New Santa Ana | Category Archives: Alex Padilla

A look at the final Santa Ana voting results in the 2014 General Election

Posted on November 5, 2014 by Art Pedroza Posted in 2014 Elections, Alex Padilla, David Benavides, David Cavazos, Michele Martinez, Miguel Pulido, Politics, Roman Reyna, Sal Tinajero, Santa Ana, SAUSD 3 Comments

Mayor Pulido’s daughter kept tabs on the election results on Election Night

I met with Santa Ana Mayor Miguel Pulido last night at his Election Night Party. He was relieved that he was winning but was worried he wouldn’t garner more than 50% of the vote. His 11-year-old daughter was checking the election results on her IPad last night. She has quite an interest in politics – and perhaps she will be running for office after she finishes college.

Pulido ended up with 50.7% of the vote while his challenger Roman Reyna only mustered 6,778 votes, or 33.6% of the vote. The unknown third mayoral candidate, Mark I. Lopez, netted 15.8% of the vote – likely from those who couldn’t bear voting for the other two candidates.

The bad news for Pulido was that his team of City Council challengers – Alex Padilla, Mike Gonzalez and Mirna Velasquez, all lost. If there is any good news it is that the incumbent who did the worst was David Benavides. While his colleague Michele Martinez got less votes than Benavides she had three opponents while Benavides squared off against one challenger – Padilla. Continue reading→

Santa Ana’s incumbents leading in the 2014 General Election early returns

Posted on November 4, 2014 by Art Pedroza Posted in 2014 Elections, Adam Nick, Alex Padilla, David Benavides, Gilad Salmon, Janet Nguyen, John Palacio, Jose Solorio, Loretta Sanchez, Lou Correa, Michele Martinez, Miguel Pulido, Mike Gonzalez, Mirna Velasquez, Politics, Rene Gomez, Sal Tinajero, Santa Ana, SAUSD, Shuntele Andrews 6 Comments

The early returns are in with regard to today’s General Election. So far the incumbents are leading in all of the Santa Ana City Council races. It is early yet but in what should prove to be a low turnout election this first batch of votes can foreshadow the evening’s results. These are the early absentee votes – representing the most frequent voters.

Santa Ana Mayor Miguel Pulido is thoroughly trouncing Councilman Roman Reyna, with over 52% of the vote versus only 32% of the vote for Reyna. Clearly Reyna’s campaign was undone by his unwise decision to hang out with gang bangers.

In Ward 2 the incumbent, Michele Martinez, is leading with 53.8% of the vote in a crowded field. Shockingly Gilad Salmon is in second place with 21.3 % of the vote. Not surprisingly the sole Republican in the race, salsa dancer Rene Gomez, is in dead last with 9% of the vote. Continue reading→

Team Pulido to host an Election Night Party tonight at The Robbins Nest

Posted on November 4, 2014 by Art Pedroza Posted in 2014 Elections, Alex Padilla, Elections, Miguel Pulido, Mike Gonzalez, Mirna Velasquez, Politics, Santa Ana 6 Comments

Team Pulido is hosting an Election Night Party on Nov. 4, 2014, starting at 8:30 pm, at The Robbins Nest, in Downtown Santa Ana, at 214 N. Sycamore St.

Santa Ana Mayor Miguel Pulido has provided considerable support to City Council challengers Mirna Velasquez, Alex Padilla and Mike Gonzalez. All of them will be at the Election Night Party tonight. Continue reading→

Team Pulido is in a dead heat with the faltering Team Santa Ana

Posted on October 27, 2014 by Art Pedroza Posted in 2014 Elections, Alex Padilla, Crime, David Benavides, Education, Michele Martinez, Miguel Pulido, Mike Gonzalez, Mirna Velasquez, Politics, Sal Tinajero, Santa Ana 15 Comments

The election is almost upon us and the latest news is not good for the splintered Team Santa Ana. A major labor association has conducted secret polling that shows that Santa Ana Mayor Miguel Pulido’s team of City Council Candidates are in a dead heat with the splintered Team Santa Ana.

This is huge news as the Team Pulido slate, which includes Ward 2 candidate Mirna Velasquez, Ward 4 candidate Alex Padilla and Ward 6 candidate Miguel Gonzalez, has much less political experience than the longtime Council incumbents they are facing off against – Councilman David Benavides, Councilwoman Michele Martinez and Mayor Pro Tem Sal Tinajero. Continue reading→

Benavides, Reyna and Martinez rejected by two more law enforcement associations

Posted on October 22, 2014 by Art Pedroza Posted in 2014 Elections, Alex Padilla, Civic Affairs, David Benavides, Michele Martinez, Miguel Pulido, Mirna Velasquez, Orange County, Paul Walters, Politics, Public Safety, Roman Reyna, Sal Tinajero, Santa Ana Leave a comment

Both the Anaheim Police Association and the Peace Officers Research Association of California have rejected Santa Ana Council Members David Benavides and Michele Martinez as well as their colleague Roman Reyna, who is in the midst of an ill-advised Mayoral campaign.

This comes on the heels of rejections of these candidates by the Association of Orange County Deputy Sheriffs. The Santa Ana Police Officers Association (SAPOA) also rejected Reyna and Martinez.

Reyna really stepped in it when SAPOA called him out after a picture of Reyna with two hard core gang bangers was posted on Facebook. He has since become toxic to the entire Santa Ana City Council majority, which recently splintered when Benavides attacked Mayor Pro Tem Sal Tinajero. Continue reading→

2014 General Election voter guide for Santa Ana voters

Posted on October 15, 2014 by Art Pedroza Posted in 2014 Elections, Alex Padilla, Angie Rosario Cano, Ballot Measures, Cecilia Aguinaga, David Benavides, Elections, Everlena Oliver, Gilad Salmon, Janet Nguyen, John Palacio, Jose Solorio, Marijuana, Mark I. Lopez, Michele Martinez, Miguel Pulido, Mike Dalati, Mirna Velasquez, OC Assessor, Politics, Rene Gomez, Rigo Rodriguez, Roman Reyna, Sal Tinajero, Santa Ana, SAUSD, Sherry Walker, Shuntele Andrews, Tom Daly, Valerie Amezcua 11 Comments

This voter guide addresses the Orange County local and legislative races as well as the State and Local ballot measures.

General Election, November, 2014:

Local Elections

Santa Ana City Council

Mayor:

Endorsed Candidate: Mayor Miguel Pulido

Other Candidates: Roman Reyna, Mark I. Lopez

Note: Even Reyna’s friends and allies admit that he is not a capable candidate for Mayor of Santa Ana. This will be Pulido’s final term and in the next two years we need to recruit better candidates than the likes of Reyna, who has only served two years on the Santa Ana City Council. Continue reading→

Mayor Pro Tem Tinajero drops his endorsement of Councilman David Benavides

Posted on October 12, 2014 by Art Pedroza Posted in 2014 Elections, Alex Padilla, David Benavides, Politics, Sal Tinajero, Santa Ana 11 Comments

Santa Ana Mayor Pro Tem Sal Tinajero Press Release

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: October 12, 2014

Contact: Santa Ana Mayor Pro Tem Sal Tinajero, 714-913-3515

Mayor Pro-Tem Sal Tinajero drops his endorsement of Santa Ana Council Member David Benavides

Santa Ana – It has been a tumultuous relationship for Santa Ana Mayor Pro-Tem Sal Tinajero and Ward 4 Santa Ana City Council member David Benavides. Tinajero begged Benavides, in 2010, not to give an award to Minuteman Lupe Moreno and her racist colleagues, but Benavides held on to his stubborn position and did it anyway.

In 2010, Benavides was caught working with OC GOP Central Committee member Thomas Gordon and Helen Martinez in a vote-splitting scheme to oust Tinajero from Ward 6. The scheme backfired when Gordon did not get enough signatures to qualify to be a candidate for the 2010 election. The OC Weekly ran a story that produced emails to prove that Benavides was a part of the plan. Continue reading→

Team Santa Ana falls apart as Benavides declares war on Tinajero

Posted on October 5, 2014 by Art Pedroza Posted in 2014 Elections, Alex Padilla, Angelica Amezcua, Gangs, John Palacio, Michele Martinez, Miguel Pulido, Mirna Velasquez, Planning, Roman Reyna, Santa Ana, Valerie Amezcua 21 Comments

Team Santa Ana Broken

Team Santa Ana appears to be finished as Santa Ana Councilman David Benavides posted a snarky picture of the Team Santa Ana walk piece with Mayor Pro Tem Sal Tinajero’s face covered up. The picture was posted on Benavides’ Facebook page, Twitter account and Instragam account before he came to his senses and deleted the entries. The damage however was already done. The Santa Ana Spring is over.

What happened? This all goes back to the ongoing ruckus on the Santa Ana Planning Commission where Commissioner Phil Bacerra has dug in his heels and steadfastly refused to turn in his communication disclosure forms. All of the other Planning Commissioners have done so but Bacerra had to be threatened by the Santa Ana City Council’s Ethics Committee, which consists of Tinajero and Councilwoman Angie Amezcua, before he finally turned in what I am told are heavily redacted disclosure forms that may not in fact be all that accurate.

Why do these forms matter? It all comes down to transparency. The public deserves to know who the Planning Commissioners are talking to about city business. Why did Bacerra drag his feet for so long before finally turning in the forms, after being threatened with removal from the Planning Commission? That is the crux of the matter. Has Bacerra been shaking down those who have business with the Planning Commission for donations to the Benavides reelection campaign? Is this why Benavides has been running interference for Bacerra? Continue reading→

Time to rally behind Alex Padilla for Ward 4 on the Santa Ana City Council

Posted on September 26, 2014 by Art Pedroza Posted in 2014 Elections, Alex Flores, Alex Padilla, Politics, Santa Ana 8 Comments

Alex Padilla and Mayor Miguel Pulido

Alex Padilla Urges Santa Ana Residents To Support His Bid For City Council

Candidate will work to attract investment and jobs, tackle education and crime

September 26, 2014 (Santa Ana, CA) – With only 39 days left before Election Day, city council candidate Alex Padilla is urging Santa Ana residents to support his bid to represent the community. Padilla, who was born and raised in Santa Ana and has a degree in paralegal studies, says the city council needs fresh eyes who will seek solutions that are outside the box, and will attract investment and create jobs for residents.

“I’m running for city council because I love this city and its residents. I was born and raised in Santa Ana and have seen it grow, but we need more. I want to help reduce crime in our city, bring transparency to city hall, increase neighborhood safety, push for youth programs and protect services that our citizens rely on,” Padilla says, adding that the city can no longer afford council members who are single issue leaders. Continue reading→

Ward 4 City Council candidate Padilla to host a campaign reception on Sep. 18

Posted on September 15, 2014 by Art Pedroza Posted in 2014 Elections, Alex Padilla, David Benavides, Entertainment, Miguel Pulido, Mike Gonzalez, Politics, Santa Ana 1 Comment

Alex Padilla for City Council

Alex Padilla, our endorsed candidate for Ward 4 on the Santa Ana City Council, is hosting a campaign reception on Thursday, Sep. 18, 2014, from 6 to 8 pm, at his family’s home, at 2542 S. Rene Dr., in Santa Ana. Santa Ana Mayor Miguel Pulido will be speaking at this event.

Tacos and refreshments will be provided courtesy of Mexicanisimo Restaurant, which his owned by another of our endorsed Council candidates, Mike Gonzalez, who is running for Ward 6. RSVP here or call 714-724-6114.

Continue reading→

Why is David Benavides holding a campaign fundraiser in Michele Martinez’ ward?

Posted on August 27, 2014 by Art Pedroza Posted in 2014 Elections, Alex Padilla, David Benavides, Elections, Politics, Santa Ana 19 Comments

Councilman David Benavides

Santa Ana Councilman David Benavides represents Ward 4, which stretches from Willits on the North to Sunflower on the South and from Fairview on the West to Flower on the East. There are plenty of restaurants in Ward 4 but for whatever reason Benavides is hosting a fundraiser on Wednesday, September 10, 2014 at the Little Sparrow, located at 300 N. Main St., in Downtown Santa Ana – that is in Ward 2, which is represented by Councilwoman Michele Martinez.

Why is Benavides holding a major campaign fundraiser outside of his Ward? This is a major snub to the businesses and residents of Ward 4. Continue reading→

Can Alex Padilla beat Councilman David Benavides in the November election?

Posted on August 16, 2014 by Art Pedroza Posted in 2014 Elections, Alex Flores, Alex Padilla, David Benavides, Elections, Politics, Santa Ana 9 Comments

Alex Padilla for City Council

Santa Ana Councilman David Benavides got a free ride when he ran for reelection in 2010. No one ran against him. He got just over 34,000 votes according to Smart Voter. There were about 43,000 votes cast in that year’s Santa Ana Mayoral contest, according to Smart Voter. That means that over 9,000 voters chose not to vote for Benavides in 2010, even though his was the only name on the ballot in Ward 4.

Benavides ran for Santa Ana Mayor in 2012. His campaign was very ill-advised. He ended up with 14,995 votes, according to Smart Voter. The incumbent, Mayor Miguel Pulido, got 27,092 votes. The rest of the vote was split among three gadfly candidates. Benavides raised a ton of money in that campaign but it was for naught.

Perhaps Benavides was distracted as his marriage was reportedly falling apart during his mayoral campaign. He is supposedly divorced now. Ironically he came to town with his wife years ago and took advantage of a program that allowed his wife, a teacher, to buy a home in Santa Ana at a low interest rate. I believe that Benavides is still living in that home. He has since scrubbed his official city bio of any mention of his wife and kids. Continue reading→

All the Santa Ana City Council incumbents will be opposed this November

Posted on August 11, 2014 by Art Pedroza Posted in 2014 Elections, Alex Padilla, David Benavides, Elections, Gilad Salmon, Mark I. Lopez, Miguel Pulido, Mike Gonzalez, Mirna Velasquez, Politics, Roman Reyna, Sal Tinajero, Santa Ana, Vince Sarmiento 15 Comments

Santa Ana Mayor Miguel Pulido tells the Nicholas Academic Centers’ 4th Annual Thanksgiving Dinner Celebration that the NACs are profoundly changing education

Well the dust has finally cleared and we now know who is running for the Santa Ana City Council in this November’s General election.

The Mayor’s race lost many of the candidates who had pulled papers, including State Senator Lou Correa and Santa Ana Councilman Vince Sarmiento. The incumbent, Mayor Miguel Pulido, is running again and he will be facing off against first term Council Member Roman Reyna and a fellow named Mark I. Lopez, who is an entrepreneur/soldier, according to the Voice of OC. Continue reading→