Santa Ana's top news & views blog

Santa Ana's top news & views blog

Monthly Archives: August 2010

New Hope Church “Youth Leadership Week”

Posted on by Posted in Churches and Religion, Entertainment, Santa Ana, Youth Activities 1 Comment

New Hope Church creates dynamic youth leadership development opportunity!

Youth Leadership Week Mon. – Fri. Aug 16-20, 9:00am -3:30pm Located in the city of Orange at New Hope Church, McAulay Hall The purpose of the week is to develop middle school youths’ (ages 10-14) leadership skills by focusing on body, mind and spirit.

Leadership development activities: • Parliamentary procedures – officers are elected the very first day. • Nutrition and healthy eating and meal preparation. • Tour community leaders work sites and interview the CEO or his/her designee. • Workshops on public speaking, making introductions, interviewing skills, interacting with adults and authority figures. • Daily exercise and prayer and meditation are also a part of the program.

The entire program is designed for character building, confidence development, spiritual awareness, and academic achievement. The week will be held on the campus of New Hope Church in Orange. However, there will be daily excursions to tour local corporations and non profit organizations. Fee: Only $35 – space is very limited. Contact and registration: Christledncd@yahoo.com or 714-288-9986

The Eighth Annual Madison Park Community Resource Faire, Walk-A-Thon & Concert

Posted on by Posted in Entertainment, Latinos, music, Neighborhood Associations, Santa Ana, Sports, Working Families, Youth Activities Leave a comment

This event will be sponsored by the Madison Park Neighborhood Association (co-sponsored by The City of Santa Ana, Casas Guanajuato-Santa Ana and UC Irvine-Chicanos/Latinos for Community Medicine) with the participation of the surrounding neighborhoods.

The event will take place on Saturday, August 14, 2010. We will kick off the day with a neighborhood “Walk-A-Thon” from 9:00 a.m. to 10:00 am and immediately followed by the Festival & Concert from 10:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. at Madison Park in Santa Ana, 1528 S. Standard Ave. Over forty participants will offer information on health prevention programs, health screenings, education, job training and placement, youth programs, safety, citizenship, transportation, legal aid and human services.

For more information please contact our secretary Adolfo Sierra at 714-497-8335 at adolfosierra@sbcglobal.net or chelaruvalcaba@yahoo.com. Click here for additional information.

Santa Ana residents get in free at the Santa Ana Zoo this Sunday

Posted on by Posted in Civic Affairs, Entertainment, Nature, Santa Ana, Youth Activities Leave a comment

Have you checked out the camels at the Santa Ana Zoo?

Santa Ana residents can enjoy a FREE day at the Santa Ana Zoo at the Prentice Park, this Sunday, August 15.  Thanks to our efforts the Santa Ana Parks and Recreation Agency changed the monthly free day to a Sunday, so that working families might avail themselves of this wonderful venue.

There are displays with over 300 animals from around the world on 21 acres. The Zoo is open daily from 10am to 4pm, once inside, one can remain until 5pm.

In related news, the Santa Ana Zoo’s Zoofari Fundraising Gala is coming up on August 28.  Click here for details.

O.C. Register quizzes SAUSD School Board candidates

Posted on by Posted in Education, Elections, Politics, Santa Ana, Youth Activities 1 Comment

I received a candidate questionnaire today from the Orange County Register.  Here is a sneak preview at what they asked and how I answered:

THREE QUESTIONS Responses may be up to 75 WORDS – not a character more.

1) Over the last several years, schools have slashed millions from their budgets, trimmed back instruction days, increased class sizes and dropped programs. What steps will you take to minimize the impacts of those cuts?

Click here to read the rest of this post.

Academy Mortgage and partners announce home buying education program

Posted on by Posted in Business, Civic Affairs, Housing, Latinos, Santa Ana, Working Families 1 Comment

Adela Olivares, Henry De La Isla, Jacqueline Ienni, Partners at Academy Mortgage, New Century Realtors & Sur Pacific

The Partners and Team Members of New Century Realtors, Sur Pacific and Academy Mortgage are participating in the Fiestas De Independencia event, which will be held on September 18 and 19, in downtown Santa Ana, with a companywide Give Back Program:

“Teaching Today for Tomorrow, Home Ownership made Possible!”

Their plan is to educate, network and empower the Hispanic community with basic financial information to purchase a home.

Their Team Members will assess their current financial situation then direct them to the correct specialist to assist them further.

Their companies’ believe in the old adage, “Give a man a fish; you have fed him for today. Teach a man to fish; and you have fed him for a lifetime.”

This will begin to fulfill the partners’ passion to give valuable information to others who have yet to realize the American Dream of becoming a homeowner.

Academy Mortgage Corporation and New Century Realtors are located at 2670 North Main St., which is located at the southwest corner of North Main St. and Memory Lane, just south of the MainPlace Mall, in Santa Ana.

Benavides Hatergate: Records request shows councilman privately honored haters

Posted on by Posted in Civic Affairs, Civil Rights, David Benavides, Racism, Republican Party, Santa Ana Leave a comment

Councilman Benavides chats with hate group member Lupe Moreno

As I reported back on August 3rd the Orange Juice made an official records request from the City of Santa Ana to get all the names of those issued certificates of recognition for their participation on the American Independence Day planning committee.  Earlier this week I received an email from Mark Lawrence, Executive Assistant to the City Manager, with that list of names.

Not surprisingly those who privately recieved the certificates from Councilman David Benavides were in stark contrast to those he publicly honored with the exception of Anne Menaldo.  Publicly Benavides tried to paint a picture of a group made up of kindly, concerned and considerate members of the community who had no political agenda.  At that council meeting Benavides brought forward folks like Melanie Cole-Gomez, Stan and Marva Zubas and the aforementioned Menaldo, who is a documented Moreno supporter.

However those privately honored by Benavides demonstrate a much uglier side to this group.   Those getting the award in this fashion include known hate group member Lupe Moreno, right-wing extremist Rosie Avila, Moreno supporter Thomas Gordon and Minuteman member/immigrant basher Anita Hynds.  It was Hynds husband Gary that referred to Santa Ana residents as “fu*king wetbacks”.

Obviously Benavides did not want to publicly embrace these extremists and haters, so why honor them at all?  Clearly this is a picture into Benavides and how he operates.  Publicly he puts on a face of a man who stands side by side with our immigrant and LGBT community but privately he rubs elbows with the very folks that hate them.  Talk about two-faced hypocrisy.

Benavides and his supporters have been making the argument that he was simply honoring Moreno and the other extremists for their involvement in the Independence Day event and this is in no way tied to their political agenda.  The fact of the matter is that you cannot seperate Moreno’s membership in a hate group or the others extremism from anything.  This is who they are.  This is what they are all about.

Everytime you look the other way and recognize or honor folks like Moreno, Avila, Gordon and Hynds you are helping justify their extremist and hateful agenda.  Would Councilman Benavides honor David Duke if he held an event in Santa Ana?  What if the Mexican Mafia wanted to donate money to buy books for the library would he be in favor of accepting it?

I think we all know the answer to both questions.  So ask yourself why does he continue to act as an enabler for Lupe Moreno and the rest of the “usual suspects” in town?

Unfortunately Benavides is running unopposed for the Ward 4 City Council seat this November so there is not much we can do to prevent another four years of this reprehensible behavior.  We can however insure that Ward 4 will be his political graveyard and that his dreams for higher office are dead and buried.

Godinez High School students take free arts classes at the Grand Central Art Center

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The Grand Central Art Center and Godinez Fundamental High School in Santa Ana have partnered to present Arts Central – a weeklong series of free art classes for high school students. The camp continues through Saturday, Aug. 14 and is attended by 30 students who had been nominated by their high school art teachers, according to CSUF Inside.

The classes, taught by center staff and Cal State Fullerton master of fine arts students who live at Grand Central, include computer art and graphic design; performance art; acting and monologue writing, sculpture and three-dimensional forms; and digital photography.

In addition to studio work, every day of class will end with guest artists speaking to the students about their work and professional experiences. Guest lecturers include, Robot Boy sculptors David Brokaw and Preston Daniels, former artist-in-residence Amy Caterina, Chris Bradley and Jason Maloney of Orange County action sports brand Hurley International. Hurley is a camp partner, providing all participants with t-shirts and inviting students and staff to their facility for tours and talks one of the days.

Click here to read the rest of this post.

New federal bill may not end up saving many teacher’s jobs in Santa Ana

Posted on by Posted in california, Education, Jose Solorio, Lou Correa, Santa Ana Leave a comment

The new federal bill that is supposed to save teacher’s jobs may not, in the end, do much for teachers in California.  And I don’t think this funding can be used to save classified jobs either.

The bill could provide up to $70 million to Orange County’s cash-strapped school districts, allowing them to rescind scores of teacher layoffs, county officials said Thursday, according to the O.C. Register.

The problem is that our State Legislature still hasn’t approved a new budget.  We don’t know how much further they might cut the state education budget.

“State lawmakers could use the federal funds to fill in gaps in funding already allocated to districts, or they could count the money against other budget shortfalls, meaning districts could eventually receive far less money than they may expect,” according to County Superintendent Bill Habermehl.

Some district officials are saying that the new funds might help them prevent future layoffs, but this year’s budgets are already set – and they are brutal.

Click here to read the rest of this post.

Cecilia Iglesias makes it onto the ballot against Loretta Sanchez

Posted on by Posted in Democratic Party, Elections, Latinos, Loretta Sanchez, Politics, Santa Ana 5 Comments

What a surprise!  Independent Cecilia Iglesias turned in over 11,000 signatures to the O.C. Voter Registrar – and she will be on the ballot in November as a candidate for the 47th Congressional District, against incumbent Loretta Sanchez and republican challenger Van Tran.

Here is Iglesias’ candidate statement:

UNITED STATES REPRESENTATIVE, 47TH DISTRICT

NAME: CECILIA “CECI” IGLESIAS
OCCUPATION: Human Services Professional

I am a candidate for the 47th District, U.S. Congress because I wish to serve my community by restoring a voice for the residents and ensuring that we have the highest standards of ethics, transparency and accountability to my constituents. My commitment is to work vigorously to strengthen our economy; save and create jobs by supporting our business sector; more effective youth programs and being a champion for our children’s education. Also, I will work with both parties to strengthen our nation’s security and resolve the immigration issue to make America greater.

I have lived in the 47th District for three decades and still reside in the community. My education was in the public school system, Santa Ana College and Cal State Fullerton.

Also, I bring nearly two decades experience in public service working for the County of Orange, helping to create and manage social services programs.  In this capacity, I worked daily with men, women and children, youth and seniors and saw firsthand the need for change to ensure that taxpayers’ dollars are spent in ways that truly accomplish their intended purpose.

Additionally, I have served my community in a wide range of volunteer positions including as Founder and President of Santa Ana Family Empowerment (SAFE), an organization that enables families with deaf children to learn sign language and assist their son or daughter in their education.

People, not political parties, make positive change happen and I respectfully ask for your vote.

(714) 486-1055
http://www.ceciforcongress2010.com/HOME.html

________________________________________________________

Sanchez really has been awful on migrant and Latino issues.  She finally signed on as a co-sponsor of the Dream Act but only after months of declining to do so.  She panders a ton to Viet voters but has seemingly forgotten those who got her elected in the first place.

Is Iglesias a long shot?  You bet.  But good for her.  We need good challengers in EVERY race!

Why did the SAUSD remodel their headquarters while laying off teachers and classified staff?

Posted on by Posted in Education, Real Estate, Redevelopment, Santa Ana, Youth Activities Leave a comment

Here is another SAUSD scandal you may have forgotten.  The following excerpts come to us courtesy of the OC Weekly.  They broke the story that the Santa Ana Unified School District’s administrators spent a fortune remodeling their District headquarters – at a time when teachers and classified staff were being laid off!  I am told that some of the remodeling is still ongoing.

In 2007, the Santa Ana Unified School District’s (SAUSD) lease on an office building on Alton Street was set to expire. The district decided to stop leasing this and two other facilities and instead move several departments to SAUSD-owned buildings, including the main office. SAUSD took out a $29 million loan, $22 million of which would be used for the move and construction of a new warehouse.

The district left itself some wiggle room when it came to spending the money: A report put out by the investment company that issued the loan states that money was to be used “primarily” for the relocation of those departments. And, much to the consternation of some SAUSD employees and at least one school-board trustee, the district has done some wiggling—without informing the public about it.

During the move, which was completed earlier this year, administrators of the 54,000-student district also decided to use the loan money to make additional renovations at its headquarters, which included moving and revamping several departments and individual offices.

Click here to read the rest of this post.

Santa Ana’s Usual Suspects seek a court order to mandate a new vote on OBP tower

Posted on by Posted in Business, Civic Affairs, Development, Redevelopment, Santa Ana Leave a comment

Debbie McEwen and the Usual Suspects are taking the City of Santa Ana to court again

Santa Ana’s Usual Suspects are seeking a court order to block the city from removing the pre-leasing requirement for the One Broadway Plaza (OBP) project, if the city doesn’t reconsider or put it to another public vote, according to the O.C. Register.

The Santa Ana City Attorney already told these folks that the City Council has the legal right to change the developer agreement, but that isn’t good enough for them.  Now they will force the City of Santa Ana to waste tax money in court fighting them.

This same bunch already sued to stop the Santa Ana Transit Zone project, which includes affordable housing.  They appear to be opposed to all new development.

This project will result in almost three thousand jobs – and thanks to Santa Ana Mayor Pro Tem the developer is going to have to ensure that as much as possible the jobs go to local residents.

In related news, one of the Usual Suspects who is opposing OBP, Thomas Gordon, failed to qualify for the November ballot, in his bid for Ward 6 on the Santa Ana City Council.  That won’t make his number one backer, Usual Suspect Debbie McEwen, very happy.  She was all set to host a coffee for Gordon’s now-dead campaign.

Incidentally, Mayoral candidate Alfredo Amezcua showed up to the Santa Ana City Council meeting when the amendments to the OBP developer agreement were discussed.  He validated his parking stub and left without comment.  His backers are known to be part of the Usual Suspect coalition that is opposing OBP.

Others in the coalition include rogue City Commissioner Tish Leon, who will soon be dismissed from the Santa Ana Parks and Recreation Commission, after we broke the story that she terrorized a sixteen year old student commissioner so badly that he quit that commission; and Glen Stroud, who has already been tossed off two City Commissions, as well as his wife Julie, who joined in the bullying of the aforementioned student commissioner.

The anti-OBP coalition is also full of busy bodies from the Santa Ana Neighborhood Associations.  The City of Santa Ana really needs to pull their funding.

The voters already voted to pass Measure A, approving OBP.  Why these people keep fighting the project is a real mystery.  I guess they don’t want local workers to get back to work.

OCYD meeting in Santa Ana, this Thursday at 7 pm

Posted on by Posted in Democratic Party, Elections, Entertainment, Santa Ana, Youth Activities Leave a comment

The August Orange County Young Democrats (OCYD) Meeting is coming up this Thursday, from 7:00 pm – 9:00 pm, at Bistro 400, which is located at 400 W. 4th Street, in Santa Ana.

Guest speakers will be Dan Jacobson, chair of the Democratic Foundation of Orange County, and Beth Krom, Candidate for the Ca 48th Congressional District.

The OCYD will also be endorsing the Propositions that will be on the November ballot.

Click here to RSVP on Facebook.

Why doesn’t the SAUSD provide an online archive of Board meeting videos?

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

The SAUSD has their own propaganda team, but no online archive of past board meetings

Santa Ana Unified School District Board meetings are cablecast live at 6:00 p.m. on Santa Ana’s Time-Warner Cable Channel 31 on the second and fourth Tuesdays of the month.  Their recorded School Board meeting cablecasts are repeated on the Saturdays following the live cablecast at 3:00 p.m. and are also shown again on Tuesday at 6:00 p.m.

But the meeting footage is not archived online.

The problem with showing the meetings on a cable channel is that a lot of folks don’t use cable anymore.  Many of us use satellite dishes or fiber-optic networks.

Now you can watch the meetings online, at this link, but they are not archived.  That is to say that you cannot see past meetings.

Why are the SAUSD Trustees hiding from the voters?

Click here to read the rest of this post.

Remember when the SAUSD lost over $5 million after falsifying class rosters in 2007?

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SAUSD Superintendent Jane Russo got busted in 2007, for falsifying class rosters

In March of 2007, a year after SAUSD Trustee Audrey Yamagata-Noji was elected to her latest term on the SAUSD School Board, SAUSD administrators got busted for after they created “false class rosters and misused substitute teachers to qualify for state funding earmarked for small classes for elementary students, according to eight teachers, school documents and state officials,” according to the L.A. Times.

At Washington Elementary School, for instance, documents reveal that school officials created a second-grade roster showing students in a class that didn’t exist. The phantom classroom diluted the number of second-graders in existing classrooms — allowing the average class size to fall below 20.5 and giving the district an additional $1,024 per student per year.

A month later the scandal grew even bigger.

Click here to read the rest of this post.

100 artists see Satan, fundraiser at CSUF Grand Central Art Center through Aug. 15

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Exhibition: 100 Artists See Satan: The Fundraiser
June 26 – August 15, 2010
Reception: Fundraiser Event Preview June 26, 2010 7-10pm
Opening Reception July 3, 2010, 7-10pm.  Admission is free.
Lectures & Events: *Free docent group tours of the exhibition and building 11-4pm every day (Closed Monday) Call 714.567.7233 to schedule.

Grand Central Arts Forum, the support group for Grand Central Art Center (GCAC) is revitalizing the hit exhibition, 100 Artists See Satan, a survey of contemporary artists and their interpretation of the supreme demon. Unlike the original exhibition, this iteration of the collection will be presented as a fundraiser, with works available for sale to the public. All proceeds will benefit future GCAC programs and exhibitions. An exclusive preview will be held Saturday, June 26 from 6-7pm with the public reception scheduled from 7-10pm. On July 3 from 7-10pm GCAC will host another reception to coincide with Downtown Santa Ana’s First Saturday Arts Walk. The exhibition will remain on display through August 15, 2010. Continue reading→