Of the four measures put before Santa Ana voters for the Nov. 5 election, we already have recommended a No vote on Measure FF, an unneeded salary increase for the mayor and councilmembers.
Measure CC is called the Rent Stabilization and Just Cause Eviction Ordinance.
Ballot argument proponents include Mayor Pro Tem Thai Viet Phan, Councilmember Johnathan Ryan Hernandez and Orange County Supervisor Vicente Sarmiento. They argue Measure CC “protects tenants against predatory landlords and real estate corporations.”
Well, we all know there’s a housing crisis in this state. But they ought to take an introductory economics course at Santa Ana College and learn about supply and demand. The fundamental problem is a lack of supply, caused by state and local restrictions on property rights.
The city council already approved rent control in the city three years ago. Is Santa Ana any more affordable today than it was then? Of course not. All rent control will do is discourage new rental housing in Santa Ana. That’s all the city’s existing rent control policies has accomplished. That’s all that Measure CC will accomplish.
Is that what you want to accomplish? Vote no on Measure CC.
From one bad idea to another: Measure DD would allow noncitizen residents to vote in all municipal elections, but not state, county, school district and federal elections.
Ballot argument proponents include Councilmembers Thai Phan, Benjamin Vazquez and Ryan Hernandez. They argue about 25% of city residents “don’t have a say in city elections just because of their immigration status.”
It’s the flip side of Huntington Beach’s Measure 1 from the March 5 election, which mandated voter IDs for municipal elections starting in 2026. That passed with 53% of the vote. But in April, state Attorney General Rob Bonta sued to stop it, arguing it violated state election law. That case is pending.
The fact is elections are set up by the state and the Orange County Registrar of Voters, not individual cities. If each of OC’s 34 cities set its own election laws, there would be chaos.
Rather than meddle with local elections, Santa Ana should focus on making sure the city is well-run before meddling in elections.
Vote no on Measure DD.
