The election for Santa Ana’s Ward 2 City Council seat offers voters a stark contrast between an incumbent seeking to continue his policies and a challenger advocating for a new direction.
Incumbent Councilmember Ben Vazquez, a public school teacher, is running for reelection on his record. He faces challenger Selica Diaz, a Santa Ana native, former Parks and Recreation Commissioner, community volunteer, and mother of four.
While both candidates express a desire for safer neighborhoods and a stronger city, their proposed methods differ significantly across key issues such as housing, homelessness, policing, and public safety.
First elected in 2022, Councilmember Vazquez has emerged as a progressive voice on the council. A longtime teacher in the Santa Ana Unified School District, his tenure has focused on housing affordability, tenant protections, immigrant services, homelessness outreach, and community investment. His campaign highlights what he describes as accomplishments, including expanded community services, protections for renters, improved parks, and investments within the ward. Vazquez argues these policies have supported working families in remaining in Santa Ana and enhanced quality of life. He has garnered endorsements from several Democratic and labor-aligned organizations, including the California Working Families Party.
Diaz is campaigning as a community-focused alternative. According to her campaign, she is a lifelong Santa Ana resident with over two decades of community service, including her previous role on the city’s Parks and Recreation Commission. Her campaign centers on three primary themes: safer neighborhoods, cleaner neighborhoods, and responsive government. Diaz has consistently emphasized that residents deserve safe neighborhoods and that the city should collaborate more aggressively with Orange County to secure resources to address homelessness. She also advocates for expanding Quality of Life Teams citywide. Her message targets residents who believe city government has not adequately addressed neighborhood concerns, street disorder, and quality-of-life issues. Diaz has received endorsements from organizations including the Santa Ana Fire Fighters Association, Mayor Valerie Amezcua, the Santa Ana Police Association, the Realtors Association, and the Charter Schools Association.
The candidates’ most pronounced difference lies in their approach to public safety. Diaz has made public safety a central pillar of her campaign, asserting that police require the necessary staffing, training, technology, and resources to ensure neighborhood safety. She frequently identifies public safety as her top priority.
Vazquez, conversely, generally frames public safety through the lens of prevention, outreach, housing stability, and community services. His campaign promotes investments in homelessness services, tenant protections, youth programs, and community-based solutions. This philosophical divergence has drawn criticism from some residents and public-safety advocates. Throughout his council tenure, Vazquez has often supported progressive policy positions that scrutinize law enforcement powers, surveillance technology, and enforcement-focused approaches to homelessness. Critics contend that he has frequently opposed measures intended to strengthen law enforcement’s capacity to address crime, public disorder, and encampments, noting his vote against allowing the Santa Ana Police Department to use drones to find and arrest criminals. Supporters, however, counter that his positions reflect concerns about civil liberties, over-policing, and the need to address root causes rather than primarily relying on arrests and enforcement.
Housing remains a key issue for Vazquez, who points to his support for rent stabilization, tenant protections, and affordable housing initiatives as evidence of his commitment to assisting working families. Diaz has focused less on rent-control policies and more on visible neighborhood impacts associated with homelessness, public safety, and city services. Her campaign prioritizes cleaner neighborhoods, responsive government, and enhanced coordination with county agencies.
Both candidates acknowledge that homelessness is one of Santa Ana’s most significant challenges, but they differ in their prioritization of solutions. The Ward 2 race ultimately presents a choice between continuity and change. Vazquez asks voters to continue policies that he says have expanded community services, protected renters, improved parks, and delivered investments to the ward. Diaz argues Santa Ana needs a stronger focus on neighborhood safety, quality-of-life concerns, and responsiveness to residents, presenting herself as a fresh voice. The contest is one of the most philosophically distinct on this year’s Santa Ana ballot. For Ward 2 voters, the question is whether Santa Ana has been heading in the right direction under Vazquez’s leadership, or if it is time for a new voice in City Hall. The answer will likely determine who represents Ward 2 for the next four years.
