Santa Ana Police Department.
On 5-28-2014 at approximately 1:20 AM, Santa Ana patrol officers responded to the apartment complex located in the 1300 block of North Harbor Blvd.
Residents of an apartment at that complex found their roommate deceased inside their apartment. Continue reading
Steve Zamarripa
Today, 5 trans and queer immigrant activists were arrested in front of the Santa Ana City Jail where transgender immigrant detainees are held, blocking the intersection at the entrance of the jail while chained to a metal cage, surrounded by rainbow flags and a banner that read “Liberation Not Deportation, Obama is the Deporter in Chief.” Amidst chants of “Don’t Stop at Marriage, Trans and Queers are Being Deported,” “Come Out, Fight Back,” and “Obama, Obama, Don’t Deport Another Transhermana,” the activists protested to demand justice for the more than 267,000 LGBTQ immigrants living in the U.S., an end to the Obama Administration’s deportations, and call for the city to cut its contract with ICE.
The Santa Ana Police Department reported that “LGBTQ and Immigrant Rights groups protested today at 8:10 AM. The group of approximately 100 protesters set up a chain link fenced cage in the middle of the intersection of Civic Center and Boyd Way, completely blocking the intersection. Inside the chain link fenced cage, four protesters chained themselves to the fence. The 5th protester was chained to the outside fencing.” Continue reading
I ran into two of the three candidates for the 34th State Senate District today at the Memorial Day event at Fairhaven Memorial Park and Mortuary in Santa Ana. Former Assemblyman Jose Solorio, who is currently the President of the Rancho Santiago Community College District’s Board of Trustees, was involved at the start of the program, when he introduced the young lady who won a poetry contest with an entry about Betsy Ross. Supervisor Janet Nguyen was there as well. She spoke later in the program.
Solorio was comfortable and relaxed. He sat in the RSVP area next to Santa Ana Chief of Police Carlos Rojas. Nguyen on the other hand was visibly nervous as she clutched the podium, and her speech was stilted and poorly enunciated. She kept saying, for example, “de-mock-acy,” instead of “democracy.” And she referred to “men and women” she repeatedly said “men and woman.” It was quite awkward.
Perhaps Nguyen was a bit nervous about the news that “Solorio has the money lead as of the end of the most recent campaign finance filing period, which extended from the March 18 through May 17. Solorio had about $580,000 to spend at the end of the filing period, whereas Nguyen’s campaign had about $283,000 on hand,” as reported by the Long Beach Press Telegram. Continue reading
It turns out that both Democrats and Republicans are screwing us by siding with the big cable and phone operators who are overcharging us for Internet use and are conspiring to slow down services, such as Netflix, unless they fork over more money. And of course the issue here is campaign contributions from this industry to Congressional representatives including Loretta Sanchez and John Boehner.
Here are the gory details courtesy of the Los Angeles Times:
Party doesn’t govern lawmakers’ stance on net neutrality — money does
By: Michael Hiltzik, Los Angeles Times
It’s tempting to think of the network neutrality battle as one fought in Washington along party lines — after all, that’s true of almost everything in the capital.
But recent research by the campaign finance analysts at MapLight show that the reality is rather more complicated. And for advocates of the open Internet, it’s discouraging. It turns out that the views of members of Congress on net neutrality may be dependent less on party alignments than on money. Specifically, contributions from the cable industry. Continue reading
This voter guide addresses the Orange County local and legislative races as well as the State and Local ballot measures.
OC Politics Blog Endorsement: Jonathan Jaech
Other candidates include: Phil Wyman, Kamala Harris
Editor’s Note: There is no way anyone should vote to re-elect Kamala Harris, the Democratic incumbent. She is far too cozy with the police establishment and the police unions. Our endorsed candidate, Jonathan Jaech, is a Libertarian who says that he “will strive to eliminate the exercise of police power against any person charged with a crime that cannot harm another.” Continue reading
Community Leaders Endorse Ceci Iglesias for 69th Assembly District
ORANGE COUNTY, CA – Campaigning for the 69th Assembly District on the theme of “Put Community First,” Santa Ana Unified School District Board Member Ceci Iglesias today announced the endorsements of two respected community leaders, Reuben Martinez and Frank Garcia.
Martinez and Garcia join a long list of organizations and leaders endorsing Iglesias for Assembly, including the Lincoln Club of Orange County, the Hispanic 100, Los 32 por Mexico, the California Women’s Leadership Association, Atlas PAC, Assemblymen Travis Allen and Don Wagner, Senators Bob Huff and Mimi Walters, Orange County Supervisors Janet Nguyen and Todd Spitzer, Orange County Clerk-Recorder Hugh Nguyen, and Orange County Board of Education Trustee Robert Hammond. Continue reading
Lake Forest couple Sherry Walker and Adam Nick
Who in the world are Sherry Walker and Adam Nick? They are Orange County political candidates with minute social media profiles. Nick was elected to the Lake Forest City Council in 2012. He is pictured with his wife Sherry on his Facebook page. But Sherry is running for the 69th Assembly District, which includes parts of Santa Ana and Anaheim, while Nick is running for the 46th Congressional District, which includes the same areas. These are carpetbaggers – the question is who are they and what are the up to?
My sources tell me that Walker and Nick are reportedly Iranians who changed their names. Nick owns a gas station and actually sued his own city in a fit because the city granted an alcohol license to a 7-11 but Nick wanted to monopolize alcohol sales in his area. What sort of Councilman sues his own city – forcing taxpayers to waste money in the legal defense process? Continue reading
Orange County District Attorney Press Release
For Immediate Release, Case # 12CF1024: May 23, 2014
SANTA ANA – A man faces a jury trial Tuesday for kidnapping a woman from a bus stop and forcibly sexually assaulting her in his car in a 2001 cold-case after being linked to the crime through DNA using the Orange County District Attorney’s (OCDA) local DNA database. Raul Moreno-Perez, 34, is charged with one felony count each of kidnapping to commit a sexual offense, forcible oral copulation, and sentencing enhancement allegations for increasing the risk of harm by kidnapping and kidnapping to commit a sexual offense. If convicted, he faces a maximum sentence of 34 years to life in state prison and mandatory lifetime sex offender registration. Opening statements are expected to begin Tuesday, May 27, 2014, at 9:00 a.m. in Department C-36, Central Justice Center, Santa Ana. Continue reading
Orange County District Attorney Press Release
For Immediate Release, Case # 14CF1712: May 23, 2014
SANTA ANA – A parolee sex offender on GPS monitoring was arraigned today on charges of pimping and pandering an 18-year-old woman. Eddie Bridges, 36, Compton, was charged today with one felony count each of pimping and pandering by procuring and sentencing enhancements for serving separate prison terms and not remaining free for five years: two prior convictions in 1996 and 1998 in King County, WA, for possession with intent to sell a controlled substance, one prior conviction for possession of marijuana in Maricopa County, Ariz., one prior conviction in Los Angeles County in 2007 for pandering of a minor, and one prior conviction in Los Angeles County in 2011 for attempted pandering. If convicted, he faces a maximum sentence of 11 years in state prison. He is being held on $100,000 bail and must prove the money is from a legal and legitimate source before posting bond. Bridges was arraigned today and is scheduled for pre-trial on June 3, 2014, at 8:30 a.m. in Department C-55, Central Justice Center, Santa Ana. Continue reading
Orange County District Attorney Press Release
For Immediate Release, Case # 11HF1885: May 23, 2014
SANTA ANA – A man was sentenced today to 107 years to life in state prison for sexually assaulting two women in Irvine and Newport Beach. Travis Dewayne Batten, Jr., 32, Irvine, was found guilty by a jury March 27, 2014, of two felony counts of forcible rape, one felony count each of assault with intent to commit a sexual offense, assault with intent to commit a sexual offense during the commission of first degree burglary, sodomy by force, sexual penetration by foreign object by force, and kidnapping to commit a sex offense. The sentencing enhancement allegations for committing sexual offenses during the commission of a burglary and tying up or binding a person were found true.
Between May 2005 and November 2006, Batten broke into the residences of two women, whom he did not know, while wearing a mask. He raped an Irvine woman and sexually assaulted a woman who lived in Newport Beach. Continue reading
Santa Ana’s Planning Commissioners were tasked this year with filling out disclosure forms when they talk to stakeholders about pending development projects. That is a reasonable request given how easy it would be for the Planning Commissioners to engage in monkey business.
The good news is almost all of the Planning Commissioners have acquiesced to this mandate. The bad news is that Phil Bacerra, the Planning Commissioner appointed by Santa Ana Councilman David Benavides, has reportedly refused to fill out the disclosure forms.
This came to light recently when Bacerra apparently worked both sides of the debate with regard to the upcoming Depot Affordable Housing units that will be located across from the Santa Ana Train Depot. Continue reading
The 30th Annual Tustin Street Fair and Chili Cook-Off is coming up on Sunday, June 1, 2014, from 11 am to 5:30 pm, in Old Town Tustin, located at El Camino Real and Main Street, in Tustin.
The will feature the Chili Cook-Off, craft booths, non-profit food vendors, entertainment, kids area, music and much more. Admission is free. Continue reading
Edwin Vargas
California Highway Patrol
AMBER ALERT ACTIVATION – LOS ANGELES
THIS IS AN AMBER ALERT MESSAGE FROM THE CALIFORNIA HIGHWAY PATROL
A child abduction occurred on May 23, 2014 at 6:36 am, in Los Angeles, CA. The child’s name is Edwin Vargas, a 2-year-old Hispanic male. The suspect is Abraham Vargas, a 27-year-old Hispanic male.
Vargas is possibly driving a 2004 orange Nissan Quest with the CA License Plate number of 7CIN189. The vehicle is thought to have tinted windows. Continue reading
Isidro Garcia, aka Tomas Medrano
The attorney for Isidro Garcia, aka Tomas Medrano, the man accused of kidnapping a Santa Ana girl when she was 15, raping her and holding her captive for 10 years vigorously denied the charges this week, questioning why the now 25-year-old woman would wait until now to come forward, according to the Los Angeles Times.
The defense attorney, Charles Frisco Jr., mused that it didn’t make sense for her to suddenly come forward now, after a decade together. He speculated it might have had something to do with marital problems, saying the couple was in the process of splitting up, according to CNN.
This is a fascinating case in that it involves Mexican nationals – and social mores in Mexico are and have been quite different from what we believe here in the United States. In the past, women in Mexico were basically forced into the union of marriage, as described in a lengthy online article on the subject. Continue reading
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contacts: Lt. Jeff Hallock, 714.904.7042, JHallock@ocsd.org; Emily Osterberg, 714.647.1840, EOsterberg@ocsd.org
2014 Orange County Peace Officers’ Memorial Ceremony
Law enforcement officers representing 40 Orange County agencies pay tribute to our fallen officers.
TUSTIN, CA – (May 22, 2014) – Charged with protecting those they serve, police officers put themselves in harm’s way to enforce the law. Unfortunately, some officers pay the ultimate price, laying down their own life in valiant service of others. In honor of these fallen heroes, the Orange County Sheriff’s Advisory Council and the Orange County Chiefs’ of Police and Sheriff’s Association (OCCPSA) each year sponsor the Peace Officers’ Memorial Ceremony. This year the name of Laguna Beach Officer Jon Coutchie, who died in the line-of-duty in September of 2013, will be added to the wall.
WHAT: Memorial Ceremony at the new Orange County Peace Officers’ Memorial Monument
To include: Continue reading