Investigation Into Mayor Relied On Mayor, Two Secret Witnesses and Emails, Original Claimant Who Received Hush Money Refused to Speak
Investigators did not interview the former city manager despite the claims stemming from the former city manager. Amezcua and two secret witnesses gave statements to investigators.
Update 1/28/2025: The city of Santa Ana has twice rejected a public records request for the emails that were reviewed by the investigators. The city claims that the emails are a “work product” of the investigating attorneys. Inadvertent disagrees. The emails are communication records between the most public city official (the mayor) and city staff. The emails were not created for the investigation. Furthermore, under the city’s same logic, the investigation reports that they already released, are also an attorney “work product”. As we all know now, they are public records.
The investigation into Santa Ana Mayor Valerie Amezcua relied on Amezcua’s statements, two secret witnesses and hundreds of emails between the mayor and former city manager, according to the newly released investigation report. The investigator did not interview the main claimant, former City Manager Kristine Ridge.
The allegations were not sustained and Ridge’s lack of participation is cited in each allegation’s findings.
“…the Investigator attempted to interview the Complainant, Ridge, who refused to participate in the Investigation,” stated the report.
The report shows that on one allegation, the investigator, Alfonso Estrada, stated that Ridge’s lack of participation in the investigation “made the evidence insufficient to sustain” the allegation. Estrada, an attorney at Hanson Bridgett, cited an “inability” to “further corroborate Ridge’s claims…” according to the report.
The investigator considered Amezcua’s statements to be “self-serving” yet found her to be a credible source. An example given by the investigator to support Amezcua’s credibility says that she admitted to not liking being called “Gerry’s girl” by Ridge, but Amezcua also “did not shy away from the fact that she had a good relationship with and was endorsed by the [SAPOA]…”
Each finding cited Ridge’s lack of participation as an issue affecting the outcome.
Since August, Inadvertent sent over twenty emails to city officials regarding a status update on the city-hired investigator’s progress. The city initially declared that they did not have the report, via a message on the public records portal, yet the report shows that it was sent to the city almost two weeks before that.
At this time, it is unclear why the city had issues with releasing a public record. The reports were released two minutes before the council meeting began on Monday.
Witness A and Witness B
The identities of the witnesses interviewed for the investigation have been redacted by the city. Jennifer Hall, the city clerk responsible for the redactions, asserted that the public interest is better served by withholding the identities of witnesses.
Analysis of the report by Inadvertent points to the witnesses being two city employees or a right-hand person, based on the type of knowledge and access they have of issues and locations. Witness A accompanied Amezcua to the then-future mayoral office after Amezcua was elected in 2022. Witness A also attended at least seven meetings between Ridge and Amezcua. The report states that this witness had an “apparent bias” towards Amezcua and that their “speculation on Ridge’s treatment and attitude towards Amezcua was based on personal belief rather than concrete facts…”
Witness B is “currently employed with the City”, according to the report. They also sat in meetings with Ridge and Amezcua and displayed a “slight” bias against Amezcua.
Ethics Complaint Unsubstantiated by the Reluctant District Attorney
Last October, Amezcua’s loyalty to the Santa Ana Police Officers Association (SAPOA) cost the City of Santa Ana $600,000 in a hush money settlement related to the ousting of Ridge and former-police Chief David Valentin. The ousting effort appeared to be a political favor for the SAPOA, according to public records. One of which, was an ethics complaint, alleging that Amezcua violated the state’s Brown Act in carrying out the strategy to “fire the City Manager and [Police] Chief [David] Valentin.”
According to Councilmember Benjamin Vazquez, the complaint was never investigated by the city, instead it went “straight to [the] DA.”
At the October 15th council meeting, City Attorney Sonia Carvalho stated that the Orange County District Attorney’s (OCDA) office “concluded that there was insufficient evidence to substantiate the allegations.”
According to the Voice of OC, OCDA Todd Spitzer “rarely prosecutes political crimes.”
A city spokesperson did not respond to a request for comment by publishing time.
Estrada was also contracted to investigate Santa Ana Police Department (SAPD) Commander Manuel Moreno’s complaint alleging that the current police chief delayed an investigation of a child sexual assault by an off-duty officer for more than half a year. The findings of that report have been kept secret.
Estrada also investigated Alameda Police Department’s arrest of Mali Watkins, a Black community member, due to “allegations of racial profiling and excessive force”, according to Alameda city officials. That report has also been kept secret.
Amezcua did not respond with a comment before publishing.
This is a developing story.