City of Santa Ana, CA

05/15/2026 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 05/15/2026 18:38

Ward 1 Newsletter: Spring 2026

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Dear Ward 1 Residents,

Spring is in full bloom, and the Ward 1 Team and I have been busy as bees! We are jumping back into our quarterly newsletters after a brief hiatus. This is a time for renewal and rejuvenation, which means we'll take stock of what we planted in the last season and watch the fruits of our labors grow. I encourage you to check out the highlights in this newsletter of the many memorable experiences the City of Santa Ana hosted in 2025, including rich cultural festivities such as the Tết Lunar New Year, Fiestas Patrias, and Chicano Heritage Festival, and engaging community building events like the Santa Ana Fun Run and the Sister Cities Mural unveiling with our sister city, Sahuayo, Michoacan, Mexico.

As we look forward to this summer, my team and I are excited to bring rejuvenated energy and dedication to the services and programs we have planned for our residents! I look forward to continuing our collaboration with the Cities of Garden Grove and Fountain Valley through 2026 on the Little Saigon Project, a regional effort to support and sustain the vitality of Little Saigon through business growth and job creation.

My team and I will also be out at the Movies in the Park at Centennial Park on July 17, so please come by and say hi. We want to learn more about what's important to you, what you think is going well in the city, and how we can improve. Keeping Santa Ana a beautiful place to live for all residents is a team effort, and we can't do it without your active engagement!

If you have any ideas or concerns, don't hesitate to reach out. The Ward 1 team is here to help!

Yours Truly,

Thai Viet Phan
Santa Ana Councilmember, Ward 1

In This Issue…

  • 2025 Year in a Review
  • My First Home Mortgage Assistance Program

Know Your Ward & City

City of Santa Ana, CalOptima and AltaMed announce launch of Street Medicine Program

The City of Santa Ana celebrated the launch of a new Street Medicine Program in Santa Ana with a press conference at Santa Ana City Hall on April 22.

After years of advocacy by City of Santa Ana officials, CalOptima agreed last year to expand their Street Medicine Program into our community. The program started here in March and is operated by AltaMed, joining the cities of Garden Grove, Costa Mesa and Anaheim. The Street Medicine Program uses a vehicle that is essentially a mobile doctor's office on wheels to deliver medical care, behavioral health services, peer support and housing navigation.

The expansion of this program into Santa Ana builds on our ongoing leadership in Orange County to address homelessness through our street outreach teams operating seven days a week, our 200-bed homeless shelter with wraparound services, and helping fund nearly 500 units of permanent supportive housing in recent years.

Read more about the Street Medicine Program

Denim Day with the City of Santa Ana and Santa Ana Police Department - April 29

City of Santa Ana and Santa Ana Police Department leadership and staff wore denim on Wednesday, April 29, to recognize international Denim Day, helping spread awareness about sexual violence and assault and to support survivors.

Denim Day began after a ruling by the Italian Supreme Court in 1992 in which a rape conviction was overturned because the justices felt that since the victim was wearing tight jeans, she must have helped the attacker remove her jeans, thereby implying consent. The following day, the women in the Italian Parliament went to work wearing jeans in solidarity with the victim.

Anyone who needs support can call the National Sexual Assault Telephone Hotline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673) or locally, you can call the Santa Ana Family Justice Center at (714) 245-8278 from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday.

The Family Justice Center is a partnership between Santa Ana Police Department, local nonprofit organizations and government agencies where survivors of domestic violence, sexual assault, child abuse, human trafficking and elder abuse can receive the assistance and support they need.

Santa Ana Family Justice Center.

Know Our Events & Meetings

My First Home Mortgage Assistance Program - July 1 and August 5

The City of Santa Ana's My First Home mortgage assistance program is helping make homeownership more affordable for individuals and families. Through the program, qualified income-eligible, first-time homebuyers may obtain a deferred loan of up to $120,000 at 0% interest to purchase a residence in Santa Ana.

Information sessions are currently being held to provide more details about program eligibility, the application process and frequently asked questions. The next ones will be held from 6-7 p.m. on Wednesday, July 1, at the Lawn Bowling Center, 2615 Valencia St. N., and on Wednesday, Aug. 5, at the Salgado Recreation Center, 706 N. Newhope St.

Spanish and Vietnamese translation will be available.

Prospective applicants, lenders, real estate agents and community organizations providing homeownership education to Santa Ana homebuyers are welcome to attend.

Learn more and register for My First Home workshops.

KidWorks Free Summer Program

KidWorks is offering a free summer program for youth at various locations in Santa Ana. Activities include hands-on learning, STEM projects, field trips, workshops and more.

Kids Club is for kids in kindergarten through 5th grade and will run from June 22 to July 10. Elevate Youth is for junior high and high school youth and will run from June 8 to June 12. For questions, contact Sonia Rios at [email protected].

Register for KidWorks

Mobilehome Assistance Center

For residents living in mobilehome parks, the State of California provides important protections through the Mobilehome Residency Law (MRL), which addresses topics such as rental agreements, park rules, and eviction requirements. To support residents, the California Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD) offers a Mobilehome Assistance Center that provides guidance and resources specific to mobilehome living.

Residents may contact the Mobilehome Assistance Center directly for support:

Email: [email protected] or Phone: (800) 952-8356.

2025 Year In Review

City of Santa Ana Events

The City of Santa Ana hosted numerous events that highlighted and celebrated the diverse communities in our city and allowed families to celebrate and enjoy the local spirit throughout 2025, including the cultural festivities of Tết Lunar New Year, Fourth of July, Fiestas Patrias, and Chicano Heritage Festival.

Additionally, the City offered other unique experiences, such as our exhilarating Santa Ana Fun Run, Movies at Windsor Park where I enjoyed watching "Moana" with our Ward 1 residents, groundbreaking at Centennial Park where I planted an Italian Stone Pine tree to celebrate the park improvements, the ribbon cutting ceremony of the River's Edge at the Santa Ana Zoo, and the beautiful Sister Cities Mural unveiling with our sister city, Sahuayo, Michoacan, Mexico.

Thank you to the Public Works Agency, Parks and Recreation, and all the employees and sponsors who make the City events possible and fun, as always. A big thank you to all of our fellow Los Amigos High School volunteers who wholeheartedly help the Ward 1 Team set up our booth, and distribute City resources and goodies to our community.

  • Tet Festivals (Lunar New Year)

In 2025, I had the opportunity to attend various Lunar New Year celebrations that brought family and friends together to express gratitude and prepare for a fresh start. Additionally, participated in the Lunar New Year 2025 OC Board presentation, the Nguoi Viet Year of the Snake celebration, the Sakya Tết celebration, the City of Westminster Tết parade, and the UVSA Tết festival at Garden Grove Park.

  • Santa Ana Police Department Community Events

The Santa Ana Police Department arranged numerous community events throughout 2025, which featured an abundance of treats and festive activities. I participated in their annual National Night Out, and the Santa Ana Police Department's Trunk or Treat event.

Chief Robert Rodriguez was appointed as the Chief of Police for the City of Santa Ana in 2025, becoming the 22nd individual to serve in this role. Thank you Santa Ana Police Department for continuing and striving to keep the community safe.

  • Black April Remembrance

In 2025, I was honored to attend the book signing for Little Saigon Chronicles, the Vietnamese Heritage Museum's Legacy of Hope event, the City of Westminster's Annual Black April Remembrance, Black April Memorial, and the Candlelight Vigil. These events shared the history of the Fall of Saigon on April 30, 1975.

  • Community Association Events

In 2025, I participated in various community association events to further municipal connections. Some activities that I engaged in were: Same Day Solution Fair, Los Amigos High School Youth Forum, 50 Years of Little Saigon's Resilience, touring Robinson Pharma's sites, ribbon-cutting ceremonies for City of Hope Orange County Hospital and Los Grandes Originales, Fire Engine at Station 73's push-in ceremony, and the opening of Advancing Justice SOCAL's OC headquarters.

  • Metropolitan Water District

As a member of the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California Board, I was afforded the opportunity to participate in inspection trips, during which I had a chance to examine sites such as Diamond Valley Lake, Hoover Dam, Cooper Basin, Whitsett Pumping Plant, and the Palo Verde Diversion Project. Thank you, Metropolitan Water District!

  • Legal Clinic

I hosted my annual Legal Clinic at the Salgado Community Center. A huge thank you to Asian Americans Advancing Justice Southern California, Public Law Center, Vietnamese American Bar Association of Southern California, and George Bean Law, for offering pro bono services to residents of Santa Ana seeking assistance related to immigration, financial literacy, family law, housing, and employment.

2025 City and Ward 1 Projects & Policy Recap

Ward 1 Projects

The City of Santa Ana Policy Recap

Local Events

Resident Days at the Zoo • Third Sunday of each Month

Bowers Museum free Sundays • Santa Ana residents are free each Sunday

Discovery Cube Waste Free Days • Santa Ana residents get free admission to the Discovery Cube on the first Tuesday of the month

Know Your Resources:

Who do I call at City Hall?

  • Important phone numbers:
    • City Hall main line: (714) 647-5400
    • Code Enforcement: (714) 667-2780
    • Graffiti Hotline: (877) 786-7824
    • Emergency Water Services: (714) 953-8026
    • Public Works dispatch (street sweeping, trees): (714) 647-3380

Utility services

Starting a small business?

Food assistance:

  • Local Food Pantries: https://www.santa-ana.org/food-distributions/
  • Delhi Community Center, 505 E. Central Ave., Santa Ana, CA 92707; Mondays, 10-11:30 a.m.
  • Catholic Charities of OC: Doris Cantlay Food Distribution Center, 2020 W. Chestnut Ave., Santa Ana; Tuesday-Thursday, 7:30 a.m.-12 p.m. daily
  • The Seva Collective Drive-through Food Pantry, Villa Fundamental Intermediate School, 1441 E. Chestnut Ave., Santa Ana; every Other Saturday, 9-11 a.m. (starting Nov. 8)
  • Serve the People Community Food Bank, Serve the People Community Health Center, 1206 E. 17th St., Santa Ana; monthly on the First and Third Saturday, 4-7 a.m.
  • Visit our food assistance webpage for more resources.

Immigration, Food and Community Resources

The City of Santa Ana provides a variety of resources and information about non-City services and programs to help the community.

Download mySantaAna App to Report Issues

The mySantaAna mobile app puts the power of the Santa Ana city government in the palm of your hand! Residents with an iPhone or Android smartphone can download the mySantaAna application for free allowing them to quickly and easily report issues with photos to the City for clean-up. You can report potholes, downed tree branches, graffiti, trash and much more!

Download the mySantaAna App

City Hall Friday and Holiday Closures

Santa Ana City Hall is open Monday through Thursday and every other Friday, from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. City Hall and non-essential City offices are closed on alternating Fridays, in addition to several observed holidays throughout the year.

See the holiday and closed Friday schedule

See our holiday street sweeping schedule

USEFUL RESOURCES

Parking Tickets: https://www.santa-ana.org/pd/parking-enforcement-and-ticket-information

Public Works: https://www.santa-ana.org/pw

Neighborhood Initiatives: https://www.santa-ana.org/neighborhood-initiatives

Utility Services: https://www.santa-ana.org/finance/municipal-utility-services

Schedule a bulky item pickup: Call Republic Services (657) 467-6220

Police Non-Emergency Line: (714) 245-8665

Emergency Water Services: (714) 953-8026

Who Do I Call? https://www.santa-ana.org/who-do-i-call

City of Santa Ana, CA published this content on May 15, 2026, and is solely responsible for the information contained herein. Distributed via Public Technologies (PUBT), unedited and unaltered, on May 16, 2026 at 00:39 UTC. If you believe the information included in the content is inaccurate or outdated and requires editing or removal, please contact us at [email protected]