Tag / Santa Ana

by The OC Reporter

Concerned Residents Say New Roundabouts Pose Safety Risks in Santa Ana

Photo by The OC Repoorter/ 3rd and Bush St – 1st Roundabout that Santa Ana installed a few years ago and many near misses of accidents

Roundabouts have been appearing across Santa Ana for several years—first as temporary installations, then as permanent fixtures. The downtown area saw its first roundabout at Third and Bush Streets, and in recent years, they’ve expanded into residential neighborhoods as part of the city’s broader traffic-calming strategy.

City officials tout roundabouts as a proven safety measure, citing studies showing they reduce the likelihood of fatal and serious injury crashes compared to conventional intersections. By design, roundabouts slow vehicle speeds and eliminate high-risk conflict points—like left-turn and head-on collisions—common at signalized or stop-controlled intersections. Drivers are expected to yield to circulating traffic, reduce speed on approach, and signal before exiting.

Photo by The OC Repoorter/ On November 19, 2025, 69-year-old Maria Rubalcava de Ruesga was struck and killed by a trash truck while crossing where a roundabout is installed.

But some residents now argue that these very features are creating new dangers.  

On November 19, 2025, 69-year-old Maria Rubalcava de Ruesga was struck and killed by a trash truck while crossing at a crosswalk near the intersection of Bishop and Shelton Streets—a location where a roundabout was installed about a year ago. The Santa Ana Police Department is investigating the crash, and neighbors have voiced concerns that the roundabout’s layout may be contributing to hazardous conditions for pedestrians and drivers alike.

Less than two weeks later, another serious crash occurred nearby. According to an OCFA dispatch log from November 28, 2025, at 11:56 p.m., multiple vehicles collided at the intersection of North Bush Street and East 8th Street—the same corridor as the downtown roundabout. Units from Division 6, including Battalion 9, Engine 75, and Truck 75, responded to the scene.

Photo by The OC Repoorter/ multiple vehicles collided at the intersection of North Bush Street and East 8th Street

Residents in the area report increased speeding and confusion around right-of-way rules, particularly at a roundabout that replaced a former four-way stop. Some say the change has made the intersection more chaotic, not safer—though the city has not released official crash data comparing conditions before and after installation.

Photo by The OC Repoorter/ Signs of drivers running into the roundabout on 9th and Spurgeon.

As Santa Ana continues to retrofit intersections with roundabouts in an effort to improve neighborhood safety, community members are calling for a closer review of their design, placement, and impact—especially in areas with high pedestrian activity.

by The OC Reporter

Editorial: Santa Ana debe dejar de ignorar a los terroristas cazarrecompensas que se hacen pasar por agentes de ICE.

Foto: The OC Reporter / Departamento de Policía de Santa Ana

A estas alturas ya no es un rumor; es un hecho documentado.

Hombres con placas falsas que se hacen pasar por funcionarios federales están aterrorizando hogares, asustando a jóvenes y destrozando familias en las calles de Santa Ana. No son agentes de ICE. Son cazarrecompensas independientes o contratistas que carecen de autoridad legal, constitucional y de derecho a estar en nuestras calles. Sin embargo, se aprovechan de nuestra ansiedad, desconcierto y del silencio de quienes juraron defendernos, actuando con total impunidad.

Estas personas no son agentes del orden. Son delincuentes. Suplantar la identidad de un agente federal es un delito grave tanto en California como a nivel federal. La entrada ilegal en propiedad ajena se define como el ingreso a una residencia sin permiso ni orden judicial. Utilizar amenazas de deportación para obtener favores o dinero de los residentes locales constituye coacción, y posiblemente secuestro. Además, según el artículo 837 del Código Penal de California, toda persona tiene el derecho —y la obligación— de realizar un arresto ciudadano al presenciar la comisión de tales delitos.

Entonces, ¿cuál es la razón de Santa Ana? ¿La policía se niega a actuar? No es por miedo al ICE. El problema no radica en la falta de conocimiento de la jurisdicción, sino en la negligencia. Es complicidad por inacción.

Foto de: The OC Reporter/ Impostores de ICE vistos en la 1.ª y Grand Ave.

A pesar de que el Ayuntamiento creó correctamente el fondo Ayuda Sin Fronteras, presentó solicitudes de acceso a la información pública, se sumó a demandas federales y recibió 50.000 dólares de apoyo de Sahuayo, México, nuestra policía sigue sin hacer nada mientras estos delincuentes andan sueltos. No están sobrecargados de trabajo ni confundidos. Simplemente deciden no aplicar la ley. Esto no es una discrepancia política. No es un debate sobre inmigración. Se trata de justicia fundamental.

Una madre no vive en una ciudad santuario si un hombre con una chaqueta negra llama a su puerta diciendo ser agente federal y ella se esconde en su cocina mientras la policía no hace nada cuando llama al 911. Está bajo asedio.

El alcalde Amezcua y el Ayuntamiento se han expresado extensamente sobre dignidad, justicia y derechos civiles. Ahora deben exigir que se tomen medidas. El Departamento de Policía de Santa Ana debe:

  • Utilice las leyes vigentes sobre arresto ciudadano y las leyes estatales contra la suplantación de identidad para capacitar de inmediato a los agentes en el reconocimiento y la detención de impostores que se hacen pasar por cazarrecompensas.
  • Identificar y denunciar públicamente a estos individuos como delincuentes, en lugar de como “socios en la aplicación de la ley”.
  • Establecer un equipo de respuesta rápida para investigar y registrar cada incidente reportado, y luego poner esta información a disposición del público en general.
  • Para procesar a los delincuentes reincidentes por cargos federales, trabaje con el FBI y el Departamento de Justicia.
  • Difundir imágenes, descripciones de vehículos y métodos conocidos a través de alertas comunitarias para informar a las familias sobre a quién temer y a quién detener.
Foto de: The OC Reporter/ Impostores de ICE vistos en Ross y Santa Ana Blvd.

El liderazgo moral de la ciudad no vale nada si su fuerza policial no defiende a sus ciudadanos de los criminales que se esconden tras la fachada del gobierno federal.

El aumento de $100,000 a Ayuda Sin Fronteras es algo que aplaudimos. Sin embargo, la tranquilidad de un niño que duerme sin ansiedad no se puede reemplazar con ninguna ayuda económica. El trauma de una intrusión domiciliaria por parte de un individuo con una placa falsa no se puede reparar con ninguna acción legal.

Gracias a Santa Ana, el mundo ha visto lo que es la valentía. Ahora debe demostrar lo que es la justicia mediante arrestos, no mediante comunicados de prensa.

Los cazarrecompensas no son agentes de inmigración, son delincuentes. Violan la ley. Además, nuestra policía debería empezar a tratarlos como tales.

— Los habitantes de Santa Ana merecen más que compasión. Merecen protección.

by The OC Reporter

Editorial: Santa Ana Needs to Stop Ignoring Bounty Hunter Terrorists Impersonating ICE.

Photo by: The OC Reporter / Santa Ana Police Department

It’s no longer a rumor; it’s a documented fact.

Men wearing fake badges and claiming to be federal officials are terrorizing homes, scaring youngsters, and destroying families in the streets of Santa Ana. They are not ICE officers. They are independent bounty hunters, or contractors, who have no legal authority, constitutional authority, or right to be on our streets. They nevertheless take advantage of our anxiety, bewilderment, and the silence of the people sworn to defend us while acting with impunity.

These are not “enforcers.” They are criminals. Impersonating a federal officer is a felony under both California and federal law. Trespassing is defined as entering a residence without permission or a warrant. Using deportation threats to get compliance or money from locals is coercion, and maybe kidnapping. Additionally, according to California Penal Code § 837, every person has the right—and the obligation—to conduct a citizen’s arrest when witnessing such offenses being committed.

Therefore, what is the reason for Santa Ana? The police are unwilling to take action? Not fear of ICE. The problem is not a lack of understanding regarding jurisdiction. It is negligence. It’s complicity by inaction.

Photo by: The OC Reporter/ ICE Impostors seen on 1st and Grand Ave.

Despite the fact that the City Council has correctly created the Ayuda Sin Fronteras fund, submitted FOIA requests, joined federal lawsuits, and received $50,000 in support from Sahuayo, Mexico, our police force is still doing nothing while these criminals are allowed to go free. They aren’t “overworked,” nor are they “confused.” They are making the decision to refrain from enforcing the law. This isn’t a disagreement on policy. This is not a discussion about immigration. This is about fundamental justice.

A mother is not living under a sanctuary city if a man in a black jacket knocks on her door claiming to be federal and she hides in her kitchen while the police do nothing when she calls 911. She’s under siege.

Mayor Amezcua and the City Council have spoken at length about dignity, fairness, and civil rights. They must now insist on action. The Santa Ana Police Department must:

  • Utilize current citizen’s arrest laws and state laws against impersonation to immediately train officers to recognize and apprehend bounty hunter imposters.
  • Publicly identify and denounce these individuals as criminals rather than “enforcement partners.”
  • Establish a quick response team to look into and record each reported event, and then make this information available to the general public.
  • In order to prosecute repeat offenders on federal charges, work with the FBI and DOJ.
  • Disseminate images, vehicle descriptions, and known methods through community alerts to inform families about who to be afraid of and who to apprehend.
Photo by: The OC Reporter/ ICE Impostors seen on Ross and Santa Ana Blvd.

The city’s moral leadership is worthless if its police force won’t defend its citizens from the criminals hiding behind the guise of the federal government.

The $100,000 increase to Ayuda Sin Fronteras is something we applaud. However, a child sleeping without anxiety cannot be replaced by any financial support. The trauma of a house invasion by a guy using a phony badge cannot be undone by any legal action.

The world has seen what bravery looks like, thanks to Santa Ana. It must now demonstrate what justice looks like via arrests, not via press releases.

The bounty hunters are not ICE, they are criminals. They break the law. Additionally, our cops should start treating them like one.

— The People of Santa Ana deserve more than sympathy. They deserve protection.

by The OC Reporter

Editorial: Santa Ana’s Homelessness Crisis Demands Urgent, Compassionate Action

Santa Ana Homeless Population is Increasing.

According to the most recent Orange County Point-in-Time (PIT) Count data, the number of people experiencing homelessness in Santa Ana rose from 1,298 in 2023 to 1,520 in 2024—an increase of approximately 17% in just one year. Countywide, the numbers tell a similarly troubling story: homelessness grew from 7,392 to 8,299 individuals over the same period.

These figures are more than statistics—they represent human beings living without the basic dignity of safe, stable shelter. The PIT Count, conducted each January by the Orange County Continuum of Care in accordance with U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) guidelines, offers only a snapshot of a complex and evolving crisis. Yet even this conservative estimate underscores a clear and worsening trend.

The Courtyard Homeless Shelter was closed and the homeless displaced.

Santa Ana, as Orange County’s second-largest city and a historic hub of community and culture, faces mounting pressure to respond with both urgency and empathy. While local officials have taken steps—such as expanding shelter capacity, launching outreach teams, and investing in affordable housing—the scale of need continues to outpace available resources.

The root causes of homelessness are multifaceted: soaring housing costs, stagnant wages, mental health challenges, and systemic inequities. No single policy or program can solve them alone. What’s needed is a coordinated, sustained effort that combines immediate humanitarian support with long-term structural solutions—rental assistance, supportive housing, behavioral health services, and prevention strategies that keep people from falling into homelessness in the first place.

As the 2025 PIT Count approaches, the community must ask: Will we accept a future where more of our neighbors sleep on sidewalks and in parks? Or will we choose bold, compassionate action that affirms the value of every resident?

The data is clear. The time to act is now.