A chronic failure of the media is a tendency to sensationalize accusations but ignore exonerations.
Santa Ana Mayor Pro Tem Ben Vasquez’s recent premature allegation of malfeasance against the Santa Ana Police Officers Association (SAPOA) is a classic case in point.
Health care for Santa Ana police officers is paid for by a Benefit Trust Fund established by the SAPOA and administered by a third-party, and the city pays into that fund.
The city’s contribution covers only a portion of what it costs to provide health benefits to police officers and their families. The rest is paid for by contributions from officers, and from trust fund assets the union has invested and grown ensure adequate funding for those health benefits.
On September 29, City Manager Alvaro Nunez e-mailed councilmembers claiming an audit showed that in 2023 the city had overpaid into the union’s health care fund by $3,426,054.
Within hours of getting the e-mail, Vazquez – without even bothering to read the audit report – fired off a letter to the state Attorney General Rob Bonta demanding a “forensic audit” of “all SAPOA accounts dating back 10 years.”
Vazquez – who hates the SAPOA – got a lot of media attention for his demand, posturing as a reformer demanding accountability for taxpayer funds. During an interview with KCAL 9 new assignment editor Mike Johnson, Vasquez – barely able to contain his glee – even admitted he had not read the audit before demanding on all-out investigation on the basis of the audit.
The OC Register editorial page joined Vazquez call, even while admitting they had no idea whether Vazquez was correct.
The SAPOA denounced the precipitous action by the left-wing councilman as “capricious and uninformed” and said Vazquez made no attempt to contact them for an explanation before calling for Attorney General to investigate the union.
“The alleged ‘deficit’ is the difference of the cost to pay for the health care benefits our officers receive, and the amounts we collect from the City and our officer contributions,” said SAPOA President John Kachirisky. “We make up that difference because the City refuses to provide for the full cost of benefits. This is a simple attempt to distort the truth as the City shirks its obligation to provide full benefits to its public safety workforce.”
“Mayor Pro Tem Vasquez should be ashamed of himself and should learn the facts before spouting out incorrect and distorted information. We expect more from our elected officials and demand an apology from Mayor Pro Tem Vasquez,” said Kachirisky.
As it turns out, the SAPOA is right and Vazquez and the city manager were wrong.
According to audit report:
- There has been no overpayment by the City – contrary to Vazquez’s allegation.
- The City’s contribution covers less than the full cost of health care coverage for our members, resulting in an underfunding of the Trust.
- The SAPOA has utilized Trust assets exclusively to provide health benefits to its members – contrary to Vazquez’s insinuation the union has abused it for political purposes.
- The Trust has drawn from its reserves to make up the difference between the full cost of member health care coverage and the city’s contribution.
“We believe these findings underscore our commitment to fiscal responsibility,” said SAPOA President John Kachirisky. “The reserves have been carefully managed and used solely to provide stable health benefits for our members. Without these reserves, the financial burden on our members would increase significantly.”
“To ensure transparency and mutual understanding, we are always ready and willing to meet with the
City Council, staff, and officials to discuss the Trust’s operations and the critical role reserves play in
sustaining our member health benefits,” said Kachirisky.
Based on his behavior pattern, don’t expect Vazquez to take the SAPOA up on that offer.
Clearly, Vazquez was unconcerned with whether or not City Manager Nunez’s claim was true or false. He simply saw an opportunity to smear the SAPOA.
Again, this should surprise no one. Vazquez has never sought to conceal his radical politics or contempt for law enforcement. For example, in June 2020, when the Left collectively lost its mind in the the George Floyd riots vindicated their ideology, Vazquez posted this on social media:
His appointee to the city’s Police Oversight Commission, Carlos Perea, is a notorious police critic. Last year, Perea abused his position to publicly solicit excessive force complaints to the Police Commission against Santa Ana police officers who assisted in clearing the violent pro-Palestinian student encampment at UC Irvine.
In other words, Perea was soliciting excessive force complaints that he would then be a part of adjudicating – making a mockery of due process. For Perea, due process is reserved for criminal illegal aliens, not police officers.
Vazquez was silent about his appointees clear abuse of his position of public trust – because for revolutionaries like Vazquez, it’s less about right or wrong, truth or lies, than about whether an action or allegation advances their political agenda.
And for Vazquez, that agenda includes discrediting law enforcement.
