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Zuniga, Diana <br /> From: Yadira Torres < <br /> Sent: Tuesday, June 17, 2025 2:45 PM <br /> To: eComment <br /> Subject: General eComment for July 17 2025 Council Meeting <br /> Attention: This email originated from outside of City of Santa Ana.Use caution when opening attachments or links. <br /> Good afternoon, <br /> I am a 20+year resident of Santa Ana, and reside in the Lyon Street neighborhood within Ward 3. 1 am writing this <br /> comment to share my concerns regarding Mayor Amezcua's response to the ICE activity within Santa Ana,the lack of <br /> accountability by SAPD in their use of"less-than-lethal"weapons against our neighbors, and to encourage the City to <br /> support our neighbors during these unprecedented and terrifying times. <br /> To start-- I would like to put on the record what Mayor Amezcua said in her interview with ABC7 on June 12, 2025: <br /> Amezcua: "You have a right to be angry. You have a right to be afraid. You have a right to question why. I'm not about <br /> photo ops. I'm not going to stand up and raise my arm and give my chicano,you know,fist bump because it makes me <br /> look good. I don't represent just one group of the community. I'm not going to separate,well, it's the federal building, <br /> It's still a place of business, and it's the federal building where people work and listen, people work in there" <br /> ABC 7: "the mayor also stated that some elected officials, like Councilmember Jonathan Hernandez, condoned the <br /> violence,which he denies" <br /> Amezcua: "i encourage you to do so peacefully" <br /> ABC 7: "mayor amezcua asked residents to remain peaceful and respectful as she works to find solutions to the ice raids" <br /> AMEZCUA: "it's very personal to me, but I'm not going to go out on the street and scream at law enforcement. I'm not <br /> going to go scream at the national guard,get out of my city. it doesn't accomplish anything" <br /> Mayor Amezcua's interview is disappointing, even more so than her lack of response or action in responding to the ICE <br /> raids plaguing our community. Her tone throughout-- namely mocking folks who raise their"chicano fist bump" at <br /> protests-- is obnoxious, at best. She mentions that she is "not about photo ops" and yet, has posted multiple photo-ops <br /> in the time since this interview and her lackluster message to the community. She then makes a point to mention that <br /> she "doesn't represent just one group of the community".This is something she mentions often when responding to <br /> criticism. And quite frankly, it is ironic, considering one of her first orders of business in response to the ICE raids was to <br /> convene business owners in DTSA for a private meeting rather than addressing your constituents as a whole. Yes, Mayor <br /> Amezcua,we know you don't just represent one part of Santa Ana, this is not news, as you tend to only focus on the part <br /> that is wealthier, or own businesses, or agree with your opinions. Mayor Amezcua agrees that the community is angry <br /> and afraid, but does not say what she IS going to do to support the community. Instead, she goes on a diatribe of what <br /> other leaders have done,that she is NOT going to do. I understand that the local government does not have much sway <br /> when it comes to federal enforcement.That doesn't mean that our local leaders can just lay low while masked ICE <br /> agents terrorize our community, kidnapping fathers on Fathers Day, day laborers looking for jobs, and Santaneros trying <br /> to simply live. Mayor Amezcua, a few words of support, a few words condemning the brutal actions by ICE, and <br /> cooperating with other city and county leaders ACROSS THE AISLE would have done much more good in our community <br /> than your Facebook statuses or interviews on local media. Santa Ana deserves better than a Mayor that holds such <br /> disdain and apathy for our most vulnerable neighbors. It's obvious that you are conducting damage control, posting <br /> those photo-ops you spoke against, in an effort to regain the public's trust. It's not working. We need to see actions, <br /> accountability, and support/ Remember--you work for your constituents--ALL of your constituents. <br /> 1 <br />