Santa Ana's top news & views blog

Santa Ana's top news & views blog

Monthly Archives: May 2010

SACReD community forum on Tuesday, June 1

Posted on by Posted in Civic Affairs, Development, Entertainment, Housing, Latinos, Real Estate, Redevelopment, Santa Ana, Working Families 3 Comments
We Want a Dignified Community for All– It is still time for the City to think over their response and reconsider a Community Benefits Agreement

The community has united and organized under a coalition called SACReD, Santa Ana Collaborative for Responsible Development, and asks the City to sign a Community Benefits Agreement which will give the community the security and guarantee that the development projects of the Station District and Transit Zoning Code will in fact benefit the community.

SPREAD THE WORD!

Comunity Action and Forum – JUNE 1st @ St Joseph’s
When Tue, June 1, 6:30pm – 8:00pm GMT-07:00
Where St. Joseph’s School/Church, Parish Hall. Civic Center Dr & Lacy St, Santa Ana, ca. 92701 Continue reading→

O.C. Register endorses Craig Hunter for O.C. Sheriff

Posted on by Posted in Anaheim, Elections, Orange County, Politics, Public Safety, Republican Party, Santa Ana 1 Comment

The editorial board at the O.C. Register has endorsed Anaheim Deputy Chief of Police Craig Hunter for O.C. Sheriff. Here are a few excerpts from their Op-Ed:

While Ms. Hutchens has, at the very least, rehabilitated the stained reputation of the department, and Mr. Hunt has a “tough cop” energy about him, the Register endorses Craig Hunter.

We compared the candidates’ positions on six issues: community policing, pension reform, immigration, budget management, jail management and gun permits. Mr. Hunter’s and Ms. Hutchens’ outlook most closely aligned with ours on the first three categories. Mr. Hunter expressed a stronger reform approach on pensions and new ideas for jail management. Ms. Hutchens has done a credible job of improving practices and policies at the once-troubled Theo Lacy jail facility and she supports a two-tiered pension system. Mr. Hunter manages a sizeable but arguably relatively stable budget; Ms. Hutchens has overseen cuts to a much larger sheriff’s budget. Continue reading→

Pictures and videos from Santa Ana’s Memorial Day celebrations

Posted on by Posted in Civic Affairs, Democratic Party, Entertainment, Janet Nguyen, Lou Correa, Military, Orange County, Republican Party, Santa Ana, Tustin, Veterans 2 Comments

 

It is a real shame that the folks who produce the Memorial Day events at Santa Ana Cemetery and at Fairhave Memorial Park can’t work together and hold their events at different times.  Instead, the Santa Ana Cemetery Memorial Day event began today at 10 a.m. and the Fairhaven event began a half hour later, at 10:30 a.m.

A larger crowd showed up at Fairhaven whereas Santa Ana Cemetery was awash in Republican politicans and even a descendant of the Confederates.

State Senator Lou Correa was also at the Fairhaven event, but he was the only Democratic elected official.  The Republican politicians included Supervisor Janet Nguyen, Supervisor Bill Campbell, Congressman Ed Royce, Assemblyman Chuck DeVore, and Tustin Mayor Pro Tem John Nielsen.  Continue reading→

Is it a giant waste of time to work on the Loretta Sanchez re-election campaign?

Posted on by Posted in Democratic Party, Elections, Loretta Sanchez, Politics, Republican Party, Santa Ana, Vietnamese Leave a comment

A friend of mine sent out an anxious Facebook comment the other day, begging folks in Santa Ana to help re-elect Congresswoman Loretta Sanchez.

Does Sanchez really need to worry – in an uncontested primary?  Wouldn’t we be better off helping other good candidates in central Orange County?

For example, Phu Nguyen is running for the 68th Assembly District, in a contested primary against a Republican-backed Democrat, Joe DoVinh.  The winner will face the Republican winner in that district – that race features racist Costa Mesa Mayor Allan Mansoor against O.C. Board of Education member Long Pham.

Or you can help Ken Arnold, the Democratic candidate running against Mexican-basher Dana Rohrabacher, in the 46th Congressional District. Continue reading→

Santa Ana’s Trinity Law School celebrates recent State Bar passage results

Posted on by Posted in Education, Santa Ana, Youth Activities 2 Comments

 

Trinity Law School celebrates recent State Bar passage results
Greetings!:

I want to share with you some very good news about the recent bar passage result s for Trinity Law School alumni. Our overall bar passage rate is the highest we have seen since 2002! We are pleased and grateful for this evidence of forward momentum as we have been working diligently to raise our pass rate.

We are especially proud of our alumni who have worked very hard to achieve this great goal. We have had students pass after multiple attempts, including some who passed on the sixth attempt. We are thrilled to see our alumni pursue this goal with great tenacity, especially knowing the great financial investment and the cost in time that this has taken. Continue reading→

Correa’s childhood obesity prevention and fitness week bill passes State Senate

Posted on by Posted in california, Health and Medical, Lou Correa, Santa Ana, Youth Activities 2 Comments

(PHOTO FROM FILE): State Senator Lou Correa speaking at the “Addressing Childhood Obesity in Orange County” town hall meeting he organized in 2009.

NEWS RELEASE

Senator Lou Correa,­­­­­­­­­­­­­­ 34th Senate District
For Immediate Release: May 28, 2010
Contact: Lina Hamilton, (916) 651-4034

Correa’s Measure, Establishing Childhood Obesity Prevention and Fitness Week, Gains Passage from State Senate
Childhood Obesity has reached epidemic proportions in the U.S.

SACRAMENTO, CA – Today, the State Senate approved Senate Joint Resolution 77 (SJR 77), introduced by Senator Lou Correa (Orange County). This legislative measure will proclaim the last full week in September in each year as Childhood Obesity Prevention and Fitness Week.

According to the U.S. Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), “the American society has become ‘obesogenic,’ characterized by environments that promote increased food intake, nonhealthful foods, and physical inactivity.” From1980 and 2002, the prevalence of childhood obesity in the US has tripled in children and adolescents ages 6 to 19. Continue reading→

Watch “Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs” for free at the Great Park this Saturday

Posted on by Posted in Entertainment, irvine, Orange County, Santa Ana, Youth Activities Leave a comment

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: May 28, 2010

CONTACT: JENN STARNES, 949-724-6574

Start Your Memorial Day Weekend at the Great Park

Summer Movie on the Lawn: The Fun-Filled Forecast is “Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs”

IRVINE– No umbrellas needed at the Great Park Summer Movie on the Lawn this weekend, where it will be “Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs” (rated PG). The second show in the summer Movie on the Lawn series is this Saturday May 29th at 8:00 p.m.

Follow inventor Flint Lockwood and brainy weathergirl Sam Sparks as they attempt to discover why the rain in their small town has stopped while food is falling in its place. Bring your blanket and beach chair to watch the big screen adaptation of this children’s classic unfold on the giant outdoor screen. Continue reading→

Santa Ana cemeteries host Memorial Day events

Posted on by Posted in Arts and Culture, Churches and Religion, Civic Affairs, Santa Ana, Veterans 3 Comments

UPDATE: Click here for 2011 Memorial Day event information.

Click here to see pictures and videos from this year’s Memorial Day events at Santa Ana Cemetery and Fairhaven.

You ever wonder how Memorial Day came to be?  And what it stands for?

At the end of the Civil War, communities set aside a day to mark the end of the war or as a memorial to those who had died.  These observances coalesced around Decoration Day, honoring the Confederate dead, and the several Confederate Memorial Days.

According to Professor David Blight of the Yale University History Department, the first memorial day was observed by formerly enslaved black people at the Washington Race Course (today the location of Hampton Park) in Charleston, South Carolina.

The race course had been used as a temporary Confederate prison camp for captured Union soldiers in 1865, as well as a mass grave for Union soldiers who died there. Immediately after the cessation of hostilities, formerly enslaved people exhumed the bodies from the mass grave and reinterred them properly with individual graves. They built a fence around the graveyard with an entry arch and declared it a Union graveyard. The work was completed in only ten days. On May 1, 1865, the Charleston newspaper reported that a crowd of up to ten thousand, mainly black residents, including 2800 children, proceeded to the location for included sermons, singing, and a picnic on the grounds, thereby creating the first Decoration Day.

Here in Santa Ana, there are annual Memorial Day events at the Fairhaven Cemetery and the Santa Ana Cemetery.  Here are the details: Continue reading→

Scumbag GOP Congressman Dana Rohrabacher bashes immigrant students

Posted on by Posted in Civil Rights, Dream Act, Education, immigration, Latinos, Loretta Sanchez, Republican Party, Santa Ana, Vietnamese, Youth Activities 4 Comments

Congressman Dana Rohrabacher graduated from Palos Verdes High School in Palos Verdes Estates, California, attended Los Angeles Harbor College, and earned a bachelor’s degree in history at California State University, Long Beach in 1969. He received his master’s degree in American Studies at the University of Southern California.

This is not a man who ever lacked certainty.  This is not a man who ever wanted for anything.  In short, Rohrabacher has always lived a charmed life.  Continue reading→

Irvine City Council approves Great Park’s plans to develop community farm

Posted on by Posted in Green, irvine, Nature, Orange County, Santa Ana Leave a comment

They used to grow lima beans at El Toro…

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: MAY 27, 2010

CONTACT: JENN STARNES, 949-724-6574

Irvine City Council Approves Great Park’s 114-acre Agricultural Lease with Local Farmer to Develop Community Farm

Land will return to agricultural production

IRVINE – Irvine City Council members approved the Orange County Great Park Board’s recommendation of a 114-acre agricultural lease agreement with Orange County Produce, LLC to develop the Great Park Community Farm. The agreement marks the return of farming to the Great Park for the first time since James Irvine sold his lima bean fields to the U.S. Government 70 years ago to create the Marine Corps Air Station at El Toro. Orange County Produce is owned by the Kawamura family, Orange County’s leading farming family.

“The Kawamura family has been farming in Orange County for 60 years and Orange County Produce is a prominent farming operation in the county,” said Larry Agran, Chair of the Orange County Great Park Corporation and Irvine Mayor Pro Tem. “They have a long history of community and charity involvement, ideals that reflect the vision of the Great Park. We look forward to realizing the possibilities this working relationship will provide to the public.” Continue reading→

Join Assemblyman Solorio at two Memorial Day Weekend Events

Posted on by Posted in Entertainment, Garden Grove, Jose Solorio, Santa Ana, Sports, Working Families, Youth Activities Leave a comment

Join Assemblyman Solorio at two Memorial Day Weekend Events

Super Soccer Expo

The Santa Ana Soccer Association, Santa Ana Youth Soccer Association, and Assemblyman Jose Solorio invite everyone to Super Soccer Expo 2010, a colossal event featuring soccer clinics, youth and adult soccer tournaments, resource fair booths, and entertainment for the whole family. The two-day, family-friendly celebration is free.

When: Saturday, May 29th and Sunday, May 30th
9:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m.

Assemblyman Solorio encourages everyone to come out to Super Soccer Expo at Centennial Park this weekend. Continue reading→

Senate Approves Correa Bill to Aid College Students Serving in California National Guard

Posted on by Posted in california, Education, Lou Correa, Santa Ana, Youth Activities Leave a comment

PHOTO FROM FILE: State Senator Lou Correa (left) and California National Guard Adjunct General, Brig. Gen. Mary J. Kight (right), at Senator Correa’s Capitol Office during discussions related to Senate Bill 1075.

For Immediate Release: May 25, 2010

Contact: Lina Hamilton (916) 651-4034

Senate Approves Correa Bill to Aid College Students Serving in California National Guard

SACRAMENTO, CA – The California State Senate unanimously approved Senate Bill 1075 (SB 1075) authored by Senator Lou Correa (Orange County). This measure will require academic institutions to reasonably accommodate and assist students who are called to active military duty so they can meet any and all coursework requirements missed due to military service.

“SB 1075 will make sure that California National Guard members will not be academically or financially penalized when they are ordered to perform emergency state active duty,” said Senator Lou Correa. Continue reading→

Former SAUSD Trustee Nadia Davis Lockyer busted as she runs for office in Alameda

Posted on by Posted in Democratic Party, Elections, Politics, Santa Ana 3 Comments

Remember former SAUSD Trustee Nadia Maria Davis?  She is in hot water now, up north, in Alameda, where her husband, State Treasurer Bill Lockyer, is trying to get her elected to the Alameda County Board of Supervisors.

Nadia works in an office located at the district attorney’s office, but she is no prosecutor.
Lockyer, who is registered as an attorney with the state bar, is in fact the executive director of the Alameda County Family Justice Center, a nonprofit center for victims of domestic violence, sexual assault and abuse. Continue reading→

Ousted Commissioner Taints Grand Jury Report

Posted on by Posted in Civic Affairs, Courts, Miguel Pulido, Santa Ana Leave a comment
Glenn Stroud: Grand Jury member and ousted Redevelopment Commissioner

The local blogosphere and some members of the community have been all abuzz in regards to a report released Monday by the Orange County Grand Jury.  The report criticized the Santa Ana City Council over their handling of a transportation contract awarded to Cordoba Corp.   The report, which called the contract “flawed”, has been widely reported in the Orange County Register, the Los Angeles Times, the Liberal OC, New Santa Ana and even here on the Orange Juice.

However there is one important point that all of these outlets failed to tell their readers, this report and the impartiality of the Orange County Grand Jury has been tainted by the fact that one of the members of the Grand Jury is a former Santa Ana Redevelopment/Housing Commissioner who was ousted by the same city council criticized in the report.  “Usual Suspect” Glenn Stroud is a member of the Orange County Grand Jury and his disdain for many on this council is well known throughout the community.

Stroud, who was none to happy about his dismissal from the commission by the council, has long been a vocal critic of Councilmembers Claudia Alavarez, Sal Tinajero, Vince Sarmiento and Michele Martinez.  With Mayor Miguel Pulido joining that group in booting Stroud from the commission it clearly could not have endeared him to Stroud.  So is it possible that this report is in some way pay back for Stroud.

Click here to read the rest of this post.

New Online Tool Helps Property Owners with Tax Refund Claims

Posted on by Posted in Orange County, Santa Ana, Taxes Leave a comment

 

Darlene J. Bloom, Clerk of the Board

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: May 26, 2010
Contact: Darlene Bloom, (714) 834-2206, Darlene.Bloom@ocgov.com

New Online Tool Helps Property Owners with Tax Refund Claims

(Santa Ana, CA) – The Orange County Clerk of the Board’s Office has launched a new online Claim for Refund of Taxes and/or Penalties Paid tool that provides residents a way to complete and track their property tax claim forms online.

The new online process helps claimants ensure that all required information is complete – reducing processing and wait time. The tool creates a claim form that residents can print out and provides helpful instructions, including where to mail the signed form and a reminder to attach all supporting evidence. Once the form has been received by the Clerk of the Board, claimants may then track the status of their claim online. Continue reading→