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Santa Ana outlines senior services growth, transportation and volunteer needs
Summary
City staff told the Parks and Recreation commission Jan. 22 that Santa Ana’s two senior centers provide meals, bilingual classes, excursions and door‑to‑door transportation subsidized by OCTA; staff asked the commission to support budget requests including absorbing driver positions and covering about $13,000 a year in parking validation costs.
City staff on Jan. 22 presented an overview of senior‑services operations to the Santa Ana Parks, Recreation and Community Services Commission, highlighting expanded programming, transportation and volunteer efforts aimed at keeping older residents active and connected.
Deputy Director Tim Pagano introduced the presentation and called the senior centers a hub for services. Juan (who self‑identified during the presentation as Juan Ade), the recreation and community services supervisor overseeing senior services, described congregate lunches, biweekly commodity distributions, monthly special events and a broad roster of classes that include fraud‑prevention seminars, nutrition and bilingual English classes for Chinese and Spanish speakers. "We took 88 seniors to Disneyland last year," Juan said when describing the department’s excursion program, which uses a mix of city shuttles and charter buses.
Why it matters: staff said the two city‑run senior centers operate at or near capacity and rely on outside partners and grants to sustain services. The centers provide door‑to‑door transportation for residents who cannot drive, a program primarily funded by the Orange County Transportation Authority (OCTA). Department staff said OCTA funding currently subsidizes three full‑time drivers and that the agency has forecasted funding for those positions for five years; staff plan to request that the positions be absorbed into the general fund during upcoming budget development so the service can continue beyond OCTA’s contribution.
Commissioners pressed staff for operational details and access. In response to questions about the commodity distribution process, staff explained that residents register at a senior center and receive a reminder card to collect food at the scheduled time. On whether any seniors have been turned away for lack of funding, Juan said, "We've never turned anybody away for no reason and much less because of funding." The presentation also noted partnerships with Meals on Wheels, Santa Ana College (which provides fitness and health classes), Kaiser Permanente and other community partners.
Staff asked commissioners to advocate to the city council for two budget priorities: (1) transitioning transportation driver positions from OCTA grant funding into the city’s general fund to ensure continuity, and (2) covering roughly $13,000 per year in parking validation at the Santa Ana Senior Center so attendees do not face financial barriers to participation. Chairperson Herrera said she would agendize further oversight and work with staff to bring budget materials forward.
Next steps: staff encouraged commissioners and residents to visit both senior centers and invited commissioners to champion funding requests during budget development. The commission received the presentation and held a question‑and‑answer period but did not take any formal vote on staffing or parking validation at the meeting.
