New Santa Ana | Monthly Archives: January 2011

Poll: Will you vote for Gov. Brown’s tax extension measure?

Posted on January 31, 2011 by Art Pedroza Posted in california, Politics, Taxes 11 Comments

[poll id=”5″]

Gov. Jerry Brown has been using the bully pulpit to get the public behind his plan to solve the state’s fiscal problems, and it seems to be working. He has begun to earn the trust of voters, political analysts say, by talking directly to them about difficult decisions that he’s willing to make “at this stage of my life,” according to the Mercury News.

What do you think? Will you vote for Gov. Brown’s tax extension measure? Or have you had enough of taxes and will you vote no, and insist that Brown cut some more?

Labor unions figure to get behind Brown’s proposal. School teachers in particular will argue that it is better to vote to extend a few taxes than to cut our school budgets further.

What say you?

Santa Ana’s Pan American Bank offers free bank accounts for kids, plus $5

Posted on January 31, 2011 by Art Pedroza Posted in Banking, Santa Ana, Working Families, Youth Activities 2 Comments

Pan American Bank is opening kids’ bank accounts with no minimum balance, no monthly fee and they’ll even throw in the first five dollars.

Check out the flyer above for more details. Their goal is to ensure that every child in Santa Ana has a savings account and is on the path to asset building.

This program is open to non-citizens.

Pan American Bank is located at 1107 North Main St., in Downtown Santa Ana. Call 714-558-3333. Click here to friend Pan American Bank on Facebook.

Santa Ana residents get in free at the Discovery Science Center on Tuesday

Posted on January 31, 2011 by Art Pedroza Posted in Arts and Culture, Entertainment, Santa Ana, Science, Youth Activities 2 Comments

Orange County’s first and only Smithsonian Affiliate, the Taco Bell Discovery Science Center, is FREE for Santa Ana residents on the first Tuesday of the month, which is this week, on Feb. 1.

The Discovery Science Center is celebrating “A Decade of Discovery” as the Cube turns ten! The center has 59,000 square feet of exhibit space packed with science interactives designed to spark children’s natural curiosity.

In addition to the physical science complex, Discovery Science Center sees more than 150,000 school children in their classrooms each year. Now the largest provider of water education in Orange County, Discovery Science Center ranks in the top ten for education outreach among science centers across the nation.

The Science Center opened Dino Quest, the world’s first interactive dinosaur adventure, to record crowds in 2006! The Science of Hockey brought a new experience to the center in 2009. During the next five years, the Science Center will continue to expand our exhibit area and continue to grow our programs to help educate and inspire Orange County and surrounding areas.

New Exhibit: Grab the kids and run, jump and play your way through an interactive exhibition all about the human body. Sesame Street Presents: The Body comes to Discovery Science Center on January 29.

Click here to sign up for the Center’s email list.

Buy 25 cent books at the Santa Ana Public Library’s Book Sale, on Feb. 4-5

Posted on January 31, 2011 by Art Pedroza Posted in Entertainment, Literature, Santa Ana, Youth Activities Leave a comment

The Friends of the Santa Ana Public Library are holding a Children and Young Adult Book Sale at the Santa Ana Main Public Library, located at 26 Civic Center Plaza, in Meeting Room A, on the Second Floor, from Friday, February 4, from 10 a.m.- 5 p.m through Saturday, February 5, from 10 a.m -3 p.m

Buy paperback books for only twenty five cents – and hard backs for only fifty cents! And, on Saturday, buy bags of books for only $2, from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m.

You can get two hours of validated parking on Friday, at the Courthouse parking structure, with proof of purchase. Enter the lot from Civic Center Drive.

Parking is free on Saturday at the parking lot at Santa Ana Bl., northeast of Ross and Santa Ana Bl. The entrance is on Ross St.

Please refer to the attached Engflyer or Spanflyer for additional information, or call 714-647-5258.

Community Alliances Forum at the Delhi Center on Feb. 3

Posted on January 31, 2011 by Art Pedroza Posted in california, Charities, Entertainment, Health and Medical, Santa Ana Leave a comment

The Community Alliances Forum is scheduled for Thursday, February 3, 2011 from 9 to 11 a.m. at the Delhi Community Center located at 505 E. Central Avenue, Santa Ana.

The focus of the Forum is “State Budget and Health Care Update”. The Forum is an excellent opportunity to network with community organizations and learn about health care resources.

Check-in is from 8:30 – 9:00 a.m. Please bring your business cards, calendars/planners and any information about your organization’s programs, services and events to distribute. We are expecting 100 – 150 attendees.

Pre-registration is highly recommended. Click here for additional information.

Lou Correa hosting a Candelaria and Black History Month event on Feb. 2

Posted on January 31, 2011 by Art Pedroza Posted in African Americans, Arts and Culture, Churches and Religion, Entertainment, Latinos, Lou Correa, Santa Ana Leave a comment

State Senator Lou Correa and the Orange County Black Chamber of Commerce are hosting an informal gathering to celebrate Dia de la Candelaria and Black History Month, on Wed., Feb. 2, from 12:30 pm to 2:30 pm, at his office, located at 2323 N. Broadway, in Santa Ana.

Candelaria is a traditional event in Mexico, and in other Latin American countries, as well as in Europe. It is a celebration of the Three Wise Men’s visit to baby Jesus.

Correa previously held a Dia de los Reyes event, that was co-sponsored by the Orange County Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, on Jan. 6. At that event he provided Rosca de Reyes cake and traditional Mexican hot chocolate. According to tradition, whoever finds the plastic figurine of baby Jesus in the Rosca de Reyes cake is obligated to throw a party on Dia de la Candelaria (Candlemas Day), which occurs annually on Feb. 2.

It looks like ten of the attendees of the Jan. 6 event found the baby Jesus figurine! They include:

Bobby McDonald, the President of the O.C. Black Chamber of Commerce
Kathleen Davis Bowman, the Executive Director of the WISE Place
Denise Y. Cato, President/CEO of the Fair Housing Council of Orange County
Pamela Tice, Event Coordinator, Save the Date Events
Cristina Martinez, Manager, Outreach and Enrollment Healthy Families – CalOptima
Dulce Lopez, Insurance Agent, Platinum Empire
Melissa Mier, Director of Counseling, Olive Crest Academy
Hilda Mendez, Community Outreach Manager, MOMS Orange County
Andrea Coulson, Director of Community Outreach, Casa de la Familia
Javier Mier, Chairman, O.C. Hispanic Chamber of Commerce
Joy Torres, Community Member

You may RSVP by calling 714-558-4400, or sending an email to arthur.sandoval@sen.ca.gov.

Santa Ana’s progressive City Council majority may not be in charge for long

Posted on January 30, 2011 by Art Pedroza Posted in 2012 Elections, Carlos Bustamante, Civic Affairs, Claudia Alvarez, David Benavides, Elections, Michele Martinez, Miguel Pulido, Politics, Sal Tinajero, Santa Ana, Vince Sarmiento 21 Comments

A few folks in Santa Ana have been mighty perplexed about the current City Council majority. I would definitely include failed Santa Ana Mayoral candidate Alfredo Amezcua in that number, along with former Mayoral candidate Thomas Gordon, and many former Santa Ana City Commissioners – who were give the boot by the current City Council majority.

You need four votes on the City Council in order to get anything done. Currently the majority on the City Council is made up of Mayor Pro Tem Claudia Alvarez, along with Council Members Michele Martinez, Vincent Sarmiento and Sal Tinajero. Mayor Miguel Pulido primarily goes along with the majority, although at times they differ. Council Members David Benavides and Carlos Bustamante are sitting at the little kids’ table – utterly bereft of power and influence at City Hall.

But that could change in 2012. Alvarez will be terming out. I am not sure what she intends to do at that point. She could run for Mayor, or for the SAUSD School Board. Or she could walk away and concentrate on her job as a O.C. Deputy District Attorney.

Current SAUSD Trustee Romany Reyna is an ally of Benavides. Reyna previously ran for the Council seat held by Alvarez and now all he has to do is wait for her to term out and run again.

I have however heard that Reyna is having second thoughts, as well he should. If he runs for the Council in 2012, he will vacate his School Board seat. If he loses his Council race he will be done in local politics. I don’t know that he is willing to take that chance. It depends on who ends up running against him for Alvarez’ seat on the City Council.

If Reyna does run for the Council, and he wins, and Bustamante is re-elected, they will surely team up with Benavides and likely with Mayor Pulido – and the new City Council majority will be quite different from the current majority.

Both Reyna and Benavides are religious conservatives. Bustamante is a Republican. Pulido is more moderate than that bunch, but he has been pulled to the left by the current Council majority. There is no telling what this new right-leaning majority might do, once empowered.

Pulido will also face a few challengers in 2012, including the aforementioned Amezcua. Past Republican Assembly candidate Otto Bade also told me recently that he intends to run for Mayor in 2012. Bade lost his concession this year at the Santa Ana Zoo, where his La Perla restaurant will be replaced by a Knowlwood’s restaurant.

I think Amezcua and Bade would ally with the new, conservative faction if either one of them were to prevail against Pulido.

I also think that failed Mayoral candidate Charles Hart intends to run again in 2012. Hart was recently appointed to the Republican Party of Orange County’s Central Committee, representing the 69th Assembly Caucus. If he were to somehow win in 2012, perhaps as a result of a Latino vote split, I think he too would end up allying with the new, conservative faction.

To make matters worse for Alvarez and company, Councilman Sarmiento is likely to be running for Assemblyman Jose Solorio’s seat in the 69th Assembly District. Sarmiento will be tough to beat. As such, he will be vacating his City Council seat – and the Council majority will have to find someone to fill that spot. That will happen after the November election, so if the new faction takes over, guess who will be appointing Sarmiento’s replacement?

And that’s not all. I fully expect at least one or more of the other Council Members to run against O.C. Supervisor Janet Nguyen. Either Sal Tinajero or Michele Martinez would have good odds of beating Nguyen, unless she redistricts her seat and adds more Vietnamese voters to it, while weakening the Latino vote, which she just might do.

So where does all this leave the people of Santa Ana? It leaves us two years for our Council majority to get the job done, before they dissolve and/or get replaced. That is a small window and it is closing fast.

If the majority fails to replace itself, the fact is that many of the ousted and bitter former City Commissioners will be back and business as usual will return to City Hall. Imagine that – in two short years our progress might well be stopped and reversed. That is a chilling thought.

How will Supervisor Janet Nguyen get Democratic and Independent votes in 2012?

Posted on January 30, 2011 by Art Pedroza Posted in 2012 Elections, Elections, Garden Grove, Janet Nguyen, Politics, Republican Party, Santa Ana, Vietnamese, Westminster 5 Comments

Orange County Supervisor Janet Nguyen represents the First District, which includes the Cities of Garden Grove, Santa Ana, Westminster, and Midway City. She is coming up for re-election in 2012.

Nguyen worked for a slew of Republican politicians before she became an elected official herself, including now retired Chairman of the Orange County Board of Supervisors, William G. Steiner, and retired Chairwoman Cynthia P. Coad. She also worked for then Assemblyman Ken Maddox, who now calls himself Ken Maddox-Lopez. He has since distanced himself from Nguyen.

Nguyen served as Chairman of the O.C. Board of Supervisors in 2010. She recently passed the gavel to Supervisor Bill Campbell, who is going to term out in 2012.

Now that Nguyen is no longer the Chairman of the Board, I think she is going to have a harder time trying to change the boundaries of her district, ostensibly to remove Latino voters and add more Vietnamese voters – but even if she does succeed in doing so, the other Supervisors are not likely to allow her to gerrymander the district.

Nguyen most likely will face several competitors, including, I believe, at least one member of the Santa Ana City Council – and it won’t be Councilman Carlos Bustamante, who she defeated in Feb., 2007. Bustamante will presumably be running for re-election to a third term on the Santa Ana City Council. He works for the County of Orange and will most likely be an ardent supporter of Nguyen.

Janet Nguyen beat Trung Nguyen in the 2007 election by only seven votes. She won a full term on the Board of Supervisors in 2008, beating Dina Nguyen, an ally of Trung. Both Dina and Trung are of course allies of termed out Assemblyman Van Tran – who was once very close to Janet. They in fact had a joint honeymoon, at a Mexican resort. But they split when Tran tried to compel her to use his political team, back when she ran for the Garden Grove City Council.

Last year, Tran and Nguyen made up, as she endorsed his campaign against Congresswoman Loretta Sanchez. You could tell from their pictures together that she was less than enthused, but the damage done by that endorsement will be long-lasting, as most constituents in the First District are big fans of Sanchez – not Tran.

Nguyen posed with Tran and Mexican-bashing Congressman Dana Rohrabacher, along with OC GOP Chairman Scott Baugh, on the cover of Viet Weekly, which you can see atop this post. That picture won’t help her as she tries to engender Latino votes in 2012.

Nguyen does have a First District Latino Advisory Committee, but its members include only Republicans, including consultant Theresa Ynzunza and past OC GOP Hispanic Outreach Director Manny Padilla.

Nguyen did not face a Latino challenger in 2008. You can bet she will in 2012. She got 55% of the vote in 2008, against Dina Nguyen and a weak Democrat, Hoa Van Tran. She got 24.1% of the vote in 2007, in a very crowded field. There were three Latinos in that race – the aforementioned Bustamante, whose political star crashed and burned in that race as he got only 16.5% of the vote; Minuteman Lupe Moreno got 383 votes and LULAC /O.C. Democratic Party activist Benny Diaz got the least votes on the ballot, with only 273 votes.

How will Nguyen convince Democratic and independent voters to support her in 2012? She will be running the same year that President Barack Obama will be up for re-election. You can bet that his campaign will work closely with Democrats in Santa Ana, including most of the Santa Ana City Council – and Obama’s campaign certainly won’t be helping Nguyen.

Nguyen does have some fans on the left, but few if any of them live in the First District. She won’t win over blue votes just because a few random blue bloggers like her.

It should be noted that Nguyen flirted with failed Santa Ana Mayoral candidate Alfredo Amezcua last year – but in the end she supported Santa Ana Mayor Miguel Pulido. Will he return the favor – perhaps against one of his fellow Council Members? I doubt it, but that will be another interesting wrinkle in 2012.

Nguyen is fairly conservative and she is very much a Republican. She helped her former Chief of Staff, Andrew Do, to win a seat on the Garden Grove City Council, amidst carpetbagging allegations, and she got her husband, Thomas Bonikowski, appointed to the Garden Grove City Council. She also supported Anaheim carpetbagger Harry Sidhu last year, in his failed campaign for Supervisor, against Shawn Nelson. And Nguyen was a big supporter of failed Mexican-bashing GOP gubernatorial candidate Meg Whitman. I would imagine that her eventual Democratic challenger will be bringing all of that to light in 2012.

Nguyen also won a seat on the OC GOP Central Committee last year, in the 68th Assembly District Caucus. She came in fourth, in what might be a bit of foreshadowing for the 2012 race. Termed out Westminster Councilman Kermit Marsh came in second, behind Ed Royce, Sr., who also serves on a local water board. Nguyen got barely more than three hundred votes than Jeff Matthews, an obscure Costa Mesa City Commissioner. And she got less votes than Mark McCurdy, who also won a seat on the Fountain Valley City Council last year.

How did the Chairman of the OC Board of Supervisors come in fourth place in a run for the OC GOP Central Committee? How did Nguyen get less votes than a water board member, a city commissioner, a termed out Councilman, and a Council candidate? And how is Nguyen going to rally the troops in 2012?

I don’t know the answers to those questions, but I do know that Nguyen has quite a task ahead of her.

UCI fraternity crossed the line with their “Pilgrims and Indians” party

Posted on January 30, 2011 by Art Pedroza Posted in Education, irvine, Latinos, Politics, Santa Ana, Youth Activities 46 Comments

Many Americans now know that it is insensitive to celebrate the Pilgrims, and the Conquistadores, and the other European invaders, who came to the U.S. and wrought so much havoc amongst the Native Americans, here in the U.S. and in Latin America. Over 75 million Native Americans died as a result of the Euro invasion.

In November, a fraternity at UCI thought it was a great idea to hold a “Pilgrims and Indians” party. As you might imagine, many others disagreed with that notion.

Many Santa Ana residents attend UCI, and our co-blogger, Sean Mill, graduated from that school, ergo my interest in this issue.

Here is M.E.Ch.A. de UC Irvine’s response to this scandal (it should be noted here that Assemblyman Jose Solorio was a member of this organization, when he was a student at UCI):

M.E.Ch.A. de UC Irvine condemns parties that bastardize the cultures of underrepresented students on our campus, such as the Phi Kappa Psi Fraternity’s “Pilgrims and Indian” party, which occurred on November 23, 2010. While we recognize the fraternity’s right to free speech, it is not acceptable to do so at the expense of the culture and history of marginalized students. These parties promote cultural insensitivity and lack an understanding of the struggles and oppression connected to holidays such as Thanksgiving. While Thanksgiving was created to appease the American population at the end of the Civil War and it is also representation of the genocide of indigenous people in the United States. No student should be exposed to this kind of representation of their identity and culture, as it fosters a hostile environment on a supposedly safe campus.

M.E.Ch.A de UCI demands a response from Student Affairs and will not accept a “slap on the wrist.” The students responsible for these parties need to be held accountable and should attend a cultural sensitivity training, such as a Reaffirming Ethnic Awareness and Community Harmony (R.E.A.C.H.) workshop in order to challenge their positions of privilege and educate them on the cultures they mock.

M.E.Ch.A stands in solidarity with the American Indian Student Association (AISA) and the Native community in demanding a change in the UCI discrimination policy for these types of events, an increase of Native faculty and an increase in Native American courses. These demands should not be unreasonable nor impossible to achieve on a campus that is supposedly dedicated to the diversity and well being of its students. These demands will not only improve campus climate but also spread awareness to student of color issues and increase the retention of those students.
This is a important matter that cannot be taken lightly or overlooked. We hope you take this situation seriously and take steps to change policy in regards to these parties.

In Solidarity,

M.E.Ch.A de UC Irvine

And here is the response from the American Indian Student Association of UCI:

The American Indian Student Association at UCI is asking for your support and solidarity with us in regards to an event that occurred on November 23, 2010. In light of Thanksgiving, the Phi Kappa Psi Fraternity at UCI decided to throw a “Pilgrims and Indians” party.

As soon as AISA was made aware of this event, it was reported it to the Office of Equal Opportunity and Diversity and an official complaint was filed through the school. While the right steps were taken to ensure that our voices were heard; they were seemingly NOT heard. Although the school administration, faculty, and the fraternity involved were notified about the grievance filed and the situation; the party still went on. Advertisement for the event were still distributed throughout the UCI community through the attached fliers, Ring Road tabling and throughout the internet via a Facebook event. To make matters worse, university shuttles served as transportation for students JUST FOR THIS EVENT!

AISA members have went out of their way to voice their opinion on the issue. Dedicated their time educating and explaining why this event was exceedingly disrespectful to the Native community. Yet AISA members were subjected to seeing students of all stature prancing around adorned in rainbow colored headdresses, skimpy “loin clothes” and warpaint. Making a mockery of our culture and a direct attack on our communities experiences for the sake of entertainment.

As university students and as Native community members, it is not acceptable for us to have to endure these repeated cases of hostility towards us as people of color and Indigenous peoples especially in an educational institution like UC Irvine that advocates its dedication to diversity. This events and others that make a mockery of peoples experiences and identity are not to be tolerated. They create a hostile campus climate for people of color that are not safe and welcoming. That is why we are taking a stand and making sure that our voices are heard at the University of California, Irvine. We will not back down, and though we only have a .01% representation on the UCI campus; our voices are loud. Numerous other cultural and campus organizations stand in solidarity with us. This is not an isolated incident to Natives or other cultural groups, and we demand that this outright racism and disregard for who we are as Indigenous peoples and disrespect of our culture stops immediately.

Eat at Veggie Grill today to help the people of Darfur!

Posted on January 30, 2011 by Art Pedroza Posted in Charities, Civil Rights, Entertainment, irvine, Politics, Restaurants, Santa Ana Leave a comment

Have you heard about the terrible, ongoing tragedy in the African country, Darfur? Now you can be part of the solution, by asking your friends and family to join you today in eating yummy food at The Veggie Grill, near UCI, any time from open to close on Sunday January 30th, and be sure to mention that you are there for the fundraiser.

When you order, if you mention “OC for Darfur”, or “Living Ubuntu”, or even just “fundraiser” — 50% of your food & beverage purchases will be donated to us.

Orange County for Darfur is a project of Living Ubuntu.

Click here to have a look at the Veggie Grill’s diverse and delicious menu offerings.

How do you respond to an event as difficult to understand as a government-sponsored mass murder of part of a country’s civilian population? The United Nations has described Sudan’s western Darfur region as one of the world’s worst humanitarian crises.

Over 400,000 people have been killed
Rape used as a systematic weapon of ethnic cleansing
Around 2.5 million displaced
World’s biggest relief operation

The conflict flared in 2003 when rebels in Darfur took up arms against the Arab government that had neglected the region. Since then, the Janjaweed, backed by government troops, have carried out widespread killings of civilians. President Bush has condemned the campaign as genocide, and the United Nations has approved the deployment of international peacekeepers in Darfur to create a hybrid United Nations-African Union peacekeeping force.

Santa Ana teachers facing another hike in their cost of benefits

Posted on January 30, 2011 by Art Pedroza Posted in california, Education, Labor, Santa Ana, SAUSD Leave a comment

Santa Ana teachers got bad news this week in the form of an email from Susan Mercer, the President of the Santa Ana Educators’ Association. Here is what she had to say:

For the past six years, the cost of benefits has experienced double-digit yearly increases. When the State has a COLA, some or all of the COLA is used to “pay” for the increases in benefits. Unfortunately during the past three years we have had negative COLAs. This means that the District instead of getting more money is getting less; therefore the District does not have new revenue to “pay” for the increase in benefits costs.

SAEA will host two Benefit Forums to discuss the cost of benefits and its impact on SAEA members. Please join us to learn more about benefits, costs and how the Bargaining Team is working to maintain the integrity of the plan during these difficult economic times.

Thursday, February 3, 2011 from 3:30 to 4:30 at Century or Tuesday, February 8, 2011 from 3:30 to 4:30 at Segerstrom.

A friend of mine called me on Friday to report that his employer is raising his health insurance cost by 30%, which is what I am hearing from many folks in the private sector.

The SAEA typically endorses incumbents during School Board elections – they did so last year and in the previous election too. Let’s see if that pays off now that the teachers are looking at another benefits cost increase.

Governor Jerry Brown appears to be looking to sustain spending on education, by seeking to get rid of redevelopment and free enterprise zones and by keeping in place current tax hikes. He will be counting on teachers to help support his tax measure, which will be coming to us in an upcoming Special Election.

Proof presents: Wreck Hall en Español

Posted on January 30, 2011 by Art Pedroza Posted in Bars, Entertainment, Latinos, music, Restaurants, Santa Ana, Youth Activities Leave a comment

Have you been waiting for a Wreck Hall en Español? Wait no longer! Proof Bar is hosting such an event on Sunday, January 30, from 9:00pm – January 31 at 2:00am. Proof is located at 215 N. Broadway, in the Santora Building, in Santa Ana.

EN VIVO: APARATO………………….9pm
NO WAY JOSE……………..11pm
LOS COMETAS……………..12
BIRD MAD GIRL…………….10pm
FLUGVEL…………………….7pm
LOS DEANS………………….8pm
21+
GRATIS
6pm ha 2am
Djs’ Virtigo Y OSCAR

Complimentary Mexi Candy & Corn w all the fixins ( Chile, Sal,Limon,Queso)

::::::::::::::THERE WILL ALSO BE A PINATA ( EL LLORON) ::::::::::::

Click here to RSVP on Facebook.

Santa Ana’s Southwest Community Center rises from the ashes

Posted on January 30, 2011 by Art Pedroza Posted in Charities, Civic Affairs, homeless, Santa Ana, Working Families Leave a comment

Santa Ana’s Southwest Community Center suffered a terrible fire last year, losing holiday food and gifts for the poor. Their structure had to be totally demolished.

Nine months later the Center has risen from the ashes, according to community activist Alan H. Woo, who posted the pictures in this post on his Facebook page.

You can help continue their great work by providing operations funds at their website, or make a check out to “SWCC” and mail it to SWCC, 1601 West 2nd Street, Santa Ana, CA 92703.

The Southwest Community Center provides food, clothing, shelter, guidance, health, and referral services to economically disadvantaged individuals and families, and assist and encourage those whom we serve to achieve self-sufficiency.

Santa Ana’s Nicholas Academic Center gets a visit from a Nobel Laureate

Posted on January 30, 2011 by Art Pedroza Posted in Business, Civic Affairs, Education, Santa Ana, SAUSD, Youth Activities Leave a comment

Nobel Laureate Vernon L. Smith of Chapman University to Speak at Nicholas Academic Centers’ “Visiting Scholar Series”

Nobel laureate Vernon L. Smith, Ph.D., and his colleague, Bart Wilson, Ph.D., of Chapman University’s Economic Science Institute were the first speakers in the 2011 segment of the Nicholas Academic Centers’ “Visiting Scholar Series” on Saturday, January 29. Smith spoke at the Nicholas Academic Center’s Annex, which is located at 313 North Birch Street, 2nd floor, in downtown Santa Ana.

The series is designed to introduce high school students from underserved communities in Santa Ana to a college academic environment, while strengthening ties with highly respected local universities.

Dr. Smith, known as the “founding father of economic science,” discussed the basic tenets of the discipline he founded and for which he was awarded the 2002 Nobel Prize in Economics. Economic science – also known as experimental economics — uses laboratory experiments to research why markets and other exchange systems work the way they do. Dr. Wilson assisted Dr. Smith in carrying out sample experiments with the students, using the Economic Science Institute’s portable laboratory.

“We are honored to have someone of Vernon Smith’s intellect and stature share his insights with our students,” said Dr. Henry Nicholas, Co-Founder and former CEO of Broadcom Corp., who partnered in 2007 with retired Superior Court Judge Jack Mandel to establish the Nicholas Academic Centers. “Hearing how he founded a new field of study will make students realize they can accomplish anything they set their minds to. We want to challenge NAC students to set ambitious goals, and then push themselves to achieve these goals.”

“We are excited for our students to be able to listen, talk to, and learn from a Nobel Prize winner,” said Corina A. Espinoza, the Centers’ Executive Director. “And, we look forward to other inspiring lectures from distinguished Chapman University faculty as the year progresses.”

In the first segment of lectures from last September though the end of the year, NAC students heard Chapman professors discuss a broad spectrum of topics, ranging from the origins of mathematics to indigenous cultures. The university has committed to continuing the series in 2011, beginning with the appearance by Drs. Smith and Wilson.

Vernon L. Smith, Ph.D. was awarded the Nobel Prize in Economics in 2002 for his groundbreaking work in experimental economics. He is a professor in Chapman University’s Argyros School of Business and Economics and School of Law and is a member of the Economic Science Institute at Chapman. He is the president of the International Foundation for Research in Experimental Economics, which he founded in 1997. Born in Kansas in 1927, Dr. Smith completed his undergraduate degree in electrical engineering at the California Institute of Technology, his master’s degree in economics at the University of Kansas, and his Ph.D. in economics at Harvard University.

Bart Wilson, Ph.D. has joint appointments with Chapman University’s Argyros School of Business and Economics and the School of Law. His broad fields of specialty are industrial organization and experimental economics. He is currently pursuing research on the foundations of exchange and specialization and the origins of property right systems in laboratory economies. His other research programs apply the experimental method to topics in gasoline markets, e-commerce, electric power deregulation and antitrust. Dr. Wilson is a member of the Economic Science Institute at Chapman.

About the Nicholas Academic Centers

Located in downtown Santa Ana and on the campus of Valley High School, the Nicholas Academic Centers serve hundreds of Santa Ana Unified School District students on a daily basis throughout the school year and summer, providing them with tutoring, social support, and individual college guidance. The NAC staff works closely with school principals, teachers and guidance counselors, as well as with students’ families and community leaders. The Centers are funded by the Henry T. Nicholas, III Foundation and modeled on the tutoring and mentoring program Judge Mandel started before retiring from the bench. Become a fan of the Nicholas Academic Centers on Facebook.

About Chapman University

Chapman University, founded in 1861 and celebrating its 150th Anniversary in 2011, is one of the oldest, most prestigious private universities in California. Chapman’s picturesque campus is located in the heart of Orange County – one of the nation’s most exciting centers of arts, business, science and technology – and draws outstanding students from across the United States and around the world. Known for its blend of liberal arts and professional programs, Chapman University encompasses seven schools and colleges: Wilkinson College of Humanities and Social Sciences, George L. Argyros School of Business and Economics, Lawrence and Kristina Dodge College of Film and Media Arts, Schmid College of Science, College of Performing Arts, School of Law and College of Educational Studies. Named to the list of top universities in the nation by U.S. News & World Report and the Princeton Review, Chapman University enrolls more than 6,000 undergraduate, graduate and law students. More information: www.chapman.edu. Facebook: www.facebook.com/chapmanuniversity.

The Crossroads of the West Gun Show is on today, Jan. 30, in Costa Mesa

Posted on January 30, 2011 by Art Pedroza Posted in Costa Mesa, Entertainment, Guns, Orange County, Patriotism, Politics, Republican Party Leave a comment

Are you looking for something to do today? If your idea of fun is looking at firearms, then you are in luck. The Crossroads of the West Gun Show continues today, Jan. 30, from 9 a.m.-4 p.m., at the OC Fair & Event Center, in the Main Mall and Buildings 10, 12, 14, 16 and Parade of Products.

Prices:

Admission: $14. Children 11 and younger are free. Click here to buy tickets online. Click here to download a $1 off coupon, or print the graphic above.

Parking: General $5, Preferred $8.

For more than 30 years the Crossroads of the West Gun Shows has been the largest and highest quality gun show on the West Coast. Each show offers hundreds of vendors to meet the needs of all gun enthusiasts.

For more information click here or call (801) 544-9125.