Community Development Agency
www.santa-ana.org/cd
Item # 7
City of Santa Ana
20 Civic Center Plaza, Santa Ana, CA 92701
Staff Report
January 20, 2026
TOPIC: Appointments to the Santa Ana Workforce Development Board
AGENDA TITLE
Appoint Members to the Santa Ana Workforce Development Board
RECOMMENDED ACTION
Appoint the following individuals to the Santa Ana Workforce Development Board: Kathy Jumper (replacing Darren Rutledge) for a partial four-year term expiring May 31, 2028, Christine Martinez (replacing Maria Rosa Lopez) for a partial four-year term expiring May 31, 2028, and Dr. Lorraine Perez for a partial four-year term expiring May 31, 2026.
GOVERNMENT CODE §84308 APPLIES: No
DISCUSSION
On May 17, 2016, the City Council of the City of Santa Ana (City) adopted Resolution 2016-031 establishing the Santa Ana Workforce Development Board (WDB) and appointed 25 members. The WDB works in partnership with the City Council to provide workforce policy input and guidance for the City’s workforce system to meet the employment and labor needs of residents and businesses pursuant to the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) of 2014. Per WIOA Section 107(b)(2)(A-D), a local WDB board will consist of representatives from specific membership categories, with the number of members in each category proportionally determined based on total membership. Additionally, federal law requires that more than 50% of the board consist of representatives from the local business sector.
WDB Board members are appointed by City Council in the following categories prescribed by law:
Local business representatives 13 members
Labor representatives (including labor organizations, 5 members registered apprenticeship programs, and/or community-
based organizations)
Local education institution representatives 3 members
Government entity representatives 4 members
(Dept. of Rehabilitation, Social Services Agency,
EDD, and Economic Development)
Appointments to the Santa Ana Workforce Development Board January 20, 2026
5 5
0 5
The City Clerk’s Office maintains a public roster of members and posts notices of vacancies. As part of the internal process for identifying and selecting qualified business representatives, staff collaborates with the City’s Economic Development Division and the local Chamber of Commerce. Staff then engages directly with prospective business representatives to confirm their interest in serving, their level of organizational decision- making authority, and their industry expertise. In accordance with WIOA regulations, private sector representatives must hold substantial decision-making authority within their organizations and demonstrate relevant industry knowledge. For non–private sector seats on the Workforce Development Board, nominations are submitted by the designated oversight organization representing the applicable category.
The WDB currently has vacancies in the local business, labor, and education categories and the following individuals are recommended for appointment:
Ms. Kathy Jumper, President and Chief Executive Officer of Orange County’s Credit Union, is recommended for appointment as a local business representative for a partial term expiring May 31, 2028. Ms. Jumper will replace Darren Rutledge, who resigned due to a change in employment (Exhibit 1).
Ms. Christine Martinez, Workforce Coordinator with United Food and Commercial Workers Local 324, is recommended for appointment as a labor representative for a partial term expiring May 31, 2028. Ms. Martinez will replace Maria Rosa Lopez, who retired (Exhibit 2).
Dr. Lorraine Perez, Superintendent of Schools for the Santa Ana Unified School District, is recommended for appointment as an education representative for a partial term expiring May 31, 2026. Dr. Perez will represent local K–12 education and the implementation of Career Technical Education programs for students (Exhibit 3).
All recommended appointees have expressed interest in serving and contributing their expertise from their respective fields to the WDB.
FISCAL IMPACT
There is no fiscal impact associated with this item.
EXHIBIT(S)
1. Resume – Kathy Jumper, Local Business Representative
2. Resume – Christine Martinez. Labor Representative
3. Biography – Dr. Lorraine Perez, Education Representative Submitted By: Michael L. Garcia, Executive Director of Community Development Approved By: Alvaro Nuñez, City Manager