What Did Privately Hired Investigators Find in Two Ethics Code Probes at Santa Ana City Hall?

City-hired Investigators person reportedly concluded that they can’t prolong allegations that Santa Ana Mayor Valerie Amezcua created a hostile workplace situation for erstwhile metropolis manager Kristine Ridge and interfered with her enactment City Attorney Sonia Carvalho announced this week astatine a nationalist meeting. 

City officials person not released the reports nor responded to requests to reappraisal the documents. 

The findings successful the probe travel a twelvemonth aft a bulk of officials, including Amezcua, voted to wage Ridge implicit $600,000 to settee her assertion successful which Ridge besides alleges a unit run by elected officials connected behalf of the constabulary national to get her to boost erstwhile national president Gerry Serrano’s wage and pension. 

[Read: What Are Santa Ana Officials Hiding successful a Claim Alleging The Police Union Runs City Hall?]

Her departure came weeks aft erstwhile Police Chief David Valetin announced his status citing “corrupt and compromised politicians” and “compromised staff.”

At Tuesday’s metropolis assembly meeting, Carvalho publically announced that investigators recovered that the preponderance of grounds did not enactment allegations that Amezcua, who is up for reelection this November, violated the metropolis charter, the city’s codification of morals and harassed Ridge.

“The information ever comes out,” said Amezcua, whose campaigns person received important fiscal enactment from the constabulary union, astatine the meeting. 

“I slumber precise good astatine night, knowing that each determination I marque up present is for the assemblage and truthful they ranted and raved however I did immoderate atrocious things. Not 1 of my allegations were sustained.”

Yet if Amezcua didn’t bash thing improper, it’s unclear wherefore metropolis officials voted to wage retired Ridge’s assertion – thing assembly members person ne'er addressed publicly.

Amezcua did not respond to a petition for remark Wednesday.

City Hall successful Santa Ana.

The investigators weren’t conscionable looking into allegations against the mayor.

At Tuesday’s metropolis assembly meeting, Carvalho besides said investigators recovered a preponderance of grounds sustained allegations that Councilman Johnathan Hernandez interfered with metropolis staff’s enactment to program the Juneteenth celebration, the Chicano Heritage Festival and Indigenous People’s day.

Carvalho added that allegations that Hernandez, who is besides up for reelection this November, besides engaged successful behaviour related to the events that could beryllium deemed to interruption the metropolis charter and city’s codification of morals and behaviour were sustained by city-hired investigators.

Hernandez said successful a Wednesday telephone interview that the allegations against Amezcua were not sustained due to the fact that investigators couldn’t scope Ridge and that the findings don’t database the circumstantial sections of the metropolis codes helium himself allegedly violated. 

Hernandez criticized the process arsenic unfair – noting that members of the Black, Chicano and Indigenous communities asked him to beryllium successful connected meetings with unit astir the taste events due to the fact that of concerns of racism from staff.

“The lone contented that the metropolis unit had is that I was overly advocating for my constituents. When my constituents felt uncomfortable and discriminated against, I was consenting to beryllium successful the country with them,” helium said. 

“If anyone reads the allegations against me. They’re rooted successful maine doing my occupation for my constituents.” 

[Read: Orange County Gears Up For Juneteenth Celebrations]

Hernandez said that helium is supportive of releasing the afloat findings of some investigations to the public, adding that officials called for the probe into the allegations against Amezcua arsenic portion of the ballot to settee Ridge’s claim.

Carvalho said a 4th allegation that Hernandez tried to solicit donations for the Juneteenth Celebration, Indigenous People’s Day and the Chicano Heritage Festival was not sustained by investigators.

“The metropolis present deems these matters to beryllium resolved unless an advertisement hoc committee gives further absorption to our office, and that’s each I person to report,” Carvalho said astatine Tuesday’s meeting.

Former City Manager Kristine Ridge during a Santa Ana City Council gathering successful 2019. Credit: JULIE LEOPO, Voice of OC

Ridge, done her lawyer listed connected the claim, did not respond to a petition for remark Wednesday.

Penaloza, whose erstwhile run has received fiscal enactment from the constabulary union, said determination are galore parks and recreation unit terrified to beryllium successful the country with Hernandez and that immoderate usurpation of the metropolis charter is simply a misdemeanor.

“I person personally inquired astir the metropolis lawyer – oregon the territory lawyer (Todd) Spitzer if needed  – to prosecute this,” helium said successful a Wednesday telephone interview. “Staff shouldn’t person to enactment that way.”

Hernandez said determination is thing transgression astir what helium did.

“The metropolis lawyer made it precise wide to the council, determination isn’t overmuch that they tin bash to penalize maine for my relation successful advocating for the event. There’s thing transgression astir sitting successful a meeting,” helium said

Penaloza said if it’s ineligible to merchandise the findings of the investigations he’d enactment doing truthful and that helium had not work the findings.

“The allegations against Mayor Amezcua person been truthful beefed up by Councilman Hernandez and (Councilman Ben) Vasquez and (Councilwoman Jessie) Lopez, due to the fact that they hatred her and it’s been a deed portion ever since,” helium said.

Councilmembers Phil Bacerra – who besides has received important run concern enactment from the section constabulary national – and Thai Viet Phan did not respond to requests for remark Wednesday.

Will The Findings Be Made Public?

Neither of the findings person been made public.

Voice of OC has filed a nationalist records petition for the findings of some investigations and asked Carvalho and City Spokesman Paul Eakins for a transcript of the afloat reports.

Carvalho pointed to her remarks astatine the extremity of the gathering erstwhile asked for the reports. Eakins did not respond to an email, substance connection oregon voicemail requests for the reports.

At the meeting, Amezcua said that assembly members tin spell to the seventh level of metropolis hallway to work the findings. Both Eakins and Carvalho did not respond to questions astir if residents tin bash that too.

A governmental cartoon of Santa Ana City Council, from near apical row, David Penaloza, Thai Viet Phan, Phil Bacerra, Mayor Valerie Amezcua, Johnathan Hernandez, Jesse Lopez, Ben Vazquez, bottommost row, Paul Eakins, Santa Ana Public Information Officer. Credit: Carlos Conde for Voice of OC

In adjacent Anaheim, officials past twelvemonth publically released –  with redactions – an implicit 350 leafage study connected the findings of a city-contracted corruption probe successful the aftermath of the FBI corruption probe scandal.

[Read: Anaheim’s Own Look astatine City Hall Finds Disneyland Resort Businesses Improperly Steer Policymaking]

Carvalho’s announcement comes astir 3 weeks earlier the November predetermination successful which some Amezcua and Hernandez are moving to enactment successful office.

In a property merchandise for her run that came retired conscionable earlier Tuesday’s gathering ended, Amezcua called the findings of the probe a vindication, called Ridge’s allegations mendacious and blamed “certain media outlets” for amplifying the allegations.

“As the archetypal pistillate to service arsenic Mayor of Santa Ana, I person faced an unprecedented level of politically motivated attacks,” said Amezcua successful the release. “Today, the information has prevailed. I admit that our absorption tin present crook towards much pressing issues facing the radical of Santa Ana.” 

Hernandez said that the assemblage events didn’t outgo the metropolis hundreds of thousands of dollars.

“My actions arsenic a councilman person not outgo the metropolis immoderate magnitude of wealth successful lawsuits. But the mayor’s have, whether she’d similar to accidental it oregon not, ” helium said.

An Over $600,000 Pay Out Before an Investigation

Instead of warring Ridge’s assertion successful court, a bulk of officials decided to wage retired the erstwhile metropolis manager hundreds of thousands dollars and softly settee the assertion successful October – thing they ne'er publically explained wherefore they did.

[Read: Why Did Santa Ana Pay Out Over $600K to Settle a Claim Alleging the Police Union Runs City Hall?]

Councilwoman Jessie Lopez, who is up for reelection, was the lone dissenting vote.

“I voted nary due to the fact that I did not hold with the council’s precedence to effort and marque a occupation spell distant arsenic rapidly arsenic imaginable the mode that concern transpired,” Lopez said successful a Wednesday telephone interview 

She said that she inactive believes Ridge’s allegations but had not work the findings.

“Based connected my ain experience, I person nary crushed to uncertainty her,” Lopez said. 

She besides said the determination to settee the assertion earlier doing an probe impacted the probe.

“The researcher said immoderate claims are unsustained. That is not the aforesaid arsenic those things did not really happen, and a due probe would person placed the erstwhile metropolis manager connected administrative leave. It would person assessed the credibility, and it would person ensured cooperation,” she said.

The Santa Ana City Hall connected May 18, 2020. Credit: JULIE LEOPO, Voice of OC

In her claim, Ridge alleged that Amezcua made discriminatory sex and ethnicity based remarks astir her and that Amezcua prohibited her from speaking during labour negotiations with the constabulary union.

Ridge besides alleges Amezcua requested she agendize an point to beryllium discussed down closed doors that Ridge said was a usurpation of the Brown Act – the state’s unfastened gathering law. Due to the redactions, it’s unclear what the petition was.

To work the assertion letter, click here.

Hernandez told the Voice of OC successful April that the redactions person to bash with a ailment helium filed successful 2023 alleging Amezcua violated the Brown Act amid efforts to occurrence Ridge and erstwhile Police Chief David Valentin.

To work Hernandez’s complaint, click here.

On Tuesday, Carvalho said the Orange County District Attorney recovered that determination was insufficient grounds to substantiate allegations that Amezcua violated the Brown Act and they closed the matter.

A Sept. 24 missive from the District Attorney’s bureau fixed to the Voice of OC by Eakins states that determination were allegations that assembly members shared confidential accusation with the constabulary national during negotiations.

It besides states that respective officials had serial meetings related to ongoing negotiations with the constabulary national arsenic good arsenic a show valuation of Ridge.

“There was insufficient grounds to substantiate the allegations,” reads the letter. “To debar concerns regarding aboriginal Brown Act complaints, we urge members acquisition supplemental training, peculiar with respect to gathering requirements and the disclosure of confidential information.”

To work the letter, click here.

Hernandez publically called retired connected Tuesday nighttime District Attorney Todd Spitzer’s bureau for failing to interaction him aft his complaint, saying that Amezcua opened an advertisement hoc committee to analyse him aft his complaint.

“This is an wrong look astatine what happens erstwhile you reason peculiar interests, and erstwhile you broadside with the community, they volition bash everything and thing to effort to destroy,” helium said.

Amezcua said astatine Tuesday’s gathering that Carvalho had told her to make an Ad Hoc committee to analyse the allegations  – which prompted the radical past to crook the probe implicit to an extracurricular researcher to guarantee fairness.

She noted the Ad Hoc committee was made up of herself, Bacerra and Councilman Ben Vazquez.

Vazquez said helium supports the findings of the investigations to beryllium released and that helium had not work the findings.

“I conscionable privation to marque definite that we get the probe reports unfastened to the public, and don’t clasp off, conscionable truthful we tin beryllium transparent to the nationalist arsenic to what has happened here,” helium said. “The politician was not exonerated oregon recovered not guilty, it was conscionable that the arguments were not sustained.”

Vazquez said helium regrets voting to settee the assertion earlier the probe and helium did truthful initially to support the metropolis from ineligible fees.

“She got paid to permission basically,” helium said

Who is Behind the Investigation? What’s Next?

Members of the nationalist leaving Santa Ana City Hall successful April, 2023. Credit: EMILY LIBERATORE, Voice of OC

Carvalho, the metropolis attorney,  and Eakins, a spokesman, did not reply emailed questions Tuesday nighttime connected who conducted the probe and however overmuch they were paid to bash the probe. 

Both besides didn’t respond to a question connected wherefore officials settled the ineligible assertion earlier launching an investigation.

When the assertion went nationalist successful April, Carvalho and Eakins besides remained quiescent connected who was conducting the probe and the cost.

Officials besides kept Ridge’s assertion concealed for months until being threatened with a nationalist records suit – a menace that prompted merchandise of the assertion letter.

[Read: What Are Santa Ana Officials Hiding successful a Claim Alleging The Police Union Runs City Hall?]

The OC Register reported that Santa Ana officials agreed to grow a declaration by up to $175,000 with Hanson Bridgett LLP, a instrumentality firm, to analyse moving conditions astatine metropolis hall.

None of the assembly members that spoke to Voice of OC could instantly talk to who did the probe and however overmuch they paid

Carvalho said astatine Tuesday’s gathering the advertisement hoc committee tin nonstop her to draught a memo connected the process of filing an morals ailment against Hernandez and the probe materials were disposable to the council.

Police Union Spends Big Again successful Santa Ana Races

Meanwhile, the Santa Ana Police Officers Association – astatine the halfway of Ridge’s allegations – is spending large connected section metropolis assembly races this election.

So far, the constabulary national has spent implicit $130,000 betwixt Mayor Amezcua’s reelection campaign, City Commissioner Mario Alvarado’s Ward 5 run and lawyer Jeffery Katz’s Ward 3 run – with a greater information of the wealth going to Alvarado.

[Read: Police Union, Real Estate Interests Spend Big successful Santa Ana Elections]

The national spent $37,000 to enactment Amezcua done mailers.

Hosam Elattar is simply a Voice of OC newsman and corps subordinate with Report for America, a GroundTruth initiative. Contact him astatine [email protected] oregon connected Twitter @ElattarHosam.

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