City of Santa Ana receives 2026 Helen Putnam Award for Excellence in Planning and Environmental Quality from League of California Cities

The City was awarded California's highest municipal honor for its innovative efforts to address longstanding environmental inequities in the historic Logan and Lacy neighborhoods.

The City of Santa Ana has received the 2026 Helen Putnam Award for Excellence in the area of Planning and Environmental Quality from the League of California Cities, in recognition of its innovative efforts to address longstanding environmental inequities in Santa Ana's historic Logan and Lacy neighborhoods.

The City won the award for its comprehensive Transit Zoning Code update and was one of only 12 cities statewide selected from among 161 submissions. Considered California's highest municipal honor, the Helen Putnam Award recognizes cities for their outstanding efforts and innovative programs to improve quality of life and delivery of services in their communities. The League of California Cities presented the award to the Santa Ana City Council and City staff at the City Council's Oct. 6, 2026, meeting.

"Congratulations to our City staff on this well-deserved recognition," Mayor Valerie Amezcua said. "This award validates years of tireless advocacy from both residents and City staff who realized something was broken and needed fixing, proving that municipalities can use their local authority to correct historical errors and protect neighborhoods. Through the Transit Zoning Code update and other new policies, the City of Santa Ana is setting the standard for balancing neighborhood protections with responsible economic development as we build a future that will serve everyone in our community."

For nearly 150 years, Santa Ana's Logan and Lacy neighborhoods, home to over 15,000 residents per square mile, have carried a disproportionate environmental burden, hosting 57 percent of the city's heavy industrial operations and facing pollution exposure in the top 10 percent statewide.

Rather than making minor regulatory tweaks, the City established a structured, objective planning framework to address incompatible operations, balancing long-overdue community health protections with constitutional due process.

Updating zoning and improving interagency enforcement coordination stops the expansion of high-impact industrial operations and delivers lasting environmental protections in and around these neighborhoods. The City delivered this comprehensive zoning reform and community protection using existing municipal resources and staff, without requiring any additional funding.