Residents and oversight commissioners urge Santa Ana council to delay changes that would limit police oversight

Santa Ana residents, oversight commissioners and civil-rights groups pressed the City Council on Thursday to delay or reject proposed amendments to the city—s Police Oversight Commission, saying the changes would limit independent investigations and reduce transparency.

Why it matters: The Police Oversight Commission was created to provide civilian review of Santa Ana Police Department practices. Proposed amendments would narrow the commission—s independent investigative authority and would require the commission to defer to Internal Affairs in certain cases, measures opponents say would effectively let the department investigate itself without independent review.

What happened: The bulk of the meeting—s public comment focused on the proposed ordinance (agenda item 29). Amalia Mejia, a Police Oversight Commission member, told the council the commission had not been informed of the proposed edits and warned that removing the commission—s power to initiate investigations would undermine accountability. Multiple speakers said the amendments would require the commission to wait for Internal Affairs findings before reviewing many complaints and would limit access to department records.

Commissioners and civic groups including Community Service Organization of Orange County and CSO Orange County's Police Accountability Committee said the changes were drafted without public input and would weaken oversight. Commissioner Carlos Correa (identified on the record as a current Police Oversight Commission member) said the proposed amendments "dismantle" the commission and asked the council to work with the commission to revise the language.

Council action: After more than two hours of testimony, the council voted 5-2 to continue the item to the July 15 meeting to allow further review and for staff to provide additional analysis. Several council members urged collaboration between the council, the commission and staff to refine language and ensure the commission can function as intended.

Ending: Commissioners and community advocates asked the council to maintain the commission—s ability to initiate independent investigations, to retain robust access to police records and to avoid confidentiality rules that could keep misconduct discussions from the public. The continued hearing gives the council time to consider those requests and to return with a revised proposal that addresses legal constraints while preserving civilian oversight.