{"id":18853,"date":"2026-06-30T14:32:33","date_gmt":"2026-06-30T14:32:33","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/?p=18853"},"modified":"2026-06-30T14:32:33","modified_gmt":"2026-06-30T14:32:33","slug":"santa-ana-to-cut-five-resident-commissions-to-balance-budget","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/?p=18853","title":{"rendered":"Santa Ana to cut five resident commissions to balance budget"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Incorporated in 1886, Santa Ana is the oldest city in Orange County and boasts many historic homes and buildings. Since the 1990s, the nine-member Historic Resources Commission has helped city leaders with preserving the landmarks and architecture that tell the story of Santa Ana\u2019s history.<\/p>\n

Read more Supreme Court upholds state laws banning transgender girls and women from school athletic teams<\/a><\/p>\n

To help close a looming budget gap, the City Council recently agreed to dissolve the commission and four others that are not mandated by law: the seven-member Arts and Culture, the nine-member Environmental and Transportation Advisory, the seven-member Youth and the nine-member Parks, Recreation and Community Services.<\/p>\n

The commissions are made up of residents appointed by the councilmembers, with responsibilities that will now be absorbed by other existing bodies and departments, with the city\u2019s Planning Commission assuming the entirety of the Historic Resources Commission\u2019s duties.<\/p>\n

To pass the 2026-27 fiscal year budget, which goes into effect July 1, city officials worked to close a $19 million deficit through a mix of spending reductions, revenue adjustments and other balancing measures. Dissolving the commissions was part of budget discussions that started back in the spring; the elimination of the five commissions contributed $38,400 to the savings.<\/p>\n

\u201cNobody wants to make these cuts,\u201d City Manager Alvaro Nunez said at a June 2 budget hearing, framing the package of cuts as a \u201cnecessary\u201d shared sacrifice with\u00a0trims made across all departments.<\/p>\n

Tim Rush, a former chair of the Historic Resources Commission and also a founding board member of Preserve Orange County, which advocates for countywide efforts to preserve historic architecture, called the $38,400 in savings \u201ctinkering at the margins.\u201d<\/p>\n

He asked, \u201cWhy would you do that?\u201d and argued that eliminating five commissions closes forums where residents can help shape policy before it reaches the City Council.<\/p>\n

Councilmember Jonathan Hernandez pressed Nunez to confirm that historic preservation programs and arts grants would remain available to residents through other commissions, with Nunez saying that the functions were being realigned rather than removed. Councilmember Thai Viet Phan also followed up, asking whether residents would still be able to attend meetings, call in, email, and make their voices heard on the same matters, to which Nunez affirmed they would.<\/p>\n

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Councilmembers Jessie Lopez and David Penaloza later opposed the ordinance dissolving the commissions, arguing the move minimizes public input.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think this is one of those ways where we could include the public as much as we can,\u201d Penaloza said. \u201cI will not be supporting this, dissolving the various commissions just because it gives an opportunity for our public to participate and be engaged and have that civic engagement.\u201d<\/p>\n

City staffers said \u201cnothing precludes the City Council from evaluating the purpose of, or need for, any board or commission in the future and re-introducing them at a later date.\u201d<\/p>\n

Rush, who helped found the Historic Resources Commission in the early 1990s, said its advocates fought \u201ctooth and nail\u201d resistance from city planners and he does not consider the two bodies interchangeable.<\/p>\n

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Rush argued the commission was created precisely because city planners once resisted keeping a historic register.<\/p>\n

Commissioners on the Historic Resources board play a practical role in safeguarding the city\u2019s historic character by supporting Santa Ana\u2019s participation in state and federal preservation programs through its Certified Local Government status and reviewing applications for historic designation, exterior alterations, and Mills Act agreements.<\/p>\n

They also help ensure that qualified historic buildings are evaluated under the relevant preservation standards.<\/p>\n

Read more Miscarriage management remains muddled 4 years after Dobbs<\/a><\/p>\n

Recently, the commissioners recommended to the City Council a series of amendments to the city\u2019s preservation laws, adding new protections against demolition by neglect and requiring the disclosure of a property\u2019s historic status during real estate transfers. Commissioner Ginelle Hardy previously described the revisions as a \u201cmajor milestone\u201d for preservation in the city.<\/p>\n

The city\u2019s Planning Commission is a seven-member body that meets twice a month and holds final authority over subdivisions, conditional use permits, and variances when properties deviate from current zoning regulations. Under the new proposed ordinance, that same body would now issue approvals for requests to alter, expand, demolish, or relocate any building that falls under a designated local historic district or is considered a registered historic landmark property, among other responsibilities.<\/p>\n

\u201cPeople on a planning commission are presumed to have expertise in municipal planning, not historic preservation,\u201d Rush said. \u201cNow, are they first cousins? They might be second cousins, twice removed.\u201d<\/p>\n

Hardy raised with the City Council concerns over the impact the decision would have, including fears that the Planning Commission would try to \u201cwear the hat\u201d of the Historic Resources Commission without proper specialized training. To serve on the HRC, appointed residents must have expertise or experience in fields such as architecture, history, architectural history, or urban planning.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf that training doesn\u2019t occur, it will be recognizable immediately,\u201d she told the council. \u201cI want the council to know that the HRC is a valuable achievement adopted by City Council, a specialized asset envied by other cities, and a different scope and focus from all the other commissions.\u201d<\/p>\n

Hardy asked the council to reinstate the HRC once the budget permits.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf there\u2019s anybody up here that is absolutely sensitive to the idea of historic resources not continuing as a commission, it\u2019s myself,\u201d said Councilmember Phil Bacerra, who previously served on the commission and the board of Preserve OC.<\/p>\n

Bacerra said he has faith that city staff will remain intentional about preserving city history.\u00a0\u201cI wish we had the commission backing it up. But again, these are some of the tough decisions that all of us up here are facing.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ed Murashie, the commission\u2019s current chair, argued the panel\u2019s role extends beyond bureaucratic procedures.<\/p>\n

\u201cEvery member of this commission has a passion for historical preservation,\u201d he said. \u201cWe all, pretty much, across the board, go out and we visit the home, we meet with homeowners, and we listen to their stories.\u201d<\/p>\n

Murashie recalled walking through the one-time home of the late Olympic diver Sammy Lee in West Floral Park, who trained folks such as American Olympic diver and gold medalist Greg Louganis in his backyard.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ve gone into homes where somebody says, \u2018Do you see the other door in here? In this room?\u2019 And he\u2019ll go over, and he\u2019ll push a panel, and he goes, \u2018Yeah, this takes you down to the speakeasy,\u2019\u201d Murashie said.\u00a0\u201cI mean, there\u2019s these great things about Santa Ana and the historical stuff that we want to make sure gets preserved.\u201d<\/p>\n

Moving forward, Murashie said the Planning Commission should include a representative from the former HRC board, so that when a project comes up, \u201cyou have somebody that has a little more expertise to look at that and judge that and make sure the right things are being done.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd now that\u2019s a little better, a little protected,\u201d he argued, \u201cbecause you\u2019re going to have a voice sitting in on that commission when it comes to historical preservation.\u201d<\/p>\n

Read more Job openings stayed at a surprisingly strong 7.6 million in May; US labor market proves resilient<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The Historic Resources, Arts and Culture, Environmental and Transportation Advisory, Youth and Parks, Recreation and Community Services commissions are set to be eliminated.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":18852,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[43,2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-18853","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-based-on-facts-either-observed-and-verified-directly-by-the-reporter-or-reported-and-verified-from-knowledgeable-sources","category-news"],"yoast_head":"\nSanta Ana to cut five resident commissions to balance budget - Silicon Valley Moving Post<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/?p=18853\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Santa Ana to cut five resident commissions to balance budget - 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