Santa Ana's top news & views blog

Santa Ana's top news & views blog

Santa Ana’s playgrounds, volleyball courts and tennis courts to close
March 31, 2020 - Civic Affairs, Disease, Emergencies, Parks and Recreation, Public Safety, Santa Ana, Sports, Youth Activities - No Comments

The City of Santa Ana is closing its playgrounds, volleyball courts and tennis courts beginning Wednesday, April 1, in order to prevent gatherings and protect the public from COVID-19. The City has already shuttered its enclosed parks, recreation and other facilities and canceled all programs and classes except the take-out senior meals program. Those include:…

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The County of Orange has launched an Economic & Business Recovery Call Center
March 31, 2020 - Business, Disease, Emergencies, Orange County, Santa Ana - No Comments

Effective March 30, Orange County Community Services has implemented a call center to meet the needs of businesses impacted by the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. The Economic & Business Recovery Call Center will offer information and resources to help Orange County businesses navigate the current economic climate. These resources will support businesses with challenges such…

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Santa Ana businesses can get help from a Small Business Incentive Grant
March 31, 2020 - Business, Civic Affairs, Emergencies, Santa Ana - No Comments

The City of Santa Ana is offering a grant of $2,500 to $5,000 for Santa Ana-based microenterprises through the Santa Ana Small Business Incentive Program. Applicants must qualify for the Small Business Incentive Grant. Details are available at www.santa-ana.org/SBIP. Eligibility Qualifications The program provides a reimbursement grant for eligible businesses on a first-come, first-served basis. Grant…

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Understanding Santa Ana’s moratoriums on evictions and foreclosures
March 31, 2020 - Business, Disease, Emergencies, Housing, Real Estate, Santa Ana - No Comments

The City of Santa Ana has created webpages in English, Spanish and Vietnamese to help residential and commercial tenants understand the City and State moratoriums on evictions and foreclosures during the COVID-19 pandemic. The webpages include frequently asked questions, a sample letter that renters can use to advise their landlord of their inability to pay…

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Thai Viet Phan for the Santa Ana City Council

Help stop COVID-19!

Mandatory wood-burning ban in effect in Orange County today and Sunday

Posted on by Posted in Air Quality, Environment, Fires, Health and Medical, Santa Ana 1 Comment

SCAQMD Air Alerts

NO-BURN ALERT: MANDATORY WOOD-BURNING BAN IN EFFECT TODAY AND TOMORROW FOR RESIDENTS OF THE SOUTH COAST AIR BASIN

All Indoor and Outdoor Residential Wood Burning Prohibited Due to High Air Pollution Predicted for Saturday, February 7 and Sunday, February 8

The South Coast Air Quality Management District (SCAQMD) has issued a residential no-burn alert effective Saturday, February 7 and Sunday, February 8, 2015, for all those living in the South Coast Air Basin, which includes the greater Los Angeles area, Orange County and the Inland Empire. SCAQMD reminds residents in these areas that burning wood in their fireplaces is prohibited today and tomorrow, through midnight on Sunday. No-burn alerts are mandatory in order to protect public health due to a high concentration of fine particle air pollution forecast for the area. The no-burn prohibition also applies to manufactured fire logs, such as those made from wax or paper. Continue reading→

Santiago Elementary’s RAK Club shows kindness to needy animals

Posted on by Posted in Charities, Pets, Santa Ana, SAUSD Leave a comment

Santiago Elementary’s RAK Club

Santiago Elementary’s RAK Club Shows Kindness to Needy Animals

Santiago Elementary School’s Random Acts of Kindness (RAK) Club, which is comprised of 30 5th grade scholars, can celebrate the success of their most recent project – “A Cause for Paws.”

Each trimester, the RAK Club ambassadors vote on a community service project to promote school-wide that will help all the students, parents and staff at Santiago practice kindness. This trimester, they organized “A Cause for Paws” to collect items needed by the Orange County Animal Shelter. Continue reading→

High performance Mercedes-Benz crashes into a local Santa Ana business

Posted on by Posted in Accidents, automobiles, Santa Ana Leave a comment

Fast and Furious 7 is coming out soon in April but tonight we had a preview of it here in Santa Ana.  A custom high performance Mercedes-Benz automobile on a road test crashed tonight into a building belonging to Cresta Verde Landscape in Santa Ana.

The fiery crash was captured on video by one of our readers, Anthony Monks, who shared the footage and a few pictures with us. Continue reading→

Spurgeon Intermediate School taking the lead on bike safety for students

Posted on by Posted in Bicycles, Education, Santa Ana, SAUSD, Youth Activities Leave a comment

Spurgeon Intermediate Bike Club

Spurgeon Intermediate Taking the Lead on Bike Safety for Students

Spurgeon Intermediate School Teacher, Stacy Kline, has put together a Bike Club for her students. The focus of the club is fun with cycling, but it all begins with safe riding skills. To reinforce the importance of safety, Kline offers a bicycle safety session for students.

During the session, students were surprised to learn from Ms. Kline that it is most often the bicyclists who are frequently at fault in collisions, and with some basic training, most bike accidents and the resulting injuries can be prevented. By taking time to learn how to check bikes before riding, practicing starting and stopping safely, adjusting helmets correctly, learning how to brake properly and developing bicycle control skills, kids can really enjoy the freedom that riding a bike provides. Continue reading→

20-year old Santa Ana man caught tagging in Fountain Valley

Posted on by Posted in Crime, Fountain Valley, Graffiti, Santa Ana Leave a comment
Joseph Navarro

Joseph Navarro

City of Fountain Valley – Police Department

PRESS RELEASE

On January 16, 2015, at 1:06 a.m., a Fountain Valley Police Officer was conducting a patrol check of a suspicious vehicle parked to the rear of GameStop located at 16123 Harbor Blvd. As the officer approached the vehicle he observed two suspects run southbound through the parking lot towards the front of the business. The officer observed fresh graffiti on the block wall adjacent to the area where the suspects were originally located.

The officer was able to locate the suspects in front of the business and detained them for a vandalism investigation. The suspects were identified as Joseph Navarro (20) from Orange and Johnny Martinez (20) from Santa Ana. Continue reading→

New security measures planned for O.C. Board of Supervisor meetings

Posted on by Posted in Orange County, Politics, Public Safety Leave a comment

Orange County Logo

New Security Measures Planned for Board Meetings

Metal Detectors Will Be Used Beginning March 3

(Santa Ana, CA) — Beginning March 3, 2015, those attending Orange County Board of Supervisors meetings will be required to pass through a metal detector before entering the Board Meeting Room, a move designed to boost security in line with other large urban California counties.

The recommendation to install metal detectors came from the Orange County Intelligence Assessment Center, a multi-jurisdictional network of law enforcement agencies that develops best practices to protect the residents, visitors and critical infrastructure of the county. Continue reading→

Santa Ana went red today to raise awareness about women with heart disease

Posted on by Posted in Health and Medical, Santa Ana, Women Leave a comment
Bowers goes red

Photo by Omar De La Riva

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Bowers Museum Bell Tower Transformed for National Go Red For Women Day

OC Museum Participated in 13th Annual American Heart Association Campaign

SANTA ANA, CALIF. – The Bowers Museum in Santa Ana was among the numerous locations nationwide to “Go Red” on Friday, February 6, as part of the 13th Annual American Heart Association Go Red Day promoting women’s heart health.  As part of this campaign, the Bowers Museum’s iconic Mission-style Bell Tower was bathed in brilliant red light to help raise awareness about the importance of heart health among women. Located at 2002 N. Main St. in Santa Ana, the Bowers Museum is a familiar sight for thousands of daily commuters driving along Main Street.

The annual Go Red For Women campaign raises awareness that heart disease is the No. 1 killer of women, and encourages them to take preventive measures to reduce their risk. The movement harnesses the energy, passion and power women and those who love them, to band together and collectively wipe out heart disease. On a national level, the Go Red For Women movement has resulted in 650,000 women’s lives being saved over the last 10 years. Continue reading→

Mandatory wood-burning ban in effect today and on Saturday in Orange County

Posted on by Posted in Air Quality, Environment, Fires, Health and Medical, Orange County, Santa Ana Leave a comment

SCAQMD Air Alerts

NO-BURN ALERT: MANDATORY WOOD-BURNING BAN IN EFFECT TODAY AND TOMORROW FOR RESIDENTS OF THE SOUTH COAST AIR BASIN

All Indoor and Outdoor Residential Wood Burning Prohibited Due to High Air Pollution Predicted for Friday, February 6 and Saturday, February 7

The South Coast Air Quality Management District (SCAQMD) has issued a residential no-burn alert effective Friday, February 6 and Saturday, February 7, 2015, for all those living in the South Coast Air Basin, which includes the greater Los Angeles area, Orange County and the Inland Empire. SCAQMD reminds residents in these areas that burning wood in their fireplaces is prohibited today and tomorrow, through midnight on Saturday. No-burn alerts are mandatory in order to protect public health due to a high concentration of fine particle air pollution forecast for the area. The no-burn prohibition also applies to manufactured fire logs, such as those made from wax or paper. Continue reading→

The SAPD arrests a suspect in the death of a transgender woman

Posted on by Posted in Crime, Santa Ana Leave a comment

Liborio De La Luz Ramos

Santa Ana Police Department

Advisory: Homicide Detectives Make Arrest in Death of 40 Year Old Transgender woman

Arrested: Liborio De La Luz Ramos (44) Santa Ana

Charges CPC 192 Voluntary Manslaughter, Bail $500,000

On 2-5-2015, SAPD Homicide Detectives arrested Liborio DeLaLuiz Ramos (44) in connection to the death of a 40 year old transgender woman. Detectives believe that there may be additional victims who received injections from the suspect. Detectives would like additional victims to contact them at 714-245-8390.

Details:On January 28, 2015, at 1000 hours, the Orange County Coroner’s Office notified the Santa Ana Police Department, Homicide Section of a suspicious death that occurred on January 22nd. The decedent was a 40 year-old transgender who died of a “silicone embolism syndrome” related to a silicone injection to the buttocks for cosmetic reasons. Continue reading→

Rapper B-Real a winner at Santa Ana’s medical marijuana dispensary lottery

Posted on by Posted in Civic Affairs, Drugs, Health and Medical, Marijuana, Santa Ana Leave a comment
Santa Ana Medical Marijuana Dispensary Lottery

Picture courtesy of Kandice Hawes

 

The medical marijuana dispensary lottery held in Santa Ana’s City Council Chambers yesterday felt like a cross between a horse race, with all the handicapping going on, and an expensive game of Bingo, according to NBC News.

Cypress Hill rapper Louis Freese, better known as B-Real, was one of the twenty lottery winners.  He said that he plans to name his collective Dr. Greenthumb, according to the O.C. Register. Continue reading→

SAPD searching for burglars who have been targeting Ward 1 apartments

Posted on by Posted in Crime, Santa Ana, Vince Sarmiento Leave a comment

Santa Ana Mailbox thief

Santa Ana Police Department

Advisory: Santa Ana Police Department Detectives Request Media and Public’s Assistance Identifying Burglary Suspects

Three residential burglaries have occurred at 31 MacArthur Crescent (Pinnacle at MacArthur Place Apartments) in the City of Santa Ana since 1/31/15. The suspects entered the residential complex, burglarized residents’ vehicles in the parking area, and have stolen residents’ mail by breaking the lock of the mail distribution slots. Continue reading→

Man charged with strangling his 73-year-old wife in Mission Viejo

Posted on by Posted in Crime, OCDA, Orange County Leave a comment

Gary Lee Parsons

ORANGE COUNTY DISTRICT ATTORNEY PRESS RELEASE

Case # 15HF0136

February 5, 2015

HUSBAND CHARGED WITH STRANGLING-MURDER OF WIFE IN THEIR MISSION VIEJO HOME

SANTA ANA – A husband will be arraigned today for strangling and murdering his wife in their Mission Viejo home. Gary Lee Parsons, 74, is charged with one felony count of murder. If convicted, he faces a maximum sentence of 25 years to life in state prison. The defendant is being held on $1 million bail and is scheduled to be arraigned today, Thursday, Feb. 5, 2015, in Department CJ-1, Central Jail, Santa Ana. The time is to be determined.

In the early hours of Feb. 3, 2015, Gary Parsons is accused of engaging in an argument with his wife, 73-year-old Barbara Parsons, inside their home. The argument escalated to a physical altercation and the defendant is accused of throwing the victim onto their bed and strangling her until she was unresponsive. He is accused of tucking her into the bed and leaving the home in his car. Gary Parsons is accused of calling a family member, who then called the Orange County Sheriff’s Department (OCSD) to report the crime. Continue reading→

Gang banger convicted and sentenced to prison for killing a teenager

Posted on by Posted in Crime, OCDA, Santa Ana Leave a comment

Leonel Vega

ORANGE COUNTY DISTRICT ATTORNEY PRESS RELEASE

Case # 07CF2786

Date: February 5, 2015

GANG MEMBER CONVICTED AND SENTENCED TO 15 YEARS IN PRISON FOR SHOOTING AND KILLING TEENAGER

*Orange County District Attorney (OCDA) requested the Court to vacate murder conviction

SANTA ANA – A gang member was convicted and sentenced to 15 years in state prison today for killing a teenager in a rival gang. Leonel Vega, 34, pleaded guilty to one felony count of voluntary manslaughter with a sentencing enhancement for the personal use of a firearm.

Circumstances of the Case

Around March 9, 2004, Vega, then-23, and a fellow gang member drove up to Giovani Onofre, his brother Andrew Onofre, 15, and friend Hector Lopez, 19, in a white Lincoln Town Car at a bus stop near Memorial Park in Santa Ana. The defendant exited the vehicle and flashed a criminal street gang hand sign to the victim. The other gang member inside the car asked Giovani Onofre his gang affiliation, and Giovani Onofre responded that he belonged to a rival criminal street gang. Vega got back into the vehicle while the other gang member in the car pulled out a gun. Andrew Onofre and Lopez ran away from the car and hid. Giovani Onofre jumped a fence nearby and kept running. Vega circled Memorial Park in the car, caught up with Giovani Onofre, and shot the victim once in the head. Continue reading→

Dr. Richard Wolff and Ellen Brown will attack capitalism on Feb. 12 in Santa Ana

Posted on by Posted in Communism, Entertainment, Politics, Santa Ana, Socialism Leave a comment

Dr Richard Wolff & Ellen Brown Challenge Capitalism

Dr. Wolff & Ellen Brown Challenge Capitalism (Municipal/Public Banking, Worker Cooperatives)

Tickets and more info is available here – http://drrickwolffinoc.brownpapertickets.com/

KPFK’s Bibliography’s Andrew Tonkovich, Ellen Brown, Founder of the Public Banking Institute, and world renowned economist Dr. Richard Wolff will present a diagnosis of our country’s prevailing economic problems and the contradictions facing today’s society in Santa Ana on Thursday, February 12, 2015,  at 6:30 pm.

They will introduce viable/vetted alternatives as an antidote for the mass of people, who are financially ailing, and heightening a collective awareness that America’s status quo supports a system that allows a small minority of the people to benefit at the expense of the environment and the majority of the people who create the majority of the wealth for them. Finally, America has a cure for capitalism. Continue reading→

Saudi national who lived in Irvine dies after being shot in Santa Ana’s Ward 6

Posted on by Posted in Crime, irvine, Santa Ana 2 Comments

Mansour Alhazawbar

Santa Ana Police Department

Advisory: Victim of January 19th 2015, shooting dies from his injuries, Homicide Detectives investigating the case

Victim: Mansour Alhazawbar (21) Irvine

Location: 500 S Maxine, Santa Ana

Summary: On 1/19/15, at 12:10 AM, Mansour Alhazawbar a 21 year old male called the Santa Ana Police Department from his cell phone stating he had been shot. He was located by officers in the 500 block of South Maxine sitting in the driver seat of his vehicle. He had sustained a single gunshot wound to the upper torso. The victim was treated at the scene by the OCFA Paramedics and transported to UCI Medical Center for treatment. Continue reading→