Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Immigration Employment Policy topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Santa Ana council backs drafting ordinance to bar police from immigration-enforcement side jobs
Summary
Councilmembers unanimously supported drafting municipal code changes to prohibit police and other city employees from secondary employment tied to immigration enforcement, aiming to strengthen community trust and clarify approval processes for outside work. Staff will return with draft language and stakeholder outreach.
The Santa Ana City Council on May 20 directed staff to draft an ordinance that would prohibit municipal employees — and potentially contractors — from accepting secondary employment that aids immigration-enforcement activity.
Councilmembers framed the measure as a public-safety and trust issue. “We want to ensure that our residents feel safe reporting crimes and interacting with police,” said Councilmember López, who helped lead the item. She urged broad language that would cover contractors and outside employment tied to deportation/enforcement activity.
City staff and the police chief described current processes for outside employment approvals and training requirements, saying officers must obtain multilayered permission and that the department provides substantial academy and post-academy training. A staff presentation said Santa Ana officers receive more than 1,000 hours of training and that outside-employment requests are reviewed through command staff and human resources.
Proponents on the council argued the city should not wait for state action. “As a charter city, we can add protections now,” a councilmember said during the discussion, urging the drafting of ordinance language that would preserve trust between residents and police while leaving exemptions for some military or mutual-aid roles under review.
Councilmembers asked staff to return with a draft ordinance that: defines which outside agencies would be disallowed (with clear definitions), identifies whether contractors and non-sworn employees are included, and outlines an approval and appeal process. The council also requested consultation with unions and that exemptions for military reserves be considered in the draft.
Next steps: staff will prepare draft ordinance language and return to the council for further direction and possible public hearings; no final vote occurred May 20.
