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Council members press for sidewalks, streetlights and park safety as budget tradeoffs are considered
Summary
Public commenters and councilmembers urged the council to prioritize sidewalk repair, alley and pothole work, additional street lighting and park security in the draft budget. Staff identified multi‑million CIP allocations for streets, traffic safety and lighting and said some funding proposals are already included.
Residents and councilmembers called for expanded spending on sidewalks, alleys, streetlights and park safety during Santa Ana’s budget workshop, linking these investments to liability reduction and quality‑of‑life improvements.
In public comment, Desi Reyes described repeated trips and falls and urged more sidewalk funding and alley paving in her neighborhood. Riverview Neighborhood Association President Martha Molina and other speakers pressed for a security camera and a gate at a park parking lot after a recent homicide and ongoing nuisance activity. Anna Licon and neighborhood speakers asked staff to fund park security and anti‑graffiti measures for new parks and mural preservation.
Staff’s draft capital improvement program lists roughly $43.5 million for street improvements, $6.96 million for traffic safety projects and $2.76 million for street light improvements; staff also proposed one‑time allocations for targeted roadway and parking‑lot repairs. Councilmember Hernandez urged adding $1 million specifically for sidewalks to reduce city liability and to improve pedestrian safety; Councilmember Becerra said he supports the staff recommendation for $1.1 million in sidewalk work. Councilmembers and staff also discussed targeted traffic calming — left‑turn signals at high‑crash intersections, speed cushions, and funding for bus‑shelter and crosswalk repairs.
On policing and quality‑of‑life response, the police chief described the current “cold team” model — officers paired with social workers and cleanup crews — and said expanding to four full cold teams would require roughly eight additional officers plus support staff. Councilmembers asked staff to return with costs and implementation timing for additional lighting, cameras, speed cushions and park improvements.
No final budget decisions were made at the workshop; staff said they will return with more detailed cost estimates and options before adoption.
