Santa Ana's top news & views blog

Santa Ana's top news & views blog

Monthly Archives: February 2012

Get there greener – ride the bus with the ENC and the OCTA

Posted on by Posted in Energy, Entertainment, Environment, Nature, Newport Beach, OCTA, Orange County, Santa Ana, Transportation Leave a comment

GET THERE, GREENER – RIDE THE BUS WITH THE ENC AND OCTA

NEWPORT BEACH, Calif., February 22, 2012 – As the cost of gas steadily rises throughout Orange County, reaching an average of $4.12 per gallon according to www.orangecountygasprices.com as of February 22, the Environmental Nature Center has partnered with the Orange County Transportation Authority (OCTA) to put together a program focusing on greener alternatives to driving personal vehicles.

On Thursday, March 1 at 6 p.m., the ENC will host its “Getting there, Greener” program, alongside OCTA representatives, in an effort to get people out of their cars and onto a bus, train, bicycle, or into a ridesharing program. Continue reading→

Downtown Santa Ana partners with CSP, Inc. to increase community safety

Posted on by Posted in Alcohol, Bars, Public Safety, Restaurants, Santa Ana Leave a comment

For Immediate Release: February 22, 2012

Downtown Santa Ana Partners with CSP to Increase Community Safety
Local Businesses Launch TIPS Training to Educate About Responsible Alcohol Sales

[Santa Ana, CA] – CSP, an organization funded by the County of Orange Health Care Agency, and the Downtown Santa Ana Restaurant Association have joined together to create a safer, more responsible environment for residents, visitors and customers by offering TIPS training and educational courses to local restaurant and bar staff. Continue reading→

SAPD Chief Paul Walters to receive Media Champion Award

Posted on by Posted in Civic Affairs, Costa Mesa, Health and Medical, Media Links, Paul Walters, Public Safety, Santa Ana Leave a comment

Community: 18th Annual Mental Health Community Event Honors Chiefs Paul Walters and Robert Gustafson

The Santa Ana Police Department is pleased to announce that Chief PAUL M. WALTERS, along with Chief ROBERT GUSTAFSON, Orange Police Department, will receive the Media Champion Award during the 18th Annual Mental Health Community Events Luncheon. This award, presented by the Mental Health Association of Orange County, is in recognition of their departments’ involvement in producing and distributing training about persons with mental illness for law enforcement. Continue reading→

Santa Ana City Council to vote on outsourcing Fire Department on Tuesday

Posted on by Posted in Civic Affairs, Labor, Miguel Pulido, Santa Ana Leave a comment

UPDATE: “Santa Ana’s nearly 130-year-old fire department is history come April — but that doesn’t necessarily mean it’s going away. The Santa Ana City Council has unanimously voted to have the Orange County Fire Authority take over fire services in the city,” according to KPCC.

The Santa Ana City Council is set to vote to outsource the Santa Ana Fire Department to the Orange County Fire Authority, at Tuesday night’s Council meeting.

Agenda Item 60C states: Continue reading→

2012 Orange County Green Fair coming to Santa Ana on May 17

Posted on by Posted in Business, Energy, Entertainment, Green, Orange County, Santa Ana Leave a comment

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: February 21, 2012

Contact: Jessica Good, 714.834.2722 office, Jessica.Good@ocwr.ocgov.com

Registration Underway for Sponsorship and Exhibitor Opportunities at the 2012 OC Green Fair

(Santa Ana, CA) – Orange County businesses interested in building their eco-friendly brandswhile networking and promoting to an anticipated crowd of 3,000 OC Green Fair attendees can register now as event sponsors or exhibitors. Continue reading→

AT&T brings ultrafast 4G LTE to Santa Ana

Posted on by Posted in Business, Consumers, Santa Ana, Technology 1 Comment

Great news for Santa Ana! Residents of Santa Ana will now enjoy faster speeds on AT&T’s new 4G LTE network when using their mobile devices. Uploading a new pic to Facebook, posting a tweet or browse the web in real-time is faster than ever.

AT&T has turned on its 4G LTE network in Santa Ana, bringing customers the latest generation of wireless network technology. AT&T 4G LTE provides several benefits, including: Continue reading→

First O.C. Genki Sushi to open at Santa Ana’s MainPlace Mall on 2/21

Posted on by Posted in Business, Japanese, Restaurants, Santa Ana Leave a comment

Genki Sushi is opening their first Orange County restaurant at the Westfield MainPlace Mall, in Santa Ana, on February 21, 2012.  They are located on the first floor, over by JC Penney, on the north end of the Mall.

Genki Sushi is a chain of conveyor belt sushi restaurants established in 1990 in Japan. The chain expanded to include locations in Japan, Hong Kong, Singapore, Hawaii, Seattle and Kuwait. Continue reading→

Second Harvest and Bisnar Chase attorneys feed 150 O.C. families

Posted on by Posted in Anaheim, Charities, Food, homeless Leave a comment

Second Harvest Food Bank and Bisnar Chase Feed 150 Orange County, California Families

Orange County Personal Injury Attorneys BISNAR CHASE team up with Second Harvest Food Bank for the fifth time to feed the area’s hungry.

(PRWEB) February 17, 2012

The California Personal Injury Attorneys of BISNAR CHASE teamed up with Second Harvest Food Bank of Orange County recently to feed more than 150 families in Orange County, California. Continue reading→

Santa Ana’s artists have only themselves to blame for their problems

Posted on by Posted in Alfredo Amezcua, Arts and Culture, Julio Perez, Occupy Orange County, Politics, Santa Ana 11 Comments

Joining the Occupy movement was a very bad idea for Santa Ana’s artists

“A core group who’ve been in the Santora for years are growing increasingly worried that building owner Mike Harrah will push them out as rents in Santa Ana’s gentrifying downtown move upward,” according to the Voice of OC.

I met with many of these artists back before they formed  a group called the Artists Village Alliance of Santa Ana (AVASA).  I had advised them to join together and represent their community with a unified voice.  Unfortunately, AVASA quickly was taken over by the most radical of the downtown artists – and they stupidly got involved with the Occupy movement.

Today the artists have no voice – and it is their own damn fault.  Attacking Harrah continues their stupidity as he has no contractual reason to keep the artists who are not paying their rent. Continue reading→

Gay business mixer at Santa Ana’s Velvet Lounge tonight

Posted on by Posted in Bars, Business, Entertainment, LGBT, Restaurants Leave a comment

Tonight Velvet Lounge, Rage Magazine and the California Gay Chamber of Commerce present OC’s Premier Business Mixer for the gay community.

This is your chance to network with other gay professionals and gay friendly businesses in OC and Long Beach. Continue reading→

Updated: Supervisor Nguyen using her CalOptima seat to raise campaign funds

Posted on by Posted in 2012 Elections, Health and Medical, Janet Nguyen, Orange County, Politics, Santa Ana Leave a comment

UPDATE: Supervisor Janet Nguyen may be up to her old tricks again.  In the past she has used anonymous surrogates to do her dirty work, including buying URLs similar to those used by her political opponents, and redirecting them to nasty sites.  Now an anonymous letter has been sent to the CalOptima board of directors Thursday accuses two board members — Chairman Ed Kacic and Mary Anne Foo — of improprieties, allegations both strongly denied, according to the Voice of OC.  And it turns out that Kacis is only trying to help the community:

Kacic, president of the Irvine Health Foundation, said his organization belongs to the Managed System of Care, a group that includes the CEOs of all Orange County hospitals, the county Health Care Agency, the Veterans Administration, CalOptima, clinics, major medical groups and business interests.

Continue reading→

Anti Santiago Creek bike trail NIMBYs caught on film!

Posted on by Posted in Bicycles, Nature, Neighborhood Associations, Orange County, Parks and Recreation, Santa Ana 7 Comments

The pathetic NIMBY’s who oppose completing the Santiago Creek bike trail have been caught on film and the results are hilarious.  What is not funny is their insistence on forcing bicyclists onto dangerous city streets instead of finishing the segment of the Santiago Creek bike trail that extends briefly through the Floral Park and Fisher Park portion of the creek.

Check out the video above and let us know what you think!  And click here to find out more about what you can do to help us finish the bike trail!

Updated: Our readers came through for Jonathan Espinoza!

Posted on by Posted in Charities, Education, Santa Ana, SAUSD, Youth Activities 18 Comments

UPDATED: Our readers did it!  Jonathan Espinoza received over $300 in donations and then my friend David Boyd, who is an Orange County Board of Education Trustee (and who is also the Chancellor of the Taft University System, which includes the Taft Law School) offered to cover the balance of Espinoza’s Georgetown University application fee, which came to $600.  A big thank you to our readers and to Mr. Boyd!  Congratulations Jonathan and good luck at Georgetown!

Segerstrom High School senior Jonathan Espinoza found out a few weeks ago that he is going to be able to attend Georgetown University on a full scholarship – but he recently received a letter, from Georgetown University, advising him that he has to come up with $900, for a registration fee, by May 1.  His family just doesn’t have that money available. Continue reading→

CA teachers’ union supports higher taxes, child molesters and Julio Perez

Posted on by Posted in 2012 Elections, Democratic Party, Education, Elections, Julio Perez, Michele Martinez, Politics, Santa Ana 1 Comment

Julio Perez – the choice of union hacks

Sixty three year-old LAUSD teacher Mark Berndt has been charged with 23 counts of lewd acts on children.  Berndt allegedly regularly told children they were going to play a “tasting game”, then blindfolded them and in some cases put tape over their mouths. He then fed students a “milky” substance on a spoon and on top of cookies. Later DNA testing confirmed that this substance was indeed Berndt’s own semen.  He also ran cockroaches over the faces and mouths of the children.  Berndt took pictures of these encounters, according to USA Today.

Berndt is going to keep getting his benefits – and he even kept his job back in 1993 when he was first charged with molestation.  And he got a $40K payment so that he would retire.  How did all this happen?  Because of rules that the teachers’ union bartered for – the same union that is now supporting ultra-liberal Democratic Assembly candidate Julio Perez, who is running for the 69th A.D.   Continue reading→

SAPD arrests suspect in felony hit and run collision with 13-year old girl

Posted on by Posted in Bicycles, Crime, Public Safety, Santa Ana, Youth Activities 1 Comment

Santa Ana Police Department Advisory: Santa Ana Police arrest suspect in felony hit and run collision of a 13 year old female occurring 2-6-2012

On 2-06-12, at approximately 7:00 PM, a 13 year old girl riding her bicycle north on Greenville across Warner was hit by an unknown vehicle driving west on Warner Avenue. The girl was knocked to the ground and sustained severe injuries. The unknown driver fled, making no attempt to stop or check on the condition of the injured girl. Passing motorists stopped to render aid to the girl lying in the roadway. The cause of this collision has not yet been determined and is under investigation. Continue reading→