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C hispa July 1, 2025 Mayor Amezcua and City Councilmembers 20 Civic Center Plaza Santa Ana, CA 92701 ecomment&Santa-ana. org Via Email RE: Oppose Agenda Item 29 — Amendments to the Police Oversight Commission Ordinance Dear Mayor Amezcua and City Councilmembers, We write today to express our strong opposition to Agenda Item 29, which proposes damaging amendments to the Police Oversight Commission Ordinance. Chispa is a grassroots organization building power for young Latinxs in Orange County through community organizing, leadership development, and policy advocacy. Our work is rooted in the belief that systems must be transformed —not reformed —to meet the needs of historically excluded communities. The Santa Ana Police Oversight Commission was created in 2022 after years of community advocacy, including direct engagement from our members. It was designed to be independent, investigatory, and community -led. It was a long -overdue response to generations of police violence, secrecy, and impunity. But now, that vision is under attack. If passed, Agenda Item 29 would reduce the Commission to a toothless review board, stripped of its most vital powers. These amendments would: • Strip the Commission of its authority to conduct independent investigations into police misconduct; • Limit the scope of complaints it can review, and only after SAPD's Internal Affairs has completed its investigation; • Eliminate its power to issue disciplinary recommendations; • Cut off its communication with the City Manager and City Council; • Prohibit it from holding community forums or educating the public;