City of Santa Ana celebrates opening of Salvador Quintana Park

The City of Santa Ana celebrated the opening of Salvador Quintana Park, a 1.25-acre community park that creates a vibrant space for recreation, relaxation, environmental sustainability and community gathering, on Saturday, May 9, 2026.

Originally developed as the Bristol-Tolliver Street Urban Greening Project, the new park brings a wide range of amenities to residents, including a basketball court, shaded playground, outdoor fitness equipment, picnic areas, benches, pedestrian pathways, decorative fencing, educational signage and enhanced lighting. The park is located along one of the City's major arterial roadways, Bristol Street, and enhances the ongoing work to improve and beautify the entire Bristol Street corridor.

"Salvador Quintana Park represents the very best of Santa Ana - honoring our community's history while investing in a healthier, greener future for generations to come," said Mayor Valerie Amezcua. "This park not only provides much-needed open space and recreational opportunities for residents, but also recognizes the remarkable legacy of Salvador Quintana, whose compassion and integrity continue to inspire our city today."

In addition to its recreational features, Salvador Quintana Park incorporates innovative green infrastructure designed to improve water quality and sustainability. A 2,000-square-foot bioretention basin filters stormwater runoff from the surrounding neighborhood, while two 9-foot-diameter underground cisterns capture and store stormwater to supply the park's drip irrigation system. These systems reduce demand on the City's drinking water supply and help protect water quality in the Newport Bay Watershed.

In October 2025, the Santa Ana City Council voted to name the park in honor of Salvador Quintana, whose actions during World War II reflected extraordinary integrity and compassion. Mr. Quintana worked for the Nitta family's farm in Santa Ana during the 1930s. When the Nitta family and other Japanese Americans were forcibly interned during the war, Mr. Quintana safeguarded the family's property, regularly delivered supplies to internment camps, and ultimately returned the land to Mr. Nitta for just $1 after the war ended.

Construction of Salvador Quintana Park was funded through a $3.5 million Urban Greening Grant from the California Natural Resources Agency, City stormwater program funds from the Federal Clean Water Protection Enterprise, Residential Development District 4 funds, and Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) funds. The total project cost for design and construction was approximately $5.2 million.