The Santa Ana police union has long exerted massive influence on the City Council, as it spends heavily on council races and even recalled a non-compliant member. The former city manager received a $600,000 settlement last year after making similar claims. As VoiceofOC reported, that case “paints a much darker reality of … the grip the Santa Ana Police Officers Association has on some of its leaders.”

That’s the necessary backdrop to the latest controversy. The news , per that publication: Three officers in July filed complaints “alleging Councilman Johnathan Hernandez harassed them by making critical comments about them online.” They allege such criticisms of police use-of-force incidents create a hostile workplace. These are not official union complaints, but raise a question: Are S

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