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Santa Ana's top news & views blog

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Bustamante’s last hurrah was the Usual Suspects’ 2012 4th of July event

Posted on by Posted in Carlos Bustamante, Civic Affairs, Courts, Crime, David Benavides, Francisco Barragan, Orange County, Parks and Recreation, Politics, Republican Party, Santa Ana 5 Comments

It turns out that Santa Ana Council Member Carlos Bustamante’s last hurrah was the 2nd Annual Santa Ana Independence Day event at Centennial Park, which was held last Sunday.   He was arrested the very next day, after parking his car in a parking structure at City Hall, on charges of sex crimes and public theft.

One of the things that always bothered me about Bustamante was his overstated patriotism and gung ho attitude towards public safety.  It always felt fake to me.  He once compared himself to movie character Forrest Gump, a pretty dumb guy who made out over time by being in the right place at the right time.  That is the story of Bustamante’s life. Continue reading→

Bustamante almost ended up on the state civil rights commission…

Posted on by Posted in Carlos Bustamante, Civic Affairs, Courts, Crime, Democratic Party, Republican Party, Santa Ana 5 Comments

Twin devils of deception

Everyone in Santa Ana is talking about the arrest of Santa Ana Councilman Carlos Bustamante, on multiple felony counts of various sex crimes, but most folks have forgotten that former Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger once appointed Bustamante to the California Fair Employment and Housing Commission, back in January of 2008.

When I found out about the appointment I could not believe it.  Even then we knew Bustamante had some issues with women, but when I first wrote about the appointment, over at my old Orange Juice blog, I tackled the issue from a different standpoint – pointing out the fact that Santa Ana was a leader in home foreclosures – and Bustamante had done nothing at all about that. Continue reading→

City Council to decide the fate of the Downtown PBID tax tonight

Posted on by Posted in Business, Carlos Bustamante, Civic Affairs, Claudia Alvarez, Courts, Dave Ream, David Benavides, Development, Fraud, Latinos, Michele Martinez, Miguel Pulido, Politics, Sal Tinajero, Santa Ana, Vince Sarmiento 12 Comments

July 4 falls on a Wednesday this year but there will be fireworks early this week, at Monday night’s Santa Ana City Council meeting, on July 2, at 5 pm, as Council Member Sal Tinajero and Mayor Pro Tem Claudia Alvarez have placed an 85 A item on the City Council agenda to disestablish the Downtown Santa Ana property tax – the PBID.

Here is the 85 A PBID agenda item: Continue reading→

Free Santa Ana fireworks show on July 1, at Centennial Park

Posted on by Posted in Arts and Culture, Civic Affairs, Entertainment, Family, Historical, Parks and Recreation, Santa Ana Leave a comment

The City of Santa Ana is hosting a 4th of July event once more at Centennial Park, located at 3000 W. Edinger, in Santa Ana, on Sunday, July 1, 2012, from 2 pm to 9:30 pm.  The event will include a spectacular free fireworks show over Centennial Lake!

The program will include: Continue reading→

Meet Bobby Wilson, of the Angels, at the O.C. Zoo on July 7

Posted on by Posted in Baseball, Entertainment, Family, irvine, Nature, Orange County Leave a comment

Bobby Wilson of the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim to Visit OC Zoo
Park visitors wearing Angels gear July 7 get free entry to the OC Zoo and half-price train rides.

by Marisa O’Neil, Public Information Officer on 6/27/2012

OC Parks and the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim have teamed up to provide children and families with a wonderful event.  On Saturday, July 7, at 11 a.m., Angels catcher Bobby Wilson will make a special appearance at the OC Zoo and all visitors wearing Angels gear will get in free. In addition, all visitors wearing Angels gear will get half price rides on the train at www.irvineparkrailroad.com. Both offers are good all day long. Continue reading→

Free 4th of July summer concert at Fountain Valley’s Mile Square Park

Posted on by Posted in Entertainment, Fountain Valley, music, Orange County, Parks and Recreation, Santa Ana Leave a comment

Free Summer Concert Series – July 4 – 6:30 pm to 8:00 pm

Mile Square Regional Park in Fountain Valley, an Orange County Park, will kick off the summer concert series with four free Wednesday concerts. Mile Square wraps up its concerts with a special July 4 show by Barela. All concert events are from 6:30 to 8 p.m., free and open to the public of all ages. Friends and families are invited to come out and enjoy fantastic live music under the stars at OC Parks this summer season. Continue reading→

First Baptist Church to host a 4th of July celebration and picnic on 7/1

Posted on by Posted in Churches and Religion, Entertainment, Family, Santa Ana Leave a comment

Santa Ana’s oldest Protestant Church, the historic First Baptist Church, is once again hosting an Independence Day Celebration this Sunday, July 1, at 11 am.

There will be a church service at 11 am, followed by the annual 4th of July Picnic.  Bring your friends, family and don’t forget the neighbor’s kids! 

There will be music, balloons, face painting, a bounce house and much, much more! Continue reading→

69th A.D. candidate Perez totally failed in his hometown of Anaheim

Posted on by Posted in 2012 Elections, Anaheim, Democratic Party, Elections, Jose Moreno, Julio Perez, Michele Martinez, Republican Party, Santa Ana, Tom Daly Leave a comment

Chris Nguyen, over at the Republican OC Political blog, spent a lot of time breaking down the vote in the 69th Assembly District, in the June 5 primary. It turns out that corporate Democrat Tom Daly won in Anaheim and in Santa Ana, which is no surprise as he spent a fortune and his friends in Sacramento and Anaheim spent even more.

Daly also benefited from being the only white candidate in a pool of Latino candidates. But the other story of note is that liberal union hack Julio Perez, who grew up in Anaheim, completely failed in that city. Republican candidate Jose Moreno, who barely ran a campaign, totally whacked Perez in Anaheim. Continue reading→

Career Colleges of California to host an Independence Day BBQ on 7/3

Posted on by Posted in Education, Entertainment, Michele Martinez, Santa Ana Leave a comment

CAREER COLLEGE OF CALIFORNIA TO HOST INDEPENDENCE DAY AND STUDENT APPRECIATION BARBECUE IN DOWNTOWN SANTA ANA ON JULY 3rd

Councilmember Michele Martinez will provide a key note address at 6:30 PM

Career College of California, based in historic downtown Santa Ana, is hosting a barbecue to celebrate Independence Day and the accomplishments of its students on Tuesday, July 3rd, 2012. The faculty and staff of CCC will be serving hot dogs and refreshments to CCC students, alumni, their families and friends from 12:30 PM to 2:00 PM and again from 5:30 PM to 7:00 PM. Councilmember Michele Martinez will be speaking about the significance of Independence Day and about the importance of voting beginning at 6:30 PM. Continue reading→

The O.C. Grand Jury agrees with Claudia Alvarez – the PBID must go!

Posted on by Posted in Business, Civic Affairs, Courts, Development, Santa Ana 8 Comments

The city of Santa Ana “appears to be in violation of state law” in the way it formed its downtown business improvement district, says a report released Thursday by the Orange County Grand Jury, according to the O.C. Register.

“Monies collected from the improvement district appear to have only benefited a few and have not resulted in a direct benefit to the assessed property as required by California law,” the grand jury said.

“The primary influences promoting the changes to this consistently historical area were the developer on the one hand with resistance by the cultural traditionalists on the other, with the latter being forced to pay for the changes which they vigorously opposed,” the report said. Continue reading→

City Council to honor Jimenez for stopping alleged DUI hit and run driver

Posted on by Posted in Alcohol, Crime, Latinos, Public Safety, Santa Ana 2 Comments

When Santa Ana resident Beatriz Jimenez saw alleged DUI driver Jessica Louise Cowan plow through the Meza family, last Saturday morning, killing 5-year-old Osmara Meza, she had to make a quick decision.  She wanted to stop to help, but she saw that Cowan wasn’t stopping, so she pursued her and ended up using her car to block Cowan’s escape, over at Main and 17th.

Jimenez is still having nightmares about what happened.  And she is coming to terms with the fact that she is now a hero.  Santa Ana Council Member Michele Martinez posted today on her Facebook page that she and Santa Ana Council Member Vincent Sarmiento will be honoring Jimenez at the next Santa Ana City Council meeting. Continue reading→

Proof Bar to host a Karaoke Contest on July 2 – win $75!

Posted on by Posted in Arts and Culture, Bars, Entertainment, music, Santa Ana 1 Comment

Don’t miss the Karaoke contest at Proof Bar, in Downtown Santa Ana, on Monday, July 2.  You can win $75!  The fun starts at 9:00pm until July 3 at 2:00am in PDT. You can choose to just come and sing, or sing and be part of the contest.

$75 goes to the singer with the loudest cheers both nights, and Theo Hirsch still buys shots for his favorite singers.

Make sure to bring your friends to cheer you on, but more importantly, make sure you kick ass on stage! Get to proof early to start singing, because the more times you sing, the better people will know who you are. We will cheer for our favorite singer sometime between 12 and 1am. Continue reading→

John Wayne Airport offers 4th of July holiday travel tips

Posted on by Posted in Airplanes, Orange County, Santa Ana, Transportation Leave a comment

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: June 28, 2012
Contact: Jenny Wedge, Office: (949) 252-5182, jwedge@ocair.com

JOHN WAYNE AIRPORT OFFERS IMPORTANT TIPS FOR FOURTH OF JULY HOLIDAY TRAVEL

SANTA ANA, Calif. – John Wayne Airport (JWA) anticipates a busier-than-normal travel period from Friday, June 29 through Sunday, July 8 during the Fourth of July holiday. Visitors to JWA during this time should be aware of ongoing construction at the Airport and adhere to all posted speed limits to ensure a safe holiday weekend. Passengers are reminded that fireworks are prohibited and should be left at home. A list of additional tips and prohibited items can be found at www.ocair.com/traveltips. Continue reading→

Santa Ana Public Works to close Chestnut Ave., West of Grand, until Nov.

Posted on by Posted in Civic Affairs, public works, Santa Ana Leave a comment

City of Santa Ana, Downtown Orange County

Advisory: Santa Ana Public Works Agency Announces Chestnut Avenue Closure Until November 2012

SANTA ANA, CA (June 28, 2012) – Santa Ana Public Works Agency announced that Chestnut Avenue, west of Grand Avenue, will be closed in both directions due to Southern California Gas Company’s construction project. The intersection will be shut down, with K-rails, from Grand Avenue to about 1000 feet west of the intersection. Motorists are encouraged to use alternate routes. Continue reading→

DUI driver charged with murdering 5-year-old girl and injuring her family

Posted on by Posted in Alcohol, Courts, Crime, Latinos, Marijuana, Orange County, Public Safety, Santa Ana 1 Comment

Jessicah Louise Cowan, Booking Photo

Orange County District Attorney Press Release
For Immediate Release: June 26, 2012
Contacts: Susan Kang Schroeder, Chief of Staff, Office: 714-347-8408, Cell: 714-292-2718
Farrah Emami, Spokesperson, Office: 714-347-8405, Cell: 714-323-4486

DRUNKEN DRIVER CHARGED WITH MURDERING 5-YEAR-OLD GIRL AND INJURING SISTER AND MOTHER BY DRIVING THROUGH RED LIGHT AND CRASHING IN CROSSWALK

SANTA ANA – A drunken driver was charged today with murdering a 5-year-old girl and severely injuring the child’s sister and mother by crashing into them in a crosswalk after driving through a red light. Jessicah Louise Cowan, 33, Lake Hughes, is charged with one felony count each of murder, driving under the influence of alcohol causing bodily injury, driving with a blood alcohol level over .08 percent causing bodily injury, hit and run causing injury, an infraction for possession of marijuana while driving, and sentencing enhancements and allegations for having a blood alcohol level over .20 percent and causing bodily injury. If convicted, she faces a maximum sentence of 15 years to life in state prison. The People will be requesting Cowan be held on $1 million bail at her arraignment today, Tuesday, June 26, 2012, in Department CJ-1, Central Jail, Santa Ana. The time is to be determined. Continue reading→