Three wards — the term Santa Ana uses for its districts — are up for grabs on the Santa Ana City Council: Seats 1, 3 and 5 are up for election for a four-year term.
What do city councilmembers do?
The city councilmembers choose the city clerk as well as the city manager. The city manager has the power to bind the city to a non-public works contract for up to $50,000 or a public works contract for up to $250,000. The city council also appoints the city attorney, who is responsible for representing the city as a whole.
Some other key roles of the city councilmembers:
- Approving the budget and setting tax rates. (When the city council approves tax rates, these sometimes come up in front of residents for a vote.)
- Deciding how city-owned land is used.
- Approving capital improvement projects such as renovations to public buildings.
The City Council does not appoint the city’s police chief. City council members cannot unilaterally decide on city policy or approve contracts.
Make It Make Sense: Election 2024 Edition
Fast facts about Santa Ana
- Santa Ana is one of Orange County’s biggest cities and the home of the county seat.
- Ward 1 runs along the western edge of Santa Ana. Wards 3 and 5 oversee the northern part of the city, near the 22 Freeway.
- Three of the council’s progressive voices are up for reelection in these wards. They have advocated for a rent-control ordinance, and approved the creation of a police oversight commission. They also voted to put Measure DD on the Nov. 5 ballot: It would allow Santa Ana residents who are not citizens to vote in local municipal elections.
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City of Santa Ana
- Mayor and city council. Plus: Noncitizen voting, rent control and pay raises for city councilmembers
City of Irvine
- Mayor and city council
Orange County
- Board of Supervisors: Who will replace outgoing District 1 Supervisor Andrew Do?
- School district measures: School districts have a lot of repair needs.
State and federal races
- Whoa! There are 10 state-wide initiatives on the ballot. Here's your cheat sheet to Props. 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 32, 33, 34, 35 and 36.
- Orange County races for California State Assembly and State Senate
- House and U.S. Senate
Jump to the full Voter Game Plan for dozens more races ▶
What’s on the agenda for next term:
- Measure DD: If the measure passes, Santa Ana would become the first city in California to allow non-U.S. citizens to vote in its municipal elections, and it’s likely the city would be embroiled in legal challenges. The successful passage of the measure would also require Santa Ana to handle its own municipal elections, outside the oversight of the Orange County Registrar of Voters.
- Needle Exchange Program: Santa Ana could be looking at a fight with state officials regarding a controversial needle exchange program. Here’s the backstory: The nonprofit Harm Reduction Institute is seeking to bring such a program to Santa Ana, delivering clean syringes and picking up used ones at homes, tents, RVs and other nontraditional forms of housing. Supporters say such programs reduce drug overdoses and the transmission of bloodborne illnesses and infections, and can help put users on a path to recovery. Santa Ana is opposed to the program, saying past needle exchange programs resulted in needles and syringes being strewn throughout the city, posing a threat to public health and safety. Now, the California Department of Public Health has said that city ordinances banning needle exchange programs are illegal, setting the stage for a possible legal battle.
- Budget cliff: City officials have sounded the alarm as revenue generated from the voter approved Measure X sales tax is set to reduce in 2029. Currently, the sales tax is responsible for 22% of the general fund budget. What could this mean for city services? Funds generated from the sales tax goes towards emergency response services, street repairs and the upkeep of parks and senior services. At a council meeting in April, city staff said projections show that because expenses are increasing faster than money is coming in, Santa Ana could see a budget deficit next year. The city is exploring options such as approving alcohol sales at local venues in a bid to boost tax revenues.
Meet the candidates
Names are presented here in the order they appear on the city's candidate list.
Ward 1 candidates
Julie Tran
Small business owner
Tran runs a boutique beauty spa in the city. She is calling for increasing investments towards law enforcement and wants to work with leaders from other cities to prevent homeless encampments from forming in Santa Ana. Tran opposes raising taxes and opposes the measure on the ballot for raising city councilmembers’ pay. She also opposes Measure DD and thinks the city should fight the California Department of Public Health on the needle exchange program.
More voter resources:
- Website: JulieTranForSantaAna.com
- Endorsements: See full list here
Thai Viet Phan
Incumbent city councilmember
Phan is running for reelection. In her first term, she said, she championed rent stabilization and voted to increase funding towards the city’s Down Payment Assistance Program, which helps first-time home buyers. If reelected, she said, she would increase incentives to join the police force as well as the city’s code enforcement team. She said she opposes the needle exchange program.
More voter resources:
- Website: ThaiVietPhan.com
- Endorsements: See full list here
Ward 3 candidates
Jessie Lopez
Incumbent city councilmember
Lopez is running for reelection. She said during her tenure at the city council she has protected renters from “extreme” rent hikes, allocated funding for increasing police officers, park renovations and repairs and securing street lights and advocated for updating the city’s Climate Action Plan.
During her time on the council, Lopez also survived a recall backed by the city’s police union and landlords in the city.
Lopez is running on a platform of increasing funding for the city’s police department and hiring social workers to assist the city’s unhoused population. Her reelection campaign has received endorsements from Congresswoman Katie Porter and O.C. Supervisor Vicente Sarmiento.
More voter resources:
- Website: VoteJessieLopez.com
- Endorsements: See full list here
Jeffrey Katz
Lawyer / Business owner
Katz says he wants to improve the local economy by creating jobs for residents, improve public safety with an “appropriately funded police department” and address homelessness in Santa Ana by improving mental health and addiction treatment facilities. He also wants to create more affordable housing options. Katz says he also wants to revitalize neighborhood associations so residents can be proud of their neighborhoods.
More voter resources:
- Website: Vote4Katz.com
- Endorsements: See full list here
Ward 5 candidates
Johnathan Ryan Hernandez
Incumbent city councilmember
Hernandez says during his time on the council he voted to implement rent control, approved the building of three new parks and advocated for the recognition of Chicano Heritage Month. He is running on a platform to increase funding in education programs as well as the arts and parks to prevent youth from falling victim to the "school-to-prison" pipeline.
When it comes to raises for city councilmembers, Hernandez says he will respect the will of the voters to decide if councilmembers deserve raises. He supports Measure DD and opposes the needle exchange program.
Congressmember Lou Correa and O.C. Supervisor Vicente Sarmiento have both endorsed Hernandez’s reelection campaign.
More voter resources:
- Website: Hernandez4SantaAna.org
- Endorsements: See full list here
Mario Alvarado
City commissioner / Business owner
Alvarado is the chair of the Environmental and Transportation Advisory Commission.
Alvarado says he will prioritize mental health and addiction treatment services to address homelessness in the city. He also wants to increase the number of permanent supportive housing options in Santa Ana. He also supports increasing funding towards the city’s sports leagues, arts education, and after-school programs aimed at city youth.
Alvarado says he also wants to work to fill 45 vacant but funded positions on the Santa Ana police force to combat what he says is rising gun violence in the city.
More voter resources:
- Website: Mario.Alvarado 2024.com
- Endorsements: See full list here
Go deeper
- Los Angeles Times: A failed recall heralds a new era for Latino politics in Orange County
- Voice of Orange County: Santa Ana Police Get $27M Contract Amid Looming Revenue Cliff
- Voice of Orange County: Will Santa Ana Officials Minimize Photographer Restrictions at City Hall?
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