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EL CENTRO <br />�y <br />b CULTURAL <br />DE Mkico <br />837 N Ross S4. Sania Ana. Ca. I2701 <br />July 1 st, 2025 <br />Mayor Amezcua and City Council Members <br />City of Santa Ana <br />20 Civic Center Plaza <br />Santa Ana, CA 92701 <br />Re: Oppose Agenda Item 29, proposed amendments to the Police Oversight <br />Commission <br />Dear Mayor Amezcua and the Santa Ana City Council, <br />On behalf of El Centro Cultural de Mexico, I am writing to strongly oppose item <br />29, the proposed amendments to the Police Oversight Commission ordinance <br />being considered at your July 1 st meeting. <br />Founded in 1994, El Centro is a synergistic, cultural organization and space that <br />emphasizes the empowering effect of identity and collective work, particularly for <br />immigrant youth and families in our city, Santa Ana, California. This amendment <br />will affect our communities. <br />The original vision behind the Commission was to ensure that our city had independent <br />oversight of police conduct, something the people of Santa Ana have long demanded. But <br />these amendments would undermine that goal by: <br />• - Stripping the Commission of its power to conduct independent investigations. <br />• - Limiting its review powers to only certain types of complaints, and only after <br />SAPD has already completed its own Internal Affairs review. <br />• - Eliminating the Commission's ability to make disciplinary recommendations. <br />• - Cutting off communication between the Commission and City leadership. <br />• - Blocking the Commission from engaging with the public. <br />• - Requiring Commissioners to undergo police -led trainings instead of independent <br />ones. <br />These are not minor adjustments, they are deliberate efforts to weaken accountability and <br />transparency. If passed, these changes will turn the Commission into a symbolic body <br />with no real power to protect the public or prevent harm. <br />