Santa Ana's top news & views blog

Santa Ana's top news & views blog

Author Archives: Art Pedroza

Bullets flew past a little girl tonight while the City Council said crime is going down

Posted on by Posted in Crime, Gangs, Jessica Byulnim Cha, Santa Ana, Vince Sarmiento 6 Comments

The entire Santa Ana City Council took turns lying tonight about how crime in our city is going down, during their televised City Council meeting. But the bad guys apparently weren’t watching the City Council meeting as yet another shooting happened even as the Council Members were blowing hot wind at their meeting.

This latest shooting happened at 1810 S. Evergreen, tonight at 6:45 p.m., which is to say when the sun was still up! When the SAPD police officers arrived they found a male adult shooting victim and his 2-year-old little girl. Continue reading→

RSCCD Trustee Yanez will face off against Gordon and Tapia again in November

Posted on by Posted in 2016 Elections, Education, Nelida Mendoza-Yanez, Politics, Santa Ana, Thomas Gordon, Tony Tapia 3 Comments

Rancho Santiago Community College District Trustee Nelida Yanez will have her hands full this November fending off two challengers in the Primary Election, in Area Three.

OC GOP Central Committee Member Thomas Gordon, who works as an asbestos inspector for the L.A. Unified School District and Anthony “Tony” Tapia, a local resident and member of a construction labor union, both filed to run against Yanez. Continue reading→

Santa Ana Arts Roundtable II set for Aug. 27 at the Segerstrom Center

Posted on by Posted in Arts and Culture, Costa Mesa, Santa Ana Leave a comment

Artists Wanted! Segerstrom’s Center for the Arts, Santa Ana Unified, The City of Santa Ana and Business Improvement Groups Downtown Inc. and Santa Ana Business Council want you to be part of an innovative arts map and index connecting Santa Ana artists and arts organizations with buyers, grantors and employers.

What: Arts Roundtable II: Artists Wanted!
Date/time: Saturday, August 27, 1-5 PM
Location: Segerstrom Center for the Arts Concert Hall Lobby
RSVP Here: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/artists-wanted-tickets-26919145890 Continue reading→

A man was shot and wounded near West 1st St. and N. Raitt St. last night

Posted on by Posted in Crime, Roman Reyna, Santa Ana 2 Comments

There was another shooting on Monday, August 15, 2016, shortly after 7:30 p.m. at 2000 West 1st, in Santa Ana, near N. Raitt St.

A 23-year-old male Hispanic was walking in the area when an unknown vehicle approached from behind and a male suspect exited the car. The suspect fired several times at the victim. Continue reading→

The Santa Ana City Council’s Measure PP will give them a 700% pay raise!

Posted on by Posted in 2016 Elections, Ballot Measures, Civic Affairs, Elections, Politics, Santa Ana, Steven Nguyen, Thomas Gordon 4 Comments

Did you know that the awful Santa Ana City Council is asking you to give them a huge raise via a measure on the November Primary Election ballot? It is hard to believe that our part-time Council Members, who have done nothing while crime has soared out of control in our city, think we are so stupid that we will vote to give them an ill-deserved raise.

Here is the official Argument Against Measure PP that was written by Steven Nguyen (a resident who is an O.C. employee/college student, a member of the OC GOP Central Committee and a candidate for the RSCCD College Board), Mike Tardif (a resident and local business owner) and Thomas Gordon (an elected member of the OC GOP Central Committee, resident and employee of the LAUSD):

When was the last time you received a 700% raise in your pay? Continue reading→

There was another shooting today near Birch Park and S.A. High School

Posted on by Posted in Crime, Michele Martinez, Santa Ana 2 Comments

Early this morning at about 1 a.m., several 911 calls were made to the Santa Ana police department regarding a shooting at 400 South Birch.

Callers reported hearing several gunshots. A residence at 416 South Birch sustained a broken window and a vehicle also sustained a shattered windshield. Continue reading→

Santa Ana based Relámpago del Cielo’s 40th anniversary concerts coming up soon in Irvine

Posted on by Posted in irvine, music, Santa Ana Leave a comment

City of Santa Ana, Downtown Orange County

Community: Santa Ana Based Relámpago del Cielo Plans 40th Anniversary Concerts at Irvine Barclay Theatre

Performances will highlight the contributions of group’s founder

Relámpago del Cielo Grupo Folklóricoz (RDC), one of the top folklorico groups in the United States, will perform two 40th anniversary concerts this August at the Irvine Barclay Theater. The concerts will be presented at 8 p.m. Aug. 20 and at 2 p.m. on Aug. 21 at the Irvine Barclay Theatre. Tickets are $35 each. The two-hour concerts will feature the color, sounds and choreography that only Mexican dance can bring to a stage.

RDC is a nonprofit cultural arts organization based in Santa Ana, CA which supports the study and preservation of traditional Mexican performing arts through music, folklore and dance. Founded by Ms. Rosie Peña from Santa Ana College, part of RDC’s mission is to serve as a cultural enrichment service to the community through outreach presentations and educational activities. The organization holds classes at the Orange County School of the Arts. RDC has been serving the community of Santa Ana for 40 years. Continue reading→

The OC Health Care Agency is hosting meningococcal vaccination pop-up clinics

Posted on by Posted in Disease, Health and Medical, Orange County, Santa Ana Leave a comment

For Immediate Release: August 15, 2016

Contact: Jessica Good, Public Information Officer, (714) 834-2178, JGood@ochca.com

Health Care Agency Hosts Meningococcal Vaccination Pop-Up Clinics

(Santa Ana, CA) – The Health Care Agency (HCA) is continuing to provide free meningococcal vaccinations to gay, bisexual, and other men who have sex with men (MSM) in Orange County venues serving that community. MSM have been disproportionately affected by the current outbreak impacting Southern California.

Twenty-four possible or confirmed cases appear to be associated with the outbreak, which began March 4, 2016 and is one of the largest seen to date in the United States. Orange County has had seven associated cases; and two residents have died as a result of the outbreak. On average, Orange County has only five meningococcal cases each year. Continue reading→

Man stabbed near the Northgate Gonzalez Market on S. Bristol and W. McFadden

Posted on by Posted in Crime, David Benavides, Santa Ana Leave a comment

An unidentified man was taken to the hospital in critical condition after he was stabbed in the upper torso by unknown attacker(s) at 10 p.m. on Sunday night, at the 1300 block of West McFadden Avenue, in Santa Ana, according to the O.C. Register.

The victim was still alive this morning, and SAPD police investigators are looking for any information that might lead to a suspect. The motive for the stabbing is not known yet. Continue reading→

Suspect in South Coast Plaza sexual assault arrested after he turned himself in

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

Eduardo Vidal Avalos, 20, of Orange was arrested after he turned himself into the SAPD earlier this week, on Thursday, after he was accused of an alleged sexual assault at the South Coast Plaza, according to the O.C Register.

Avalos was booked into Costa Mesa Jail on suspicion of assault with intent to commit a felony and attempted penetration with a foreign object, according to the Costa Mesa police. Continue reading→

Filing deadline for the Santa Ana City Council’s Ward 3 extended to August 17

Posted on by Posted in 2016 Elections, Elections, Santa Ana Leave a comment

City of Santa Ana, Downtown Orange County

Community: Extension of Candidate Filing Period for City of Santa Ana, Ward 3 Seat

When a qualified incumbent does not file for re-election the filing period is extended

The Clerk of the Council announces that the nomination period has been extended until August 17, 2016, 5:00 p.m. for the Ward 3 seat because the incumbent did not to file Nomination Papers by the August 12, 2016 deadline. Continue reading→

The groundbreaking at the Santa Ana Gardens Bikeway Project is set for 8/20

Posted on by Posted in Andrew Do, Bicycles, Parks and Recreation, Santa Ana Leave a comment

New Santa Ana Gardens Bikeway

Orange County Supervisor Andrew Do and Orange County Public Works are hosting a groundbreaking ceremony for the new Santa Ana Gardens Bikeway on Saturday, August 20th, 2016 at 9:00 am, to be held in front of the Townsend & Raitt Apartments, located at 821 S. Townsend St, Santa Ana.

The Santa Ana Gardens Bikeway Project will be the first bike path that connects the streets of McFadden and Monte Vista. The bike path will help children in the local community and neighborhood exercise and have a safe path through the park. Continue reading→

Are there enough FTP and pro-gang voters to save Roman Reyna in November?

Posted on by Posted in 2016 Elections, Crime, Juan Villegas, Politics, Roman Reyna, Santa Ana 2 Comments

When Santa Ana Ward 5 City Councilman Roman Reyna first ran for the Santa Ana City Council, way back in 2004, he was thoroughly spanked by City Council Member Claudia Alvarez, whose ballot title included “Deputy D.A.”

Alvarez trounced Reyna in that election by almost sixteen thousand votes, according to Smart Voter.

Now Reyna is once more staring down the barrel of a gun as a law enforcement officer with 26 years experience at the O.C. Sheriff’s Department, Juan Villegas, is running against him in the upcoming November Primary Election.  Will Villegas’s title result in another lopsided loss for Reyna? Continue reading→

An O.C. law enforcement officer is challenging Reyna in Ward 5 this November

Posted on by Posted in 2016 Elections, Gangs, Juan Villegas, Roman Reyna, Santa Ana Leave a comment

Santa Ana’s Ward 5 City Councilman Roman Reyna voted against hiring more Santa Ana police officers this year – and when Reyna ran for Mayor a couple of years ago we caught him posing with a couple of members of the Mexican Mafia. Now the chickens have come home to roost for Reyna as Juan Villegas, an Orange County Law Enforcement Officer, has filed to run against him in Santa Ana’s Ward 5 this November.

Villegas openly addresses the alarming increase in crime here in Santa Ana during Reyna’s watch, on his campaign website. That is exactly the message that Santa Ana’s voters are looking for as folks are just fed up with the daily shootings and violence that have happened since Reyna joined with the others in the current City Council majority to dump our former Chief of Police, Paul Walters, and to get rid of the Santa Ana Police Department’s Gang Task Force.  Continue reading→