Santa Ana voters have been asked to decide in the November election who will represent Ward 3: incumbent Jessie Lopez or resident Jeffrey Katz.
A full-time attorney, Katz serves as president of the Floral Park Neighborhood Association. He ran for the same City Council seat in 2020, but lost to Lopez.
With a background in activism, Lopez was first elected to the City Council in 2020. She said her priorities remain the same: stabilizing the city budget, addressing the homeless and housing crises, and finding opportunities for economic development.
Katz said it’s time for new leadership with new ideas, a leader for all. Having created youth programs in his neighborhood and organized community events, Katz said he would like to see the city host more multicultural celebrations that are inviting to all residents, not just one demographic.
“My platform that I’m running on is to represent everybody within the city, but with a focus on Ward 3,” Katz said. “We’ve had council members over the last eight years who have not represented the people of Ward 3, and that’s why I ran four years ago. The absence of representation has just exacerbated in the last four years.”
In her first term in office, Lopez said she is proud of the capital improvements that she has pushed for in Ward 3, such as sidewalk, street and streetlight repairs.
“These are not flashy projects, but they are critical to the quality of the life of an everyday person here in Ward 3 and in the city of Santa Ana,” Lopez said, adding that her term has been about raising residents’ expectations of what local government can get done.
Lopez beat a Police Officer’s Association-led recall effort last November. She said the experience taught her a lot about being a good leader despite what challenges were thrown her way.
“My first term has been such a big learning lesson in how to get things done,” Lopez said. “I am committed to delivering results. Doesn’t matter what you throw my way. At the end of the day, the most important thing for me is to make the everyday experience here for Santa Ana families easier on them.”
Katz said the city has two separate problems when it comes to homelessness: people experiencing homelessness and neighborhoods “overwhelmed” by people who are homeless.
“We’re leaving it in the hands of the homeless to dictate to us when and how their homelessness will stop. I’m not a believer in that,” Katz said.
People experiencing homelessness require individual solutions, Katz said, the city can’t have a one-size-fits-all approach.
“From the perspective of a business owner or a neighborhood leader, it is simply a recognition that the homeless cannot be there,” Katz said. “We’ll figure out where they go, but the answer is, not here.”
Lopez said housing and homelessness, which tend to go hand-in-hand, require creative solutions.
“Public safety must be always prioritized. When we’re talking about compassionate solutions and compassionate frameworks, that doesn’t mean that it is going to come at the expense of our ward feeling unsafe,” Lopez said. “You cannot just categorize every person on the street right now – every person living in an RV, sleeping in a car, renting a motel room because that’s cheaper than a down payment – as somebody who wants to be in that situation and is a criminal.”
More housing is not the answer, Katz said.
“Saying it is (also) a housing crisis, you’re foreshadowing that the solution to homelessness is to build more homes. So if our current homeless crisis count is at 1,500, it means you need to build 1,500 units,” Katz said. “I don’t have the patience for that, and it’s the wrong answer.”
Lopez said she is proud to have supported developments that are inclusive of students, veterans experiencing homelessness or families on the brink of becoming homeless.
“Given the Supreme Court ruling, now we’re seeing other Orange County cities say ‘Yes, arrest someone for being in a public space,’” Lopez said. “Where do you think those people are going to end up? It is a very complex situation, and that is why I could not celebrate that ruling, because I knew that I would be impacted, that my family would be impacted, and that my constituents would continue to bear the brunt of rulings that don’t provide any real solutions to the problem at hand.”
Katz said what makes him stand out as a candidate is his experience in neighborhood leadership. His work, he said, would take place outside of the City Council chambers whether that is organizing programs for the youth or volunteering with nonprofits.
“My strength the last four years has been activating both my neighborhood and other neighborhoods,” Katz said. “That requires leaving the dais, getting into the neighborhood, rolling up your sleeves, meeting the people and truly being engaged.”
If re-elected, Lopez said she will continue to tackle the city’s pension debt, boosting economic development, as well as addressing residents’ everyday needs.
“Whether it’s homelessness or neighborhood safety, it does not matter how big or small the issue is, my commitment to making life better for residents has not changed,” Lopez said. “In order for our city to thrive, we must we need to invest in every corner of our community. I care about creating and supporting policies that make a real difference for our residents and that are not going to come at the expense of other communities.”
Read more about what the candidates think about budgeting, housing and leadership in The Orange County Register’s voter guide.
Ballots for the November election have already arrived in the mailboxes of registered voters. They can be mailed back, returned to an OC Registrar of Voters official dropbox or taken to a vote center. Vote centers start opening for in-person voting on Oct. 26 and Election Day is Nov. 5.
For more information visit ocvote.gov.
