Santa Ana's top news & views blog

Santa Ana's top news & views blog

Category Archives: Sal Tinajero

Stand up for our City Manager at the Council meeting set for this Monday

Posted on by Posted in Civic Affairs, David Benavides, Michele Martinez, Miguel Pulido, Paul Walters, Politics, Public Safety, Roman Reyna, Sal Tinajero, Santa Ana, Vince Sarmiento 52 Comments

Paul Walters, Behind the Badge

Supporters of Santa Ana City Manager Paul Walters are expected to turn out in large numbers at this Monday’s City Council meeting, on Jan. 7, 2013, at 5:45 pm, at the Council Chambers, at 22 Civic Center Plaza, in Santa Ana.

Walters has come under fire as the current Santa Ana City Council majority has decided to come after him even though he saved our city from a budget fiasco last year and is even now our best hope to resolve the State of California’s demand for the return of some $56 million dollars in redevelopment funds. Continue reading→

Santa Ana Political Chismes: is the Benavides Council cabal out of control?

Posted on by Posted in Civic Affairs, David Benavides, Michele Martinez, Miguel Pulido, Politics, Sal Tinajero, Santa Ana, Taxes, Tom Daly, Vince Sarmiento 15 Comments

David Benavides supports the PBID

SARMIENTO WANTS TO CREATE A COMMITTEE TO DISCUSS DISSOLVING OTHER COMMITTEES

“The City Council has taken another step toward reducing the mayor’s authority by voting to give the council, rather than the mayor alone, the power to appoint members to council committees,” according to the O.C. Register.

I have no problem with that – in fact the Council Members hate serving on most of these committees and often run away from these assignments.  Now they have no excuse.

But here is the funny part: Continue reading→

Santa Ana City Attorney to resign if the Council fires Walters?

Posted on by Posted in Angelica Amezcua, Civic Affairs, David Benavides, Lawyers, Michele Martinez, Miguel Pulido, Politics, Roman Reyna, Sal Tinajero, Santa Ana, Sonia Carvalho, Vince Sarmiento 31 Comments

Sonia Rubio Carvalho

Santa Ana City Attorney Sonia R. Carvalho has apparently had enough of the amateurs on the Santa Ana City Council and she is allegedly planning to resign – if the Council fires City Manager Paul Walters, according to my sources at City Hall. 

Carvalho, a partner in the Municipal Law practice group of Best Best & Krieger LLP, currently serves as the city attorney for the City of Claremont as well.  She previously served as city attorney of Azusa (1998-2012), Colton (1998-2001) and Yorba Linda (2001-2010). Ms. Carvalho is also the co-chair of her law firm’s Public Policy and Ethics sub-practice group. Continue reading→

The Benavides Council Cabal doesn’t have a mandate to fire Paul Walters

Posted on by Posted in 2012 Elections, Alfredo Amezcua, Angelica Amezcua, Civic Affairs, Claudia Alvarez, David Benavides, Eric Alderete, Estela Amezcua, Karina Onofre, Michele Martinez, Miguel Pulido, Nelida Mendoza-Yanez, Paul Walters, Politics, Roman Reyna, Sal Tinajero, Santa Ana, Vince Sarmiento 12 Comments

Santa Ana City Council

What is up with the Santa Ana City Council?  In their quest to fire popular and successful City Manager Paul Walters, they are talking like tough guys – as if they have some sort of mandate.  But do they? 

Here’s what Mayor Pro Tem Sal Tinajero told the O.C. Register after this week’s last minute closed-door meeting to ostensibly review the performance of City Manager Paul Walters and Sonia R. Carvalho, our City Attorney (who was added to the agenda just to make this look like less of a lynching of Walters):

“I don’t think he’s angered them,” Tinajero said of Walters. “It’s the mayor’s reluctance to address the fact that there are seven council members.  The mayor has to realize that you don’t get to call all the shots.” Continue reading→

Exclusive – City Council to fire City Manager Paul Walters in January

Posted on by Posted in 2014 Elections, David Benavides, Labor, Miguel Pulido, Paul Walters, Politics, Public Safety, Sal Tinajero, Santa Ana, Vince Sarmiento 16 Comments

Paul Walters, Behind the Badge

EXCLUSIVE – The Santa Ana City Council met today in a last-minute closed-session to consider the fate of City Manager Paul Walters.  Don’t buy the B.S. that they were also reviewing the City Attorney’s performance.  She was tossed onto the agenda to make this look like less of a kangaroo court.

My sources tell me that a decision was made – the City Council will fire Walters at the second Council meeting in January, even though he has meant so much to this city over the years, building and managing a state-of-the-art prison that has turned a profit by leasing space to other police agencies; saving our city budget last year when things looked so bleak; and lowering crime throughout his tenure as our Chief of Police and City Manager, to levels not seen in our city in many, many years. Continue reading→

Benavides Council faction hides in the shadows as they plot against Walters

Posted on by Posted in Angelica Amezcua, Civic Affairs, David Benavides, Gerardo Mouet, Paul Walters, Politics, Sal Tinajero, Santa Ana 52 Comments

Pulido and Mouet

Is Gerardo Mouet the Chosen One?

Do you remember when Santa Ana Council Member David Benavides and his allies were screaming about transparency during his failed campaign for Mayor?  Well that sure went out the window since Benavides lost.

Benavides and company have put a City Council meeting on calendar for this Thursday, at 1:15 pm.  Now think about that for a minute.  It is Christmas week.  Many folks are off on vacation.  The rest of us are working and can’t attend or watch this meeting online.  What is at stake?  Only the future well-being of our city. Continue reading→

Updated: City Council to go after Walters on 12/27

Posted on by Posted in Angelica Amezcua, Civic Affairs, David Benavides, Michele Martinez, Miguel Pulido, Paul Walters, Politics, Roman Reyna, Sal Tinajero, Santa Ana, Vince Sarmiento 16 Comments

Roman Reyna and David Benavides

UPDATED: There is now an agenda posted for a special City Council meeting set for Thursday, December 27, 2012 at 1:15 pm to evaluate the performance of the Santa Ana City Manager and City Attorney.

My sources are reporting that Santa Ana Council Member David Benavides is still planning on calling for a special Council meeting so that he and his cabal can try to fire Santa Ana City Manager Paul Walters, even as the city struggles with the attempt by the State of California to seize $56 million dollars in redevelopment money from our city coffers. Continue reading→

Are Benavides and his Council allies trying to fire City Manager Walters?

Posted on by Posted in 2012 Elections, Angelica Amezcua, Civic Affairs, Claudia Alvarez, David Benavides, Michele Martinez, Miguel Pulido, Paul Walters, Politics, Roman Reyna, Sal Tinajero, Santa Ana, Vince Sarmiento 33 Comments

Sean Mill and Paul Walters

Chisme has it that failed Santa Ana Mayoral candidate David Benavides is claiming to have the votes to fire City Manager Paul Walters, even though Walters’ contract stipulates that if that happens he gets to become the Santa Ana Police Chief once more.

In the past year Walters has recieved numerous awards including: the Orange County Bar Association’s Sammy Award; he made it onto OC Metro Magazine’s Hot 25 List; he was lauded with a cover feature in the Cal Chief’s “Behind the Badge” Magazine; he received the Media Champion Award from the Mental Health Association of Orange County; and Forbes ranked Santa Ana as the fourth safest large city in the U.S., under his watch. Continue reading→

Update: When will the Benavides Council dump Griset from the MWD Board?

Posted on by Posted in 2012 Elections, Alfredo Amezcua, Civic Affairs, Dan Griset, David Benavides, Democratic Party, Elections, John Palacio, Michele Martinez, Miguel Pulido, Politics, Sal Tinajero, Santa Ana, Vince Sarmiento, Water 52 Comments

Update: So now that the Benavides cartel is running the Santa Ana City Council, are they really going to be all about change?  If so when are they dumping Dan Griset from the Metropolitan Water District’s Board of Directors?  Don’t hold your breath – they already cut a deal with him.  Here is what we had to say on the subject back on Sep. 21, of this year:

Do you remember Dan Griset?  His father Lorin was the Mayor of Santa Ana from 1969 – 1973.  Dan followed suit, serving on the Santa Ana City Council from 1979-1992.  He was our Mayor for a time too.

Why am I bringing him up?  Well he can’t get elected to anything in Santa Ana anymore, but for many years he has been our city’s appointed representative to the Metropolitan Water District’s Board of Directors. Griset was appointed years ago by Mayor Miguel Pulido back in February of 2005, and even though some of our current Council Members have groused about it, he has stayed put for some time. Continue reading→

The Benavides Council cabal snaps up all the choice commission appointments

Posted on by Posted in Angelica Amezcua, Civic Affairs, David Benavides, Michele Martinez, Miguel Pulido, Politics, Roman Reyna, Sal Tinajero, Santa Ana, Vince Sarmiento, Water 9 Comments

Santa Ana City Council

The David Benavides cabal on the Santa Ana City Council didn’t wait long to show their true colors.  Their pals at the union-funded Voice of OC wrote that they “took another step Monday toward making good on their vow to strip Mayor Miguel Pulido of some of his power by taking away the mayor’s authority to make council subcommittee appointments.”  But what they really did was appoint themselves to all of the choice municipal commissions, thereby padding their paychecks.

Appointments included, courtesy of the Voice of OC: Continue reading→

City of Santa Ana notice of City Council reorganization

Posted on by Posted in 2012 Elections, Angelica Amezcua, Civic Affairs, David Benavides, Elections, Michele Martinez, Miguel Pulido, Sal Tinajero, Santa Ana, Vince Sarmiento Leave a comment

City of Santa Ana Downtown Orange County Community Alert:

NOTICE OF CITY COUNCIL REORGANIZATION

SANTA ANA, CA (December 12, 2012) – At a Special Meeting of the Santa Ana City Council held on December 11, 2012, the City Council reorganized as follows: Continue reading→

Tinajero selected unanimously as the new Santa Ana Mayor Pro Tem

Posted on by Posted in 2012 Elections, Angelica Amezcua, David Benavides, Michele Martinez, Miguel Pulido, Planning, Politics, Sal Tinajero, Santa Ana, Vince Sarmiento 29 Comments

Sal Tinajero and Eric Alderete

In the end, Santa Ana Councilman David Benavides realized he was outnumbered and so he sucked it up and made the motion tonight to select his colleague, Council Member Sal Tinajero, as the new Santa Ana Mayor Pro Tem.

The rest of the fading Team Benavides tucked their tails twixt their legs and followed suit – one by one they all seconded the motion and finally Mayor Miguel Pulido, who was so horribly attacked by Benavides during this year’s mayoral campaign, announced that, by proclamation, the clear choice was Tinajero.  And just like that the “Santa Ana Spring” was over. Continue reading→

Angelica Amezcua will pick the next Santa Ana Mayor Pro Tem

Posted on by Posted in 2012 Elections, Angelica Amezcua, Claudia Alvarez, David Benavides, Elections, Michele Martinez, Miguel Pulido, Politics, Sal Tinajero, Santa Ana, Vince Sarmiento 7 Comments

Angelica Amezcua – or Angie Oliver, courtesy of the OC Register

Can you believe it?  Newly elected Council Member Angelica Amezcua is now in a position to be the key vote that will determine who our next Santa Ana Mayor Pro Tem will be.  How this happened is an interesting tale.

The “Santa Ana Spring” failed miserably this November, particularly when Amezcua beat her Team Benavides opponent, Eric Alderete.  She spent not a dime and he raised and spent a small fortune, for naught.  Now the Benavides cabal is down to three votes – David Benavides, Michele Martinez and newly elected Roman Reyna. Continue reading→

Pulido opposes the Downtown Santa Ana PBID tax!

Posted on by Posted in Carlos Bustamante, Civic Affairs, Claudia Alvarez, David Benavides, Estela Amezcua, Michele Martinez, Miguel Pulido, Politics, Sal Tinajero, Santa Ana, Taxes, Vince Sarmiento 14 Comments

“Santa Ana Mayor Miguel Pulido said Monday he opposed allowing a controversial downtown property tax to continue, the mayor’s first declaration on the issue since he was given the OK by the city attorney to vote on the tax district,” according to the Voice of OC.

Even worse for the corrupt PBID crew at Downtown, Inc., Pulido is now part of a 4-2 Council majority that opposes the PBID.  The only PBID supporters that I am aware of are Council Members David Benavides and his longtime pal Carlos Bustamante.  Mayor Pro Tem Claudia Alvarez has been a solid leader against the PBID for some time, as has been Council Member Sal Tinajero.  Council Members Michele Martinez can’t vote on the PBID, as I understand it.  But if they could I think that if she could she would support it. Continue reading→

Who is Santa Ana’s most powerful politician?

Posted on by Posted in 2012 Elections, 2014 Elections, Angelica Amezcua, Cecilia Iglesias, Claudia Alvarez, David Benavides, Elections, Eric Alderete, Estela Amezcua, Janet Nguyen, John Palacio, Jose Solorio, Loretta Sanchez, Lou Correa, Mark McLoughlin, Michele Martinez, Miguel Pulido, Politics, Rob Richardson, Robert Hammond, Sal Tinajero, Santa Ana, Vince Sarmiento Leave a comment

Public OpinionPoll Results

Who is Santa Ana’s most powerful politician?  U.S. Rep. Loretta Sanchez certainly made her case this year by helping to elect Anaheim Council Candidate Jordan Brandman and Assembly Candidate Sharon Quirk-Silva.  But Assemblyman Jose Solorio also was a key factor in the successful re-election of Santa Ana Mayor Miguel Pulido and the victory of Assembly Candidate Tom Daly.

But what about Santa Ana Mayor Pro Tem Claudia Alvarez?  Has there ever been a more powerful termed out local politician?  She beat out two candidates who were incumbents, for the Rancho Santiago Community College District’s Board of Trustees.  And she helped elect unknown and unfunded Santa Ana Council Candidate Angelica Amezcua, in Ward 3, while giving Santa Ana Councilman Vince Sarmiento a scare in Ward 1 with Amezcua’s sister, Estela. Continue reading→