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Youth. <br />4. Allocate increased funding for youth service programs within areas in City Hall and <br />not within the police department, such as those that can provide young people with <br />access to skill development, recreation, and housing. <br />Context Police Oversight: <br />Over the last two years, a majority of this Council has voiced support for the creation of a Police <br />Oversight Board in Santa Ana. While the Council's Police Oversight Ad -Hoc Committee drafts a <br />policy proposal the council must allocate funds to properly fund the Police Oversight Board. <br />The Council allocated $141,082,500, or 40%, of the 2021-22 Fiscal Year General Fund to the <br />Santa Ana Police Department. The estimated annual cost for an effective investigative -auditor <br />model for police oversight is less than 2% of the annual Police Department budget. <br />Context Youth Funding Priorities: <br />Over the Fall of 2021, Chispa, Latino Health Access, Proj ect Kinship, Invest in Youth, Alianza <br />Translatinx, and Santa Ana Youth Ballot held a series of focus groups in Santa Ana to hear from <br />young people ages 14-25 about the youth services they need and current services they receive <br />through their school, city, or community organizations. These focus groups revealed that young <br />people want to see the programs and services listed above prioritized for funding. Historically <br />youth services have been chronically and systemically underfunded. The Council must increase <br />youth investment to improve public safety. <br />Members of the Council have continuously expressed a strong desire to continue improving <br />safety by addressing root causes and investing in residents' material needs and well being. El <br />Getsemani UMC believes that the recommendations outlined above achieve these goals by <br />supporting the City's community partners to provide mental health services, counseling and <br />preventative services, jobs, and recreational activities. We urge you to adopt these <br />recommendations in the first reading. These resources will provide a foundation for the <br />City's young people to thrive. <br />Sincerely, <br />David J. Jaimes <br />Lead Pastor <br />El Getsemani UMC <br />