Santa Ana to Develop Volunteer Program After Clash With School District Over Crossing Guard Funding

In this file photo, a sign is seen near Sonora Elementary School, in Costa Mesa, Calif., on Dec. 1, 2020. John Fredricks/The Epoch Times

The City of Santa Ana opted to replace its current school crossing guard program with a volunteer system after the city clashed with the Santa Ana Unified School District over which entity should pay for the service for school children.

Faced with a decision to renew its $7.7 million crossing guard program for the next five years, councilors instead voted 5–2 on June 20 to develop a volunteer program—with Councilors Jessie Lopez and Benjamin Vasquez dissenting.