COMMUNITY
OUTREACH
SUMMARY
Santa Ana First Street Multimodal Study
August 2025 – January 2026
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Contents
Executive Summary ................................................................................................................ 3 Background ............................................................................................................................ 8 Purpose and Engagement Goals ............................................................................................ 9 Study Audiences .................................................................................................................... 9 Equitable Engagement .......................................................................................................10 Strategy and Methodology .....................................................................................................12 Community and Stakeholder Activities, Tools, and Tactics ....................................................12 Stakeholder Engagement Activities ....................................................................................12 Outreach Tools ..................................................................................................................30 Key Outcomes and Community Input ....................................................................................41 Achievements ....................................................................................................................41 Challenges and Lessons Learned .........................................................................................42 Lessons Learned ...............................................................................................................42 Next Steps and Recommendations .......................................................................................43 Recommendations .............................................................................................................43 APPENDIX A: Community Workshop Series .........................................................................44 Community Workshop Series 1 ..........................................................................................44 Community Workshop Series 2 ..........................................................................................54 Community Workshop Series 3 ..........................................................................................75 APPENDIX B: Pop-up Events ................................................................................................81 APPENDIX C: Website Metrics..............................................................................................86 APPENDIX D: Educational Materials .....................................................................................88 APPENDIX E: Equity Framework Technical Memorandum ....................................................90
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Executive Summary
From August 2025 through January 2026, the City of Santa Ana, together with HDR, Costin Public Outreach Group, Inc., and Cityworks Design, launched a comprehensive multilingual outreach campaign (campaign) for Santa Ana's First Street Multimodal Boulevard Study (Study).
Through a range of in-person and digital tools and tactics, they reached over 1,100 community members in six months. The Study covers a 3-mile corridor on First Street, a major east-west arterial. The study area extends from Bristol Street on the west to Tustin Avenue on the east, and is a key route for people driving, walking, biking, and riding Orange County Transportation Authority's (OCTA) high-ridership bus Route 64.
The campaign aimed to promote a collaborative process in which the existing conditions, public input, technical analysis, and preference survey were meaningfully integrated into design concepts. Gathering input from, informing, and educating people who travel, work, and live along the corridor was instrumental throughout the Study.
These efforts guided the creation of eight design options, which later evolved into three design concepts presented to the City Council in February 2026, each reflecting community priorities. This transparent and inclusive approach presented an opportunity to educate residents about road safety, elevate diverse community voices, and promote equitable participation in shaping the future of multimodal travel along First Street (Figure 1).
Figure 1: Community members review project boards on display at the City’s Chicano Heritage Festival on Aug. 24, 2025.
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The campaign combined in-person and digital engagement activities in English, Spanish, and Vietnamese to reach as many community members as possible, including:
• Hosting community workshops.
• Attending and disseminating information at local events. • Visiting local businesses to inform them about the Study and inviting them to participate and share feedback at upcoming events.
• Presenting at various neighborhood association meetings. • Conducting in-person surveys at a local school to collect feedback. • Partnering with community-based organizations (CBOs). • Engaging in open dialogue with local stakeholders such as the City Council, OCTA, and the California Department of Transportation (Caltrans).
Digital activities included virtual community meetings, online surveys, and multilingual informational videos explaining design options. A dedicated Study website served as an ongoing resource for the community, providing background information, goals and objectives, public insights received at workshops that informed design development, an overview of multimodal benefits, options to share feedback, and an email registration opportunity to stay informed.
Throughout the Study, feedback was continuously received and thoughtfully considered (Figure 2). As expected, responses varied, and while some participants expressed satisfaction with the direction and outcomes, others raised concerns. Some common themes were:
• Traffic congestion: This includes concerns that reducing vehicle lanes would worsen traffic congestion, increase commute times, create safety hazards, and negatively impact daily life for drivers, families, seniors, and emergency vehicles. • Lane preservation: This includes the desire to preserve the existing number of lanes, as well as the need to expand current sidewalks and include more amenities such as dedicated bus lanes or shade trees.
• Bike lane usage: This includes the belief that bike lanes are underutilized and do not reflect how residents primarily travel (by car) and that First Street should work for all types of travelers, as well as the idea that bike lanes should be protected with physical barriers separating vehicles and cyclists.
• Safety: This includes the focus on safer, transit-oriented street design, as well as pedestrian safety and concerns that the current corridor feels unsafe due to high traffic speeds and wide crossings.
• Distrust of prior citywide infrastructure changes: This includes concerns about long- term maintenance costs and ongoing construction impacts, as well as an appreciation for the opportunity to voice community concerns during the Study phase.
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This report summarizes the feedback and input received to date and how that information has been utilized in the development of potential concepts for the corridor. This range of perspectives highlights the complexity of the Study and underscores the importance of an inclusive outreach approach to inform decision-making. For this reason, it is recommended to perform ongoing outreach throughout project funding and construction, followed by a comprehensive educational campaign upon completion to address potential concerns, improve understanding of enhanced transit equity, and counter misinformation.
An overview infographic highlighting the Study's outreach process and reach metrics — including hosting 13 presentations (three stakeholder one-on-one presentations and 10 presentations at events), using various digital channels to promote the Study, and meeting with multiple working group stakeholders, including five CBOs and 28 different stakeholder groups that were invited to participate in meetings and receive updates — are shown on the following pages.
Figure 2: Project team members interact with the community at the Santa Ana Senior Center during the Free Lunch Program on Sept. 24, 2025.
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Background
First Street is currently a six-lane street with a raised median between intersections and left-turn pockets at intersections. It serves OCTA's OC Bus Route 64, one of the highest-ridership routes in Orange County, with nearly 50 stops in Santa Ana alone.
In 2022, the City of Santa Ana identified First Street as a corridor for multimodal improvements and updated the Mobility Element of the City's General Plan, which proposed downgrading First Street’s classification from a Major Arterial (six lanes) to a Primary Arterial (four lanes). In 2024, the City's Vision Zero Plan identified it as one of the top five corridors requiring safety enhancements, particularly for vulnerable road users, including pedestrians and bicyclists.
The Study explored the breadth of potential roadway configurations for purposes of identifying viable options to transform and improve the corridor into a truly multimodal corridor for all modes of travel, regardless of age or ability. The Study also evaluated concepts that enhanced access to businesses, residential neighborhoods, educational facilities, and other key destinations (Figure 3).
Figure 3: Image of Flower Street signal from the Study walk audit on July 16, 2025.
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Purpose and Engagement Goals
The outreach campaign supported the technical team by gathering input from, informing, and educating a diverse range of Santa Ana residents and stakeholders about potential multimodal improvements (Figure 4).
The campaign's goals were to:
• Engage diverse audiences and use their input to inform the Study, while emphasizing transparency, community voice, and equitable participation in shaping the corridor's future.
• Engage partners and stakeholders early and throughout the process to identify shared goals, understand concerns, and balance competing needs. • Help build trust, improve project outcomes, and ensure that street changes better reflect the priorities of the community, while remaining technically and operationally feasible.
Study Audiences
This Study highlights the importance of equitable community engagement while recognizing the roles of stakeholders, including elected officials, partner organizations, and the business community.
A demographic analysis of the 1-mile radius around the corridor found a diverse population, including significant numbers of Spanish-speaking households and a strong presence of Spanish-language digital platforms.
Along with higher rates of public transit use, carpooling, and lower homeownership than in Orange County overall, this indicates housing insecurity and positions the project to connect Figure 4: Project staff shares information about the Study at the Santa Ana Senior Center on Sept. 24, 2025.
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low-income households to resources through improved transportation. In addition, the analysis showed the percentage of:
• Residents who lack access to a private vehicle: 55%
• Residents who own smartphones, enabling mobile-focused engagement strategies:
94%.
• Blue collar workers in the area: 31%.
• Service workers, often traveling outside traditional commuting hours, highlighting the need for flexible mobility options: 25%.
• Homes that lack internet access: 15%.
Equitable Engagement
The team developed a technical memorandum evaluating the equity framework (framework) related to existing conditions and connectivity to needs within the community, which can be found in APPENDIX E: Equity Framework Technical Memorandum. The framework incorporated multiple indicators that threatened residents' health, safety, and quality of life. The team leveraged community analytics and extensive experience in equity-based geographic analysis, utilizing tools such as CalEnviroScreen, the California Department of Education, the California Healthy Places Index, and CDC PLACES data, to illustrate risks and needs across census tracts.
The preliminary equity analysis revealed that all census tracts within the study area were categorized as SB535 Disadvantaged Communities. East of Interstate 5, the community analytics showed other equity concerns, including low healthcare access and high exposure to diesel particulate matter due to its location between two freeways.
The assessment became comprehensive by integrating multiple data sources, community feedback, and on-street observations. Field investigations documented informal economic activities, such as street vendors, and identified opportunities for bus stop amenities, and designed alternatives to support micro-community spaces. Crash data compiled in geographic information systems (GIS) overlaid on land-use maps to examine correlations among crash density, income levels, and proximity to transit or community services. Further analysis explored disparities in race, ethnicity, and income to inform transportation access, engagement strategies, and safety measures.
The memorandum provided a detailed snapshot of socioeconomic and demographic characteristics, environmental conditions, and health outcomes along the corridor. This baseline informed stakeholder engagement and guided the development of multimodal concept alternatives to improve equitable health outcomes, while addressing risks. It included maps of disadvantaged census tracts using common metrics such as income and environmental hazards, as well as nuanced measures, including housing security, health factors, and food access. Examples of these maps are shown in Figure 5 and Figure 6.
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Figure 5: Map of poverty rate 0.5-mile walking distance from the Study area.
Figure 6: Map of asthma and diabetes rates in and around the Study area.
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Strategy and Methodology
To enable a transparent, inclusive, and community-driven design process, outreach and engagement were integrated into the technical analysis and concept development throughout this planning phase of the project. Community and stakeholder engagement events were aligned with key Study development points, including understanding existing conditions (engagement Phase 1), identifying the 8 options (engagement Phase 2), and refining the options to 3 concepts (engagement Phase 3). The coordination of the outreach events relative to the technical analysis is outlined in Figure 7 below.
Figure 7: A phased schedule was used that integrated outreach and engagement throughout the technical analysis and concept development in the planning phase.
Community and Stakeholder Activities, Tools, and Tactics HDR presented an equity-centered Outreach and Engagement Plan (Plan) in line with the strategy, which was updated and refined in coordination with the City of Santa Ana. This Plan includes a breakdown of audiences, strategies, and communication tools and tactics for each group.
Stakeholder Engagement Activities
To verify appropriate engagement ensued, a broad internal stakeholder group was identified. To bring them to the table and encourage participation, the team identified various subcategories and meeting types to accommodate their availability. These included Stakeholder Groups, Presentations to Mayor and City Council, Community Working Groups, Presentations to Neighborhood Associations (NA), CBO Working Groups, and Community Workshops.
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STAKEHOLDER GROUP
As shown in the infographic included in the Executive Summary, the outreach team invited representatives from the City of Santa Ana, the City of Tustin, OCTA, Caltrans District 12, the Orange County Fire Authority, educational institutions, local businesses, and community-based organizations to meet to discuss the corridor’s existing conditions and design concepts. The group met in person three times at Santa Ana City Hall, providing feedback throughout the Study. In addition, an online Study introduction meeting was held to encourage participation.
Feedback Received
These stakeholder discussions allowed the team to gather valuable feedback from key partners, including:
• Emphasizing safety as a top priority for all users along the corridor. • Highlighting the need for separated bicycle and pedestrian facilities, improved crosswalks, and measures to address vehicle speeds.
• Considering bus pullout lanes to reduce conflicts and improve transit operations.
PRESENTATIONS TO MAYOR AND CITY COUNCIL
The team conducted briefing meetings with City Council members and the Mayor's office throughout the Study to inform these elected officials of the project progress and integrated outreach and concept development plan.
In addition, the team provided City staff and other personnel with the necessary information, data, tools, and talking points to deliver clear and concise briefings. These updates included recommending a locally preferred alternative for the City Council to address this Study publicly on March 3, 2025, at the City Chamber. In October 2025, the team also attended and presented the Study at the City’s Faith Leaders Meeting with the Mayor, and at Coffee with the Mayor events.
Feedback Received
Across the board, council members:
• Emphasized safety along the corridor as their highest priority, especially given the high rate of pedestrian and bike accidents and fatalities. • Requested solutions to address traffic congestion and increase pedestrian crossings. • Sought opportunities to enhance corridor aesthetics, add shade trees, and improve street and amenity lighting.
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NEIGHBORHOOD ASSOCIATION PRESENTATIONS
The Study spanned wards 2, 3, 5, and 6, as seen in Figure 8, but its impact is anticipated to benefit all neighborhoods in the surrounding wards. The team reached out to NAs and engaged with residents to provide information about the Study, emphasize its importance, address community concerns, collect comments, and invite them to attend the workshops to better incorporate their vision into the concepts and options when selecting the locally preferred alternative.
Figure 8: Map indicating the City of Santa Ana Wards and the Study area.
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The team visited the following neighborhood associations at least once during the Study; in some cases, they met more than once, as shown in Figure 9, Figure 10, and Figure 11. In total, 12 meetings took place with NAs.
• Artesia Pillar (Aug. 21, 2025)
• Downtown, Flower Park, and Artesia Pillar Combined (Oct. 16, 2025) • Heninger Park (Sept. 10, 2025, and Nov. 12, 2025)
• Pacific Park (Sept. 9, 2025, and Jan. 13, 2026)
• Pico Lowel (Sept. 17, 2025)
• Saddleback View and Zoo District Combined (Oct. 22, 2025) • Willard (Sept. 8, 2025)
• Valley Adams, Centennial Park, Laurelhurst, and Shadow Run (Jan. 14, 2026) • Neighborhood Association Presidents Meeting (Oct. 28, 2025) Feedback Received
During the neighborhood association meetings, residents shared their input, including:
• Voicing a wide range of safety-related concerns.
• Expressing hesitation about reducing vehicle lanes, particularly given other ongoing infrastructure projects throughout Santa Ana.
• Worrying that lane reductions could worsen traffic congestion or shift vehicles onto nearby residential streets.
• Agreeing on the need to reduce vehicle speeds to help prevent accidents and minimize the risk of serious injuries or fatalities in the neighborhood. • Expressing frustration with the current unhoused population situation and indicating that they would prefer not to add amenities such as additional trees or benches if those improvements might encourage people experiencing homelessness to sleep or gather in those areas.
• Sharing that they were pleased to learn the project is currently in the study phase and stating that they appreciated the opportunity to provide feedback, as they felt their concerns were being heard as part of the decision-making process.
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Figure 11: Presentation at Downtown, Flower Park, and Artesia Pillar Neighborhood Associations’ meeting on Oct. 21, 2025.
Figure 9: Study presentation at Heninger Park Neighborhood Association meeting on Sept. 11, 2025.
Figure 10: Study materials on display
at the Willard Neighborhood
Association meeting on Sept. 8, 2025.
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COMMUNITY-BASED ORGANIZATION WORKING GROUP
The team organized a Community Working Group (CWG) comprising local grassroots CBOs to build strong relationships with key populations along the corridor. The CBOs that participated are:
• Latino Health Access
• Orange County Communities Organized for Responsible Development • Orange County Environmental Justice
• Santa Ana Active Streets
• The Bicycle Tree
These organizations hosted engagement efforts and shared educational materials and event information through their channels, as demonstrated in Figure 12 and Figure 13.
Additionally, CWGs reviewed and provided culturally competent, linguistically inclusive feedback on educational and communication materials.
Figure 12: Short Message Service (SMS) sent by OCCORD
advertising the multilingual videos and the design option poll.
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Feedback Received
The CWG met virtually three times in addition to the quarterly Stakeholder Group meetings throughout the Study. In addition to fostering meaningful community participation and understanding of the Study, the organizations emphasized several common themes during these meetings:
• That this project should not be seen solely as a bike lane initiative, but as a multimodal, inclusive effort for people of all ages and travel preferences. • Emphasized the importance of incorporating community feedback in the design options to build trust with the community.
• Encouraged that Public Works delivered a comprehensive briefing and work study session to the City Council prior to a selection of a locally preferred alternative. It was also noted that, while traffic is undesirable, the corridor is often empty during the day, when accidents are most likely to occur.
When presented with all options, the CWG was not in favor of the concept that maintained all six travel lanes. They noted that such a concept would not be in alignment with the multimodal goals of the project.
Figure 13: The Santa Ana Active Streets website advertised the Study's survey.
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COMMUNITY WORKSHOPS
Community input was central to this Study. The series of workshops provided an opportunity to introduce the Study and gather community input on making First Street a healthier and safer corridor for all residents who use it. The in-person workshops were held at the Roosevelt-Walker Community Center, located under a quarter-mile south of First Street and Standard Avenue, providing convenient access for nearby residents (Figure 14).
The goal was to provide multiple in-person and virtual opportunities for participants to connect with the team, learn about the Study, share experiences traveling along First Street, and suggest improvements to access and travel options. The workshops were conducted in multiple phases, each serving a specific purpose in the proposed project development process. Additional pictures of the workshops and comments are provided in APPENDIX A:
Community Workshop Series.
Figure 14: Map of the Roosevelt-Walker Community Center and its proximity to the Study area.
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Workshop Series #1 – Study Introduction and Issue Identification During Phase 1 of the outreach and engagement strategy, two workshops were held in August 2025 to introduce the proposed project and solicit participants' input regarding pedestrian and bicycle safety, transit, and general mobility challenges. One workshop was held in person, and the other was held virtually.
The in-person workshop included a large-format aerial map of the corridor (Figure 15), on which attendees were asked to share challenges, preferences, and concerns using sticky notes placed at locations across the corridor.
Feedback Received
A total of 45 community members participated and 102 comments were collected on comment cards (Figure 16), design option boards (Figure 17), and aerial maps of the corridor via sticky notes. Overall, participants supported a safer, slower, and more transit- focused First Street that would encourage active transportation and community use.
A summary of the comments include:
• Many expressed strong support for prioritizing bicycle, pedestrian, and transit improvements along First Street, particularly protected Class IV bike lanes with Figure 15: Workshop 1 participants notated comments on
aerial maps regarding corridor enhancements during the
event on Aug. 26, 2025.
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physical barriers and dedicated bus-only lanes, including potential center-running configurations.
• Many stated that the current corridor felt unsafe due to high traffic speeds and wide crossings, and they advocated for traffic calming measures such as reduced target speeds (20 MPH), fewer lanes at intersections, bulb-outs, protected mid-block crossings, and shorter crossing distances.
• Respondents emphasized the need for wider sidewalks, shade trees (excluding palm trees), enhanced lighting, high-quality bus stops with buffers and ADA access, and improved left-turn safety at key intersections.
• Several individuals suggested viewing portions of the corridor as an extension of the urban core, incorporating canopy coverage, alley access strategies, and transit- oriented development.
• Some participants, while supportive of improvements, raised concerns about long- term maintenance costs and cautioned against reducing vehicle lanes citywide without broader community input.
The online workshop was recorded and uploaded to the City’s YouTube account to amplify accessibility and reach, and a multilingual pinpoint digital survey, discussed later in the report, was conducted to replicate the in-person exercise.
Figure 16: Example of several comment cards completed from Workshop 1.
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Figure 17: Example of several comments on design option boards from Workshop 1.
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Workshop Series #2 – Design Options Review
During Phase 2 of the outreach and engagement strategy, two in-person workshops were held in September 2025. Building on input gathered during Workshop 1 and from additional stakeholder outreach, a total of eight corridor design concepts were developed and presented in Workshop 2 (Figure 18). These concepts directly reflected community and stakeholder feedback. Among the options shown were the undercrossing and various bus stop concepts, which were highlighted in response to specific community interests.
Large poster boards displayed renderings of each design option and explained the design's multimodal benefits and challenges. Large-format aerial maps were also available for comments. Participants reviewed the design options, learned about the benefits and trade- offs of each option, and provided feedback on safety, comfort, accessibility, and connectivity. This input helped the team better understand community priorities and use that understanding to develop three corridor concepts.
Figure 18: Workshop 2 participants discussed design options with Study staff during the event on Sept. 17, 2025.
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Feedback Received
A total of 70 community members were engaged, and 88 comments were submitted on comment cards and via sticky notes on aerial maps. The community input reflected strong but mixed perspectives. Overall, the community sought a balanced approach that improved safety, accessibility, and transit reliability while maintaining reasonable traffic flow and addressing neighborhood security concerns.
A summary of the comments include:
• Many participants expressed support for a safer, more connected multimodal corridor — particularly protected bike lanes and dedicated bus lanes, with Option 6 most frequently favored and Option 8 also receiving support in congested segments. • Residents emphasized ADA-accessible bus stops, traffic calming, improved lighting, additional crosswalks, and clear separation between bikes, pedestrians, buses, and vehicles.
• Some participants opposed removing travel lanes due to concerns about congestion and ongoing construction impacts.
• Several individuals raised broader issues related to homelessness, cleanliness, and public safety.
Following the event, a video presentation was posted online to give community members an additional opportunity to learn about the eight concepts, along with an Eight Design Options Preference Poll to identify which concept people preferred most. The video presentation and the poll are discussed later in this report. More than 690 views and more than 640 responses were received in the corridor preferences poll.
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Workshop Series #3 – Preferred Alternative Features Feedback During Phase 3 of the outreach and engagement strategy, two in-person workshops were held in December 2025. Building on feedback from Workshop 2, the Design Options Poll, the project video, and additional stakeholder outreach, three refined corridor design concepts were developed and presented during Workshop 3. This indicates an iterative planning process that incorporates prior community input and stakeholder engagement to narrow options into more defined proposals for further consideration (Figure 19).
Each design concept was printed on large poster boards, and corresponding aerial maps were available for each concept. Participants were invited to comment on specific design features, identify remaining concerns, and suggest final adjustments to ensure the selected alternative best reflected community needs and the Study’s goals.
On Nov. 20, 2025, the outreach team visited 14 locations adjacent to and along the Study corridor to invite stakeholders to participate in the December Workshop 3 series. Study fact sheets, postcards, and posters in English, Spanish, and Vietnamese featuring information about the Study website and Workshop 3 were distributed at each location for display and sharing with visitors (Figure 20 and Figure 21).
During these visits, outreach staff engaged directly with community members and increased awareness of opportunities to provide feedback and help inform the Study’s design concept development.
Figure 19: Workshop 3 participants discussed one of three design concept aerial maps at the community workshop event in December 2025.
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Businesses visited as part of the Workshop 3 outreach efforts included:
• El Salvador Community Center
• Orange County Environmental Justice
• Assistance League Thrift Shop
• Santa Ana Senior Center
• The Frida Cinema
• Roosevelt Walker Community Center
• Delhi Community Center
• Santa Ana DMV
• Cho Tam Bien Market
• Metro East Senior Center
• Thanh Long Market
• Saigon Supermarket
• Vien Dong Seafood Market
• Santa Ana College School of Continuing Education (located in Centennial Park)
Figure 20: English and Vietnamese posters for Workshop 3 were on display at the Saigon Supermarket in the City of Westminster, adjacent to the Study area.
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Feedback Received
A total of 85 community members were engaged, and 237 comments were collected via comment cards, feedback forms, sticky notes on aerial maps, and large notepads next to the design concept boards. Although attendees were not asked to select a preferred design option, several consistent priorities emerged.
Overall, the community is seeking a balanced corridor design that maintains traffic flow while improving safety, accessibility, environmental quality, and overall usability. A summary of the comments include:
• Community members strongly emphasized pedestrian and bicyclist safety, requesting raised crosswalks, protected intersections, complete sidewalks, and fully separated bike paths.
• Participants highlighted the importance of improved lighting, reflective features, and tree canopy to enhance safety and comfort, particularly for students and daily walkers.
• Residents expressed concern about preserving vehicle travel capacity to prevent increased congestion, while suggesting measures such as narrower lanes and speed management strategies to calm traffic without eliminating lanes. • Several participants shared support for underground utilities, clearly defined sidewalks, and separated bus lanes.
• Community members expressed appreciation for the opportunity to participate and for the clarity of information provided.
Figure 21: Workshop 3 flyers were displayed at the CA DMV on First Street in Santa Ana.
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COMMUNITY PRESENTATIONS (POP-UP EVENTS)
To reach residents beyond those who attended the workshops, the team recognized that engaging people in spaces where they already gather was important. This strategy creates multiple feedback loops, offering more accessible, hands-on opportunities for community members to explore potential project concepts and share feedback in a comfortable, informal setting.
The team attended 10 community events across all Study phases and engaged with approximately 260 residents to answer questions and gather input (Figure 22, Figure 23, and Figure 24). These events also provided opportunities to direct the public to other digital resources such as the Study’s website and surveys, and to distribute outreach materials like multilingual fact sheets. The events included:
• Chicano Heritage Festival (Aug. 24, 2025)
• SEVA Food Pantry Drive Thru (Sept. 13, 2025)
• City of Santa Ana Fiestas Patrias Festival (Sept. 14, 2025) • Santa Ana Senior Center Free Lunch Program (Sept. 24, 2025) • Classic Cars with Santa Ana Police Department (Sept. 21, 2025) • Latino Health Access Arts and Crafts Class for Seniors (Sept. 29, 2025) • Santa Ana Art Walk (Oct. 4, 2025)
• Heninger Elementary Walk to School Day (Oct. 8, 2025) • Santa Ana High School Active Streets Club Presentation (Oct. 15, 2025) • Santa Ana College Career Fair (Oct. 15, 2025)
Additional pictures of the pop-up events are provided in APPENDIX B: Pop-up Events.
Figure 23: Study presentation at the Latino Health
Access arts and crafts class on Sept. 29, 2025.
Figure 22: Study presentation at the Chicano Heritage
Festival on Aug. 24, 2025.
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Figure 24: The Study team interacts with community members at Heninger Elementary during Walk to School Day on Oct. 8, 2025.
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Outreach Tools
The team collaborated with the City to deliver information through traditional and digital channels, enabling community members to track the Study’s progress, provide feedback, and share details with friends and neighbors. Our community analytics profile indicated high smartphone ownership and significant Spanish-language digital use across the corridor, and the digital strategy was aligned accordingly. All materials and content described below were made available in English, Spanish, and Vietnamese, with automated translation features on the website and, where applicable, traditional assistance from bilingual staff, especially for social media artwork, captions, and surveys, to ensure cultural sensitivity. The team recommended additional translation and/or interpretation vendors when needed.
STUDY LANDING PAGE AND WEBSITE
In addition to a landing page on the City's official website (Figure 25), a multilingual, mobile- friendly dedicated Study website was launched in July 2025 (Figure 26), with the custom URL bit.ly/MovingForwardOnFirst. The website included sections on the background, corridor overview, engagement updates, survey and video engagement, Study schedule, and multimodal benefits education.
As of Jan. 31, 2026, the English site received 2,091 visits, the Spanish site 552, and the Vietnamese site 537. The website metrics report is provided in APPENDIX C: Website Metrics.
Figure 25: The Study's landing page on the City of Santa Ana's website.
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Figure 26: A view of the Study's website at www.bit.ly/MovingForwardOnFirst.
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SOCIAL MEDIA
The City shared five posts on their Facebook and Instagram accounts to raise awareness of the Study and encourage community participation, as seen in Figure 27 and Figure 28. The project team drafted social media content such as graphics and captions and provided it to the City’s Public Affairs Information Officer for publication on the city’s social media accounts. Below is a performance summary of the posts.
Figure 27: City of Santa Ana's Instagram post on Oct. 9, 2025, promoting community participation in the Design Options Poll.
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Post Topic and Date Views Reach Interactions Click Links (Facebook)
Study Introduction and Community
Workshop 1 Promotion (Aug. 13, 2026) 17,758 3,097 128 5 Post-Community Workshop 1 Survey Push
(Sept. 5, 2025) 14,844 4,375 35 8
Post-Community Workshop 2 Design
Options Poll (Oct. 9, 2025) 3,939 660 6 19
Design Options Poll Closing Reminder
(Oct. 23, 2025) 19,266 5,939 10 42
Post Community Workshop 3 Design
Concepts (Dec. 3, 2025) 13,932 5,558 16 4
Figure 28: City of Santa Ana's Facebook post on Dec. 3, 2025, promoting the Community Workshop 3 in English, Spanish, and Vietnamese.
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As part of their involvement in the Community Working Group, representatives were invited to distribute materials through the print or digital communication channels that best fit their organization. Each participating CBO selected the approach that aligned with how they typically engage their members and share important information, as shown in Figure 29.
The organizations listed below chose to distribute materials via their social media channels to broaden the Study’s visibility.
• Santa Ana Active Streets
o Online flyer and updated link tree for voting, videos o Instagram: 2,798
• Latino Health Access
o Facebook: 1,789
o Instagram: 2,637
Figure 29: SAAS Link Tree was updated with quick links
to project surveys and information.
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• Orange County Communities Organized for Responsible Development o First round of stories (workshop promotion)
o Story 1: approximately 200 views, 2 interactions (likes) o Story 2: approximately 160 views
o Design options and poll stories
o Approximate reach across five stories: Views per story: approximately 151–209 In total, the CBOs that participated in social media generated 8,584 cumulative views of materials and information shared across their social media platforms.
NEWSLETTERS
Information about the Study was shared through newsletters distributed by the City, and partner organizations with established audiences and subscriber bases. Leveraging these existing communication channels expanded the reach of Study updates, promoted engagement opportunities, and connected with community members who may not have been reached through other outreach methods.
The City of Santa Ana, the Santa Ana Chamber of Commerce, and members of the CWG performed the following tasks:
• The Bicycle Tree
o On Sept. 9, 2025, an email blast was sent to 289 subscribers promoting Workshop #1.
• Latino Health Access
o Throughout the Study, eight email blasts were sent to 756 subscribers promoting Workshop #1.
• Orange County Communities Organized for Responsible Development o On Sept. 12, 2025, an email blast was sent to 257 subscribers promoting Workshop #1.
o On Oct. 1, 2025, an email blast was sent to 256 subscribers promoting Workshop #2.
• Orange County Environmental Justice
o On Oct. 14, 2025, an email blast was sent to 25 subscribers promoting Workshop #2.
o On Oct. 14, 2025, another email blast was sent to 15 subscribers in the Getting Residents Engaged in Empowering Neighborhoods, a resident-led program, promoting Workshop #2.
• Santa Ana Active Streets
o On Nov. 21, 2025, an email blast was sent to 825 subscribers promoting Workshop #1.
o On Dec. 9, 2025, an email blast was sent to 825 subscribers promoting Workshop #2 (Figure 30).
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Figure 30: A Santa Ana Active Streets newsletter was sent on Dec. 9, 2025, to promote Workshop 3.
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SURVEYS
Pinpoint Map Survey
During Phase 1, the team developed a user-friendly, multilingual pinpoint map survey in ArcGIS that integrated a geospatial data tool, enabling residents to share ideas and concerns about the corridor, including pedestrian safety, green space, and traffic flow at specific locations along the corridor. The focus was on identifying key objectives, including enhancing multimodal transportation, improving accessibility, and fostering community engagement. Engaging survey questions were crafted to gather meaningful insight into the community's priorities, such as accessibility, bicycling, driving, safety, and transit.
The team developed a comprehensive distribution strategy that leveraged the Study’s website, email blasts, social media, partner toolkits, and geotargeted ads to effectively reach the community. In-person distribution at community events and throughout the Study area included QR codes for digital responses and printed surveys for increased accessibility.
Following data collection, survey responses were summarized and presented to the City to inform the Study, highlighting key trends and insights. This comprehensive approach to survey development, implementation, and analysis enabled a wide variety of stakeholders to have their voices heard.
The pinpoint survey was active from Aug. 27 until Oct. 7, 2025. In total, it yielded eight results, four of which appear to come from one user, all in English, and mostly focused on quality-of-life issues, such as drug activity and unsanitary conditions related to trash and unhoused populations.
Q&A Online Survey
In September, the team created and shared a traditional Question and Answer (Q&A) survey on the Study website to offer a range of online feedback options alongside the pinpoint survey.
This survey asked questions similar to the pinpoint map prompts, including the issues users encounter on First Street, their frequency of use, and the reasons for using the corridor. The survey was offered in English, Spanish, and Vietnamese, and was distributed to the CWG and at NA meetings to increase community participation. The survey questions and results are shown in Figure 31, Figure 32, Figure 33, and Figure 34.
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Figure 31: Results from the online survey question 1 from a sample of 114 people.
Figure 32: Results from the online survey question 2 from a sample of 114 people.
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Figure 33: Results from the online survey question 3 from a sample of 114 people.
Figure 34: Results from the online survey question 4 from a sample of 114 people.
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The Q&A survey was open for 35 days and yielded 114 results. Several of the survey response results are shown below.
• The primary responses for First Street challenges were "too much traffic or congestion" (81) and "feel unsafe to walk or ride a bike" (60). • Respondents overwhelmingly selected "driving" as their primary mode of transportation (81), with the next highest being "mix of different modes" (14), and only a few other modes, such as "bus" (5), "bike" (4), and "walk" (3).
Design Options Poll and Video
In late September, the team developed two videos outlining the eight design options presented at the second Community Workshop. They were posted on the Study website, along with a short poll asking viewers to select up to three preferred design options.
One video featured a Spanish voiceover (Figure 35), and another featured an English voiceover with Vietnamese closed captions (Figure 36). The YouTube links were distributed to the CWG and at NA meetings to increase community participation.
As of Jan. 31, 2026, the videos received the following engagement:
• English with Vietnamese subtitles: 689 views and 13 likes. • Spanish: 186 views and 1 like.
The poll was open from Sept. 30 through Oct. 31, 2025, and received the following engagement:
• English: 195 responses
• Spanish: 12 responses
• Vietnamese: 0 responses
Figure 36: Video in English with Vietnamese captions
outlining the design options presented at Workshop 2.
Figure 35: Video in Spanish outlining the eight design
options presented at Workshop 2.
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Most respondents are concerned that reducing vehicle lanes would worsen traffic congestion, increase commute times, create safety hazards, and negatively impact daily life for drivers, families, seniors, and emergency vehicles. Many believe bike lanes are underutilized and do not reflect how residents primarily travel (by car). There is frustration about previous projects on streets such as McFadden, Civic Center, Bristol, and Edinger, which residents feel increased congestion and accidents. Concerns also include construction disruption, impacts on local businesses, insufficient public outreach, tax and spending priorities, and a perceived lack of data-driven decision making.
On the other hand, supporters emphasize the need for protected bike lanes, dedicated bus lanes, pedestrian safety, shade trees, transit reliability, and long-term multimodal planning.
These respondents prioritize safety, transit efficiency, and physical barriers between vehicles and cyclists.
In summary, the dominant themes are:
• Traffic congestion
• Lane preservation
• Bike lane usage
• Safety
• Distrust of prior infrastructure changes
The secondary theme is the focus on safer, transit-oriented street design.
PRINTED MATERIALS
The team prepared ADA-compliant multilingual educational materials throughout the Study.
Creative services were leveraged to produce fact sheets, poster boards, PowerPoint presentations, and comment cards, among other materials. Refer to APPENDIX D:
Educational Materials for Study fact sheets and workshop announcement flyers.
Key Outcomes and Community Input
Achievements
Outreach during the study phase resulted in broad community participation, meaningful design refinements, and stronger public trust. This is a result of the variety of events and channels utilized, including:
• Three stakeholder one-on-one presentations.
• Ten presentations at events hosted by a different organization. • Three surveys and 503 community member interactions.
• Two YouTube videos and 875 views in total.
• Multilingual project website and 3,180 views.
• Four social media posts and 150 interactions.
• Community Working Group with 5 local CBOs engaged.
• Two stakeholder meetings with 28 stakeholder groups invited.
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Feedback from residents, businesses, and corridor users directly informed key elements such as safety improvements and multimodal access, while transparent communication helped address concerns and reduce misinformation. The process documented clear community support and built partnerships that positioned the project for successful implementation and future funding opportunities.
Challenges and Lessons Learned
Lessons Learned
Multilingual engagement (English, Spanish, Vietnamese) was essential for equitable participation. Translation and interpretation services were necessary at many of the outreach events and activities.
While the Study website and social media posts generated thousands of views, online surveys had limited participation in Spanish and Vietnamese. This suggests that digital engagement should be complemented by robust in-person outreach for non-English speakers.
Pop-up events proved to be an important engagement tool by allowing the project team to meet people where they already are — at community events, transit stops, schools, and local businesses. Recognizing that not everyone can attend a traditional open house, these on-the- ground interactions expanded participation, captured a wider range of perspectives, and created informal opportunities for meaningful conversations. This approach made the outreach process more accessible, inclusive, and reflective of the broader community.
Students showed strong interest in multimodal improvements and were highly engaged throughout the outreach process. Many rely on buses, especially with access to free fare programs, and shared thoughtful input about reliability, frequency, and stop accessibility. Their feedback highlighted a clear desire for safer connections, improved service, and infrastructure that better supports daily travel to school, work, and activities.
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Next Steps and Recommendations
Recommendations
Overall, the community demonstrated interest in participating in the Study phase and appreciated the information provided and the space to voice their concerns. Throughout the Study, the team heard:
• Community members recommend an education campaign on how to use the corridor once it opens.
• The CBOs recommend that the project continue to be socialized as a multimodal initiative and not as a bike initiative.
Taking these two ideas into consideration, the team recommends continuing to prioritize meaningful community engagement throughout the construction process and as the project is finalized, thereby ensuring long-term success and addressing misinformation.
Early and consistent outreach through public meetings, pop-up events, school partnerships, and digital updates can help residents understand construction timelines, anticipated impacts, and the long-term benefits. An effective outreach strategy framework should revolve around trust, accessibility, and meaningful participation, including:
• Inclusive and multilingual engagement
• Meeting people where they are
• Partnership with trusted community organizations
• Accessible and flexible participation options
• Clear and visual communication
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APPENDIX A: Community Workshop Series
Community Workshop Series 1
Comment cards and additional photos from Community Workshop Series 1, where community members were introduced to the project and identified corridor issues.
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Community Workshop Series 2
Comment cards and additional photos from Community Workshop Series 2, where community members were introduced to the eight design options and selected their top three preferences.
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Community Workshop Series 3
Comment cards, concept feedback sheets, and additional photos from Community Workshop Series 3, where community members were invited to comment on specific design features for the preferred alternative.
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APPENDIX B: Pop-up Events
Chicano Heritage Festival (Aug. 24, 2025)
Community members visited the Study booth to learn about the Study and provide input on proposed design options.
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City of Santa Ana Fiestas Patrias (Sept. 14, 2025)
Outreach staff disseminated Study fact sheets to community members and displayed a feedback board at the event booth to gather safety improvement priorities from stakeholders.
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Latino Health Access Arts and Crafts for Seniors (Sept. 29, 2025) Latino Health Access members learned about the Study during a pop-up presentation at an arts and crafts class.
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Heninger Elementary Walk to School Day (Oct. 8, 2025)
Outreach staff conducted surveys to gather feedback on what commuters who travel on First Street would like to see and what could be improved along the corridor.
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Santa Ana High School Active Streets Club Presentation (Oct. 15, 2025) Staff conducted a presentation to youth to raise awareness about the Study and learn about their ideas for improved travel on First Street.
Santa Ana College Career Fair (Oct. 8, 2025)
Study presentation and informational materials were shared at career day for college students and staff.
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APPENDIX C: Website Metrics
Figure 37: Website visits in English as of Jan. 21, 2026.
Figure 38: Website visits in Spanish as of Jan. 21, 2026.
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Figure 39: Website visits in Vietnamese as of Jan. 21, 2026.
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APPENDIX D: Educational Materials
Workshop #1 Announcement Flyer:
Fact Sheet:
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FAQ:
Workshop #3 Announcement:
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APPENDIX E: Equity Framework Technical Memorandum
Extract
from pages 21–25 of the Technical Memorandum:
Equity Assessment
This section summarizes key equity fi ndings from the demographics, transportation, and land use analyses within the study ar ea and identify disparities in access and/or barriers to quality of life parity experienced by marginalized communities, compared to more resourced, abled, and affluent neighbors and communities. Key data sources for this analysis include Southern California Association of Governments (SCAG) and the United States Census Bureau.
Marginalized Groups and Vulnerable Road Users
Marginalized groups and vulnerable road users are among those at risk of being most adversely impacted by changes to infrastructure and operations of a public right-of-way. This risk is due to these populations being less likely to have additional mobility options, less likely to be included in public decision-making, and more likely to have other existing barriers and challenges t o accessing resources or navigating changes to the local environment.
The Equity Study prepared determined that the study area has a proportionately higher poverty rate than the City and Orange County as a whole, and especially high rates of seniors living in poverty, especially on the northwest side of the corridor (refer to Figure 9). This area of the study also overlaps with proportionally higher populations of residents that speak an Asian/Pacific Island language (likely Vietnamese) and English “less than well.” The corridor study area also has proportionally higher populations of residents that speak Spani sh as well as English “l ess than well” than other parts of the City and Orange County as a whole, primarily on the south side of the First Street corridor (refer to Figure 10). Over 40% of the City’s residents identify as immigrants, and the study area reflects this trend. Notably, more than half of residents in Census block groups north of First Street identify as immigrants. These demographics demonstrate significant populations that are likely to have fewer mobility options and few er opportunities to be civically engaged (in transportation investment decisions, for example) in a welcoming language or format compared to other residents in the City.
Figure 9 . Poverty Rates within First Street Equity Study Area Figure 10. Map of Hispanic/Latinx Residents that Speak English Less than “Well” First Street Multimodal Boulevard Study – 91
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The City has a high proportion of renters, compared to Orange County, and the study area has an even higher proportion, over half of whom are cost-burdened by their housing costs (refer to Figure 11). This demonstrates a majority of study area residents that live in housing insecurity due to a high proportion of their income devoted to housing, which increases risk of defaulting on rent payments and potential eviction.
Figure 1 1. Renter Households within First Street Equity Study Area The Origin-Destination Analysis conducted for the two-mile area around the corridor shows that the highest origin-destination pairs for people living within a half mile of the corridor also had notably high proportions of people walking, ranging from 24-38% of all travel modes. Further, trips from resident originating near the cluster of seniors living in poverty on the north side of the corridor and ending in the downtown civic center area had a relatively high proportion of transit trips (5%), although these areas are less than a half mile from each other. These travel patterns show that there are very high percentages of people walking to destinations near and on the corridor, as well as higher rates of people taking transit near senior housing. This demonstrates a vulnerable road user presence in and around the corridor that may benefit greatly from safe, accessible, and comfortable mobility options.
Considerations for Community Engagement and Multimodal Concept Development These demographics, land uses, and road user findings overall provide important context for the advancement of the First Street Multimodal Boulevard Study.
The prevalence of marginalized demographics and vulnerable road users inform project approaches to community engagement, such as targeted outreach to include community members that are older and/or have limited safe and accessible mobility options, speak languages other than English, are more likely to experience housing insecurity, and are more likely to walk or take transit. Members of these key study demographics are typically not centered in traditional outreach methods but are likely to be disproportionately impacted by not having their needs considered in street design and operations, as they are likely to have fewer resources and alternatives to adapt to environmental changes. Figure 12 illustrates the relationship between residents over Age 65 and the poverty rate within the area.
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Figure 1 2. Residents Over Age 65 and Poverty Rate within Equity Study Area Considerations for multimodal concept development include recognizing specific access needs for people walking/rolling, education and intuitive design for new street configurations, and focusing improvements on traffic safety and reduction of conflicts between different travel modes, especially vehicles and pedestrians. Examples of these considerations may include any placement of a new bi-directional bicycle facility or shared- use path on the southern side of the corridor, where there is less concentration of senior housing developments, or identifying controlled mid-block crossing locations that can better facilitate vulnerable road users access to transit. Another consideration is for providing longer crossing times for slower moving members of the community including the elderly, disabled and young children.
Built Environment and Exposure to Harm
This section summarizes key points of findings from this memorandum that focus on the existing conditions, built environment, and exposure to harm, specifically for marginalized and vulnerable populations. The corridor study area has a presence of community assets (grocery stores/farmers market, community centers, hospitals, libraries) that serve and are open to the public, but little green or open space. This showed that while there may be important resources, such as access to fresh food and health services, there may be inconsistent access to these resources for community members in the study area based on insurance coverage and food insecurity rates, as well as limited existing opportunities for physical activity.
Most of the formal employment opportunities in the study area are within the civic or health and manufacturing sectors (refer to Figure 13). Additionally, preliminary findings show that one in three workers are in a blue-collar sector, with over one in four in the service sector. This may demonstrate a relatively steady commute demand throughout a 24-hour period that includes traditional 9 AM to 5 PM hours, as well as late night or early morning shifts.
As described above, a robust informal economy of street vendors has been observed along the corridor. In the observational survey, conducted over a period of four days, the consultant team observed 30 vendors, slightly more than half serving food. In line with SB 946 and the City’s and County’s regulatory framework and given the placement of many street vendors along the First Street Multimodal Boulevard Study – 93
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sidewalk infrastructure, the study will assess sidewalk design and dimension needs that balance the use of space by permitted vendors and people walking and rolling.
The study area shows some cleanup sites along and near the corridor (refer to Figure 14), as well as higher Disadvantaged Communities rankings, which measure environmental pollution exposure and social vulnerability, around the east side of the corridor, just west of the I-5 freeway and near several cleanup sites. Given preliminary level of service assessment findings of vehicle congestion around this part of the corridor, this may reflect the value of shifting travel modes away from single occupancy driving to reduce vehicle miles traveled and emissions.
Figure 1 3. Major Employers and Employment Hubs Near First Street
Figur
e 14. Identified Hazardous and Clean Up Site
Source: Department of Toxic Substances Control (2025)
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