Santa Ana authorizes probe after police beating video

Santa Ana City Council members unanimously authorized an independent investigation after a viral video showed police officers throwing a man onto a street and punching him in the head during an arrest, according to Voice of OC.

The action was one of several major Orange County local government developments reported by Voice of OC, spanning public safety, surveillance, labor negotiations, elections and severe-weather preparation.

Voice of OC reported that the Santa Ana City Council voted unanimously to authorize an outside review after residents and activists raised concerns about the recorded arrest. The video showed two officers with a man bent over the hood of a police cruiser before he was thrown to the street and punched in the head, according to the publication.

In Fullerton, city officials temporarily stopped using automatic license plate readers and placed a six-month pause on Flock cameras, Voice of OC reported. The pause came amid broader concerns about surveillance and local oversight.

The publication also reported that Anaheim Mayor Ashleigh Aitken said she had a drinking problem that led to rehab while denying allegations that she made racist and homophobic remarks.

On elections, Voice of OC reported that OC Registrar of Voters Bob Page outlined security measures and said voting software is not connected to the internet. Voice of OC Publisher and Editor in Chief Norberto Santana Jr. is also scheduled to moderate city council candidate debates in Costa Mesa, Irvine and Santa Ana, while the publication is publishing daily questionnaires from OC Board of Supervisors candidates through Oct. 20.

The roundup included several other countywide developments. California’s Democratic Party put more than $650,000 into an Orange County coastal Assembly race between Gracey Van Der Mark and Chris Kluwe, Kluwe held a nearly three-to-one fundraising advantage, nearly 450 Orange County workers represented by the Teamsters were set to strike, Orange lowered speed limits on roads including Katella Avenue and Main Street, Laguna Beach prepared for a possible super El Niño, and Garden Grove authorized a hotel worker panic-button mandate, Voice of OC reported.

Voice of OC also reported that Laguna Beach is preparing for high surf, rain and coastal flooding from a possible super El Niño and that Garden Grove moved ahead with panic buttons for hotel workers.