New Santa Ana | Monthly Archives: December 2014

Poll – Who should be Santa Ana’s next Mayor Pro Tem?

Posted on December 5, 2014 by Art Pedroza Posted in Angelica Amezcua, David Benavides, Michele Martinez, Miguel Pulido, Politics, Roman Reyna, Sal Tinajero, Santa Ana, Vince Sarmiento 5 Comments

Is Councilman Benavides capable of running a Santa Ana City Council meeting?

Apparently our current Mayor Pro Tem, Sal Tinajero, is going to vacate the position and allow one of the other Santa Ana Council Members to become our new Mayor Pro Tem, at the next City Council meeting coming up on Tuesday.

Mayor Pro Tem is largely a ceremonial title but in the event that our Mayor, Miguel Pulido, is absent from a City Council meeting, or he either arrives late or has to leave early, the Pro Tem would step up and run the meeting. Continue reading→

All carpool links set to open as West County connectors project wrapping up

Posted on December 4, 2014 by Art Pedroza Posted in OCTA, Orange County, Santa Ana, Transportation Leave a comment

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Dec. 4, 2014

FOR MORE INFORMATION: Joel Zlotnik (714) 560-5713, Eric Carpenter (714) 560-5697

All Carpool Links Set to Open as West County Connectors project wrapping up

Four years of construction work on SR-22, I-405 and I-605 near the Orange and Los Angeles county line is nearing an end for drivers who will now experience an easier commute

ORANGE – The four-year West County Connectors construction project, aimed at easing congestion and enhancing safety along the most heavily traveled stretch of freeway in the nation, is nearing completion as the new bridges linking the carpool lanes on I-405 with SR-22 and I-605 are set to open next week.

Drivers will now be able to travel in the carpool lanes from the Garden Grove Freeway (SR-22) to the San Diego Freeway (I-405) to the San Gabriel Freeway (I-605), and the reverse, without ever having to exit the carpool lanes. Continue reading→

Marine to face charges for DUI accident that killed three of his fellow soldiers

Posted on December 4, 2014 by Art Pedroza Posted in Accidents, Alcohol, Crime, Military, OCDA, Westminster Leave a comment

Sgt. JC Callahan (right) of Chadron and Cpl. Jason Chleborad of Rapid City, S.D. They died in a DUI accident

ORANGE COUNTY DISTRICT ATTORNEY PRESS RELEASE

Case # 12CF1778

Date: December 3, 2014

DRUNKEN-DRIVER MARINE SCHEDULED TO FACE TRIAL FOR KILLING THREE FELLOW MARINES BY CRASHING INTO TREE

WESTMINSTER – A Marine is scheduled to face trial for driving under the influence of alcohol and causing a crash that killed three fellow Marines after crashing into a tree. Jared Ray Hale, 27, is charged with one felony count of driving under the influence causing bodily injury, one felony count of driving with a blood alcohol concentration of .08 percent or more causing bodily injury, with sentencing enhancements and allegations for driving with a blood alcohol level over .15 percent and causing great bodily injury. Opening statements began this morning in Department W-13, West Justice Center, Westminster.

At approximately 10:30 p.m. on Feb. 13, 2012, Hale is accused of arriving at Hennessey’s Tavern in Dana Point with three friends. The defendant and his friends were all Marines stationed at Marine Corp Base Camp Pendleton. The friends included Christopher Arzola, 21, Mass., Jeremiah Callahan, 23, Neb., and Jason Chleborad, 22, S.D. Continue reading→

22-year-old Santa Ana man arrested for child molestation

Posted on December 4, 2014 by Art Pedroza Posted in Crime, Santa Ana Leave a comment

Santa Ana Police Department

Advisory: SAPD Family Crimes Detectives Arrest 22-year-old Man for Child Molestation

Believe Additional Victims May Exsist.

At approximately 12:35 AM on December 3, 2014, Santa Ana Police Family Crimes Detectives arrested 22-year-old Edwin Echeverria for multiple counts of Child Molest.

Echeverria was arrested in Costa Mesa at the 3500 block of South Harbor as he was leaving his place of employment. Echeverria is a Santa Ana resident. Eight male victims have been identified. Through interviews of these victims, detectives have learned about three additional children who might also have been victimized. Detectives are currently working to locate these children so that they can be interviewed. Continue reading→

O.C. Sheriff trying to identify a deceased male found in Garden Grove

Posted on December 4, 2014 by Art Pedroza Posted in Garden Grove Leave a comment

Orange County Sheriff

NEWS, FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: Lt. Jeff Hallock, 714.904.7042, JHallock@ocsd.org

SPECIAL BULLETIN: ATTEMPT TO IDENTIFY DECEASED MALE FOUND IN GARDEN GROVE

The Orange County Sheriff-Coroner Department, along with the Garden Grove Police Department, is attempting to identify a person found dead on Monday, December 1, 2014. The body was found in the water channel near Magnolia Street and Orangewood Avenue in the city of Garden Grove. Continue reading→

Traffic Sig Alert at the 700-1000 blocks of South Raitt St. due to water main break

Posted on December 4, 2014 by Art Pedroza Posted in Public Safety, public works, Santa Ana, Water Leave a comment

Santa Ana Police Department

Thursday December 4th, 2014, 10:24 a.m.

Advisory: Traffic Sig Alert – 700 to 1000 block South Raitt Street

Traffic Sig Alert – Traffic lanes closed – (700 to 1000 block South Raitt Street) All Northbound traffic lanes and one Southbound lane closed due to water main break. Continue reading→

Santa Ana’s Interim Planning Agency Director is leaving for a new job in Fullerton

Posted on December 4, 2014 by Art Pedroza Posted in Civic Affairs, David Benavides, Fullerton, Phil Bacerra, Planning, Santa Ana 3 Comments

Karen Haluza, the Interim Executive Director of the Planning and Building Agency at City of Santa Ana, is leaving Santa Ana on December 15, for a new job in the City of Fullerton, in their Community Development department. Haluza lives in Fullerton and she ran unsuccessfully for their City Council in 2008. While she did not win in that election she did garner over 16,000 votes, according to Smart Voter.

Haluza has done a good job in Santa Ana, where she took over the Planning Department after their longtime director, Jay Trevino, retired at the end of 2013.

City Hall insiders say that Haluza was reportedly pushed out of her current job in Santa Ana by Councilman David Benavides and his Planning Commissioner Phil Bacerra, who were both embroiled in a scandal this year when Bacerra steadfastly refused to fill out and turn in communication disclosure forms that are mandated for our Planning Commissioners. Bacerra finally buckled after facing removal from the Planning Commisison. Continue reading→

Free outdoor movies at the DTSA Farmers’ Market every Thursday in December

Posted on December 3, 2014 by Art Pedroza Posted in Arts and Culture, Food, Movies, Santa Ana Leave a comment

Free Movies at the Market – Holiday Films outdoors on the big screen every Thursday at 6pm, this December

Come to the Downtown Santa Ana Farmers’ Market for farm-fresh food, snacks and a family movie!

Starting tomorrow, December 4, 2014, the Santa Ana Farmers Market is showing classic holiday films under the stars: “Elf,” “A Christmas Story” and Disney’s “Frozen,” in partnership with Downtown’s The Frida Cinema.

Cozy up with family, friends and your community! The Farmers’ Market will be open during the movie and features amazing vendors: nuts, roasted corn, Santa Ana baked breads and a special food truck. Grab a delicious treat and enjoy a great show. Continue reading→

B of A Charitable Foundation awards $222K in grants to 16 O.C. nonprofits

Posted on December 3, 2014 by Art Pedroza Posted in Banking, Charities, Santa Ana Leave a comment

Photo Credit: Mercy Housing Living Centers

December 3, 2014

Reporters May Contact: Alyssa Tran, (310) 854-8270, atran@webershandwick.com

Bank of America Charitable Foundation Awards $222,600 in Grants to 16 Orange County Nonprofit Organizations

Grants will help individuals with basic human services and build better financial lives

ORANGE COUNTY – The Bank of America Charitable Foundation today announced $222,600 in grants to 16 nonprofits in Orange County to help individuals and families build better financial lives. These grants will support the fight against hunger, access to housing and other basic human service initiatives that help communities thrive.

Basic human services, along with community and workforce development are top priorities because there is significant need in these areas in Orange County and across the country. According to the nonprofits grantees, more than 370,000 individuals will be impacted by the funding that serves low and moderate income residents. Continue reading→

Library to help those who want to enroll in Covered California

Posted on December 3, 2014 by Art Pedroza Posted in california, Health and Medical, Santa Ana Leave a comment

City of Santa Ana

Community Alert: SANTA ANA PUBLIC LIBRARY TO HELP THE PUBLIC ENROLL IN COVERED CALIFORNIA DEC. 3 – FEB. 15

SANTA ANA, CA (December 3, 2014) – Covered California has once again teamed with the Santa Ana Public Library to assist local consumers to obtain quality, affordable health insurance before the February 15, 2015 enrollment deadline. The assistance is free and confidential.

Assistance is available at the Main Library (located at 26 Civic Center Plaza, Santa Ana, 92701): Continue reading→

Former SAPD Police Chief and City Manager Walters hired by Supervisor-Elect Bartlett

Posted on December 3, 2014 by Art Pedroza Posted in Orange County, Paul Walters, Santa Ana 2 Comments

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: Jeff Corless (714) 676-8878 or Megan Dutra (714) 676-8028

Supervisor-Elect Lisa Bartlett Names Former Police Chief and City Manager Paul Walters as Interim Deputy Chief of Staff

Bartlett Highlights Walters’ 30 years of law enforcement and local government leadership experience for 5th District Transition

DANA POINT, CA-Today, Supervisor-Elect Lisa Bartlett, recently elected Orange County Supervisor of the 5th District, tapped highly respected former Police Chief and City Manager Paul Walters to serve as Interim Deputy Chief of Staff as she prepares to take office at the Orange County Board of Supervisors.

“I am proud to announce Paul Walters as Interim Deputy Chief of Staff as we prepare to transition into the 5th District Office at the Board of Supervisors. Paul’s thirty plus years of experience in law enforcement, in local government as a city manager and his public service on many local and regional policy making bodies give him the perspective needed as we build a team of professionals to serve the 5th District on a myriad of significant policy issues,” said Supervisor Elect Lisa Bartlett. Continue reading→

SAPD DUI checkpoint set for Dec. 5 at 2000 W. First St.

Posted on December 3, 2014 by Art Pedroza Posted in Alcohol, Crime, Santa Ana Leave a comment

Santa Ana Police Department

Advisory: SAPD conducting DUI/Drivers License checkpoint on Friday, Dec 5th, 2014, 9:00PM to 3:00AM, 2000 W. First Street

The Santa Ana Police Department will be conducting a DUI/Drivers License checkpoint on Friday, December 5th, 2014. It will begin at 9:00PM and is scheduled to conclude at 3:00AM. It will be conducted in the area of 2000 W. First Street, in the City of Santa Ana.

The primary purpose of a DUI Checkpoint is to deter impaired driving, not to increase arrests. All too often, members of our community are senselessly injured or killed on local roadways by impaired drivers. This DUI/Drivers License checkpoint is an effort to reduce those tragedies, as well as ensuring drivers have a valid driver’s license. The DMV reports that unlicensed drivers are 4.9 times more likely to cause a fatal crash than a licensed driver. Continue reading→

Why did Santa Ana protest organizers choose to glorify cop killers?

Posted on December 3, 2014 by Art Pedroza Posted in African Americans, Civic Affairs, Crime, mexico, Public Safety, Santa Ana 8 Comments

A protest taking place tonight has ruffled quite a few feathers in Santa Ana because the event organizers referred to the site of the protest as “Black Panther Park” instead of Sasscer Park. The reference to the Black Panthers is rooted in history – but most Santa Ana residents probably don’t know why the park is called Sasscer, or what the Black Panthers had to do with Sasscer in the firct place.

Santa Ana police officer Nelson Sasscer was shot while on duty on June 4, in 1969, and eventually died as a result. Sasscer was ambushed by a member of the Santa Ana Chapter of the Black Panthers, a radical group that expressed hatred for police officers and has been accused of being racist against white people. Members and former members of the group were responsible for the murders of at least 15 law enforcement officers and the wounding of dozens more across the nation in the 1960’s and 70’s. Continue reading→

Blaze Pizza now open in Santa Ana and they are offering free pizzas today

Posted on December 3, 2014 by Art Pedroza Posted in Entertainment, Food, Restaurants, Santa Ana Leave a comment

Blaze Pizza is now open in Santa Ana, at the MainPlace Mall. And today they are offering free pizza, all day long, as part of their grand opening festivities.

Blaze Pizza uses an assembly-line format that lets guests customize a signature pizza or create one of their own, choosing from a wide selection of fresh, artisanal toppings, most at no extra charge. Each 11-inch pizza is then “fast-fire’d” in a blazing-hot, open-hearth oven, and is ready in less than two minutes. Blaze Pizza offers gluten-free dough and vegan cheese to accommodate pizza fans with specific dietary needs as well. The restaurant’s menu also features signature salads, lemonades, beer & wine, and house-made S’more Pies for dessert.
Continue reading→

Candidate filing now open for the Board of Supervisors’ First District vacancy election

Posted on December 2, 2014 by Art Pedroza Posted in 2015 Elections, Orange County, Politics Leave a comment

Candidate Filing Now Open for Board of Supervisors First District Vacancy Election

Special election called to fill vacancy on the Board of Supervisors

SANTA ANA, CA – December 2, 2014 – A special election has been called to fill the vacancy in the Orange County Board of Supervisors’ 1st District. The election will be held on January 27, 2015. Candidate filing is now open and will be open until December 15, 2014.

Any qualified person can file the declaration of candidacy papers until December 15, 2014, 5:00 p.m., in the office of the Registrar of Voters, 1300 South Grand Avenue, Building C, Santa Ana , California . Business hours are 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Continue reading→