With three City Council seats, along with the mayor, on the ballot, November\u2019s election could determine the Santa Ana council\u2019s majority for the next four years.<\/p>\n
In Ward 2, incumbent Councilmember Benjamin Vazquez<\/a> is facing a challenge from Selica Diaz<\/a>, a real estate agent and former parks commissioner; and in Ward 4, incumbent Councilmember Phil Bacerra<\/a> is facing Sandra De Anda<\/a>, director of policy and legal strategy for the Orange County Rapid Response Network.<\/p>\n A new face is guaranteed in Ward 6, where Giovanni Chavez<\/a>, a lawyer and housing commissioner, and Isuri Ramos<\/a>, CHISPA executive director and a planning commissioner, are competing for the seat incumbent Councilmember David Penaloza passed on running again for to instead focus on his Assembly race.<\/p>\n Incumbent Valerie Amezcua<\/a>, a retired supervising probation officer and former SAUSD school board member, is running for re-election against challengers Dan Shimell<\/a>, 40, a senior associate attorney, and Dwayne Shipp<\/a>, 51, a caregiver and community development commissioner.<\/p>\n The Orange County Register asked the candidates questions about housing, city finances, transparency, and more for its voter guide<\/a>.<\/p>\n WARD 2<\/p>\n When it comes to housing, Diaz, 51, a property manager turned real estate agent, said Santa Ana \u201chas met and has exceeded its housing requirements\u201d and wants to build on that progress.<\/p>\n Her pitch focuses on homeownership: a diverse mix of condos, townhomes and affordable units on vacant lots and along transit corridors, streamlined approval for projects that meet city standards, and maintaining infrastructure, parking and parks to keep up with growth.<\/p>\n \u201cWe should streamline projects that meet established standards,\u201d she said, \u201cwhile maintaining local input and thoughtful planning.\u201d<\/p>\n Vazquez, 55, who has spent 25 years teaching history and ethnic studies at Valley High School, said he disagrees with the state\u2019s findings that Santa Ana has met its housing requirements. He argues the city has been behind on affordable housing for 30 years \u2014 falling school enrollment is proof that families are being priced out, he said.<\/p>\n Tenant protections and transit-oriented development are at the core of Vazquez\u2019s housing pitch \u2013 development can be done without tearing apart neighborhoods, he said, and he\u2019s \u201cfought for rent stabilization and just-cause eviction protections because families shouldn\u2019t lose their homes just to make room for new development.\u201d He also credits that work with helping bring homelessness down by 15% in the city.<\/p>\n When it comes to managing the city budget, both Diaz and Vazquez said they want to see reserves built up and pension debt paid down. Diaz said the city should \u201clive within its means while investing strategically in its future,\u201d while Vazquez promises to keep \u201cpaying down our pension liabilities and building up reserves so Santa Ana isn\u2019t caught off guard the next time the economy turns.\u201d<\/p>\n Both candidates say they support cutting wasteful spending and back local economic development to bring in tax dollars. Vazquez said he\u2019d rather make \u201cbig developers and corporations pay their fair share\u201d than touch parks, libraries or community services, while Diaz warned against \u201ccontinually increasing the burden on residents.\u201d<\/p>\n WARD 4<\/p>\n Of the three Santa Ana council races, Ward 4 may offer the sharpest ideological split, with De Anda, a 32-year-old first-time candidate, challenging incumbent Bacerra, 49, an urban planner who has served on the council and chaired the OC Fire Authority board.<\/p>\n De Anda described Santa Ana as a city in crisis that needs to rethink who the government works for, while Bacerra said the city is largely on the right track but needs to protect its budget.<\/p>\n Asked how Santa Ana can best meet housing demands and state mandates while preserving local control: Bacerra pointed to the city\u2019s 2022 General Plan update, which he said directs new housing to areas \u201cwhere it makes the most sense\u201d while \u201cprotecting the character and quality of life\u201d in existing neighborhoods.<\/p>\n He argued Santa Ana has already done its part and exceeded the state\u2019s housing requirements, adding that compliant cities \u201cshould be rewarded with greater local control over where and how housing is built.\u201d<\/p>\n De Anda argued that preserving quality of life should also ensure new housing remains \u201caffordable, well-planned, and paired with the infrastructure and services a growing population needs,\u201d and the process should incorporate more community participation.<\/p>\n Housing should be treated \u201cas a human right\u201d instead of a commodity \u201cleft to the market alone,\u201d she said, and she supports affordable, publicly funded housing at scale rather than \u201crelying on developers to voluntarily include a handful of affordable units in exchange for density bonuses.\u201d<\/p>\n Both Ward 4 candidates said the city needs new revenue\u00a0 \u2014 the source of the money is where they differ.<\/p>\n Instead of taxing residents, Bacerra said Santa Ana should \u201cdramatically increase revenue that is paid by visitors.\u201d He argued a stronger visitor economy \u2014 Anaheim is the ultimate example \u2014 could wean the city off what he calls \u201cone of the highest sales tax rates in Orange County.\u201d Bacerra said he\u2019s also willing to \u201ctrim more fat\u201d off the city budget to prevent future deficits, a decision Santa Ana officials had to grapple with earlier this year.<\/p>\n