BRISTOL/McFADDEN — Santa Ana Police will host its annual shutdown-of-the-streets-to-deter-cruisers enforcement on Easter Sunday.
Beginning at noon Sunday, four major road arteries to be closed to traffic. These include:
- Bristol from Sunflower to 17th
- Main from Dyer to 17th
- Edinger from Main to Raitt
- Harbor from Edinger to 17th
- 4th Street from ? to ?
- Lacy Street from ? to ?
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Transit app, the unofficial OCTA bus live viewmap app. Shows where the bus is, when it's expected to arrive, and if there's detours, it'll still get you where you need to go. [Not an Ad]
Bus riders can expect bus stops to be closed for the listed streets (above), detours and major delays for the following routes:
- Route 57 (Bristol)
- Route 53 (Main)
- Route 70 (Edinger)
- Route 43 (Harbor)
- Route 55 (Bristol/Main)
- Route 66 (McFadden)
- Route 64 (First)
🚌
Download the
Transit app, the unofficial OCTA bus live viewmap app. Shows where the bus is, when it's expected to arrive, and if there's detours, it'll still get you where you need to go. [Not an Ad]
SAPD initially began closing streets on Easter Sunday decades ago during the peak of gang activity and related crime to “address the large gatherings and cruising activity,” according to Public Information Officer Natalie Garcia.
Today, the department’s goal to encourage is to deter people from lawbreaking, especially traffic rules. However, critics say it’s not “anti-cruising enforcement," but rather an anti-Easter event.
Last Easter, Araceli and a few other churchgoers at Immaculate Heart of Mary were left stranded in the rain after attending mass.
"Whoever made this decision obviously didn't think of the consequences," Araceli said. "Lack of consideration on all parts. There's people on wheelchairs that want to attend Easter mass and they can't get to church on their own. If Amezcua is really about the people, she should be worried about how PD's actions affects us."
In 2024, while raining most of Easter Sunday, road closures were planned to take effect at noon, but OCTA made detour plans effective all day–including the early morning hours, which was not announced by Santa Ana Police or OCTA, nor was a push notification sent via social media or app.
Instead, yellow papers were zip-tied to bus stop poles overnight, providing maps on where the detours were taking place. Still, dozens of riders were left unaware, uninformed, and unprepared for a sudden loss of public transportation on one of the most important Sundays of the Gregorian calendar.
Garcia said that the department's traffic division "regularly" coordinates with OCTA on their operations. However, a number as to how much time in between the heads-up and operation was not provided.
Concerns regarding overtime payout
The police budget accounts for a large chuck of the annual budget and a decent percentage of that budget goes towards paying officers’ salaries–including overtime–which racks up heavily on Easter.
During a city council meeting held last year over the annual budget, several Councilmembers and Mayor Amezcua were concerned at the rate of overtime at the police department.
The Santanero has filed a public records request that seeks to view operation costs and overtime amounts paid out over the last 10 Easter Sundays.
Isn't lowrider cruising legal?
Despite AB436 in effect, which decriminalized lowrider cruising in California, Santa Ana Police will continue their decade-old tradition of road closures and doesn’t seem to sunset anytime soon.
“While the road closures continue as a preventative measure, SAPD works closely with residents and community partners to encourage safe, family-friendly gatherings and reduce the potential for unlawful behavior,” Garcia said. “It's about balancing tradition with safety and adapting strategies to meet the current needs of our community.”
What now?
As for mass-goers, egg hunters, and everyone in between, expect to leave an hour or two earlier if you plan to travel through the city Easter Sunday.
🐣
Happy Easter from all of us at The Santanero
BRISTOL/McFADDEN — Santa Ana Police will host its annual shutdown-of-the-streets-to-deter-cruisers enforcement on Easter Sunday.
Beginning at noon Sunday, four major road arteries to be closed to traffic. These include:
Bus riders can expect bus stops to be closed for the listed streets (above), detours and major delays for the following routes:
SAPD initially began closing streets on Easter Sunday decades ago during the peak of gang activity and related crime to “address the large gatherings and cruising activity,” according to Public Information Officer Natalie Garcia.
Today, the department’s goal to encourage is to deter people from lawbreaking, especially traffic rules. However, critics say it’s not “anti-cruising enforcement," but rather an anti-Easter event.
Last Easter, Araceli and a few other churchgoers at Immaculate Heart of Mary were left stranded in the rain after attending mass.
"Whoever made this decision obviously didn't think of the consequences," Araceli said. "Lack of consideration on all parts. There's people on wheelchairs that want to attend Easter mass and they can't get to church on their own. If Amezcua is really about the people, she should be worried about how PD's actions affects us."
In 2024, while raining most of Easter Sunday, road closures were planned to take effect at noon, but OCTA made detour plans effective all day–including the early morning hours, which was not announced by Santa Ana Police or OCTA, nor was a push notification sent via social media or app.
Instead, yellow papers were zip-tied to bus stop poles overnight, providing maps on where the detours were taking place. Still, dozens of riders were left unaware, uninformed, and unprepared for a sudden loss of public transportation on one of the most important Sundays of the Gregorian calendar.
Garcia said that the department's traffic division "regularly" coordinates with OCTA on their operations. However, a number as to how much time in between the heads-up and operation was not provided.
Concerns regarding overtime payout
The police budget accounts for a large chuck of the annual budget and a decent percentage of that budget goes towards paying officers’ salaries–including overtime–which racks up heavily on Easter.
During a city council meeting held last year over the annual budget, several Councilmembers and Mayor Amezcua were concerned at the rate of overtime at the police department.
The Santanero has filed a public records request that seeks to view operation costs and overtime amounts paid out over the last 10 Easter Sundays.
Isn't lowrider cruising legal?
Despite AB436 in effect, which decriminalized lowrider cruising in California, Santa Ana Police will continue their decade-old tradition of road closures and doesn’t seem to sunset anytime soon.
“While the road closures continue as a preventative measure, SAPD works closely with residents and community partners to encourage safe, family-friendly gatherings and reduce the potential for unlawful behavior,” Garcia said. “It's about balancing tradition with safety and adapting strategies to meet the current needs of our community.”
What now?
As for mass-goers, egg hunters, and everyone in between, expect to leave an hour or two earlier if you plan to travel through the city Easter Sunday.
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