Santa Ana's top news & views blog

Santa Ana's top news & views blog

Monthly Archives: November 2017

Santa Ana to host a national speech and debate championship in 2019

Posted on by Posted in Education, Sal Tinajero, Santa Ana, SAUSD Leave a comment

City of Santa Ana, Downtown Orange County

Community: Santa Ana Selected to Host National Forensic Association Tournament – Speech and Debate Championship – in 2019

SANTA ANA – The City of Santa Ana, in collaboration with the Santa Ana Unified School District (SAUSD) and Santa Ana Chamber of Commerce, has been selected to host the National Forensic Association (NFA) Tournament, a national Speech and Debate championship, from April 18, 2019 to April 23, 2019.

The National Forensic Association is an academic association dedicated to providing leadership in intercollegiate speech and debate education in the United States. Thousands of competitors from between 75 and 125 colleges and universities attend the national tournament each year with hopes of clinching the championship. Continue reading→

O.C. probation officer charged with stealing money while executing search warrants on Santa Ana residences

Posted on by Posted in Crime, OC Probation, OC Sheriff, OCDA, Orange County, Santa Ana 1 Comment

ORANGE COUNTY DISTRICT ATTORNEY NEWS RELEASE

Case # 17CF2998

Date: November 30, 2017

ORANGE COUNTY PROBATION OFFICER CHARGED WITH STEALING MONEY WHILE EXECUTING SEARCH WARRANTS DURING WORK

SANTA ANA, Calif. – An Orange County Probation Officer was arrested today on charges of stealing money while he was assigned to execute search warrants on residences in Santa Ana.

Defendant: Juan Manuel Rodriguez, 46, Orange County

Charged on Nov. 28, 2017, with: Continue reading→

A man was shot and wounded near Centennial Park this afternoon

Posted on by Posted in Crime, Gangs, Santa Ana, SAPD Leave a comment

A shooting happened today, at 1 p.m., near Centennial Regional Park, where Godinez Fundamental High School and the Santa Ana College Centennial Education Center are located, by Fairview St. and Edinger Ave., according to the O.C. Register.

One man was wounded by the gunfire. He was taken to a local hospital and apparently his injuries were not serious as he is expected to survive. Continue reading→

The OCTA is seeking feedback about their Transit Master Plan

Posted on by Posted in OCTA, Orange County, Santa Ana, Transportation 1 Comment

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Nov. 27, 2017

OCTA Seeks Feedback on Transit Master Plan

11 corridors are being considered to help make transit more efficient in Orange County

ORANGE – The Orange County Transportation Authority invites members of the public to help continue shaping the future of transportation in Orange County by taking the OC Transit Vision Survey.

The survey will help shape the Transit Master Plan, which is a long-term plan for transit in Orange County that looks at current and future transportation needs, as well how to make it easier to travel by bus and rail. Continue reading→

Santa Ana man who stole and trashed a Ferrari caught begging for gas two weeks later

Posted on by Posted in Costa Mesa, Crime, Santa Ana Leave a comment

Israel Perez Rangel, 38, a Santa Ana man got caught begging for gas money for what turned out to be a stolen $265,000 Ferrari and he was finally arrested after a two-week joyride that trashed the stolen vehicle, according to the O.C. Register.

Rangel was being held in the Orange County jail on suspicion of vehicle theft and grand theft auto with prior convictions and vandalism causing damages of $10,000 or more. Continue reading→

Santa Ana gangbanger heading to prison for 10 years after getting shot by the police

Posted on by Posted in Crime, Gangs, OCDA, Santa Ana, SAPD 1 Comment

Armando Antunez, a 27-year old Santa Ana man on probation, was headed for trial but at the last minute he accepted a plea deal instead and was immediately sent to prison for 10 years after he ran away from the police, which led to a police shooting, according to the O.C. Register.

Antunez pleaded guilty to a count of possession of a firearm by a probationer, possession of a firearm by a felon, possession of a firearm in school zones and participating in gang activity, all felonies. He also admitted sentencing enhancements for gang activity. Continue reading→

Local burglars are taking credit card terminals and stealing credit card information

Posted on by Posted in Crime, Fountain Valley Leave a comment

Fountain Valley Police Department

Advisory: CRIME ALERT- Credit Card Terminals

Several recent burglaries in Fountain Valley have involved the theft of credit card terminals. Criminals are using these terminals to charge back purchases stored on the terminal resulting in thousands of dollars of loss to the businesses and stolen credit card information. Continue reading→

Las Vegas pair charged with trafficking and pimping a teen from Utah in Orange Counnty

Posted on by Posted in Costa Mesa, Crime Leave a comment

Brandon Antwan Hunter

ORANGE COUNTY DISTRICT ATTORNEY NEWS RELEASE

November 28, 2017

Case # 17CF2948

LAS VEGAS MAN AND WOMAN TO BE ARRAIGNED FOR TRAFFICKING AND PIMPING 16-YEAR-OLD UTAH GIRL IN COSTA MESA

SANTA ANA, Calif. – A Las Vegas man and woman are scheduled to be arraigned today for trafficking and pimping a 16-year-old Utah girl in Costa Mesa.

Defendant: Brandon Antwan Hunter, 31, Las Vegas

Charged today with the following felony counts: Continue reading→

Santa Ana’s overpaid new City Manager wants to tax us out of our homes

Posted on by Posted in Politics, Raul Godinez, Santa Ana, Taxes Leave a comment

The new Santa Ana City Manager, Raul Godinez, spoke at the last ComLink meeting. Remember that our Santa Ana City Council majority recently hired Godinez, who was the Public Works Manager in Lynwood, and made him the second highest paid City Manager in all of California.

Someone at the Com Link meeting pointed out to Godinez that the city’s revenue is down 2% and expenses are up 4% and asked how he planned to address this budget deficit issue. Continue reading→

The SAUSD School Board wants to pass another bond measure – and raise your taxes yet again

Posted on by Posted in Education, Politics, Santa Ana, SAUSD 3 Comments

A few weeks ago the SAUSD School Board inexplicably passed a Project Labor Agreement that will ban non-union contractors from bidding on school construction projects unless they agree to hire from the construction unions’ halls.  They voted for the PLA even though non-union contractors already have to pay union wages on local school construction projects.

Tonight the SAUSD School Board tried to vote to authorize an award a contract for bond and disclosure counsel, according to their meeting agenda. What this means is that the SAUSD School Board is going to try to pass yet another School Bond Measure – and that money, which will come from our property taxes, will pay for union-only construction projects. Continue reading→

Man suspected of armed robberies of liquor stores in Fullerton and in Santa Ana

Posted on by Posted in Alcohol, Crime, Fullerton, Santa Ana, SAPD Leave a comment

An armed robber was captured on surveillance video when he robbed Valley Liquors, located at 2429 West Edinger, in Santa Ana, just after midnight on Wednesday morning, according to KTLA.

The SAPD and the Fullerton Police are trying to figure out if this suspect is also the man who robbed JJ’s Liquor, located at 2238 W. Orangethorpe Ave., in Fullerton, at around 10:15 p.m. on Tuesday, Nov. 21, according to the O.C. Register. Continue reading→

A Santa Ana man was killed after stepping out of a disabled vehicle on the 22 Freeway

Posted on by Posted in Accidents, Garden Grove, Santa Ana 5 Comments

Raul Vazquez Jr., 50, of Santa Ana, was killed on Thursday morning when he was struck by a vehicle when he got out of a disabled car on the Garden Grove (22) Freeway, according to the Fountain Valley Patch.

Charlotte Nugent, 68, of Seal Beach, died at UCI Medical Center in Orange at 9:37 a.m. She was driving one of the vehicles that crashed, according to the O.C. Coroner. Continue reading→

Santa Ana woman charged with molesting and sending illicit selfies to a 12-year old boy

Posted on by Posted in Cochino Alert, Crime, OCDA, Santa Ana Leave a comment

Aimee Guadalupe Lopez, 23-year-old woman, was charged Wednesday with molesting and sending illicit selfies to the 12-year-old son of a friend in Santa Ana, according to the O.C. Register.

Lopez is now facing two counts of lewd acts with a minor younger than 14 and sending harmful matter to a minor with the intent to seduce, all felonies. Continue reading→

Judge blocks Pres. Trump from denying Federal grants to Sanctuary Cities

Posted on by Posted in Federal Government, immigration, Politics, Santa Ana Leave a comment

City of Santa Ana

Community: U.S. District Judge Permanently Blocks President Trump’s Executive Order to Deny Federal Grants to “Sanctuary Cities”

SANTA ANA, CA — On Monday, November 20, 2017, U.S. District Judge William H. Orrick issued a court order that permanently blocked President Donald Trump’s Executive Order to deny funding to cities that limit cooperation with U.S. immigration authorities, sometimes referred to as “sanctuary cities”. The lawsuits were brought forth by two California counties, San Francisco and Santa Clara, challenging the constitutionality of Executive Order “Enhancing Public Safety in the Interior of the United States.” Continue reading→