability,\u201d he wrote in a Wednesday statement.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis fiscal alignment may require a period of adjustment.\u201d<\/p>\n
Hosam Elattar is a Voice of OC reporter. Contact him at helattar@voiceofoc.org.<\/p>\n
This is what accountability looks like. <\/p>\n
For more than 16 years, Voice of OC has been Orange County\u2019s trusted source for fearless, non-partisan coverage. <\/p>\n
We\u2019ve tracked the big shakeups, the quiet deals, and the decisions that hit you where it counts\u2014 your wallet, your home, your community.<\/p>\n
From corruption investigations to housing shortages, from environmental challenges to the local economy, we follow the facts so you can follow what\u2019s really happening in your backyard.<\/p>\n
No ads. No paywalls. No spin. Just the truth.<\/p>\n
And none of it happens without you. <\/p>\n
If you believe Orange County deserves this kind of coverage, join us by making a tax-deductible contribution today.<\/p>\n
\n\tRelated<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Confusion is growing over the future of Santa Ana\u2019s beloved community gardens \u2013\u00a0 which for many residents have…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":419227,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[36],"tags":[163,165,164,5038,29039,6458,5039,2267],"class_list":["post-419226","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-anaheim","tag-anaheim","tag-anaheim-headlines","tag-anaheim-news","tag-benjamin-vazquez","tag-community-gardens","tag-david-penaloza","tag-jessie-lopez","tag-voice-of-oc"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/419226","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=419226"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/419226\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/419227"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=419226"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=419226"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=419226"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/1785486434_700_Big-megaphone-newsletter.png\")
<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/1785486435_801_You-Found-Us-Facebook.png\")
<\/a><\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/1785486435_557_You-Found-Us-Instagram.png\")
<\/a><\/p>\n