HomeMy WebLinkAbout12-27-1977MINUTES OF THE REGULAR MEETING
OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE
CITY OF SANTA ANA, CALIFORNIA
December 27, 1977
Vice Mayor James B. Ward called the meeting to order at S:00 P.M.
in the absence of Mayor Vernon S. Evans, in the City Council
Chambers, 22 Civic Center Plaza. Council members present were
Gordon Bricken, David F. Ortiz, Harry K. Yamamoto, David Brandt,
and Vice Mayor Ward. Councilman John Garthe and Mayor Evans were
absent. Members of Staff present were City Manager Bruce Spragg,
Assistant City Attorney Edward J. Cooper, Assistant City Manager
Ronald Wolford, and Assistant Clerk of the Council Patricia E. Rice.
INVOCATION
PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE
Following the Pledge of
Allegiance to the Flag,
the Invocation was given
by Councilman Bricken.
READING WAIVED Councilman Brandt's motion
to waive full reading of
all ordinances and resolu-
tions, the titles of which
appear on the public Agenda, or which otherwise come before this
Council and the titles of which are read, and to consider by title
only, was seconded by Councilman Ortiz, and carried unanimously 5:0.
RESOLUTION NO. 77-146 A RESOLUTION OF THE CITY
HONORING RONALD E. WOLFORD COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF
ADOPTED SANTA ANA HONORING RONALD
E. WOLFORD was adopted by
unanimous vote (S:0) on the motion of Councilman Ortiz, seconded
by Councilman Bricken. CA ?3B
ORAL COMMUNICATION John Nieblas, 506 South
JOHN NIEBLAS Birch Street, who identi-
REFERRED TO STAFF fied himself as a shaman
or holy man of the Indian
nation, stated to Council his objection to the wording of the
Police complaint form in use by the City. Specifically, he ob-
jected to the sentence: "I understand, and it is my desire, that
this complaint will be investigated diligently. I further under-
stand that if the investigation proves these allegations to be
false, I may be subject to both criminal and civil prosecution."
Mr. Nieblas stated his opinion that the quoted portion of the
form tends to intimidate complainants.
Reading from a prepared statement, Mr. Nieblas reported to Coun-
cil various incidents of alleged Police discrimination against
"brown-skinned", non-English speaking citizens. He stated that
Police had set up a "drag net" for the purpose of administering
intoxication tests to citizens of Spanish extraction only, ex-
cluding other races who were "waved through". He specified
certain Police vehicles which he said participated in the "drag
net" on Fourth Street, and said that sobriety tests were admin-
istered in a perfunctory and slip shod manner, resulting in
arrests; that his protests illicited insulting responses from the
officers present, that he was asked what he was doing there and
was threatened with arrest for interfering with an officer, that
Police action appeared to be in violation of Constitutional law,
and that he was unlawfully arrested on December 24, 1977 at 6:30
P.M. at Broadway and Third Streets at the bus stop. Councilman
Ortiz' motion to receive and file Mr. Nieblas' report, and to
CITY COUNCIL MINUTES
473 DECEMBER 27, 1977