Santa Ana City Council weighs in on Lopez beating video

Santa Ana City Council members unanimously ordered an independent investigation into the arrest of Florentino Lopez, but their remarks Tuesday revealed differing views on police accountability, public transparency and how the city should respond to the officers' conduct captured on video.

City Attorney Sonia Carvalho cautioned that councilmembers were expressing personal views that did not necessarily represent the city's position. She also noted the potential legal liability surrounding the case and the city's responsibility to protect public funds.

Councilmember Benjamin Vazquez said he was “appalled” by the footage and argued that responsibility for the Police Department extended beyond its leadership to the council itself.

“At the end of the day, this happened on our watch,” Vazquez said.

He called for the investigations to address potential misconduct and identify policy changes that could prevent similar incidents.

“We don't want continued violence from our officers to happen,” Vazquez said, “and we want to build a community that feels safe when we see our officers.”

Councilmember Jessie Lopez, who is not related to Florentino Lopez, said the video “infuriated” her. She emphasized officers' responsibility to de-escalate encounters and described the distress of family members who witnessed the arrest.

“Our officers are entrusted with significant authority and responsibility,” she said, “and the burden to deescalate absolutely lays on our officers.”

Jessie Lopez also revealed that councilmembers had a lengthy closed-session discussion before reaching their unanimous decision.

Before the meeting, she was the only councilmember to respond to The Santanero's request for comment. She described the footage as deeply disturbing while cautioning against reaching conclusions before investigators review the evidence.

“We should not prejudge the outcome before that process is complete, but we also should not minimize what residents can plainly see in the video,” she said.

Councilmember Johnathan Ryan Hernandez outlined four demands, beginning with a call for Orange County District Attorney Todd Spitzer to dismiss what Hernandez described as “bogus charges” against Lopez.

Hernandez disputed the cannabis allegation and called on prosecutors to investigate the officers involved for potential criminal wrongdoing.

He also demanded that allegations of police misconduct be investigated independently rather than internally and urged the city to release officers' identities and body-worn camera footage.

“When there is misconduct, police should not investigate police,” Hernandez said.

Hernandez apologized to Florentino Lopez “on behalf of the Santa Ana community” and said residents should not be subjected to police brutality.

The criminal charges against Lopez remain pending. He has pleaded not guilty.

Councilmember Phil Bacerra urged residents to await the independent investigation before drawing conclusions about the officers' conduct.

“The video definitely raised some serious concerns for me, but I'm gonna resist the temptation to make declarations about the situation until the independent investigation is complete,” Bacerra said.

He said officers should face appropriate consequences if investigators determine they violated department policy governing the reasonable use of force.

Councilmember Thai Viet Phan addressed residents demanding that the officers be fired, explaining that California's Public Safety Officers Procedural Bill of Rights Act establishes procedures cities must follow when investigating and disciplining peace officers.

Phan, who also works as a city attorney, said she supports terminating officers who violate policy but warned that disregarding state law could result in reinstatement, back pay and lawsuits against the city.

“If we want to hold wrongdoers accountable, we have to follow the process,” Phan said.

She also called for changes to state law, improvements to department procedures and prompt disclosure of records when legally required.

Councilmembers have viewed body-camera footage

Mayor Pro Tem David Penaloza disclosed that councilmembers had already viewed body-worn camera footage of the arrest in addition to the cellphone recording circulating publicly.

“The video on social media, as well as the body cam footage that we all saw, at least we did up here. It was disturbing and disappointing,” Penaloza said.

He urged city officials to complete the investigation promptly and alert the council if funding or other obstacles threatened delays.

Mayor Valerie Amezcua likewise acknowledged that the investigations would take time but warned against allowing them to continue for years.

“It is not going to happen overnight. We know that, but it shouldn’t also take five years or three years,” Amezcua said.

The body-camera footage viewed by councilmembers has not been publicly released, and the timeline for its disclosure remains unclear.

The council unanimously directed the city to release the officers' names and related body-camera, audio and video recordings if officials legally determine that Lopez suffered great bodily injury as a result of the use of force.

That directive did not order the records released immediately.