Campaigns and Victories
SB 567: The Homelessness Prevention Act
In 2023, our members identified Senate Bill 567, the Homelessness Prevention Act, as one of our organization’s priority statewide bills. SB 567 will reduce the fraudulent claims of “substantial remodel” and “owner move-in”, and improve enforcement of the statewide rent cap and just cause eviction protections, helping to keep more families in their homes. We played a critical role in securing Senator Tom Umberg’s ‘YES’ vote.
We launched a petition, phone zap, infographics, and traveled to Sacramento with our members and staff to lobby in support of this bill. SB 567 was passed by the Assembly and Senate and signed into law by the Governor in September of 2023.
Police Oversight in Santa Ana: A Win For the Community After 60 Years
We can’t highlight this victory enough! In a historic vote, the Santa Ana City Council approved a Police Oversight Ordinance that would establish a Police Oversight Commission in the City of Santa Ana. This vote comes after nearly 60 years of Santa Ana residents organizing for police accountability and transparency.
Building on the leadership of past movements, we set out to fulfill their vision. From our founding in 2017, we launched a consistent education and organizing campaign to bring police transparency and accountability to Santa Ana. We raised awareness of police brutality and the Police Officers Association’s power over City Hall, and offered solutions to these major issues through opeds and policy proposals. And in 2020 we endorsed city council candidates committed to these values of accountability and transparency.
We intend to remain engaged to ensure that this ordinance is implemented properly. We will also begin to explore amendments to the City’s Charter to build a more independent and effective Oversight Commission that works for all of Santa Ana’s residents.
SB 2: Police Decertification in California
In 2021 Chispa joined to push for Senate Bill 2 in the California State Legislature. At the time, California was one of four states in the country who did not have the authority to decertify an officer for serious crimes and incidents of dishonesty, theft, sexual assault, and excessive use of force. SB 2, The Kenneth Ross Jr. Police Decertification Act of 2021, adjusts qualified immunity for law enforcement and increases accountability for law enforcement officers that commit serious misconduct and violate a person’s civil rights.
Governer Newton signed the bill into law on September 30th 2021, paving the way for statewide police reform in California
COVID 19: Vaccination sites
The Orange County Board of Supervisors’ (BOS) response to the Covid-19 pandemic disproportionately hurt Latinxs in Orange County. As a result, cities like Santa Ana and Anaheim, where the largest share of Latinxs in the county reside, felt the brunt of the pandemic’s impacts.
In early 2021 we pushed the Board of Supervisors to implement vaccinations sites in the county. We were able to get them to agree to implement A “medium-sized vaccination pod” at Santa Ana College, a collaboration with the Orange County Transportation Authority (OCTA) to provide free transportation to seniors who cannot get to this site, and 2 “mobile vaccination pods” in Santa Ana and 1 in Anaheim.
Cannabis & MET Funds: Youth Services Funding
In 2021 we joined collective efforts alongside organizations like Invest in Youth, Santa Ana Youth in Action, Alianza Translatinx, Sullivan en Accion, the Housing Coalition, and the Advancement Project.
Councilmember Lopez introduced an amendment to the cannabis ordinance that states the “city council shall not under any circumstances allocate less than 50% to youth services.” This amendment gives the City Council the discretion to allocate more cannabis fund revenue to youth investment over enforcement. The Santa Ana City Council voted to shift $1.1 million of the Santa Ana Police Metro Division Budget to resources that support youth engagement and crime prevention.
