Santa Ana plans to open city commissions and boards to non-citizens — making it possibly the first city in Orange County to welcome all residents to participate in such groups regardless of their immigration status.
The City Council voted unanimously Tuesday night to remove the requirement that anybody appointed to a commission, board or committee has to be eligible to vote. The new rule effectively opens those roles to non citizens, including people without legal immigration status.
A second vote at a future meeting is needed to finalize the change.
The move is meant to strengthen community engagement and encourage participation from more people in the city, according to a city staff report.
Mayor Vicente Sarmiento said Wednesday he believes Santa Ana is the first city in Orange County to take this step. Sarmiento said he hopes other cities will follow Santa Ana’s example and “allow all their residents to participate in their city government.”
Councilwoman Thai Viet Phan explained her support in an email Wednesday: “We have many noncitizens who work, live, and volunteer in Santa Ana. They have incredible life experiences, ideas, and skills that we should be utilizing to make the city a better place for all residents.”
Councilwoman Nelida Mendoza wrote in an e-mail: “People should be appointed to boards/commissions based on their experience, expertise and qualifications, not on race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, or citizenship.”
Santa Ana is a predominantly Latino city and a number of residents don’t have legal immigration status. Overall, the unauthorized immigrant population in Orange County is estimated to be more than 300,000, according to the Migration Policy Institute in Washington D.C.
Two of Santa Ana’s 10 boards already do not require members to be qualified voters: the Youth Commission and the newer Measure X Citizen Oversight Committee.
A year ago, the Measure X committee, which tracks how the city spends new sales tax money, was the first in Santa Ana to include a resident who is a noncitizen. Council members appoint residents to serve on groups, such as the Planning Commission and the Board of Recreation and Parks. Sarmiento appointed to the Measure X committee Carlos Perea, a non-citizen with a temporary protective immigration status known as DACA.
Perea called the council’s move “a great step to ensure all residents have a voice and a seat on the table.” He wrote in an e-mail that he hopes more council members “seek to encourage more undocumented residents with the qualifications and experience to apply for these positions.”
In another action, the City Council voted 5-2 Tuesday night to mandate a $4 an hour bump for grocery and pharmacy workers during the pandemic.
___
(c)2021 The Orange County Register (Santa Ana, Calif.)
Visit The Orange County Register (Santa Ana, Calif.) at www.ocregister.com
Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
—-
This content is published through a licensing agreement with Acquire Media using its NewsEdge technology.
Hey why not put the illegal aliens in political positions, after all the illegal aliens voted for Joe Biden in the last Presidential election, where there was absolutely no fraud, right communist Democrats?
At this rate, i wonder when BEING A CITIZEN becomes a BLOCKER for running for office out in Commiefornia..
Change the U.S. from a capitalist system’,
Into a socialistic Democrat party government controlled system.
1. Healthcare — Control healthcare and you control the people
2. Welfare — Take control of every aspect of their lives
(Food, Housing, and Income).
3. Education — Take control of what people read and listen to — take control of what children and young people learn in schools and colleges.
4. Religion — Remove the belief in the God from the Government and schools.
5. Class Warfare — Divide the people into the wealthy and the poor. This will cause more discontent and it will be easier to take from the wealthy and give to poor…. Until there are only the poor.
6. Debt — Increase the debt to an unsustainable level.
7. Gun Control — Remove the ability for the people to defend themselves from the Government. (“Socialist Democrat Party State”)
8. Poverty — Increase the poverty level as high as possible. Poor people are easier to control and will keep socialists in power if they are providing everything for them to live. Encourage, protect and support multi-millions of illegal immigrants who are poor, uneducated and disease ridden.
9. Allow illegal immigrants to vote and hold government positions.
Do these look like the tactics of the Democrat Party??
Illegal non-citizens is a wonderful way to run a county, but this is, after all, California. It’s not even legal to employ these people. They are violating US law with every breath they take while in this country. Non-citizen participation would be acceptable, but not illegal people.
Per the constitution only citizens are entitled to Privileges and Responsibilities. What are citizens ??people born or Nationalized and Resign in a state. The constitution used the word and so you must be both to be a citizen. What are privileges ?? Voting,driving and holding federal and state offices. Voting can be both a privilege and Responsibilities
Just like the census, all should be counted But only citizens have the right and Privilege to have Representation in Congress. Why can’t ICE to go California ??
Because they are too damn cowardly..
It’s so wrong and has to be illegal. It is another example of lack of leadership, governance and the responsible performance of duties of political office holders. Democrats just don’t know how. And when someone calls them to account or keeps them from achieving their Progressive, Marxist, Anti-American goals, they start denying, virtue-signaling, name-calling (“Racist,” “Xenophobe,” etc.), PROJECTING, bullying, intimidating, shutting down and refusing reasonable discussion or debate. They lose their minds and become Dementocrats. Maybe the Santa Ana folks won’t do that, but take a few deep breaths and try to be American in a state where American values, Rule-of-Law, national sovereignty and personal responsibility are very unpopular.
I think it used to be part of the U.S. immigration policy that LEGAL newcomers had to wait three years before they could vote. During that time they would learn about people, the common language, culture, laws, how to be a contributing member of society. It would be good for everybody. It probably won’t ever happen again. Most of us need a spiritual rebirth. Anything short of that won’t do. Thank you Jesus.