Block Votes: New Political Power Rises in Santa Ana : Government: Want action from City Hall? Need to take a bite out of crime? Form a neighborhood association. They are heeded by office-holders and wooed by candidates.

“Neighborhood” is becoming a magic word in Santa Ana politics.

Once dedicated only to block parties and crime watches, neighborhood associations are steadily gaining a powerful foothold at City Hall, where lobbying from such organizations has become one of the most effective ways to get things done in the county’s largest city.

“It’s pure and simple, it’s honest politics,” said Guy Ball, a former co-chairman for Wilshire Square, one of the city’s 31 neighborhood associations.

Residents here are learning that joining a neighborhood association is not only a good way to meet people, it also gives them political clout, city officials say. Neighborhood groups have persuaded City Hall to take a variety of actions, from installing traffic lights to purchasing homes to keep property values from sliding. Such groups have also provided a way for residents to proclaim community pride. And they have proven to be the city’s most effective weapon against rising crime.

“Neighborhood associations can have a huge impact,” Police Chief Paul Walters said. “The Police (Department) is just one step in fighting crime. But when homeowners and people get together, there is less likelihood that crime will occur.”

In neighborhoods where there are no such associations, Walters said, there are major problems with drug dealers and gangs.

In one central Santa Ana district, residents have been terrorized by drug peddlers who sell openly in the streets. Last August, a 12-year-old boy was gunned down on Myrtle Street after a drug buyer shot him in an apparent case of mistaken identity. There is no neighborhood association or any community watch group in that area.

Sometimes, residents are fearful of beginning an association in a crime-ridden area because they don’t want to be labeled as “snitches,” said Nancy Inglehart, co-chairwoman of Community-Oriented Policing, a citizens advisory group.

“They fear retaliation, but they have to learn they have strength in numbers,” Inglehart said.

Inglehart said city officials must help residents in high crime areas overcome fear and take the initiative in getting associations started.

“The residents must be educated about neighborhood associations,” Inglehart said. “Not many people know that the city has a Neighborhood Improvement Program that can help them.”

Santa Ana officials fear that if they don’t pay attention to neighborhood groups, they risk an exodus of city residents, said Patricia Whitaker, the city’s housing manager.

“It’s important for the city administration and council to keep the residents here. They don’t want them to fly off to another city,” Whitaker said.

The Neighborhood Improvement Program was started in 1982 to identify problems in different parts of the city, said Darl Incledon, the program’s coordinator. Now it helps residents form associations and assigns staff members to act as City Hall liaisons. The program also helps the associations publish Eye on Santa Ana, a quarterly newsletter produced at city expense and circulated to 6,000 residents.

A decade ago, the city only had only a handful of such associations, Incledon said. Now, Santa Ana has 31 neighborhood groups scattered throughout the city. The associations vary in membership as well as neighborhood size. Some associations represent one or two street blocks, while others represent dozens. Some groups have only a handful of core members while others have more than 100. The residents decide how often they want to meet, but most associations meet monthly.

The Sandpointe Neighborhood Assn. began three years ago when a dozen residents feared that local development projects would create huge traffic jams and noise problems in their neighborhood. Now, the association is 105 members strong.

Similarly, the number of associations in Santa Ana grew when residents realized they could get streets repaired, traffic signals installed, and potholes covered quicker when they worked together, said James Walker, co-chairman of the Sandpointe group.

And the influence of these groups is clear.

Earlier this month, for example, residents from the Northwest Neighborhood Assn. told the council they feared that property values in their “north of 17th Street” area would fall because Caltrans had purchased seven tract homes for a Garden Grove Freeway expansion project. Adhering to the association’s wishes, the council directed its staff to negotiate buying the houses back from Caltrans at a price that could reach $1.4 million.

In August, city staff helped the Sandpointe Neighborhood Assn. draft a 21-page improvement report that called for installing traffic diverters, building soundwalls, and devising a street-cleaning plan for the area. The council approved the report and agreed to help with some of the funding.

Council members recognize that neighborhood associations have become a political force, Mayor Daniel H. Young said.

“To ignore neighborhood associations is to court defeat in the next election,” Young said.

For this year’s election, neighborhood associations are organizing candidates’ nights, although they are not endorsing anyone. Some groups are applying to become nonprofit organizations, which are legally forbidden to support candidates. On Tuesday, the Bristol Manor Assn. is sponsoring this year’s first candidates’ night at the City Hall annex. All the candidates have agreed to attend.

And council candidates are taking their cue from these associations. In mailers and campaign statements, which are included in sample ballots mailed to registered voters, incumbents and challengers are saying that neighborhood preservation is their No. 1 priority.

The council used to be influenced only by northern Santa Ana, where residents were affluent and tend to vote, said Guy Ball, who is the editor of neighborhood newsletter.

“The north side of the city is not the only game in town now,” Ball said. “The rest of the city is starting to see more associations. As these pockets grow and mature, they will command the same respect the north side has.”

There was a time in Santa Ana when neighborhood associations did not play such a significant role at City Hall, said Whitaker, the city housing manager. When the neighborhood groups did speak, they lashed out and took on an adversarial role with the council, Whitaker said.

Now neighborhood groups are more likely to work with the city instead of fighting it, Whitaker said.

SANTA ANA NEIGHBORHOOD ASSOCIATIONS

A decade ago, Santa Ana had only a handful of neighborhood associations. Now, there are 31, gaining in political clout and proving, according to police, to be the city’s most effective weapon against crime. 1. Far Northwest 2. Far West 3. Santa Anita 4. Washington Square 5. French Park 6. Logan Lacy 7. Saddleback View 8. Heninger Park 9. Eastside 10. Wilshire Square 11. Bristol Manor 12. Delhi 13. Sandpointe 14. Thornton Park 15. Bristol/Warner 16. Laurelhurst 17. South Coast 18. Frontier Valley 19. Sunwood Central 20. Mid-City 21. Artesia Pilar 22. Mar-Les 23. Jack Fisher Park 24. Santa Ana Triangle 25. French Court 26. Riverview West 27. Northwest 28. Flower Park 29. Morningsun 30. Fairview Willits 31. Northeast Source: Santa Ana Neighborhood Improvement Program