New Santa Ana | Monthly Archives: July 2014

Summer officially starts at the 2014 OC Fair this Friday

Posted on July 8, 2014 by Art Pedroza Posted in Costa Mesa, Fashion, Food, music, Orange County Fair, Youth Activities Leave a comment

Summer Officially Starts at the 2014 OC Fair This Friday

OC Fair Offers 23 Days of Fun, Food & All Things Fair

Costa Mesa, Calif. (July 7, 2014) – The 2014 OC Fair starts Friday (July 11) and will run until Sunday, August 10 (Wednesday-Sunday) with food, carnival rides, exhibits and activities for all. Visit ocfair.com for the full list of events.

During the first hour of the 2014 Fair, Fairgoers can take advantage of free admission and parking during Free Opening Hour (Friday, July 11, Noon-1 p.m.) The Fair is open July 11 from Noon-Midnight and features the following promotions opening day and each Friday: Continue reading→

The 11th Annual Orange County Veterans’ Resource Fair is set for 7/12

Posted on July 8, 2014 by Art Pedroza Posted in Entertainment, Garden Grove, Loretta Sanchez, Military, Santa Ana, Veterans Leave a comment

July 12th: Annual Veterans Resource Fair

The Office of Congresswoman Loretta Sanchez will host the 11th Annual Orange County Veterans’ Resource Fair on Saturday, July 12, 2013 from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Garden Grove Elks Lodge (11551 Trask Ave. Garden Grove, CA 92843).

The fair will include a variety of services and resources including free health screenings, benefits counseling, housing resources and employment assistance. Continue reading→

National Gay Pride Blood Drive event set for July 11 at The Center Orange County

Posted on July 7, 2014 by Art Pedroza Posted in Entertainment, Health and Medical, LGBT, Santa Ana 1 Comment

Join OC Pride, Gay For Good, MenAlive, DeColores OC, The Center OC, OC Young Democrats, Orange County Log Cabin Republicans and other LGBT organizations from around Orange County for a festival in association with The National Gay Blood Drive, on Friday, July 11, 2014, from 6:00 pm – 9:00 pm, at The Center Orange County, located at 1605 N Spurgeon St., in Santa Ana.

The FDA bans gay and bisexual men from donating bloo…d. This ban was established in 1983 before HIV testing capabilities. The ban prevents otherwise eligible people from contributing to the Nation’s Blood Supply and perpetuates inaccurate stereotypes and stigma about the LGBT community. Continue reading→

OC Young Democrats mixer to feature the head of the Assoc. of OC Deputy Sheriffs

Posted on July 7, 2014 by Art Pedroza Posted in Democratic Party, Entertainment, Orange County, Politics, Santa Ana, Youth Activities Leave a comment

The Orange County Young Democrats are hosting their monthly mixer on July 9, 2014, at 7 pm, at Bistro 400, in Downtown Santa Ana. The meeting will feature guest speaker Tom Dominguez, the President of the Association of OC Deputy Sheriffs, who are in the process of getting a raise from the Orange County Board of Supervisors. Perhaps Dominguez will be buying everyone drinks?

The proposed two-year labor deal from county supervisors includes a pay hike and improved health coverage to partly cover the requirement that deputies pay all of their employee pension payments in year 2 of the deal, according to the OC Register. Continue reading→

Man sentenced for raping women under guise of spiritual cleansing

Posted on July 7, 2014 by Art Pedroza Posted in Crime, OCDA, Santa Ana Leave a comment

Alberto Flores Ramirez

Orange County District Attorney Press Release

For Immediate Release: July 3, 2014

Case # 12CF1076

MAN SENTENCED TO 45 YEARS TO LIFE IN PRISON FOR FORCIBLE RAPE OF TWO WOMEN HE MET ONLINE UNDER PRETENSE OF PERFORMING SPIRITUAL CLEANSING

*Second victim came forward after seeing media coverage on the original case

SANTA ANA – A man was sentenced today to 45 years to life in state prison for forcibly raping two women after luring them under the pretense of performing a spiritual cleansing. Alberto Flores Ramirez, 39, San Clemente, was found guilty by a jury April 22, 2014, of two felony counts each of forcible rape, forcible oral copulation, one felony count each of sexual penetration by foreign object by force, attempted forcible oral copulation, and a sentencing enhancement for sex crimes against multiple victims. Continue reading→

Broadway road construction will limit traffic to one lane in each direction

Posted on July 7, 2014 by Art Pedroza Posted in public works, Santa Ana, Traffic Leave a comment

City of Santa Ana

Advisory: BROADWAY CONSTRUCTION WILL LIMIT TRAFFIC TO ONE LANE IN EACH DIRECTION BETWEEN CIVIC CENTER DR & 17TH ST

Broadway construction will limit traffic to one lane in each direction between Civic Center Drive and 17th Street through Wednesday, July 9, 2014. Continue reading→

Santa Ana has $461M in unfunded public employee pension liabilities

Posted on July 7, 2014 by Art Pedroza Posted in Labor, Santa Ana 8 Comments

The Orange County Grand Jury has issued a new report on “Orange County City Pension Liabilities” and it turns out that the City of Santa Ana is very much in the hole.

Santa Ana has accrued $886M in public safety pensions and another $670M in other labor pensions. The bad news is that Santa Ana only has $639M in market value assets to pay off the public safety pensions (for retired firemen and police officers). Cops and firemen can retire at 55, and do so with huge pensions that can be in the six figures. Continue reading→

The 2014 OC Fair offers Summer of Savings from July 11through August 10

Posted on July 6, 2014 by Art Pedroza Posted in Costa Mesa, Family, Food, music, Orange County Fair Leave a comment

2014 OC Fair Offers Summer of Savings July 11-August 10

Costa Mesa, Calif. (July 2, 2014) – Summer Starts Here at the 2014 OC Fair from July 11-August 10, offering Fairgoers discounts and deals for a summer of fun that’s wallet-friendly.

Savings at the Gates

Costa Mesa, Calif. (July 2, 2014) – Summer Starts Here at the 2014 OC Fair from July 11-August 10, offering Fairgoers discounts and deals for a summer of fun that’s wallet-friendly.

Savings at the Gates: Continue reading→

First OC Zine Fest set for July 12, at Diego’s Downtown in DTSA

Posted on July 6, 2014 by Art Pedroza Posted in Arts and Culture, Entertainment, Literature, Santa Ana Leave a comment

The first ever OC Zine Fest hopes to promote zine culture in Orange County, on Saturday, July 12, 2014, from 11:00 am – 5:00 pm, at Diego’s Downtown SA, at 224 E 3rd St, in Santa Ana.

The OC Zine Fest will create connections between zinesters in the area, and encourage artists and non-artists to discover zines as an alternative form of expression. Continue reading→

Kim Pham murder trial to start with jury selection on Monday

Posted on July 6, 2014 by Art Pedroza Posted in Courts, Crime, Santa Ana 2 Comments

The Kim Pham murder trail is finally set to begin next week. You may recall that Kim Pham was the young lady who was literally kicked to death by female patrons, including Marie Brito and Vanesa Zavala, of the now-defunct Crosby bar, a hipster joint in Downtown Santa Ana that is now called the North Left.

Here is the message that Kim Pham’s family posted on their Facebook page about the upcoming murder trial: Continue reading→

Wil marijuana dealers become Santa Ana’s new political power players?

Posted on July 5, 2014 by Art Pedroza Posted in Drugs, Marijuana, Politics, Santa Ana 18 Comments

A proposed Santa Ana City Council sponsored ballot initiative to tax and regulate medical marijuana collectives could soon create a situation where, of some 150 shops city officials estimate are selling the drug, only 12 would likely be allowed to continue operating, according to the Voice of OC.

The city’s proposal would restrict the shops to industrial zones and would also be banned from opening within 1,000 ft. of schools, parks and residential areas. Only a fraction of land isolated to the city’s southern corners meet the requirements, meaning 18 to 24 shops could open, officials estimate, according to another Voice of OC article. Continue reading→

Santa Ana based Corinthian Colleges to sell off or close over 100 campuses

Posted on July 5, 2014 by Art Pedroza Posted in Education, Santa Ana Leave a comment

Facing heavy losses and a crackdown by government agencies, Corinthian Colleges — one of the largest for-profit operators of trade schools and colleges — will largely cease operating under an agreement with the federal Education Department, according to the Columbus Dispatch.

Corinthian, a publicly traded firm with 12,000 employees serving 72,000 students, negotiated a deal late Thursday with the U.S. Department of Education to sell off the bulk of its more than 100 campuses and wind down the rest, according to the Wall St. Journal. Continue reading→

Enter the summer photography contest at Fairhaven Memorial Park & Mortuary

Posted on July 4, 2014 by Art Pedroza Posted in Photography, Santa Ana Leave a comment

Fairhaven Memorial Park & Mortuary announces its summer photography contest. Orange County residents are invited to visit the memorial park to take photos of the lush landscaping and historic features and submit their pictures to Fairhaven. The winners’ photos will be published in Fairhaven’s 2015 calendar.

Contest period: June 2014 – August 30, 2014

Submit to Fairhaven: Visit http://fairhavenmemorial.com/photocontest.pdf to download the form. Email: contest@fairhavenmemorial.com Continue reading→

Free lamp exchange for SCE residential customers on July 12

Posted on July 4, 2014 by Art Pedroza Posted in Energy, Entertainment, Santa Ana Leave a comment

City of Santa Ana, Downtown Orange County

Community: Free Lamp Exchange for SCE Residential Customers on July 12

Exchange your old lamps for new, energy-efficient fluorescent lamps at a Lamp Exchange sponsored by Southern California Edison (SCE) in partnership with the City of Santa Ana. The exchange will be held on Saturday, July 12, 8 a.m.–3 p.m., at Home Depot, 3500 MacArthur Blvd., Santa Ana.

The exchange is open to all residential customers of SCE with a limit of 10 lamps per household. You must bring your SCE bill and CA driver’s license. Continue reading→

Orange County 2014 4th of July Fireworks shows

Posted on July 4, 2014 by Art Pedroza Posted in Anaheim, Family, irvine, Orange, Orange County, Santa Ana, Tustin, Youth Activities Leave a comment

SANTA ANA: Join the Mayor & City Council for family style fun and a spectacular fireworks show at the City of Santa Ana’s 2014 Independence Day Celebration at Centennial Park from 4-9:30pm. The Independence Day celebration will feature live performances by the Rockabillys, Mango Band and Santa Ana High School. The celebration will feature a History Walk with costumed characters from our nation’s history educating children, a kid’s zone play area with three bounce houses and games, civil war cannons and recognition of our Armed Forces. The fireworks show will begin at 9pm. Bring a picnic basket or enjoy the various food vendors throughout the park. Admission is free and guests are encouraged to arrive early to find a spot in the park.

CITY OF ORANGE: Fred Kelly Stadium at El Modena High School, 3920 Spring Street, will be the site of the 19th Annual 3rd of July celebration which will be held on Thursday, July 3, at 4:00 p.m. The celebration includes live music, interactive games, entertainment, delicious food from local non-profit groups, a patriotic musical performance by the Orange County Master Chorale that leads up to a spectacular fireworks show. Tickets are $7.00 per person, children ages two and under are free. For information call (714) 744-7278.

ANAHEIM: Canyon High School, 220 S. Imperial Hwy. “An American Celebration” will be held on Friday, July 4, in Anaheim Hills. They will start the day with the “Firecracker Run 5K/ 10K at 7 a.m. at the Canyon High School track. This will be followed by a Pancake Breakfast from 8:00 a.m.-10:00 a.m. with the Yankee Doodle Dog Show at 10:00 a.m. at the high school. A parade will start at 5:00 p.m. at Canyon High going down Santa Ana Canyon Road ending at Pinney. At the park, food booths will be in operation from 3:00 p.m. to 8:45 p.m. with entertainment from 6:00 p.m. – 8:50 p.m. A firework display will start at 9:00 p.m. Continue reading→