Here's what Santa Ana's city council candidates said at their first public forum

Santa Ana mayoral and city council candidates took turns answering questions about how to help the businesses and the people of Santa Ana at the first public forum of the election season Sept. 25. Despite contentious races, most of the candidates remained civil with one another and were well-prepared to answer the questions from the moderator.

The Santa Ana Chamber of Commerce hosted its Candidate Forum in the Johnson Student Center at Santa Ana College. The panel received the same questions and were each given two minutes to answer the respective question. The three wards up for reelection are: Ward 1, Ward 3 and Ward 5. Ward 5 Candidate Julie Tran, a boutique and spa owner, did not show.

Candidates discussed a variety of topics from different measures on the upcoming ballot such as rent control and non-citizen voting, to more pressing issues such as homelessness and community safety. Here’s what they said:

Ward 1 – Thai Viet Phan

Since being inducted into city council in 2020, Thai Viet Phan has been the only Asian-American woman on the city council. She said her views are centered around the younger generation and Asian Americans. Phan’s main focus points discussed prioritizing issues that will help better the community and local businesses of Santa Ana while keeping them safest.

“What I saw in Santa Ana is the need for someone who is going to solve the issues being ignored on the Westside. In my first term alone we have had historic investments in the Westside. We have invested in rebuilding the community center, and we are encouraging our Vietnamese community members to feel a part of the city of Santa Ana,” said Phan.

When discussing community safety, Phan’s points were threefold: prevention and support for youth programs, funding city officials such as police and first responders, and keeping people accountable for their actions. Phan’s plans and steps to create a safer environment in Santa Ana were more extensive than the other candidates. Phan often referred to her notes and was thorough in her answers.

Her main final points of the event were to discuss her accomplishments as incumbent and to hone in on the importance of “culture, history, and cannabis”

When Phan said those words, several gray-haired ladies in the front rows gasped and whispered to one another at the mention of cannabis. “[Cannabis] is an investment that we are going to continue to have. We have to be creative and have to make people think that when they think about Santa Ana they are coming for the culture, the history, and the cannabis,” stated Phan.

Ward 3 – Jefferey Katz vs. Jessie Lopez

Jefferey Katz is running against incumbent Jessie Lopez. Katz often emphasized his main election point: to fix what he sees as the main issues of crime and homelessness in Santa Ana. Katz said that he is pro-police, pro-public safety, and pro-business. “Businesses are almost as important as our residents here,” and “If there is an issue that impacts businesses, their voice will be the first voice I listen to and will be the last voice I consider before we make the decision.”

Katz made statements during his reply discussing non-citizen voting, measure DD, which will amend the Santa Ana charter to allow non-citizen residents to vote in municipal elections starting November 2028. Many of his statements were aimed at Lopez and what he perceived as deceptive actions on her part.

“There are so many questions about what this measure includes…and I am troubled that Miss Lopez was the vote that put the ballot measure on there and also put language into the measure which was deceptive which landed our city in court, which ultimately got reversed,” stated Katz.

As incumbent, Lopez has been serving as a city council member for Ward 3 since 2020. In 2023, the former Santa Ana police union president backed a recall on Nov. 14, but 56.4% of voters retained Lopez. Lopez did not engage back with Katz and continued to speak on the good she has done for the community such as executing permits for businesses faster or allocating federal funds to restore downtown Santa Ana. She said she has deep ties in the Santa Ana community, having grown up here and graduating from Santa Ana Unified School District. She reinforced her approval for the non-citizen voting measure stating “No taxation without representation.”

Lopez was happy to announce her work with new business ventures coming to Santa Ana including Dutch Bros, Enchanted Coffee, and Baja Fish franchises coming soon. She believes that “Santa Ana is a beautiful and desirable city and businesses know this as well. They make a choice when they decide to do business here and it is our responsibility to make this process 1000 times easier.”

Ward 5 – Jonathan Ryan Hernandez vs. Mario Alvarado

Jonathan Ryan Hernandez has been a city council member since 2020. He was elected at 27 years old and is father to a 14 year old daughter. His main talking points focused on discussing his previous accomplishments as incumbent and bettering the community for families and the youth.

“Leadership was necessary, during COVID-19 we were under a crisis. As a city council member I immediately acted to increase our park spaces, and introduced four new parks to the city of Santa Ana for families and children,” said Hernandez.

Hernandez’s work as a city council member has been extensive and he repeatedly mentioned his achievements such as lowering taxes, starting family reunification programs for homeless individuals, making parking free downtown, celebrating famous athletes in downtown such as Alexis Rocha, the moving of Fiestas Patrias to downtown (its original location), and creating the annual Chicano Heritage Festival which he claimed to be “one of the most successful/attended events in the city”.

Hernandez was quick to correct claims made about him by his opponent. “The great thing about my track record is I do not have to lie like my opponent has. For the second time, I didn’t vote ‘no’ on a development project. I actually pushed this project out to come back at a later date,” stated Hernandez.

Mario Alvarado is the candidate for Ward 5 running against incumbent Jonathan Ryan Hernandez. Alvarado mentioned several times that he is endorsed by the mayor of Santa Ana, Valerie Amezcua, Orange County Firefighters, and the Santa Ana Police Officers Association. Alvarado’s youngest child was shouting, “Papa!” for her father loudly and caused multiple disruptions which made it difficult to hear him and the other candidates speak.

When discussing Measure FF, which allows for an increase of pay for city council members that would be pay representative of a full-time income. Alvarado adamantly opposed the measure stating, “I do not support the measure. Asking for a raise at the time that our residents are facing economic challenges is an insult. It is an insult to you and it’s an insult to me. We need to prioritize our community, and we need to ensure our community comes first.”