New Santa Ana | Category Archives: David Benavides

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→

Benavides fundraiser now to be held at the cochinero that is the Yost Theatre

Posted on October 14, 2014 by Art Pedroza Posted in 2014 Elections, Alcohol, Bars, David Benavides, Health and Medical, Politics, Public Safety, Restaurants, Santa Ana 6 Comments

Poor Santa Ana Councilman David Benavides had to switch the location of his upcoming fundraising reception from Ketri Cafe to the Yost Theatre after we let the people of Santa Ana know about Ketri’s unfortunate record of health violations. However perhaps Benavides should have checked out the Yost Theatre’s health record before he selected them as the new location of his fundraiser, which is set for Oct 16, 2014, from 5:30 to 7:30 pm. It turns out the Yost is a real cochinero!

On July 10, 2014, the Yost received these health violations after a health inspection by the OC Health Care Agency:

Uncleanliness of Premises/Trash Storage
Facility not Fully Enclosed/Open Door/Air Curtain
Inoperable/Lack of Food Thermometer
Water Temp (100F-119F)/Wash Temp <100F/Cross Con
Unsanitary Equipment/Utensil/Linen/Plumbing
Lack of/Unsanitary/Condition Walls/Floors/Ceilings
Improper Food Storage/Receiving
Change Room Improper Use/Lack of

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→

The Association of OC Deputy Sheriffs rejects Benavides, Reyna and Martinez

Posted on October 11, 2014 by Art Pedroza Posted in 2014 Elections, Crime, David Benavides, Gangs, Michele Martinez, Miguel Pulido, Mirna Velasquez, Politics, Public Safety, Santa Ana 9 Comments

The Association of Orange County Deputy Sheriffs PAC has rejected Santa Ana Council Members David Benavides and Michele Martinez as well as their colleague Roman Reyna, who is running an ill-advised campaign against Mayor Miguel Pulido.

All three of these candidates are thought to have connections to Santa Ana’s gangs. They were all involved in firing our former Chief of Police, Paul Walters, and they voted to get rid of the SAPD’s Strike Force. All three of them were also caught ignoring several SAPD officers who were being honored a few weeks ago at a Santa Ana City Council meeting. Continue reading→

Councilwoman Martinez says she won’t mind if she isn’t reelected in November

Posted on October 10, 2014 by Art Pedroza Posted in 2014 Elections, Alfredo Amezcua, Angelica Amezcua, David Benavides, Michele Martinez, Miguel Pulido, Mirna Velasquez, Orange County, Politics, Sal Tinajero, Santa Ana 27 Comments

Santa Ana Councilwoman Michele Martinez, told NBC News this week that she “will not mind if she isn’t reelected in November.” She was interviewed after this week’s City Council meeting had to be canceled after a punk in a “F*ck the police” hat wouldn’t leave.

“As I sat here and listened to all the comments, it’s really disheartening. People want to come here and threaten us,” said Martinez. “At the end of the day let me tell you I can go to sleep at night, so I don’t care if you feel that I have not done a job that you’ve asked me to do.”

The sad reality for Martinez is that she has been pandering to the FTP crowd for some time – but as she saw on Tuesday night they are insatiable. They are anarchists and nothing she or any other politician does is going to mollify them. Continue reading→

Free chorro at Benavides campaign event on Oct. 16 at Ketri Cafe in DTSA

Posted on October 9, 2014 by Art Pedroza Posted in 2014 Elections, Chorro, David Benavides, Entertainment, Food, Health and Medical, Politics, Restaurants, Santa Ana 6 Comments

Santa Ana Councilman David Benavides is once again holding a fundraiser outside of his Ward, in Downtown Santa Ana, at Ketri Cafe, on Oct. 16, 2014, from 5:30 to 7:30 pm.

Benavides bills Ketri Cafe as “A Local Hidden Gem,” but I guess he hasn’t looked at their record of health violations.

They were inspected by the OC Health Care Agency on August 7, 2014, after a complaint, and the inspection resulted in a bevy of violations: Continue reading→

Have Reyna and Benavides sold their votes to high density apartment developers?

Posted on October 9, 2014 by Art Pedroza Posted in 2014 Elections, Civic Affairs, David Benavides, Development, Phil Bacerra, Planning, Politics, Santa Ana, Tustin 3 Comments

Have you wondered how in the world Santa Ana Councilman David Benavides and his sidekick, Roman Reyna, who is an ill-advised Mayoral candidate this year, are funding their respective political campaigns? As we saw in 2012, the high density apartment developers are backing these guys – often in the form of secretive Independent Expenditures – and this time they have a distinct objective in mind. Put simply, the developers are trying to buy their votes.

At stake is the property at 2001 East Dyer Road, which is on Santa Ana’s East side, on the border of Tustin. This land is currently zoned for industrial use but the developers who recently bought this land are requesting that the City of Santa Ana re-zone their (approximately) 18 acre property from industrial to residential development (high density apartments). Continue reading→

Was Santa Ana’s sad Ciclovia an attempt to promote Reyna and Benavides at public expense?

Posted on October 6, 2014 by Art Pedroza Posted in 2014 Elections, Bicycles, David Benavides, Politics, Roman Reyna, Santa Ana 11 Comments

Benavides and Reyna Ciclovia

Did Santa Ana’s taxpayers pay for Team Santa Ana’s jerseys too?

Isn’t it interesting that the City of Santa Ana scheduled their Ciclovia event a month before the General Election? And sure enough Councilman David Benavides and his pal Roman Reyna, who is running for Mayor, were there in full force, promoting themselves at the City’s expense.

A friend of mine figures the City had to have spent a small fortune on City employees including perhaps 30 police officers and public safety personnel. And who knows how much they spent on marketing the event? I hear that the turnout was not great. A reader estimated total turnout at under a thousand with perhaps half of them comprised of staff and volunteers. Continue reading→

Pulido and Velasquez endorsed by the Santa Ana Police Officers Association

Posted on September 30, 2014 by Art Pedroza Posted in 2014 Elections, David Benavides, Michele Martinez, Miguel Pulido, Mirna Velasquez, Politics, Public Safety, Santa Ana 12 Comments

Mirna Velasquez and Carlos Rojas

The Santa Ana Police Officers Association has announced their endorsements with regard to the upcoming November City Council election. While it was not surprising to see them endorse incumbents David Benavides and Sal Tinajero, in Wards 4 and 6, it was refreshing to see them back a challenger, Mirna Velasquez, in Ward 2.

SAPOA also is backing Mayor Miguel Pulido instead of Roman Reyna. Continue reading→

Have Council Members Martinez and Reyna really left their pasts behind?

Posted on September 23, 2014 by Art Pedroza Posted in 2014 Elections, Crime, David Benavides, Gangs, Michele Martinez, Mirna Velasquez, Politics, Roman Reyna, Santa Ana 23 Comments

Roman Reyna and Michele Martinez may tell you that they have left their criminal pasts and gang lives behind but we don’t think this is true. Don’t be fooled for even a second by the self-proclaimed “reformed” drug dealer and tough guy.

Reyna allegedly verbally threatened Martinez’ top opponent, Mirna Velasquez, warning her that something may physically happen to her if she ran for the City Council against Martinez. Luckily, that did not deter Velasquez from running; she filed her papers in spite of these threats. Reyna even tried to talk Velasquez into moving and running against Mayor Pro Tem Sal Tinjero, telling her that he is the weakest link on the city council and that she could easily beat him. Continue reading→

Republican who once promoted Prop. 187 is now backing Roman Reyna for Mayor

Posted on September 16, 2014 by Art Pedroza Posted in 2014 Elections, David Benavides, irvine, Lupe Moreno, Miguel Pulido, Politics, Republican Party, Roman Reyna, Santa Ana 18 Comments

Rosario Marin and her GOP pals

Rosario Marin, who worked for Gov. Wilson during the Prop. 187 campaign, is now promoting Roman Reyna

Gov. Jerry Brown signed legislation Monday that repeals unenforceable provisions of Proposition 187, the two-decade-old measure that sought to withhold public services from immigrants in the country illegally, according to the L.A. Times.

Ironically Santa Ana Councilman Roman Reyna announced today that Rosario Marin, a Republican who served as President George W. Bush’s U.S. Treasurer, would be the keynote speaker at a Reyna for Mayor campaign reception on Sep. 23. Marin worked as Governor Pete Wilson’s chief of Legislative Affairs for the Department of Developmental Services starting in 1996 and in 1997, she was named deputy director of Govern Wilson’s Office of Community Relations. In that position Marin had to defend the administration’s support for Prop. 187, according to Wikipedia. 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→

City Council’s ongoing attack on Mayor Pulido comes up empty again

Posted on September 3, 2014 by Art Pedroza Posted in 2014 Elections, David Benavides, Michele Martinez, Miguel Pulido, OCDA, Politics, Roman Reyna, Sal Tinajero, Santa Ana 10 Comments

Tinajero, Martinez and Benavides

Santa Ana City Council members voted Tuesday in closed session to release to the public the city attorney’s report on Mayor Miguel Pulido’s property swap case on Sept. 30 if District Attorney Tony Rackauckas or the state’s political watchdog don’t file criminal charges against the mayor by then, according to the Voice of OC.

What is this all about? In 2010, members of the Pulido family traded a parking lot they owned to Rupen James Akoubian, owner of NAPA Orange County Auto Parts, in exchange for a house in Westminster. According to the public assessor’s appraisals, the fair market value of the house was more than twice as much as the Pulidos’ lot, according to the Voice of OC.

The family later transferred the house solely into the mayor’s name, and he ultimately sold it for nearly $400,000, netting a $197,000 profit. Meanwhile, Akoubian’s store received a $1.35 million, no-bid city contract to supply auto parts to the municipal vehicle fleet.

So did Pulido break any laws? Let’s look at this point by point: Continue reading→