Art Pedroza

The Santa Ana Library will finally be open on Sundays starting on Sep. 20

Posted on September 1, 2015 by Art Pedroza Posted in Education, Entertainment, Literature, Santa Ana, Youth Activities Leave a comment

When I served on the Santa Ana Public Library Board, over 15 years ago, one of my goals was to find a way to open the Santa Ana Public Library on Sundays. There are a lot of young people in Santa Ana who don’t have a place to do their homework and who need access to computers and books to complete their school assignments.

I am glad to report that the Library is finally going to be open on Sundays. Kudos to Santa Ana Parks and Recreation Agency Director Gerardo Mouet for finding a way to fund this. The Santa Ana Library has been closed on Sundays for over 20 years, which has been a real disservice to our young people.

The Library will be open on Sundays starting on Sep. 20, 2015, from noon to 4 p.m. Library services include: Continue reading→

Woman uses a knife to attack another woman but ends up getting stabbed herself

Posted on September 1, 2015 by Art Pedroza Posted in Crime, Michele Martinez, Santa Ana Leave a comment

A 24-year-old Santa Ana woman used a knife to attack a 36-year-old woman at the 400 block of South Birch Street, in Santa Ana, on Monday night, just before 9 p.m. But the other woman was able to disarm her younger attacker – and she then used the knife in self-defense, according to the O.C. Register.

The attacker ended up being hospitalized in serious condition. She is expected to survive her wounds. But she is also expected to be arrested on possible charges of assault with a deadly weapon. Continue reading→

The Santa Ana Zoo will host a Veteran’s Day Celebration on Nov. 11

Posted on August 31, 2015 by Art Pedroza Posted in Entertainment, Military, Santa Ana, Santa Ana Zoo, Veterans, Youth Activities Leave a comment

The Santa Ana Zoo is hosting a Veteran’s Day Celebration on November 11, 2015. Doors will open at 10:00 a.m.
The ceremony will start at 11:00 a.m. The Zoo will close at dusk.

This unique event is to honor people who have served in the U.S Armed Forces. Admission is free for Veterans and their immediate families. Barbeque and free rides on the zoo’s train and carousel will be provided during the day. Continue reading→

Man charged with pimping and pandering a woman in Santa Ana, to pay for his car

Posted on August 31, 2015 by Art Pedroza Posted in Crime, OCDA, Santa Ana 2 Comments

ORANGE COUNTY DISTRICT ATTORNEY PRESS RELEASE

Case # 15CF0824

Date: August 31, 2015

NORTHERN CALIFORNIA MAN ARRAIGNED FOR PANDERING AND PIMPING WOMAN TO PAY FOR HIS CAR

SANTA ANA, Calif. – A Northern California man is scheduled to be arraigned today for pandering and pimping a woman to pay for his car. Malcolm Money Fobbs, 23, Stockton, is charged with one felony count of pandering by procuring and one felony count of pimping. If convicted, he faces a maximum sentence of six years in state prison. He is scheduled to be arraigned this afternoon, Aug. 31, 2015, in Department CJ-1, Central Jail, Santa Ana.

Circumstances of the Case

Fobbs is accused of being a pimp who exploits women for financial gain. The victims are required to turn over all payment they receive for sex acts from sex purchasers to their pimp. Failure to follow these rules can result in physical and/or emotional abuse. Continue reading→

Inner Coastal and Watershed Clean Up Day set for 9/19 at Santiago Park

Posted on August 31, 2015 by Art Pedroza Posted in Beaches, Charities, Environment, Orange County, Parks and Recreation, Santa Ana Leave a comment

The 19th Annual Inner Coastal and Watershed Clean Up Day is set for Saturday, Sep. 19, 2015.

Santa Ana residents may get involved by joining the clean-up at Santiago Park. Registration begins at 9 a.m. and event ends at 12 p.m. For more information please call the Nature Center at 714-647-6902. Meet at the Santiago Park Nature Center, located at 600 E. Memory Lane, in Santa Ana. Continue reading→

Mayor Pulido to honor the O.C. Marathon Foundation’s Board Members on 9/1

Posted on August 31, 2015 by Art Pedroza Posted in Charities, Civic Affairs, Entertainment, Miguel Pulido, Santa Ana, Sports Leave a comment

City of Santa Ana, Downtown Orange County

Community Alert: MAYOR PULIDO RECOGNIZES THE OC MARATHON FOUNDATION BOARD

Mayor Miguel Pulido will recognize the OC Marathon Foundation Board of Directors for their outstanding service to the City of Santa Ana at Tuesday’s City Council Meeting.

Thanks to the work of the OC Marathon Foundation Board, more than 105,000 race finishers have experienced the beauty of Orange County since 2004. This includes participants from 22 countries and 46 states in 2015 with over 15,000 registrants for the full, half, and 5K races. Going into its 12th year, the 2016 OC Marathon course will traverse the City of Santa Ana for the 8th time. Continue reading→

Santa Ana community policing forum set for 9/16 at the Immaculate Heart of Mary Church

Posted on August 31, 2015 by Art Pedroza Posted in Crime, Entertainment, Neighborhood Associations, Public Safety, Santa Ana Leave a comment

PRESS RELEASE, FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Aug 26, 2015

Connie Hamilton, Connect-to-Council, 714-745-1692, connect-to-council@earthlink.net

Connect-to-Council to present forum: Santa Ana Community Policing for the 21st Century

Santa Ana, CA, –The Connect-to-Council organization, along with NeighborWorks OC and OC Human Relations, will present “Santa Ana Community Policing for the 21st Century”, a forum for concerned residents of Santa Ana. This forum will feature a panel of community members and experts discussing the most effective Community-Policing methods for today’s challenges and for the future of Santa Ana.

This forum will take place on Wednesday, September 16, 2015, from 6:45-8:30 p.m. at the Immaculate Heart of Mary Church, located at 1100 S. Center St, in Santa Ana. Continue reading→

Schizophrenic woman from Arcadia missing since an 8/4 visit to Santa Ana

Posted on August 30, 2015 by Art Pedroza Posted in Public Safety, Santa Ana, Vietnamese 2 Comments

Huong Tuyet Vu, of Arcadia

Arcadia Police Department

Advisory: At Risk Missing Person: Huong Tuyet Vu, Last seen in Santa Ana on 8/4/15. Suffers from schizophrenia.

Huong Tuyet Vu was reported missing to the Arcadia Police Department by a family member. According the family, Ms. Vu lives in Arcadia and was last seen on August 4, 2015 at a court hearing in Santa Ana, CA.

Since that time she has not been seen by any of her family and her cellular phone has been disconnected. Several family members have tried to contact her but have not been successful. Continue reading→

The Rancho Community College District’s deal with the Saudis shrinks by $98M

Posted on August 30, 2015 by Art Pedroza Posted in Arabs, Arianna Barrios, Education, Nelida Mendoza-Yanez, Orange County, Politics, Raúl Rodríguez, Santa Ana 1 Comment

Remember that awful deal the Rancho Santiago Community College District Foundation cut with the Saudis? It was a consulting deal to help revamp two technical schools in Saudi Arabia. Why anyone would want to do business with a regime that is anti-woman and opposed to Jews is a very good question. You might also ask yourself why a college district in central Orange County would mire itself in such a deal.

The deal is already going sideways. Once valued at as much as $120 million, the contract is now worth about $22 million over three years, according to the O.C. Register. Continue reading→

Hatch (New Mexico) Chile Festival set for today at the 4th St. Market in DTSA

Posted on August 30, 2015 by Art Pedroza Posted in Entertainment, Food, Santa Ana Leave a comment

4th Street Market in Santa Ana, CA is having their very own Hatch Chile Festival today, August 30, 2015, from 12 noon to 3 pm, at 201 E 4th St, in Downtown Santa Ana.

So what the heck are Hatch Chiles? Here is their story, courtesy of iHatch Chile:

Developed in the late-60′s and early 70′s by Dr. Nakayama, as a result of a breeding program at the New Mexico State University, a chile was being developed with the intent to supply the need for fresh chiles in the canned and processing industry. But, this unnamed chile was too “beefy.” There was simply too much chile, which in turn, created more waste than the processing facilities would want to deal with. Thus, it was left to die …or so they thought. Continue reading→

L.A. realtor turns a home in West Floral Park into a rental party house

Posted on August 29, 2015 by Art Pedroza Posted in Planning, Santa Ana 9 Comments

Picture courtesy of Homeaway.com

A realtor named Sarah Greenberg has inflamed her neighbors in the West Floral Park neighborhood by buying a home and turning it into a party house.

The home, at 2239 N. Rosewood Ave. was purchased by Greenberg in May. At the time she told her neighbors she was going to live there with her daughter. But that story changed quickly. The home is now listed online as a vacation rental!

Her next door neighbor, Diego Matzkin told a friend of mine that his family’s life has been turned upside down because of the noise and disruptions caused by the people who have been renting this home. Matzkin’s wife and young son now sleep on the opposite side of their house because of the problems. They have even purchase white-noise machines to try to reduce the noise coming from the party house. Continue reading→

Men sentenced for money laundering and conspiring to sell counterfeit merchandise

Posted on August 29, 2015 by Art Pedroza Posted in Crime, Fountain Valley, irvine, OCDA, Westminster Leave a comment

ORANGE COUNTY DISTRICT ATTORNEY PRESS RELEASE

Case # 14WF4259

Date: August 28, 2015

TWO MEN SENTENCED FOR MONEY LAUNDERING AND CONSPIRING TO SELL COUNTERFEIT ELECTRONIC MERCHANDISE VALUED AT NEARLY $3 MILLION

*Items included Apple iPhones, iPads, smartphones, and cameras. Third co-defendant in this case is a fugitive

WESTMINSTER, Calif. – Two men were sentenced today formoney laundering and conspiring to sell counterfeit electronic goods valued at nearly $3 million, including counterfeit iPhones and iPads, following an investigation by the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HIS) and the Fountain Valley Police Department (FVPD).

RatebSaid Najjar, 60, and his son, Eyad Rateb Najjar, 36, both of Westminster, pleaded guilty to one felony count of conspiracy to commit trademark counterfeiting, one felony count of trademark counterfeiting, one felony count of conspiracy to commit money laundering, one felony count of money laundering, and sentencing enhancements for the value of the counterfeit merchandise seized over $1.3 million and money laundering over $2.5 million. Both defendants were each sentenced to eight years and four months in jail stayed pending the completion of three years formal probation, ordered to serve one year in jail and ordered to forfeit over $500,000 in cash assets to the County of Orange General Fund. Continue reading→

Santa Ana residents charged with pimping and pandering women at massage parlors

Posted on August 29, 2015 by Art Pedroza Posted in Anaheim, Crime, Santa Ana, Westminster Leave a comment

ORANGE COUNTY DISTRICT ATTORNEY PRESS RELEASE

Case # 15NF2343

Date: August 28, 2015

TWO MEN AND TWO WOMEN CHARGED WITH PIMPING AND PANDERING SEVEN WOMEN OUT OF THREE DIFFERENT BROTHELS DISGUISED AS MASSAGE PARLORS

SANTA ANA, Calif. – Two men and two women were charged today with pimping and pandering seven women out of three different brothels disguised as massage parlors in Orange County. Ion Bivol, 27, Huntington Beach, Hien Thi Nguyen, 26, Huntington Beach, Ngoc Bao Nguyen, 25, Santa Ana, Quynh Thuy Nguyen, 30, Santa Ana, are each charged with seven felony counts of pimping, and seven felony count of pandering. If convicted, the defendants each face a maximum sentence of 14 years in state prison. The defendants are being held on $500,000 bail and must prove the money is from a legal and legitimate source before posting bond. Bivol, Quynh Nguyen, and Hien Nguyen were arraigned today and are scheduled for pre-trial on Sept. 3, 2015, at 8:30 a.m. in Department N-3, North Justice Center, Fullerton. Ngoc Nguyen is scheduled to be arraigned at a later date. Continue reading→

Two O.C. men sentenced to life in prison after molesting three young boys

Posted on August 29, 2015 by Art Pedroza Posted in Costa Mesa, Crime, OCDA, Orange County Leave a comment

Jimmy Ernest Hutton

ORANGE COUNTY DISTRICT ATTORNEY PRESS RELEASE

Case # 11CF2327

Date: August 28, 2015

TWO MEN SENTENCED TO LIFE IN PRISON FOR SEXUALLY ASSAULTING THREE YOUNG BOYS

SANTA ANA, Calif. – Two men were sentenced today to life in state prison sexually assaulting three young boys. Jimmy Ernest Hutton, 27, Ooltewah, Tennessee, was found guilty by a jury on April 27, 2015, of five felony counts of lewd acts on a child under 14, one felony count of attempted lewd act upon a child under 14, and sentencing enhancement allegations for committing lewd acts upon multiple victims and substantial sexual conduct with a child. Hutton was sentenced today to 30 years to life in state prison and mandatory lifetime sex offender registration.

Dustin James Elwood, 24, Tustin, was found guilty by a jury on April 27, 2015, of 15 felony counts of lewd acts on a child under 14, one felony count of using a minor for sex acts, one felony count of possession and control of child pornography, and sentencing enhancement allegations for committing lewd acts upon multiple victims and substantial sexual conduct with a child. Elwood was sentenced today to 45 years to life in state prison and mandatory lifetime sex offender registration. Continue reading→

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Author Archives: Art Pedroza

The Santa Ana Library will finally be open on Sundays starting on Sep. 20

Woman uses a knife to attack another woman but ends up getting stabbed herself

The Santa Ana Zoo will host a Veteran’s Day Celebration on Nov. 11

Man charged with pimping and pandering a woman in Santa Ana, to pay for his car

Inner Coastal and Watershed Clean Up Day set for 9/19 at Santiago Park

Mayor Pulido to honor the O.C. Marathon Foundation’s Board Members on 9/1

Santa Ana community policing forum set for 9/16 at the Immaculate Heart of Mary Church

Schizophrenic woman from Arcadia missing since an 8/4 visit to Santa Ana

The Rancho Community College District’s deal with the Saudis shrinks by $98M

Hatch (New Mexico) Chile Festival set for today at the 4th St. Market in DTSA

L.A. realtor turns a home in West Floral Park into a rental party house

Men sentenced for money laundering and conspiring to sell counterfeit merchandise

Santa Ana residents charged with pimping and pandering women at massage parlors

Two O.C. men sentenced to life in prison after molesting three young boys