Push for Police Oversight in Santa Ana Goes Nowhere--Again
Updated: Aug 12, 2020
Having a police oversight commission is one of SanTana’s oldest and most thwarted ideas. A black civil rights group proposed the reform way back in 1965 after the Watts Riots and just a few years before the city’s own tense relations between police and African American residents came undone. Former councilwoman Michele Martinez asked city officials to look into police oversight boards in 2017 and nothing came of it.
In the backdrop of a political feud between the Santa Ana Police Officers Association and council members who voted against $25.6 million in police raises, the issue arose anew. Only this time, councilwoman Ceci Iglesias found herself alone on the dais in hoping to direct the city manager to look into establishing a police oversight commission.
Read more on my latest OC Weekly Navel Gazing Blog post:
https://ocweekly.com/push-for-police-oversight-in-santa-ana-goes-nowhere-again/