Santa Ana mayor shares updated policy to address homelessness, saying "it's inhumane" to leave people unsheltered

The mayor of Santa Ana took to social media this week to share the latest homeless outreach and enforcement efforts in the city, where the unhoused either accept services that include shelter and help with addiction or go to jail.

Mayor Valerie Amezcua said in a TikTok post that several agencies partner each month to work with the unhoused.  She said this week that about 80 to 100 people were picked up, provided services, and offered shelter.  

Orange County passed its anti-camping ordinance last November, and the City of Santa Ana continues to address homelessness to "improve quality of life."

"We're offering them services, whether it's detox, a shelter program, and if they refuse all the services, then they end up going to jail," Amezcua said. "Because Santa Ana deserves a good quality of life, just like all the other cities around us."

The tougher rules follow the US Supreme Court's 2024 ruling, allowing municipalities to ban camping or sleeping on public property when shelter beds are available.

Police say their numbers show that fewer people are living on the streets. The point-in-time count in 2024 was 871 unsheltered citywide. That dropped to 714 people in 2026.  In Tuesday's operation to clear the homeless from public areas, 69 were jailed, 11 accepted placement at shelters, and one agreed to be reunified with family. 

Restaurant owner Charlie Cosmas said at one point, things were so bad, he thought about moving Charlie's Best Burgers to another city. He said around 20 to 30 people would hang out along First Street near his restaurant, and the mayor helped change that.

"And I see a tremendous difference. I would say at least 80% difference just in the last two months," Cosmas said. "I'm very, very thankful because we were literally on our way out."

Mercedes Lievanos chose a bed in a shelter instead of jail. "(I'm going to) focus on getting my life back, gonna try," she said.

"Because it's very important that you can walk the streets, drive around, and just raise your family here without seeing all the stuff that's going on around our city with the unhoused," Amezcua said.

There are two Quality of Life teams that circulate throughout the city, seven days a week.