CORREA PRESENTS $2M TO CITY OF SANTA ANA FOR CHEPA’S PARK RENOVATION

SANTA ANA, CA - Today, U.S. Representative Lou Correa (CA-46) presented a $2 million check to the City of Santa Ana for renovations and upgrades to historic Chepa's Park. Funding will be used to demolish and reconstruct a new community center and other improvements at Chepa's Park, including a new basketball court, new landscaping, picnic areas, site lighting, new playground equipment and accessible pathways.

"Chepa's Park and the surrounding Logan Barrio neighborhood has played a pivotal part in Mexican-American history in Santa Ana. I sought to honor that history by making this federal investment," said Rep. Lou Correa. "Through upgrades and renovations, this park can continue providing a place for community members of all ages to come together for generations to come, and I look forward to seeing the transformation the City makes with this space."

This money for Chepa's Park is part of the FY2026 community project funding that Rep. Correa secured for California's 46th Congressional District, which totaled more than $13.3 million overall.

"We are incredibly grateful to Congressman Lou Correa for securing $2 million in funding to help us reimagine and revitalize Chepa's Park," Mayor Valerie Amezcua said. "This project will restore a beloved neighborhood space in the historical Logan neighborhood - an early center of the Mexican-American community in Santa Ana - that will serve generations to come. The renovation project is a reinvestment in the people who call Logan home and demonstrates the City's commitment to improve the quality of life of everyone in Santa Ana."

"Just as the City of Santa Ana honored Josephine 'Chepa' Andrade's legacy of community advocacy by naming this park after her, we are now honoring her work with a historic investment in Chepa's Park," Mayor Pro Tem David Penaloza said. "The Logan Barrio deserves clean, safe, modern parks and amenities that can be enjoyed by every family and resident."

Chepa's Park is described as a "tiny refuge" in Logan Barrio, one of Santa Ana's oldest Mexican-American neighborhoods. Established before Orange County was incorporated, Logan Barrio was also one of the few areas where Mexican Americans were permitted to purchase homes in the early 1900s. Chepa's Park was developed after Josephine "Chepa" Andrade rallied her neighbors and took to city hall to fight the proposal of a new road that would dissect their neighborhood. She, along with other residents, turned the three open lots into a small park. Members of the Andrade family were present during today's check presentation.

"The new community center, playgrounds, basketball court, and picnic areas that will be built at Chepa's Park will serve as a reminder of Chepa's legacy of advocacy for the ever-resilient Logan neighborhood," Councilmember Phil Bacerra said. "These improvements will enhance community gatherings and recreation at Chepa's Park, and it will shine even brighter as the gem of Logan neighborhood."

Video of the event can be seen here.

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