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HRCA No. 2025-08, HRC No. 2025-10, HPPA No. 2025-10– The Hector Godinez House (433 W. Santa Clara Avenue) September 23, 2025 Page 2 Analysis of the Issues Historical Listing In March 1999, the City Council approved Ordinance No. NS-2363 establishing the Historic Resources Commission and the Santa Ana Register of Historical Properties. The Historic Resources Commission may, by resolution and at a noticed public hearing, designate as a historical property any building or part thereof, object, structure, or site having importance to the history or architecture of the city in accordance with the criteria set forth in Section 30-2 of the Santa Ana Municipal Code (SAMC). This project entails applying the selection criteria established in Chapter 30 of the SAMC (Places of Historical and Architectural Significance) to determine if this structure is eligible for historic designation to the Santa Ana Register of Historical Properties. The first criterion for selection requires that the structures be 50 or more years old. The structure identified meets the selection criteria for inclusion on the Santa Ana Register of Historical Properties pursuant to criteria contained in Section 30-2 of the SAMC, as the structure is 51 years old and is associated with an individual significant to the history of Sant Ana. No known code violations exist on record for this property. The Hector Godinez House is historically significant for its association with its original owner and builder, Hector G. Godinez. Building permit data indicates the property was built in 1974 by owner and contractor Hector Godinez for $50,000 (City of Santa Ana 2025). Before owning the subject property, Mr. Godinez was born in San Diego in 1924 but moved to Santa Ana where he attended ethnically segregated schools, which became a social issue he fought against later in life. After the bombing of Pearl Harbor, Mr. Godinez enlisted in the United States Army and served in General Patton's Third Army as a tank commander. For his service, he earned a Bronze Star for Bravery, five battle stars, and a Purple Heart when he was injured during the Battle of the Bulge. After his honorable discharge and through a Federal program created to help partially disabled veterans gain government jobs, Mr. Godinez started his 49-year career with the United States Postal Service as a letter carrier in Santa Ana. In 1961, Mr. Godinez was appointed by President John F. Kennedy as the first Mexican American postmaster not only in Santa Ana but in the country (United States Congressional Hearing 2002; Ancestry.com 2010; The Register 1961). From there, Hector worked his way up to become the Southern California district manager for the United States Post Office, managing more than 44,000 employees and an operating budget of $750 million. Alongside his work as a postmaster, Mr. Godinez was a founder of the League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC) Santa Ana chapter and worked to desegregate Orange County public schools. Santa Ana LULAC was dedicated to addressing improvement of conditions for Mexican Americans and responsible for Mendez v. Orange County Board of Education in 1947. This lawsuit fought to desegregate Orange County schools and was City Council 13 – 187 11/4/2025