Syringe Exchange Program Approved in Santa Ana Despite City Leaders’ Objections

A used syringe lays discarded on a sidewalk outside of downtown Los Angeles on Jan. 21, 2022. John Fredricks/The Epoch Times

A needle exchange program in Santa Ana, California, received approval by the state Aug. 11 despite city leaders’ objections.

The Harm Reduction Institute, which offers free opioid reversal medication and overdose training to individuals and nonprofits, received the approval from the California Department of Public Health Office of AIDS, which works with organizations throughout the state to combat HIV and AIDS.

Now the agency—in collaboration with other nonprofits—is authorized to collect used, dirty needles and deliver clean ones to residents’ homes, RVs, or to homeless individuals that are not near playgrounds or schools, according to an announcement by the city Aug. 14.

The recent authorization, which is good through August 2025, overrides a 2020 council decision to ban needle exchange programs in the city.

In response, Santa Ana city leaders are speaking out against the state’s approval.

“This needle exchange threatens the health and safety of our children, families and neighborhoods,” Mayor Valerie Amezcua said in the same city announcement.

City Manager Kristine Ridge and Police Chief David Valentin sent a letter to the department of health in May opposing the needle exchange citing that past such programs led to needles scattered throughout the city including near public libraries, and on sidewalks, streets, and resident’s lawns and at parks and in waterways.

An empty syringe sits on a sidewalk in San Francisco, Calif., on Feb. 23, 2023. John Fredricks/The Epoch Times

Of further concern cited in the letter was one former needle exchange provider was unable to account for 250,000 syringes distributed, and lacked staff to clean up the used needles, which resulted in a court ruling to shut the program down after two years in 2018, according to media reports.

Ms. Amezcua accused the state of targeting Santa Ana in what she said should be a countywide collaboration.

“I am greatly disappointed that the state health department would override our local government authority to protect our community. Opioid addiction is a serious issue devastating communities throughout the United States, but once again, Santa Ana is the only Orange County city being asked to shoulder this countywide responsibility,” she said.