Santa Ana mayoral candidate Dwayne Shipp says campaign hat got him denied backstage

Santa Ana mayoral candidate Dwayne Shipp says he was denied backstage access at the Chicano Heritage Festival because he is running for office.

In a video posted by Juice Unlocked on Aug. 24, 2026, Shipp, wearing a "Dwayne Shipp for Santa Ana Mayor" cap and polo, said he was told his hat broke a policy for candidates. He said he looked up the rules himself and could not find one.

What Shipp says happened

Shipp said he had already made it through the gate and that everything was fine until people approached him and told him he could not be backstage with the hat on because he was a candidate.

He called the hat and his clothes a matter of free speech, and said he was turned away by the same people who "smile on my face and say everything is cool."

Juice Unlocked could not find any public statement from the festival's organizers about the incident or a published rule on candidates backstage.

“They told me because I have my hat on, which is a freedom of speech, my clothes, that I couldn't come backstage because it was some policy and I got to know the rules. But I looked up the rules and I didn't see it.”

The hip-hop connection

In the clip, Shipp is asked about his history with rapper Baby Bash. He said he produced a track called "Cats and Dogs" featuring Baby Bash and Too Short, and that he believes in building community through hip-hop.

“I was denied access by the very same people that smile on my face and say everything is cool.”

About the festival

The Chicano Heritage Festival is a free event put on by the city of Santa Ana. The 2025 edition, its fourth, was scheduled for Centennial Park on West Edinger Avenue with a lowrider cruise and car show, food vendors, live music and art panels by Valley High School ethnic studies students, Culture OC reported.

Santa Ana was the first U.S. city to declare August as Chicano Heritage Month, according to the same report.

“I believe in building communities through hip-hop.”

Who is Dwayne Shipp

Shipp is a longtime community organizer who serves on the city's Community Development Commission and is listed as president of the Orange County Heritage Council, LAist reported. He told the outlet his community work in Santa Ana goes back 40 years.

He was one of two challengers to Mayor Valerie Amezcua in the Nov. 3, 2026, election, along with attorney Dan Shimell.

Update: Nov. 8, 2026

In results published by NBC Los Angeles on Nov. 4, Shipp was third with 13.31% of the vote, or 7,749 votes. The outlet reported that he has since conceded.

In the latest count reported by Voice of OC on Nov. 8, Shimell led Amezcua by 1,823 votes, about 45% to 42%, out of roughly 58,200 votes counted. NBC Los Angeles reported that ballots were still being counted.