Laserfiche WebLink
Dear Mayor Amezcua and City Councilmembers, <br /> My name is Ray Diaz and I am a proud life-long resident of Santa Ana, residing in Ward <br /> 6. 1 am the proud son of immigrants and grandson of farm workers who picked the <br /> Orange Groves that once covered Orange County. My family has also lived through and <br /> continues to live through the real implications of deportation and family separation. The <br /> impact is not only multi-generational-- it can break families and create cycles of <br /> incarceration. <br /> I am writing to express my strong support for moving forward with Agenda Item 20 <br /> & 21 and bringing back the Sanctuary Policy Advisory Group, a community <br /> oversight mechanism written within the ordinance to facilitate trust and transparency <br /> between the City of Santa Ana and its immigrant residents. Additionally, I strongly urge <br /> the Council to move with urgency in hiring a Police Oversight Director so that the <br /> Santa Ana Police Oversight Commission can carry out its critical work. <br /> In January 2017, the Council passed a robust Ordinance with language stating that they <br /> would establish a task force made up of community members to advise the City Council <br /> on policies related to the ordinance, including helping craft policies to protect immigrants <br /> as well as recommend ways to use and oversee a city fund to help immigrants fight <br /> deportation in court. This advisory group has not met for some time and with so much <br /> uncertainty, now is the time for the City of Santa Ana to reaffirm its support for the <br /> immigrant community and revive the Sanctuary Policy Advisory Group to help facilitate <br /> trust and transparency between the City of Santa Ana and its immigrant residents. <br /> Santa Ana's status as a sanctuary city builds on years of community-based struggles <br /> fighting for the political, economic, and human rights of our vibrant immigrant <br /> communities. I stand firm with Councilwoman Lopez's request for the advisory group to <br /> reconvene within 30 days to provide updates to the city and recommendations on ways <br /> they can better protect residents. <br /> I look forward to seeing the re-implementation of the Sanctuary Ordinance & Advisory <br /> Board and the role it will take to protect immigrant's rights in Santa Ana AND the hiring <br /> of the Police Oversight Director. <br /> Sincerely, <br /> Ray Diaz <br /> Ward 6 <br /> Santa Ana, CA <br />