Santa Ana staff complaints of councilmember’s ‘over-involvement’ in cultural events leads to review
Staff allegations that Councilmember Johnathan Hernandez was being “overly involved” in the planning and execution of cultural events in Santa Ana, such as last year’s Juneteenth and the Chicano Heritage Festival, stepping on the toes of the parks and recreation department were sent by a council committee to an outside investigator.
A letter addressed to former City Manager Kristine Ridge lays out concerns raised by staff, accusing Hernandez of attending planning meetings without an invitation from staff, of confronting staff members about their “lack of cultural competency” and soliciting donations, among other things.
A redacted version of the letter was obtained by The Orange County Register through a public records request. The city originally declined the request due to an “ongoing personnel investigation,” but later released the records “in the spirit of transparency,” a city representative said in a follow-up message.
