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Santa Ana's top news & views blog

Category Archives: Jose Solorio

Councilman Solorio announces a major reduction in homicides in Santa Ana

Posted on by Posted in Crime, Jose Solorio, Santa Ana, SAPD 7 Comments

SANTA ANA, CA — City Councilman Jose Solorio announced a significant decline in homicides in Santa Ana and called on the police department to focus on enforcing anti-camping and related laws in order to continue the City’s progress reducing crime and making neighborhoods and business corridors safer.

Santa Ana experienced an overall 36% decline in homicides and a 44% decrease in gang-related homicides in 2019. There were 5 gang-related homicides in 2019 compared to 9 in 2018.

As chair of the City’s public safety committee in 2017, Councilman Solorio led the effort to hire more police officers and championed the police department’s initiatives to increase the size of the gang unit and bring back a vice unit. Under Police Chief David Valentin’s leadership, the Department re-allocated resources to provide 7-day a week gang suppression and intervention enforcement, prioritize getting dangerous and illegal guns off the street, and begin to rebuild the vice and narcotics unit.

“These statistics are proof that our policing strategy is working,” Councilman Solorio said. “As we see the homicide rates go down, we must also make sure we’re tackling growing areas of concern, which is why I’m calling on the Santa Ana Police Department to focus on enforcing anti-camping laws and addressing the high number of crimes committed against or by homeless individuals.”

“We need new initiatives to help reduce neighborhood crimes that residents bring to our attention, enhance community-oriented policing programs, and continue to lower 911 response times. These steps will move us toward being a safer City,” continued Councilman Solorio.

As a result of the last collective bargaining agreement signed with the Santa Ana Police Officers Association, the City has been successful in recruiting and retaining more officers — a record 50 new officers were hired in 2019. Councilman Solorio also urges the City to continue to improve staffing, technology, and youth development programs to make all Santa Ana neighborhoods safer.

The Santa Ana Police Department compiles and reports on homicide data on a monthly basis. After being elected in 2016, Councilman Solorio asked police for ongoing reporting of crime statistics to track the progress of our City’s public safety initiatives and make appropriate changes to ensure the safety of Santa Ana’s residents.

Jose Solorio is a Santa Ana City Council Member. He previously represented the cities of Anaheim, Garden Grove and Santa Ana in the State Assembly for six years. He holds a bachelor’s degree from UC Irvine and a master’s degree in public policy from Harvard University.

To learn more about City Councilman Jose Solorio, visit www.JoseSolorio.com, Facebook.com/SolorioForSantaAna, Instragram.com/SolorioForSantaAna or Twitter.com/JoseSolorio.

Councilman Solorio explains why he voted for the 2525 Main St. luxury apartment development

Posted on by Posted in Development, Housing, Jose Solorio, Santa Ana 1 Comment

Santa Ana, CA – Below is a statement from City Council Member Jose Solorio regarding his “Yes” vote on The Addington Residential Apartment Community (2525 N. Main Street, Santa Ana):

“When I walked through Park Santiago and spoke with residents, nearly all of them told me that they are tremendously concerned about the homelessness crisis, especially considering their proximity to Santiago Creek. While some of them mentioned their concerns about the traffic impacts of The Addington project, the homelessness issue is a much greater concern. Given their priorities and the clear need for more housing in Southern California, I voted ‘Yes’ on The Addington.

City traffic studies confirmed that The Addington will generate significantly less traffic than the alternatives and the developer has agreed to fund a 24/7 neighborhood security patrol program and a security fence where it’s needed under the concrete bridge overpasses in Santiago Creek. The housing project was downsized by almost half, now comprising 256 units instead of the originally proposed 496 units. With the project approval, there will also be funding for the development of about 30 new affordable units in Santa Ana.

We were able to reduce the number of residential units without hurting the financial viability of the project because the Discovery Cube received state funding which is allowing them to partner with The Addington on much needed parking. On top of that, over $1.4 million in improvements to Santiago Park will be realized because of this development. You can click this link for a complete copy of the staff report: http://bit.ly/TheAddington.

Despite these concessions and benefits to the City at large, a group of Park Santiago residents still prefers that the apartment project not be built next to them, but somewhere else in the city. Given the parking, housing, and homelessness problems citywide, this attitude is unfair to the rest of the neighborhoods in Santa Ana.

While this group continues to target me and my campaign for Mayor, I will continue to uphold my Oath of Office to represent all the residents in Santa Ana. We must treat all neighborhoods equally and continue taking action to address our homelessness problems citywide.”

Will Ceci Iglesias become Santa Ana’s next Mayor?

Posted on by Posted in 2019 Elections, Cecilia Iglesias, Elections, Jose Solorio, Miguel Pulido, Politics, Santa Ana 8 Comments

Santa Ana Mayor Miguel Pulido is finally going to term out which means that after some 20 years Santa Ana will finally have a chance to elect a new Mayor, next year.

Current Ward 3 City Councilman Jose Solorio has been plotting for some time to replace Pulido but his odds now look less than great. He has angered the residents of Ward 3 over development issues to such an extent that I don’t think he could win reelection in that Ward, which might be for the best since he left his wife and kids in Ward 1 when he ran for Ward 3.

Compounding Solorio’s bad luck are the rumors that several former City Council Members could be looking to replace Pulido as well, including the likes of Sal Tinajero, Vince Sarmiento and perhaps even Michele Martinez and David Benavides.

These candidates are all Democrats and their views are similar. They will all subtract votes from each other. And I am not entirely sure that the voters want to elect a retreaded perennial candidate.

Over the past few weeks there has been an attempt to recall current City Councilwoman Ceci Iglesias. While the local police union leaders are saying they are not behind the recall it is pretty obvious that they are – as they are not pleased that Iglesias did not back their huge contract – which was not exactly a financially responsible raise.

Those same police union leaders have lined up behind Solorio. Now they must surely be pulling their hairs out as Iglesias just announced on Facebook yesterday that she intends to run for Mayor. If she does run it is fairly certain that she will win as the rest of the candidates will divvy up the same voter base while Iglesias now has support from both the left and the right.

Iglesias has always been fairly independent minded but her clash with the police union has made her a hero to Santa Ana’s progressive activists – something I never saw coming. She is already hugely popular in Santa Ana’s faith community. Garnering the support of the most liberal voters in our city on top of her more conservative voter support makes her the clear favorite to replace Pulido.

Pulido by the way is currently running against First District Supervisor Andrew Do. If former State Senator Janet Nguyen also files against Do it could divide the Vietnamese vote and put Pulido on the O.C. Board of Supervisors. However my sources tell me that if the current City Council makes certain changes to the City’s charter it could result in Pulido getting a new set of terms – which means we could see him run for Mayor yet again, should he lose his Supervisor’s race.

Solorio must have thought that the recall effort against Iglesias was a great idea. But that recall effort is a joke and now it looks like Iglesias is going to dash his dreams and take the Mayor’s office Solorio has long been lusting for.

Will the voters dig what Iglesias has to offer? I think so. She does not support over-development, she consistently opposes new taxes and fees and is a longtime fighter against government waste. She is also a longtime supporter of our immigrant community as Iglesias herself came here from El Savador when she was a little girl. I think the voters will like what Iglesias has to say about Santa Ana’s future. What do you think?

Who will be Santa Ana’s next Mayor?

Posted on by Posted in 2020 Elections, Civic Affairs, David Benavides, Elections, Jose Solorio, Miguel Pulido, Nam Pham, Politics, Santa Ana 5 Comments

Santa Ana Mayor Miguel Pulido is finally going to term out of office next November. He is already making plans to run for the First Supervisorial District.

So far three candidates have created committees to run for Mayor of City of Santa Ana – Municipal Government in 2020:

I cannot imagine many folks are excited about voting for Benavides, who was on the City Council for years but left no legacy and made no impact on the community.

Solorio has had a very successful political career including serving in the State Assembly. However he faces a strong headwind as there are a group of residents in Ward 3 who are trying to launch a recall election against him. They are mad about a development he is backing and are alleging he does not live in Ward 3.

Solorio however already has a ton of campaign cash on hand and he has vast connections in Orange County and in Sacramento.

Pham has no chance. He should find something else to do with his time.

There will be other candidates filing of course. Possibly including former City Councilman Sal Tinajero who barely lost to Pulido in the last Mayoral election.

Don’t be surprised if City Council Member Ceci Igliesias runs for Mayor. If she does she will be the only fiscal conservative in the race. She already enjoys broad support in our city and would be a dangerous candidate to be sure.

Of course being the Mayor in our city is a part-time job that demands full time hours. And you still have to get a majority of the City Council to work with you or nothing will get done. It is a tough job.

Pulido has had a heck of a time dealing with unfriendly City Councils over the years. Who knows what his successor will have to deal with as our city teeters on the edge of financial ruin?

The folks who recalled Nativo Lopez are now plotting to recall Jose Solorio

Posted on by Posted in 2020 Elections, Jose Solorio, Nativo Lopez, Politics, Santa Ana 7 Comments

I am hearing that a group of residents in Santa Ana’s Ward 3 are planning to launch a recall against their City Councilman, Jose Solorio.

The recall effort appears to be based on Solorio’s support for the luxury apartment development at 2525 N. Main St., which abuts the Park Santiago Neighborhood Association. The upset residets also are saying that Solorio does not live in Ward 3.

It is true that Solorio previously lived in Ward 1 and his wife and kids still do. But Solorio rented an apartment in Ward 3 so he could run there a couple years ago. Folks doubt he spends much time in the Ward.

Parties based outside of Santa Ana have been trying for several months to launch a recall against Santa Ana City Council Members Ceci Iglesias and Juan Villegas, but so far they have kept screwing up their campaign paperwork.

The only successful recall in Santa Ana’s history also got its start in north Santa Ana. That was the recall of former SAUSD Trustee Nativo Lopez, who passed away a few weeks ago. The recall backers lived in the Floral Park Neighborhood Association. Some of the same players are now plotting to recall Solorio.

I personally oppose all of these recall campaigns. These Council Members were elected by the voters and should be able to finish their terms. Folks will also have a chance to voice their displeasure with these politicians in the upcoming Mayoral election as has already announced that he is running in that race.

37 vagrants were arrested during the Santiago Creek cleanup on Saturday

Posted on by Posted in Crime, homeless, Jose Solorio, Parks and Recreation, Public Safety, public works, Santa Ana, SAPD 4 Comments
https://www.facebook.com/jsolorio/videos/10157234997218545/

By Santa Ana City Councilman Jose Solorio

Based on our recent Santiago Creek tour we held with neighborhood leaders, our Police Chief, and new City Manager (Kristine Ridge), the City coordinated for yesterday and today, Operation Santiago Creek. It focuses on the Creek and areas underneath the 5 FWY/ Broadway underpasses.

A total of 46 people were contacted at this location yesterday, most of whom were experiencing homelessness:

  • 15 of the 46 had ties to Santa Ana but refused any type of shelter or assistance.
  • 31 of the 46 did not have any ties to Santa Ana. Only 3 of these non-Santa Ana individuals accepted shelter at the Courtyard.
  • A total of 37 were arrested for violation of the Santa Ana Municipal Code 10-403(C) Unlawful Storage of Property in Public Area, Warrants, or Narcotic Violations.
  • 6 others were contacted but released without any incident.

Also related..a follow-up to the recent meetings I held with our local neighborhood leaders, I placed 85C item (below) on the agenda for next Tuesday (5/21) so we can be clear with City staff that our neighborhoods and residents want to prioritize the use of Measure X tax revenues for addressing our homelessness crisis and public safety issues, as Measure X said it would.

ITEM 85C: DISCUSS AND DIRECT STAFF, AS APPROPRIATE, TO USE MEASURE X FUNDS TO EXPAND CITY’S CURRENT CONTRACT WITH ALLIED UNIVERSAL SECURITY SERVICES TO QUICKLY AND COST-EFFECTIVELY BEGIN PROVIDING SECURITY SERVICES AT FIVE PARKS IN EACH WARD, PLUS SANTIAGO CREEK, DEDICATED BIKE TRAILS OWNED BY THE CITY OF SANTA ANA, AND ADDITIONAL COVERAGE AT CENTENNIAL PARK. UNTIL THE CITY IS ABLE TO DEVELOP A SUSTAINABLE PARK RANGER PROGRAM, THESE EXPANDED SERVICES WOULD ALLOW US TO ADDRESS INCREASING CONCERNS FROM RESIDENTS AND NEIGHBORHOOD LEADERS REGARDING HOMELESS ENCAMPMENTS, TRASH, GRAFFITI, DRUG USE AND RELATED PUBLIC SAFETY CONCERNS – Councilmember Solorio

It would be fantastic if we had sufficient officers to provide more ongoing patrols and services, but our Santa Ana Police Department just has too many vacancies to do more for us at our parks and Creek. Expanding our existing contract with our security services would be much quicker and more cost-effective, so I am hopeful we can do this or something similar.

Like many in Santa Ana, I voted against the Measure, but since it was passed by our voters I want to make we use the new tax revenue wisely and as marketed to voters.

If you could come and speak in support of 85C at the Council meeting next Tuesday that would be best. However, you can also send emails to the City Clerk via the ecomments email below and email the Mayor and City Councilmembers directly from their webpage.

eComment@santa-ana.org

Link to full agenda: http://bit.ly/SACouncilAgenda052119

Councilman Solorio announces his candidacy for Santa Ana Mayor

Posted on by Posted in 2020 Elections, Civic Affairs, Elections, Jose Solorio, Politics, Santa Ana 4 Comments

First to Launch Campaign for Open Seat, He Submits His Resume To Voters

Santa Ana City Council Member Jose Solorio announced he’s running for Mayor in 2020. To launch his campaign, he started sharing his resume to voters, emphasizing the importance of earning their vote one person at a time.

“For the first time in more than two decades, residents in Santa Ana will have an opportunity to elect someone to fill an open seat for Mayor. I’m eager to talk to voters about the future they want for their families, their neighborhood, and our dynamic City,” Solorio said. “Santa Ana will be celebrating its 150th anniversary later this year. But the history for the next 150 years, we can write together. That’s why I’m thrilled to submit my resume for the job of Mayor and talk with residents about their priorities for change.”

Solorio’s resume highlights his experience as a member of the State Assembly, his current role as a City Councilman, and his expertise as a public affairs professional at regional transportation and water agencies.

Solorio is the son of farm workers and attended UC Irvine for his bachelor’s degree and Harvard University for his master’s degree in public policy. He’s married to a Santa Ana public school teacher and together they have been raising two amazing children.

To learn more about Jose Solorio, visit www.JoseSolorio.com, Facebook.com/SolorioForSantaAna, Instagram.com/SolorioForSantaAna or Twitter.com/JoseSolorio.

Six candidates have applied to replace Roman Reyna on the Santa Ana City Council

Posted on by Posted in 2018 elections, Civic Affairs, Elections, Gale Oliver Jr., Jennifer Oliva, Jose Solorio, Ken Nguyen, Maricela Vallejo, Phil Bacerra, Phillip Ortiz Jr., Roman Reyna, Santa Ana, Vince Sarmiento 2 Comments

Six people applied to replace former Santa Ana City Councilman Roman Reyna by the deadline at noon Tuesday, March 12, according to the O.C. Register.

The candidates include:

  • Phil Bacerra (D), a former Santa Ana Planning Commissioner who sued Reyna after the November election on the grounds that Reyna screwed up his campaign paperwork and never should have been allowed on the ballot. Phil was right!
  • Kenneth Khanh Nguyen (No Party Preference – NPP), a Santa Ana Planning Commissioner
  • Jennifer Oliva (D), a Santa Ana Arts and Culture Commissioner
  • Gale Oliver, Jr. (No Party Preference – NPP), a Baptist bishop
  • Phillip Ortiz, Jr. (No Party Preference – NPP), an Internet installer
  • Maricela Vallejo (No Party Preference – NPP), a Santa Ana Personnel Board Member

Our position is that Reyna’s seat should go to Bacerra, who was cheated out of victory last year. To make matters worse, Bacerra was smeared by Reyna’s supporters in what was perhaps the ugliest campaign we have ever seen. The fair thing to do would be to appoint Bacerra. This is particularly true as he is one of only two Asian candidates being considered by the City Council.

Apparently Council Members Jose Solorio and Vince Sarmiento are favoring the other Asian candidate, Kenneth “Ken” Khang Nguyen, who was successfully sued by Novell for copyright infringement back in 1997, because of a software piracy scheme. Nguyen is an affable fellow but it is likely that he is favored because he will go along to get along – and Solorio allegedly wants a candidate who will do his bidding.

I have met Bishop Gale Oliver before. He is very engaging. He has his hands full with his congregation though. While the City Council job is a part-time position it actually turns out to be almost full time – as any of our current City Council Members can attest.

I don’t know Jennifer Oliva or Maricela Vallejo but they are, like Nguyen, both City Commissioners. And we certainly could use more women on our City Council as currently only one City Council Member, Ceci Iglesias, is a woman.

My guess is that the City Council will not be able to muster four votes for any of these candidates. It is likely that we are headed for a Special Election that will take place in November, at the same time as the upcoming SAUSD Special election.

What really happened at last Friday’s botched Santa Ana City Council meeting

Posted on by Posted in Cecilia Iglesias, Civic Affairs, David Penaloza, Jose Solorio, Juan Villegas, Michele Martinez, Miguel Pulido, Politics, Raul Godinez, Roman Reyna, Sal Tinajero, Santa Ana, Vince Sarmiento 2 Comments

Santa Ana City Councilmembers Vincent Sarmiento, Jose Solorio, Roman Reyna and David Penaloza tried to pull a fast one last Friday at a last minute special session of the Santa Ana City Council.

What this boiled down to was an attempt by Solorio to fire the current Santa Ana City Manager, Raul Godinez, who was a terrible hire, and replace him with an interim manager of his choice.

But Solorio, who should know better, got punked when Mayor Miguel Pulido, Mayor Pro Tem Juan Villegas and City Councilwoman Ceci Iglesias blew off the special meeting on Friday. You see firing Godinez takes five votes – and Solorio was only able to come up with four votes on Friday.

Solorio and Sarmiento spent the last year ripping the Santa Ana Police Officers Association but now that union is allegedly playing footsie with Solorio, who they believe is going to be our next Mayor, in two years, when Pulido terms out. Which is why Penaloza went along with Solorio on Friday.

Solorio may have fashioned an ad hoc City Council majority, with Penaloza now in league with him, but he won’t be able to fire Godinez without a fifth vote. And that simply is not going to happen.

Make no mistake – Godinez is toast. But he will leave when Pulido decides to oust him. And Pulido won’t let Solorio decide the terms of Godinez’ ouster – or his replacement.

As for Solorio, he needs to calm down. He may have a boatload of campaign cash but he won’t be the only Democrat running for Mayor in two years. It is very likely that former City Council Members Sal Tinajero and Michele Martinez, and maybe even Claudia Alvarez, will run for Mayor.

Now imagine if a fiscal conservative, like Iglesias, decides to run for Mayor in two years? She will easily win if the Democrats split their votes three or four ways.

The Santa Ana Police Officers Association is really blundering by getting in bed with Solorio. Now they have antagonized Pulido and Villegas. Iglesias was already upset with them after they spent a small fortune trying to beat her in last November’s election. They are giving Penaloza bad advice by asking him to team up with Solorio, Sarmiento and Reyna. I am shocked that they would have anything to do with Reyna after they ripped him mercilessly for his alleged connections to the Mexican Mafia!

Cooler heads will ultimately prevail. I expect Penaloza will realize his error and team up with the real City Council majority – then Godinez can go his merry way and we can finally hire a competent City Manager.

Remember Godinez only got the job because he is Hispanic. That is what Tinajero told Pulido at the time. That sort of racist thinking will hopefully be set aside now. We need a great City Manager – irrespective of his or her race.

Who will take over in Santa Ana when Mayor Pulido retires in two years?

Posted on by Posted in 2020 Elections, Cecilia Iglesias, Civic Affairs, Claudia Alvarez, Elections, Jose Solorio, Miguel Pulido, Politics, Santa Ana, Todd Spitzer, Tony Rackauckas, Vince Sarmiento 1 Comment

I saw mayoral candidate Sal Tinajero speak at several campaign events leading up to the Nov. 6 General Election. Every time I heard him he was incredibly nasty – and his diatribes were at best filled with half-truths. The voters, needless to say, didn’t buy his act and Santa Ana Mayor Miguel Pulido beat him convincingly.

But Pulido is going to term out in two years. What will happen then? Continue reading→

Would you hire the Santa Ana political candidates you are voting for?

Posted on by Posted in 2018 elections, Angie Rosario Cano, Art Pedroza, Cecilia Aguinaga, Cecilia Iglesias, Civic Affairs, David Penaloza, Education, John Palacio, Jose Solorio, Juan Villegas, Michele Martinez, Miguel Pulido, Nelida Mendoza-Yanez, Paul Gonzales, Phil Bacerra, Roman Reyna, Sal Tinajero, Santa Ana, SAUSD Leave a comment

As voters we sometimes fail to recognize that electing someone to represent us on any elective body, such as the Santa Ana City Council or the Santa Ana Unified School District’s Board of Education, is similar to hiring someone to work for us. We are entrusting these candidates to do right by the community.

But if you were hiring someone to work for you, would you consider the folks who are running for local office in Santa Ana this year? In that case what factors would you weigh in trying to determine who to support for local offices? Continue reading→

Santa Ana City Council Ward 6 candidate Mendoza dropped her frivolous lawsuit against Velasquez

Posted on by Posted in 2018 elections, Claudia Alvarez, Courts, Jose Solorio, Mirna Velasquez, Nelida Mendoza-Yanez, Politics Leave a comment

Nelida Yanez

Nellie Mendoza drops frivolous suit – may need to pay attorneys fees

Santa Ana City Council Ward 7 candidate Nelida Mendoza (formerly Yanez) dropped her lawsuit against her opponent,  Mirna Velasquez, on Tuesday. Perhaps she did so because she finally realized that she had no case!

Mendoza alleged that Velasquez was not a resident of Santa Ana Ward 6. However, Mendoza acknowledged in her complaint that Velasquez has lived in Ward 6 since at least her registration date of November 21, 2017. Not only did she register in the district more than 30 days before filing but Velasquez moved into the Ward on November 1, 2017 per her response. So there was no merit to the 1st cause of action by Ms. Mendoza. Continue reading→

Two of Santa Ana’s City Council candidates are suing to remove their competitors from the ballot

Posted on by Posted in 2018 elections, Jose Solorio, Mirna Velasquez, Nelida Mendoza-Yanez, Phil Bacerra, Roman Reyna, Santa Ana Leave a comment

There are only two candidates running for the Santa Ana City Council’s Ward 4 – former Ward 5 Councilman Roman Reyna and former Planning Commissioner Phil Bacerra. They are both in hot water.

Bacerra has apparently retained well-known political lawyer Mark Rosen and they have sued to have Reyna removed from the ballot on the grounds that he apparently registered to vote four times in recent weeks, all at different addresses. It seems that Reyna kept picking addresses that are not in Ward 4.  Continue reading→

The Santa Ana City Council’s latest attempt to extend their term limits got punked again

Posted on by Posted in 2018 elections, Ballot Measures, Civic Affairs, David Benavides, Jose Solorio, Miguel Pulido, Politics, Sal Tinajero, Santa Ana, Vince Sarmiento Leave a comment

The Santa Ana City Council Majority

The Santa Ana City Council Majority – which now includes Council Members David Benavides, Jose Solorio, Vince Sarmiento and Sal Tinajero, tried once again yesterday to illegally extend their term limits by trying to place a last-minute district election measure on the June ballot.

They were previously punked by Santa Ana Mayor Miguel Pulido when he refused to sign off on their vote to place the measure on the June ballot. A judge recently forced Pulido to finally sign those papers but the June election ballot submission deadline had already expired.  Continue reading→

The Santa Ana City Council majority will sue to illegally extend their term limits

Posted on by Posted in 2018 elections, Civic Affairs, Courts, David Benavides, Jose Solorio, Miguel Pulido, Sal Tinajero, Santa Ana, Vince Sarmiento Leave a comment

The Santa Ana City Council Majority – David Benavides, Sal Tinajero, Vince Sarmiento and Jose Solorio

The Santa Ana City Council majority decided at their last-minute special meeting today to sue Mayor Miguel Pulido for not placing their illegal district election measure on the June Primary Election ballot, according to an inside source.

Apparently our City Attorney, Sonia Carvalho, hired an outside counsel to help her aid the City Council majority, which is currently comprised of Council Members David Benavides, Sal Tinajero, Vince Sarmiento and Jose Solorio, come to this awful decision. Continue reading→