Garden Grove council adopts resolution backing police department and chief; Mayor Pro Tem recuses

At a special Garden Grove City Council meeting focused on a single agenda item, the council adopted a resolution affirming support for the Garden Grove Police Department and its chief of police. The clerk announced the motion carried with five yes votes; Mayor Pro Tem Dovin recused himself and one councilmember was absent.

The resolution, read into the record by the assistant city manager, states that the City Council "affirms the city's fundamental responsibility to protect all its residents and maintain public safety," that the Garden Grove Police Department "serves the Garden Grove community with compassion and fairness," and that the council "supports the chief of police and the city's police department in advancing the public safety of all residents, businesses, and visitors in the city." The text encourages the public to report crime and to approach officers without hesitation or fear.

The public-comment period, limited by the mayor to remarks on that single agenda item, drew multiple residents and community leaders. Bert Ashland, who said he has lived in Garden Grove since 1975, urged councilmembers to consider district interests and called the idea of an "up or down vote" on the chief "absurd." Ruby Garcia, identified in public comment as the founder of a local nonprofit, praised the chief and the department’s community liaison team, saying, "The chief embodies what it means to be the people's chief." Maureen Blackman noted the department’s recent accreditation and called Garden Grove’s police "above and beyond the best department then and now."

Not all speakers supported the draft language. Julie Nguyen told the council the resolution was a simplified version of a prior draft and said, "it shouldn't have taken you this long to pass this resolution," adding that the council had taken "the lazy way out." Another commenter described the revised language as "watered down" and said it failed to address community concerns about federal immigration enforcement.

During council discussion, several members said they had personal experience with department programs and praised efforts to build community trust through events such as National Night Out and school visits. One councilmember described a "healthy skepticism" about symbolic resolutions and emphasized the council’s legislative check-and-balance role; that councilmember also announced a recusal from the vote. The mayor moved to adopt the resolution; the clerk later announced the tally as five yes votes, with Mayor Pro Tem Dovin recused and one absence.

The meeting closed with the mayor thanking residents for attending and the city attorney reporting no action taken in an earlier closed session. The resolution is an expression of the council's support; it does not create a new enforcement program or specify changes to department policy.