Shimell: The City is ahead of its RHNA targets for new housing construction. That gives us the opportunity to be strategic with what housing projects we approve as a city. We should not be developing land into additional luxury developments, and should instead incentivize construction of good buildings comprised of truly affordable units.

We can do this by identifying vacant lots or unused or underused properties near parks and public transportation, and working with reasonable developers to find ways to streamline permitting and approval of qualifying projects. I would also direct City staff to identify reasonable options for the City to either provide financial incentives for such developments or act as a market participant to reach our affordable housing objectives.

Last, I would revisit the existing in-lieu fee system to ensure that it remains appropriately structured to achieve its stated objective of increasing the affordable housing inventory. For example, if that data suggest the fee rates should be adjusted, or a cap placed on the number of units that can be rented at other than low-to-moderate rates through the use of in-lieu fee payments, then we will explore those options.

If so, do you believe the City has sufficient water and infrastructure to support them without increasing water rates or reducing water reliability for residents and existing businesses? If a AI data center were proposed, what requirements would you impose on its water use and wastewater discharge?

Shimell: No. As the water utility provider, the City's priority must be to ensure that its residents have adequate access to safe drinking water. Large AI data centers jeopardize this, especially given the city's dependence on wells and the effects of climate change. Under no circumstances should our residents bear the cost of rate increases associated with data center utility usage - including water and electricity.

Correction: The questionnaire originally stated that Buena Park had opted to use AI to handle emergency calls. The program involves certain non-emergency calls. The response below was submitted in response to the original wording of the question and is published as submitted. We regret the error.

Shimell: No. AI gets things wrong all the time and is not a reliable means of understanding dynamic emergency situations and dispatching the appropriate first responders.

This question does not ask you to simply weigh the perceived pros and cons of ALPRs. Please clearly state your position and cite data or evidence that supports it.

Shimell: I think AI-backed, fixed ALPRs and similar surveillance technology have no place in Santa Ana. The misuse of such technology we have seen nationwide, and the reporting we have seen on unlawful transmission of City ALPR data to federal agencies on seven occasions, speaks to the intrusiveness of this technology into our daily lives and the risks such data collection poses to our residents.

They may be a useful tool for enforcement, but the risks associated with the collection and maintenance of such a large volume of data outweighs any benefit that may obtain from it.

Editor’s Note: Reporting by Ben Camacho for Inadvertent found that a regional intelligence center conducted searches accessing Santa Ana’s Flock ALPR network on behalf of federal and out-of-state agencies. The records identified at least seven federal agencies associated with the searches, rather than seven individual instances of data sharing.

Shimell: Key City documents like the budget should be translated into languages other than English so our residents can effectively review and participate in the process. As noted elsewhere, notices should also be pushed out using the MySantaAna app and various social media platforms.

Shimell: Propose and vote to enact ordinances and policies to govern the City's response in the eventuality of further ICE raids.

Shimell: Inadequate notice has been a common complaint from people I've spoken with city-wide. This is true for a variety of projects, not just traffic and sidewalks.

We need to be leveraging free tools like social media and existing technology like the MySantaAna app to ensure as many people as possible are notified of projects proposed in their area. Special emphasis needs to be placed on ensuring that renters—not just landlords—receive notice of projects.

I also think we should be investing in our City work force to support our workers in completing public works projects as quickly and efficiently as possible. To the extent the City contracts out, we should be building various incentives into our contracts to ensure projects are completed on schedule and on budget.

Shimell: Leveraging existing technology like the Santa Ana app and social media to push out notice of hearings and provide links to agendas, minutes, and meeting videos can increase public participation across the board, especially among younger Santaneros. This can be done at little to no cost. I would also support partnering with SAUSD to have certain City meetings held at schools 2-4 times per year to make local government more accessible to our students.

Posting notices and copies of key documents like the Zoning Update, Budget, and Budget summary at City-run Senior Centers, and providing copies to privately-run senior centers could further drive engagement from seniors.

Note: This question is not asking to solely identify or list the underlying causes of gang violence. Please focus your response on the actions you would take if elected.

Shimell: Keeping our youth engaged outside of school may be the single most important thing we can do address gang violence. I think a lot of the policies I've discussed elsewhere will have an impact on this.

Providing good public spaces for sports, including but not limited to soccer, can help keep our youth engaged in a positive way. We should also work with our schools to explore sharing resources to maximize community access to sports facilities.

More libraries will give our students safe space to study outside of their homes. Gang-specialist units within SAPD can continue to be an important resource, but as we have seen enforcement-only solutions don't work.

What, if anything, would you encourage the City to change about the current process? Is part of your solution to build more parks? If so, how will that be paid for given budget difficulties?

Shimell: I do not. People I've spoken with have told me of excessive fees to reserve park space, and that these fees sometimes lead to people choosing not to make reservations at all.

As for sports, and particularly youth sports, we have too few publicly accessible soccer goals and basketball nets, and there has been a push for near-monopoly reservations by private leagues. I don't think we necessarily need more parks, but we do need to invest in our city workforce to ensure they have the resources needed to install goals and nets, and to keep park lighting and bathrooms well maintained and clean.

Shimell: We need to be offering services, and focus on solutions we know work. Pre-homelessness interventions to keep people housed and early interventions for people who have only recently become unhoused should be priorities, as well as measures to get people placed into the Navigation center or another shelter. Mass arrests and clearing out encampments do not solve the issue.

Note: This question asks you to evaluate your individual response before and during the June 2025 immigration enforcement actions.

Shimell: I joined protests in June 2025 and was a vocal critic of DHS and the Trump administration. I also attended the June 17 City Council meeting at which the community aired its grievances about the raids and the City's response.

In retrospect, I could have done more as a private citizen by engaging with local community groups to provide support.

Shimell: Definitely not sufficient. Rather than find ways to use City resources to protect Santa Ana residents, our government deployed our Police Department to break up a protest. That was an inexcusable error that compounded the fear already in the community, and exacerbated historic mistrust of our Police Department and City government more broadly.

The Mayor and others on council have failed to act since then to prepare for future large-scale ICE raids and set City policy on how our various departments are to respond.

We need a response plan in place now, and I will look to lead on that and the best ways to deploy city resources to protect our residents, in collaboration with our schools, places of worship, and other stakeholders.

Future plans or general statements of support does not answer this question.

Shimell: I've indirectly supported Santa Ana immigrants by serving as part of a legal team challenging the so-called Migrant Protection Protocols from the first Trump administration, which were re-implemented in January 2025. At a time when the Trump administration was threatening lawyers and law firms who took on cases or clients that were opposed to his policy objectives, I argued for and won a key motion to stay the reimplementation of this policy in March 2025.

Note for the second part of this question, you must select one of three options only and explain why.

Shimell: ICE should be abolished. This agency is hopelessly compromised, as we've seen over the last two years. Anyone who joined ICE since November 2024 should be barred from serving in any state or federal law enforcement agency. Any successor agency should be organized under the Department of Justice or Department of State - not Homeland Security.

Shimell: I think that higher level of accountability is justified on matters of agenda-setting on policy, leading on the annual budget, in official City messaging, and in matters of crisis response. I think it is unwarranted in routine operational matters and in certain personnel matters that are ordinarily within the purview of the City Manager. To be sure, the Mayor can and should be expected to exert influence—though not outright control—over the City Manager on matters of City-wide concern.

Identify specific services or spending you would reduce, revenues you would pursue, or other actions you would take to balance the budget.

Shimell: A $30 million shortfall in 2029 will be difficult to plan for at this stage, but not impossible. Cuts will need to be made, and every City department will be impacted. In making cuts, I will work to ensure that any cuts are implemented equitably so that no one department is disparately impacted.

Specific budget items I would look to cut include existing and any contemplated future contracts related fixed ALPRs and other means of mass surveillance. I would look to cancel such contracts regardless of Measure N's outcome.

As noted elsewhere, we should also be looking to draw consumers from outside Santa Ana to shop, dine, and stay here to generate additional revenue. As much as I would like to keep our hourly downtown parking rates where they are, an upward adjustment to these could help make up the budget shortfall.

What role should Santa Ana’s Police Oversight Commission have, and would you expand, limit or maintain its current authority? Be specific.

Shimell: Lack of public trust in police has been a longstanding issue in Santa Ana. Given the number of recent, highly publicized incidents of police-related deaths, I believe the concern is entirely justified. That's why the Police Oversight Commission is such an important body. It needs to have the resources and full access to information necessary to review complaints of misconduct and make recommendations.

I would support amending the City charter to expand the Oversight Commission's access to Police Officer personnel files, on a confidential basis, to at least the same extent as a defendant in a criminal proceeding would have access to such records.

Note: Weighing the pros and cons of permit parking is not an answer to this question.

Shimell: I'd advocate for completing a citywide residential parking inventory. My understanding—and please correct me if I'm wrong—is that the City contracted with Dixon Resources Unlimited in 2022 for a Citywide Parking Study, but to date I am not aware of the final results of that study being published.

If it hasn't been completed, I would want full accountability as to why, push for its completion and release as soon as possible, and at a minimum get the data that's been collected so far.

Once we have the Citywide data, we can identify residential hotspots and look for site specific solutions. I think we do need residential parking permits in chronically impacted areas, but I'd want to ensure fees for these permits are not being used as a source of revenue, and are set low enough so as not to provide a meaningful barrier to parking.

What additional transit services or changes, if any, should the City pursue or advocate for with OCTA to accommodate increased transportation needs during the Olympics and other major events?

Shimell: Near-term improvements will need to work within existing infrastructure. That means working with OCTA to ensure enough bus routes are running through the city, and that sufficient busses are being put through these routes at key transit times to serve the needs of our neighborhoods.

I plan to bring a more collaborative approach to working with the County and other neighboring agencies than we have seen from the incumbent, which should facilitate collaboration and cooperation with OCTA on public transportation issues.

If elected, what would you propose to the Council on this specifically?

Shimell: Yes. At a minimum the definition of "new construction" should not be tied to a fixed date in 1995—a 30 year old building is not new construction. If we continue with a Costa-Hawkins type framework, applicability of rent control should be tied to the age of a specific building, and should be set at a reasonable number.

Shimell: I would support the creation of a system capable of receiving public requests from multiple sources—email, text, or through the MySantaAna App—and directing those requests to both the relevant department or departments (e.g., Parks, Public Works) and to the office of the Councilmember for the ward at issue.

That will create duplicate review which should reduce the incidence of requests going unanswered. Longer-term projects should include automated calendar reminders to relevant departments to encourage periodic review until a project is completed.

Shimell: We should be looking for ways to bring visitors into Santa Ana to shop, dine, and stay as hotel guests. We have a great city already—let's flip the script on how others perceive Santa Ana to bring in revenue that both supports local jobs and doesn't take money out of the pockets of our residents.

As an attorney who has traveled for trial, I know the value of having a decent hotel within walking distance of the courthouse. We have both state and federal courts in Santa Ana, but no hotels with adequate facilities to support traveling trial teams.

With the number of vacant lots and unused or underused commercial buildings within the greater downtown area, that seems to be an opportunity to bring in outside revenue that would support local jobs and generate city revenue in the form of transient occupancy tax.

Shimell: I would adhere to the City Code of Ethics. As an attorney, I am used to rules and standards governing conflicts of interests. If faced with a vote in which I would have a direct, pecuniary interest, I would disclose the conflict and, if material, recuse myself from the vote. I would also consult with and follow the advice of the City Attorney.

Shimell: I do think that perception still exists. It's unjustified, but it is out there on social media and elsewhere. As an elected official, I will work to change that perception by prioritizing events like Chicano Heritage Festival, the Art Walk, and Fiestas Patrias to bring people from all over the county into Santa Ana to showcase the community, culture, and local businesses that make this city so special.

We can also work to change the external narrative by de-sensationalizing the way in which elected officials and other city leaders discuss public safety. I think that external perception shift has to start from within, with a recognition that we have a lot to be proud of as Santa Ana.

Shimell: I think yes for commercial properties. A large empty building doesn't help anyone, and can contribute to public safety concerns.

A vacancy tax would incentive commercial property owners to either sell unused properties or put them to work in a manner consistent with the general plan and zoning code. Exceptions would include cases of rebuilding or refurbishing following a disaster (e.g., fire, flood) or the advent of another pandemic.

What more, if anything, should the City do to expand students’ access to studying spaces, programs, and resources outside of school?

Shimell: We need more libraries. That's a fact. One library for every 100,000+ residents is not enough. Additional libraries would both support the general public and provide quiet spaces for students to study outside of school facilities.

I would look to collaborate with our School District and our educators informally, as well as explore the creation of an appropriate commission or other formal body to keep the channels of communication open. For too long we have seen petty personal differences get in the way of the City working with our Schools. I will work to change that.

Why or why not, and what concerns, if any, do you have about how this designation could affect these communities in future land-use or redevelopment decisions? What protections are or ought to be in place if residents are asked to leave due to redevelopment?

Shimell: My understanding is that relocation assistance is required under the City's just cause eviction ordinance. That ordinance should be enforced, including in the situation described above. If I understand the question correctly, I believe the terminology is accurate, in that a change in the zoning code will not cause existing uses to change, or force any existing multifamily communities to close and displace their residents.

I am concerned that, in the event of a redevelopment of the existing communities, those residents may lose access to housing in the City unless adequate affordable housing opportunities exist and have vacancies elsewhere in the city, in areas that are equally or less impacted by noise and other environmental factors identified in CAL EPA data collection for disadvantaged communities. The general plan includes a commitment to environmental justice—that needs to be adequately considered.

Shimell: Yes, depending on the country and the nature and scope of the aid. For example I support humanitarian and financial aid directed at countries experiencing food or medical scarcity. I support continued aid to Ukraine. I do not support continuing military aid to Israel.

Shimell: Conservative estimates place the death toll at ~74,000 in Gaza, and another ~1,600 in the West Bank. The Israeli government has interdicted food and medical aid. Journalists have been killed in the streets. Civilian infrastructure and hospitals have been bombed. These persistent and sustained actions are actions consistent with an intent to kill or displace the Palestinian people, and I can therefore find no word other than genocidal to accurately describe them.

Shimell: City elected officials have a platform to advocate for change beyond their immediate powers to implement. I think it is appropriate for City officials to write letters or pass resolutions in support or opposition to policies that impact a substantial part of the city's residents or businesses.

Shimell: To a degree, yes. I think some newer developments and landlords have priced-out existing residents or businesses. So far, I think development has largely preserved the overall character of the City, but we need to be mindful of that character as the City continues to grow and develop.

Shimell: Red pozole.

Shimell: Lomo saltado.

Shimell: Taurus (Apr 21 - May 20)

Editor's Note: If the selected place, its owner, or business has donated to or endorsed your campaign, an editorial note will disclose that relationship.

Shimell: Lola Gaspar (211 W 2nd St, Santa Ana, CA 92701) has been a staple for years. The aguachile on their new menu is outstanding.

Shimell: The people, community, and culture.

Shimell: I'm not a career politician. I didn't plan to be here. I'm running because I see areas where our current leadership has let us down as a city. I want to change that, and my experience as an attorney has given me the tools to be a good an effective Mayor of Santa Ana.