Dear Ward 1 Residents,
As we start to close out another year, I can’t help but express how honored I am to be your Councilmember. 2023 has been a tough year, but instead of letting the challenges beat us down, it only strengthened our resolve!
I have continued to work with our neighborhood associations, local businesses, and Ward 1 schools to bring more civic engagement to the Westside, to increase funding for parks and events, and to support our local economy. It’s the kind of thing I always wished our previous representatives did when I was growing up. So, I’m excited that we’re investing over $1M in the Newhope Library, over $3M to build a new community center, pool, and police substation at Santa Anita Park, and ringing in Santa Ana’s first Tet Celebration!
The City Council also adopted resolutions placing two ballot measures on the November 2024 election. Santa Ana voters will get the chance to decide: (1) whether you want to enshrine the Rent Stabilization and Just Cause Eviction Ordinance in our Charter, and (2) whether you want the City of Santa Ana to allow non-citizen voting for municipal elections (e.g., Mayor, City Council, local ballot measures).
Sometimes politics can be a bit crazy, but I’m constantly reminded of how much good we can do when we really commit ourselves to serving others. I am proud to be your Ward 1 Councilmember, and I truly look forward to a brighter, even more exciting 2024!
I wish you and your family a wonderful holiday season with lots of love, warmth, and peace. Merry Christmas & Happy Holidays!
Yours Truly,
Thai Viet Phan, Councilmember – Ward 1
In This Issue…
- City investing $10 million in affordable homeownership programs
- Apply now for Crossroads at Washington affordable housing
- Santa Ana Winter Village
- Inaugural Tet Lunar New Year celebration
Know Your Ward & City
Shop Local, Shop Santa Ana
Our Economic Development Division is excited to continue the Shop Local, Shop Santa Ana campaign to highlight the small businesses that make Santa Ana the unique and vibrant community it is. The campaign kicked off on Small Business Saturday on Nov. 25 and runs through the end of the year.
Santa Ana small business owners can actively participate in this campaign by subscribing to the business registry. Your businesses will be featured on the City’s Shop Local webpage, receive marketing material, and may also be featured via social media.
Shoppers are encouraged to participate by using the hashtag #shopsantaana and tagging @santaanadoesbusiness on Instagram with their local purchases for a chance to win prizes. Visit the Shop Local webpage for more information and to participate.
City investing $10 million in affordable homeownership programs
Take our residential parking survey
The Public Works Agency is revamping the permit-parking program and we are seeking your input, comments, and suggestions that will define the new Residential Permit Parking Program for years to come. Take our residential parking survey at the link below. The survey is available in English, Spanish and Vietnamese
Project-Based Voucher rental assistance waitlist now open
The City of Santa Ana Housing Authority has opened the waitlist for the Project-Based Voucher Program (PBV), which provides rental vouchers to help low-income families pay their rent at specific housing locations. Currently, the Housing Authority is accepting applications for two apartment projects, Andalucía and Crossroads at Washington, both reserved for large, low-income families.
PBV waiting lists are open for those who live or work in Santa Ana. Persons who live in unincorporated areas do not qualify for the live or work preference.
Project-Based Voucher Information
Build extra housing with the Affordable ADU Loan Program
The Affordable ADU Loan Program is now available from the Orange County Housing Finance Trust. Homeowners who are considering building a rental Accessory Dwelling Unit (ADU) shouldn’t miss this opportunity to receive a low-interest loan of up to $100,000 to assist with the cost of construction and to be part of the solution for the affordable housing crisis in our community. The City of Santa Ana is proud to be a member of the Trust as part of our long-term commitment to meeting the housing needs of our residents.
Know Our Events & Meetings
Santa Ana Winter Village – December 2-31
I’m excited to welcome the third annual Santa Ana Winter Village! This month-long event includes family friendly events and activities including ice skating, a light show, and photo opportunities with Santa Ana Claus. The Winter Village runs through Dec. 31 at Civic Center Plaza, 717 W. Santa Ana Blvd., behind City Hall. You can buy ice-skating tickets online now!
Free Resident Day at the Zoo – December 17
Santa Ana residents receive free admission to the Zoo on the third Sunday of every month. Proof of residency (such as ID or a utility bill) is required.
- Sunday, Dec. 17
- 10 a.m. – 5 p.m. (last admission is at 4 p.m.)
- Santa Ana Zoo, 1801 E. Chestnut Ave.
Tet Lunar New Year in Santa Ana – February 3, 2024
- Saturday, February 3
- 2-7 p.m.
- Centennial Park, 3000 W. Edinger Ave.
Tet Lunar New Year Festival in Santa Ana
UVSA Tet Festival at OC Fair & Event Center – February 9 – 11, 2024
- OC Fair & Event Center, 88 Fair Dr, Costa Mesa, CA 92626
- Friday, February 9
- 4 – 10:00 p.m.
- Saturday, February 10
- 11:00 a.m. – 10:00 p.m.
- Sunday, February 11
- 11:00 a.m. – 9:00 p.m.
Tet Parade – February 10, 2024
- Saturday, February 10
- Opening Ceremony begins at 8:30 a.m.; parade begins at 9:30 a.m.
- The parade is in Westminster, beginning at the intersection of Bolsa Avenue and Magnolia Street, and heading eastbound on Bolsa Avenue.
EGG-cellent Adventure – March 30, 2024
- Saturday, March 30
- 9 a.m. – 1 p.m.
- Centennial Park, 3000 W. Edinger Ave.
Local Events
Resident Days at the Zoo • Third Sunday of each Month
Bowers Museum free Sundays • Santa Ana residents are free each Sunday (http://bowers.org/images/pdf/Bowers_Museum_Free_Programs.pdf)
Discovery Cube Waste Free Days • Santa Ana residents get free admission to the Discovery Cube on the first Tuesday of the month (https://www.discoverycube.org/promotions/)
Know Thai’s Projects
Supported and Passed Home Act (Assembly Bill 1306)
I am so proud that the Santa Ana City Council adopted a resolution in support of the passage of the Home Act (Assembly Bill 1306)!
California is a Sanctuary State and prohibits local jails from collaborating with or transferring individuals to ICE unless there is a valid judicial warrant. The HOME Act would continue California’s pro-immigrant policies and prohibit the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation from collaborating with ICE (unless there is a valid judicial warrant) in cases in which an individual has been determined eligible for limited types of parole, including elderly parole, humanitarian parole, and juvenile parole as well as parole in cases in which the individual was a victim of sexual assault or domestic violence.
As the only immigrant currently serving on the City Council dais, these issues are near and dear to my heart. I believe people deserve second chances, and when a duly appointed body of experts determines proactively that an individual is eligible for parole, they should have the opportunity to return home to their community.
Thank you to Tin Nguyen for sharing his story on double punishment. We need Governor Newsom to pardon Tin so he doesn’t have to continue fearing unjust deportation.
I’m grateful for Assemblymember Avelino Valencia and Senator Tom Umberg’s vote, even if the Governor vetoed the bill.
Sister City visit
In September, the City of Santa Ana celebrated Hispanic Heritage Month and Mexican Independence Day with our annual Fiestas Patrias festival, the El Grito Ceremony, and a parade. I joined the sister city delegation from Sahuayo, Mexico, for a dinner at Perla’s in DTSA! It is so wonderful to get to know each other better, to exchange gifts, and to break bread. Thank you to all of the wonderful sponsors and hosts. I look forward to building our relationship with our Sister City even more and hopefully visiting one day!
So You Want to Be a Lawyer
I collaborated with Santa Ana College to host the “So You Want to Be a Lawyer” panel with attorneys from different practice areas who currently live in or are from Santa Ana. The event was a huge success! Students got to see themselves reflected in the panelists, who shared their stories of overcoming hardship, why they chose to become lawyers, and how they give back to the Santa Ana community. Can’t wait to host another one next year!
League of California Cities Conference
I joined many of our local government colleagues at the League of California Cities Conference in Sacramento and was sworn in as the 2nd District representative for the OC Division representing Santa Ana, Garden Grove, Orange, Anaheim, and Tustin! I’m excited to embark on this new endeavor and contribute to our collective vision for a greater, more vibrant OC! It was so invigorating to see everyone’s passion and talk about local government leadership, housing, and public safety!
Rove charging center groundbreaking
I was honored to welcome Rove and Gelson’s to Santa Ana for a groundbreaking of Southern California’s first 24/7 charging station/rest stop with restrooms, wifi, and healthy and delicious food, along with my colleague Councilmember David Penaloza. Ensuring a clean energy future means making electric car charging convenient, accessible, and affordable. Rove & Gelsons are doing just that! Can’t wait for the ribbon cutting! Thank you to our amazing Economic Development and Planning staff for working on this!
Little Saigon TV Debate on Non-Citizen Voting
I had the pleasure of appearing on Little Saigon TV for a lively discussion regarding the November 2024 noncitizen voting ballot measure! I’m personally proud of myself for doing this program in Vietnamese (there was a little Vietlish though). I grew up speaking Vietnamese, but words involving the law, politics, and policy are hard and something I’m always working to improve.
MOMS Orange County
Mid-Autumn Festival
9th CALNET Leadership Retreat
I had such an incredible time at the 9th CALNET Leadership Retreat put on by the Asian Pacific American Leadership Foundation!
I got to talk to so many amazing AANHPI elected officials about issues affecting our communities, including how to support each other and build coalitions with other communities of color. I was particularly excited to hear Attorney General Rob Bonta talk about fighting against Anti-Asian hate and listen to U.S. Trade Representative Katherine Tai speak about the challenges of being an Asian woman in a cabinet level position.
It was also so great to connect (and reconnect) with the AANHPI elected officials throughout the country – so many of them the first of their ethnicity or race! Elected office can sometimes be so crazy and lonely, but I felt reinvigorated by this outstanding group of public servants!
Plaza Navideña Tree Lighting
Santa Anita Thanksgiving
After months of working with incredible partners looking to support our residents, the Ward 1 Team (shout-out to my Ward 1 Rep Lisbeth Rosales!) and Santa Ana Neighborhood Services helped the Santa Anita Neighborhood Association put on its annual Thanksgiving event!
Shop Local, Shop Santa Ana
As our Economic Development Division kicked off the Shop Local, Shop Santa Ana campaign through the holidays, I enjoyed Black Friday shopping at Charlie’s with Danielle and Erick! I love supporting local small businesses owned by residents! My family also bought some records and clothes and thoroughly enjoyed how proud Charlie’s is of being in our city. If you need a snack for all the holiday shopping, the yummy cheddar jalapeño sausage with the drunken fries at Wursthaus is something to consider. Small businesses can sign up to participate in this program.
Learn more about the Shop Local program
Santa Ana Winter Village
Know Your Resources:
Who do I call at City Hall?
- Important phone numbers:
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- 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: https://www.santa-ana.org/who-do-i-call/
Utility services
- City utility services: https://www.santa-ana.org/finance/municipal-utility-services
- Southern California Edison: Call 1-800-447-6620 https://www.sce.com/residential/assistance
- Southern California Gas: Call 1-800-207-8567 https://www.socalgas.com/save-money-and-energy/assistance-programs
- Trash pick-up: Call (877) 328-2074 https://www.santa-ana.org/about-republic-services/
Starting a small business?
- How to start a business in Santa Ana: https://www.santa-ana.org/10-steps-to-starting-your-own-business/
- Home Occupation Permit: https://www.santa-ana.org/certificate-of-occupancy-home-occupation-permit/
Food assistance:
- Local Food Pantries: https://www.santa-ana.org/food-distributions/
Download mySantaAna App to Report Issues
The mySantaAna mobile app puts the power of the Santa Ana city government in the palm of your hand! Residents with an iPhone or Android smartphone can now download the mySantaAna application for free allowing them to quickly and easily report issues with photos to the City for clean-up. You can report potholes, downed tree branches, graffiti, trash and much more!
USEFUL RESOURCES
Parking Tickets: https://www.santa-ana.org/pd/parking-enforcement-and-ticket-information
Public Works: https://www.santa-ana.org/pw
Neighborhood Initiatives: https://www.santa-ana.org/neighborhood-initiatives
Utility Services: https://www.santa-ana.org/finance/municipal-utility-services
Schedule a bulky item pickup: Call Republic Services (657) 467-6220
Police Non-Emergency Line: (714) 245-8665
Emergency Water Services: (714) 953-8026
Who Do I Call? https://www.santa-ana.org/who-do-i-call