Planning & Building Agency
www.santa-ana.org/pb
Item # 6
City of Santa Ana
20 Civic Center Plaza, Santa Ana, CA 92701
Staff Report
October 7, 2025
TOPIC: Public Facilities Naming No. 2025-02 - Naming of the Santa Ana Police Athletic & Activity League (PAAL) Center at 2627 W. McFadden Avenue Pursuant to SAMC Section 33-8
AGENDA TITLE
Public Facilities Naming No. 2025-02 - Naming of the Santa Ana Police Athletic & Activity League (PAAL) Center at 2627 W. McFadden Avenue Pursuant to SAMC Section 33-8
RECOMMENDED ACTION
Affirm the Planning Commission’s adoption of a resolution approving Public Facilities No. 2025-02 naming the Santa Ana Police Athletic & Activity League (PAAL) Center at 2627 West McFadden Avenue as the Jose Vargas PAAL Center.
GOVERNMENT CODE §84308 APPLIES: No
DISCUSSION
At its regular meeting on August 19, 2025, the City Council directed the City Manager to initiate the process of naming the Santa Ana PAAL Center, located at 2627 West McFadden Avenue, as the “Jose Vargas PAAL Center”.
On September 8, 2025, the Planning Commission considered and adopted a Resolution approving Public Facilities Naming (PFN) No. 2025-02, naming the Santa Ana PAAL Center, located at 2627 West McFadden Avenue, as the “Jose Vargas PAAL Center” by a vote of 5-0, with two members absent.
Pursuant to Section 33-6 of the Santa Ana Municipal Code (SAMC), all requests for the naming or renaming of public facilities shall be referred to the Planning Commission for determination, considering certain policy guidelines. Section 33-6(c) sets out the guidelines as follows:
“(c) Names which achieve any of the following purposes should be promoted:
(1) A name which serves to identify the location of the subject by reference to distinct geographic, environmental or development features in the immediate area.
(2) A name which references the history of the subject site or its immediate area.
PFN No. 2025-02 for Jose Vargas PAAL Center (2627 W. McFadden Avenue) October 7, 2025
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(3) A name which identifies a person or family which made an extraordinary donation of land or funds to promote the construction or improvement of the subject public facility.
(4) A name which recognizes a person or family who made a distinct, significant contribution to the well-being of the city, including past mayors, council members, board or commission members, officers or employees of the city, but not anyone who currently holds any such position.”
Further, Section 33-8 provides that the City Council may affirm the Planning Commission’s decision, remand the matter back to the Planning Commission for further consideration, or make its own decision on the matter.
With respect to the naming approved by the Planning Commission, Jose Vargas (1936– 2013) was a trailblazing law enforcement officer and community leader whose career spanned over three decades in Orange County. Born in San Martin Hidalgo, Mexico, Vargas immigrated to the United States at age 15, working as a garbage collector while learning English and eventually becoming a United States citizen in 1969.
He began his law enforcement career with the Stanton Police Department and, in 1975, joined the Santa Ana Police Department, becoming the department’s first Hispanic Affairs Officer. In this role, Vargas was the cornerstone of Santa Ana’s early community policing program, forging deep trust between the department and the city’s growing Latino population. He was recognized nationally by the International Association of Chiefs of Police as one of the country’s outstanding officers.
Vargas’ impact extended beyond his police work. Following his retirement in 1997, he hosted the Spanish-language cable show “Que Pasa Con Jose Vargas”, which provided vital information to immigrant families on civil rights, public safety, domestic violence prevention, and job opportunities.
Throughout his life, Vargas championed respect, understanding, and opportunity for all residents, often taking in individuals in need and mentoring countless youth. His dedication to bridging cultures and promoting public trust made him one of the most respected figures in Santa Ana’s history.
Naming of the PAAL Center as the Jose Vargas PAAL Center would recognize a person who made a distinct, significant contribution to the well-being of the City, in accordance with the guidelines contained at Section 33-6(c)(4).
ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT
This action is not subject to the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) pursuant to sections 15060(c)(2) and 15060(c)(3) of the State CEQA Guidelines because the naming of a public facility will not result in a direct or reasonably foreseeable indirect physical change in the environment, as there is no possibility it will have a significant effect on the environment and is not a “project,” as defined in section 15378 of the State CEQA Guidelines. Furthermore, the action falls within the “common sense” CEQA exemption PFN No. 2025-02 for Jose Vargas PAAL Center (2627 W. McFadden Avenue) October 7, 2025
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set forth in CEQA Guidelines section 15061(b)(3), excluding projects where “it can be seen with certainty that there is no possibility that the activity in question may have a significant effect on the environment.”
FISCAL IMPACT
There is no fiscal impact associated with this action.
EXHIBIT
1. Resolution adopting PFN No. 2025-02
Submitted By: Ali Pezeshkpour, AICP, Executive Director, Planning and Building Agency
Approved By: Alvaro Nuñez, City Manager