In the January 15, 2026, edition of COSAS (City of Santa Ana Stories), learn about the upcoming Tết Lunar New Year Festival and Martin Luther King, Jr. Day closures, how to take the City’s Community Priorities Survey, and find more City events, news and resources.
Fun Moments at Santa Ana Zoo
Photo Credit: Joanne C.
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City Manager’s Highlights
Join us at the Tết Lunar New Year Festival
In honor of Santa Ana’s vibrant Asian and Vietnamese heritage, the City of Santa Ana invites the community to ring in the Year of the Horse at the third annual Tết Lunar New Year Festival on Saturday, Feb. 7. This free, family-friendly celebration takes place from 1 to 6 p.m. at Centennial Park (3000 W. Edinger Ave.), featuring cultural performances, activities and festive fun for all ages. Don’t miss the fireworks at 5:45 p.m.!
Read our Tết Festival press release
See the Tết Festival performance schedule and learn more
2026 wall calendar celebrates community and culture
It’s official! The 2026 City of Santa Ana wall calendar has been mailed to all Santa Ana residents and businesses. This year’s theme is Celebrating Community and Culture, with photos highlighting the many events that unite and inspire our community all year long. Be sure to keep your copy handy throughout 2026 for important information on City holidays, events, resources, and more.
Starting next week (Tuesday, Jan. 20), you can pick up a copy at the front desk in City Hall if you did not receive one in the mail – limit of one calendar per address. You can also download a copy of the calendar below.
See and download the 2026 wall calendar
News
Public Works helps community weather winter storms
Our Public Works Agency staff was hard at work through the holidays helping Santa Ana brace for winter storms, and cleaning up the debris and potholes they left behind to help keep our streets and communities clean and safe for all.
During the recent rainstorms, our Public Works staff kept our sandbag station at the City Corporate Yard stocked and ready for our community. From Dec. 23 to Jan. 4, we distributed 2,650 sandbags to 280 residents to help prevent flooding at residential and business properties.
In addition, the department received 240 rain-related service calls and over 140 requests for pothole repair from December 23 to January 9. Crews laid an estimated 3 tons of asphalt per day. You can report potholes directly from your phone with the mySantaAna app or by calling Public Works at 714-647-3380.
Take our Community Priorities Survey to share what’s important to you
Santa Ana, now is your chance to help shape the City’s budget for Fiscal Year 2026-27. Take our Community Priorities Survey to tell us which City programs and services are important to you. Your feedback will help guide how we invest in programs and services throughout our community. Survey responses received through early May will be shared with the City Council at the May Budget Work Study Sessions.
The survey is available in English, Spanish and Vietnamese.
You can take the survey right on your phone in just 2 minutes. Take the survey and learn more about how to get involved in the City budget process at the link below.
Take the Community Priorities Survey
Community Development Block Grant Application open for nonprofits until February 4
The City of Santa Ana is accepting applications from qualified nonprofit organizations for the 2026-28 Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) Public Service Program. Funded by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, the CDBG program supports vital community services that strengthen neighborhoods, expand economic opportunities and improve the quality of life for low- to moderate-income residents.
CDBG Public Service funds may be used for a wide range of eligible activities that meet community needs, including housing support services, youth programs, senior services, crime prevention, employment initiatives and other efforts that help build a more resilient and equitable Santa Ana.
We encourage nonprofit organizations with programs that serve Santa Ana residents to apply. The deadline is Feb. 4, 2026, at 5 p.m.
City Hall closed, no street sweeping January 19 for Martin Luther King Jr. Day
On Monday, Jan. 19, 2026, we celebrate Martin Luther King, Jr. Day to honor this iconic leader of the Civil Rights Movement. In observance of the federal holiday, Santa Ana City Hall, libraries, senior centers, community centers and the Santa Ana Work Center will be closed. There will be no street sweeping, but trash and recycling will be collected as scheduled. Emergency services will operate normally. Please call 911 for police or fire services.
Tales of the City
Santa Ana Zoo opens River’s Edge
The City of Santa Ana celebrated the grand opening of River’s Edge, Santa Ana Zoo’s most expansive and innovative habitat, on Dec. 20, marking a major milestone in the Zoo’s ongoing modernization and transformation. River’s Edge reimagines the former Amazon’s Edge area, originally built in 1990, transforming it into an immersive habitat that is home to Asian small-clawed otters, black howler monkeys, golden lion tamarins and spider monkeys.
The total project cost was $8.6 million, including $600,000 generously donated by Friends of the Santa Ana Zoo. The project is part of a broader wave of Zoo improvements in recent years, including upgraded primate habitats, renovations to the Crean Family Children’s Zoo goat habitat with new climbing trails and interactive areas, improved paved pathways for visitor accessibility, and expanded educational and interpretive signage throughout the Zoo.
In case you missed it, you can watch the full ribbon cutting ceremony in the video below.
These improvements played a key role in the Zoo regaining accreditation from the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA) last year for the first time since 2017. AZA accreditation represents the global gold standard for animal care, conservation programming and educational excellence. Come visit the new otters and monkeys, and don’t forget that Santa Ana residents get free admission to the Zoo on the third Sunday of every month.
City Council Meetings
The next regular Santa Ana City Council meeting will take place on Tuesday, Jan. 20, at 4 p.m. for closed session and at 5:30 p.m. for the open meeting in Council Chambers, 22 Civic Center Plaza.
City Council meetings are held on the first and third Tuesdays of each month, with the closed session beginning at 5 p.m. or earlier. The open meeting session begins at 5:30 p.m. Meetings have both in-person and virtual participation and attendance and are live-streamed on the City’s YouTube channel and our TV channel, CTV3 (channel 3 on Spectrum.) If you’d like to provide public comments on agenda and non-agenda items, you can email, attend in person, or join the Zoom webinar online or by phone. Subscribe here to receive City meeting agenda notifications.
City Meetings Agendas and Minutes
Events
Find more City of Santa Ana events on our website.
See the Parks and Recreation class catalogue here.
Winnie the Pooh Day – January 17
Oh, bother! It’s a day for giggles, games and honey-sweet fun with Pooh and his pals at Delhi Library Branch. Join us for a beary special time full of stories, silly crafts, and a little bit of Hundred Acre magic! Contact the library at 714-647-5358 for more information.
- Saturday, Jan. 17
- 2-3 p.m.
- Delhi Library Branch (at Delhi Community Center), 505 E. Central Ave.
Winter Snowflake Creations – Beginning January 20
Visit the Delhi Library Branch this month to pick up a Scratch Art Snowflake craft and create a unique design. All supplies will be provided by the library. Call 714-647-5358 for more information.
- Beginning Tuesday, Jan. 20
- Delhi Library Branch, 505 E. Central Ave.
Tenant’s Rights Workshop (English) – January 20
Struggling with housing issues? Want to know your rights? Join us for a Tenant’s Rights workshop in English to discover how the City’s Rent Stabilization Office can support you in maintaining your housing stability and security. This is your change to empower yourself with essential knowledge and resources.
- Tuesday, Jan. 20
- 9-10:30 a.m.
- Virtual Zoom meeting
Tenant’s Rights Workshop (Spanish) – January 20
Struggling with housing issues? Want to know your rights? Join us for a Tenant’s Rights workshop in Spanish to discover how the City’s Rent Stabilization Office can support you in maintaining your housing stability and security. This is your change to empower yourself with essential knowledge and resources.
- Tuesday, Jan. 20
- 9-10:30 a.m.
- Virtual Zoom meeting
Wilderness Club: Santiago Oaks Regional Park – January 24
Join the Wilderness Club for an exciting excursion to Santiago Oaks Regional Park, featuring a guided hike led by OC Habitats. Participants will learn about and explore our local Coastal Sage Scrub and Chaparral habitats. Free transportation is provided. Participants must be 7 years or older.
This is a two-part activity. It begins with an in-person discussion on Thursday, Jan. 22, from 4:30 to 5:45 p.m., where participants will be introduced to the Chaparral and Coastal Sage Scrub ecosystems in preparation for the field trip. Attendance at this discussion is encouraged but not mandatory. During the hike, these concepts will be reviewed as participants observe the habitat during one of the most active times for wildlife.
- Saturday, Jan. 24
- 1:40-5 p.m.
- Roosevelt Walker Community Center, 816 E. Chestnut Ave.
Register for the Wilderness Club excursion
Quarterly Bulky Item Drop-off Day – January 24
The City of Santa Ana is hosting the first Quarterly Bulky Item Drop-Off Day of 2026 on Saturday, Jan. 24, from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. at both Carl Thornton Park (1801 W. Segerstrom Ave.) and Madison Park (1528 S. Standard Ave.) These events are free to Santa Ana residents, and no appointment is necessary. Proof of Santa Ana residency is required.
Residents can properly dispose of bulky items such as furniture, mattresses, carpets, and non-donatable clothes, bedding, books, or toys. Items that are not accepted include, but are not limited to: hazardous waste, such as paints, oils, chemicals, pesticides, and batteries; concrete, dirt, rocks, brick, asphalt; tires, refrigerators, freezers, and AC units. Please note that the event may end before 12 p.m. if capacity is reached.
- Saturday, Jan. 24
- 9 a.m.-12 p.m.
- Carl Thornton Park, 1801 W. Segerstrom Ave.
- Madison Park, 1528 S. Standard Ave.
Tết Lunar New Year Festival – February 7
Join the City of Santa Ana for the third annual Tết Lunar New Year Festival, commemorating our community’s Asian and Vietnamese cultures, held in collaboration by the Santa Ana Parks, Recreation & Community Services Agency and the Santa Ana Public Library. Come together and celebrate the year of the horse with us during this free family-friendly event with music, dance and cultural performances, plus food, family-friendly activities, vendors, resources and a fireworks show.
- Saturday, Feb. 7
- 1-6 p.m.
- Centennial Park, 3000 W. Edinger Ave.
Resources
Report issues with the mySantaAna app
The mySantaAna mobile app puts the power of the City of Santa Ana government in the palm of your hand! Download the app to quickly and easily report issues such as potholes, graffiti, downed trees and much more. The new app is now fully functional in English, Spanish and Vietnamese.
Immigration, Food and Community Resources
The City of Santa Ana provides a variety of resources and information about non-City services and programs to help the community.
Know Your Rights: Legal services and immigration information
Ayuda Sin Fronteras: Assistance for residents impacted by immigration enforcement
ImmDef Legal Services: The City of Santa Ana has a contract with Immigrant Defenders Law Center to help residents facing deportation.
Food Assistance: Santa Ana and Orange County food distributions and assistance programs
Community Resources: A variety of other programs and resources are available.
City Hall Friday and Holiday Closures
Santa Ana City Hall is open Monday through Thursday and every other Friday, from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. City Hall and non-essential City offices are closed on alternating Fridays, in addition to several observed holidays throughout the year.
See the holiday and closed Friday schedule
See our holiday street sweeping schedule
Who do I call at City Hall?
Important phone numbers:
- City Hall main line: (714) 647-5400
- Code Enforcement: (714) 667-2780
- Graffiti Hotline: (877) 786-7824
- Emergency Water Services: (714) 953-8026
- Public Works dispatch (street sweeping, trees): (714) 647-3380
Find more phone numbers for all City services
Utility services
- City utility services
- Southern California Edison: Call (800) 447-6620
- Southern California Gas: Call (800) 207-8567
- Trash pick-up: Call (657) 467-6220