New Santa Ana | Category Archives: Vince Sarmiento

Sarmiento appears to regret backing Benavides, as he runs for re-election

Posted on September 15, 2012 by Art Pedroza Posted in 2012 Elections, David Benavides, Democratic Party, Elections, Estela Amezcua, Miguel Pulido, Politics, Santa Ana, Vince Sarmiento 8 Comments

I am hearing that Santa Ana Council Member Vince Sarmiento appears to be having buyer’s regret when it comes to upstart Santa Ana mayoral candidate David Benavides. Apparently Sarmiento has told others that while he has endorsed Benavides he is not actively campaigning for him. But the damage is done – endorsing the clueless, bumbling Benavides is simply inexcusable.

Sarmiento is running for re-election this year, in Santa Ana’s Ward 1, against Estela Amezcua, a Santa Ana educator. She is not related to Al Amezcua, the failed Santa Ana mayoral candidat who, like Sarmiento, is also backing Benavides. Continue reading→

Council Member Sarmiento endorsed by the Democratic Party of Orange County

Posted on September 13, 2012 by Art Pedroza Posted in 2012 Elections, Democratic Party, Elections, Politics, Santa Ana, Vince Sarmiento 6 Comments

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: September 13, 2012

CONTACT: Karia Salazar, PHONE: (714) 623-7185, EMAIL: salazar_karia@yahoo.com

The Democratic Party of Orange County Endorses Councilman Vincent Sarmiento to Represent Santa Ana City Council – Ward 1

Santa Ana, California – Vincent Sarmiento has received the endorsement from the Democratic Party of Orange County for Santa Ana City Council’s Ward -1 seat. Continue reading→

The new Santa Ana Council majority will crumble after the election

Posted on September 12, 2012 by Art Pedroza Posted in 2012 Elections, Charles Hart, David Benavides, Elections, Michele Martinez, Miguel Pulido, Politics, Roman Reyna, Sal Tinajero, Santa Ana, Vince Sarmiento 16 Comments

If there is one thing I can guarantee going into the November elections, it is that the current Santa Ana City Council is destined to crumble. Already the coalition that is backing Council Member David Benavides is showing signs of cracking.

We exposed this week one of Benavides’ supporters after she reached out to the Charles Hart Ward 3 campaign – a slap to the face of Eric Alderete, the Ward 3 candidate who has sided with the crumbling majority. Alderete has already distanced himself from Team Benavides. Continue reading→

Benavides’ supporters caught betraying his ally, Alderete

Posted on September 10, 2012 by Art Pedroza Posted in 2012 Elections, Alfredo Amezcua, Charles Hart, David Benavides, Democratic Party, Elections, Eric Alderete, John Palacio, Miguel Pulido, Myriam Tinajero, Politics, Republican Party, Sal Tinajero, Santa Ana, Valerie Amezcua, Vince Sarmiento 32 Comments

Valerie Amezua, David Benavides and company – but no Eric Alderete

Santa Ana mayoral candidate David Benavides and his supporters would like us to think that he represents some kind of revolution, but in truth he is working with Santa Ana’s Usual Suspects – the mostly Republican, angry, older anti-Latino busy bodies that ran City Hall for far too long.

The Usual Suspects are the folks who passed laws against drying your laundry in the backyard; who limited garage sales to four per year; who worked to get rid of jobs – targeting those who deliver printed marketing materials to homes and those who stand on street corners twirling signs to build up local businesses. These are the gentrifiers who bemoan the fact that Santa Ana became a Latino majority city and who put bear locks on their trash cans to keep the homeless from collecting their bottles and cans. Continue reading→

Palacio and Amezcua are driving the so-called “Santa Ana Spring”

Posted on August 30, 2012 by Art Pedroza Posted in 2012 Elections, Alfredo Amezcua, David Benavides, Democratic Party, Elections, Eric Alderete, John Palacio, Miguel Pulido, Myriam Tinajero, Politics, Roman Reyna, Sal Tinajero, Santa Ana, SAUSD, Valerie Amezcua, Vince Sarmiento 17 Comments

It has become increasingly obvious that the so-called “Santa Ana Spring” is actually a collection of Santa Ana politicians with different axes to grind, who have come together as their mutual petty hatreds have temporarily converged. This alliance is a shaky one at best.

The drivers of this movement are failed Santa Ana mayoral candidate Al Amezcua, who resigned from the Rancho Santiago Community College District’s Board of Education a few years ago, after he got caught living outside of the area he was elected to represent; Santa Ana Unified School District John Palacio, who survived the recall of his close friend and ally Nativo Lopez; Santa Ana Councilman Vince Sarmiento – who is bitter because he didn’t run for the 69th Assembly District and who has designs on the Santa Ana Mayor’s office; Santa Ana Council Member Michele Martinez, who was soundly defeated by Santa Ana Mayor Miguel Pulido back in 2008 – and who did poorly again this June as a candidate for the 69th Assembly District; and Council Member David Benavides, who is embroiled in a controversy regarding allegations of infidelity and divorce. Continue reading→

Santa Ana announces addition of 22 new park acres!

Posted on August 20, 2012 by Art Pedroza Posted in Civic Affairs, Michele Martinez, Miguel Pulido, Parks and Recreation, Sal Tinajero, Santa Ana, SAUSD, Vince Sarmiento 1 Comment

City of Santa Ana, Downtown Orange County

Community: Santa Ana City Council Announces Improvement in Acres of Recreational Space

SANTA ANA, CA (August 20, 2012) – For the last twenty years, Santa Ana has had .9-acres of recreational open space for every 1,000 residents. In the last five years, the City has made great strides in planning and building new recreational open space opportunities, which are projected to add 22 new acres to the City’s park system. At the August 20th Council meeting, the City Council announced that the new open space ratio will be 1.48-acres per 1,000 residents. Continue reading→

Alderete’s fundraiser attracted many of Santa Ana’s political players

Posted on August 10, 2012 by Art Pedroza Posted in 2012 Elections, David Benavides, Democratic Party, Elections, Eric Alderete, Latino Leaders, Lou Correa, Mark McLoughlin, Michele Martinez, Nelida Mendoza-Yanez, Politics, Sal Tinajero, Santa Ana, Sean Mill, Vince Sarmiento 15 Comments

Santa Ana Ward 3 candidate Eric Alderete’s campaign held a fundraiser tonight at Chapter One: the Modern Local, in Downtown Santa Ana. There were at least 80 attendees including quite a few elected and appointed officials. These included:

State Senator Lou Correa
Santa Ana Council Members Sal Tinajero, Vince Sarmiento, Michele Martinez and David Benavides (who came to the event by himself)
Rancho Santiago Community College District Trustees Mark McLoughlin, Larry Labrado and John Hanna
Santa Ana Planning Commissioners Sean Mill, Sandy Nalle, Patrick Yrarrazaval and Mario Turner Continue reading→

Updated: Estela and Angelica Amezcua to run for Wards 1 and 3

Posted on August 9, 2012 by Art Pedroza Posted in 2012 Elections, Alfredo Amezcua, Angelica Amezcua, Brett Franklin, Carlos Bustamante, Elections, Eric Alderete, Estela Amezcua, Politics, Santa Ana, Vince Sarmiento 9 Comments

Estela and Angelica Amezcua pulled papers today to run for the Santa Ana City Council, in Wards 1 and 3. It initially appeared that they were running for each other’s wards, based on addresses I found online, however the Santa Ana City Clerk emailed me today to advise that someone on her staff had inadvertently transposed their names on the candidate status report that was posted yesterday. That report has since been corrected.

Angelica is running for the Ward 3 seat that is currently held by and Estela is running for Ward 1. Angelica is challenging disgraced Council Member Carlos Bustamante, who is facing serious sex crime and public theft charges, and Estela is running for the ward represented by Council Member Vince Sarmiento. Continue reading→

UPDATE: City Council places Mayoral term limit measure on the Nov. ballot

Posted on August 1, 2012 by Art Pedroza Posted in 2012 Elections, Carlos Bustamante, Civic Affairs, Claudia Alvarez, David Benavides, Democratic Party, Michele Martinez, Miguel Pulido, Politics, Sal Tinajero, Santa Ana, Vince Sarmiento 30 Comments

UPDATE: A four member city council voted tonight to unanimously put to the voters a four term limit of 2 years each for the office of Mayor.

I can understand why the Santa Ana City C0uncil Members are upset at Mayor Miguel Pulido. Let’s face it – he has been running circles around them for almost 20 years. But he is now dealing with a Council that, for the most part, he did not elect. He opposed Sal Tinajero and Michele Martinez when they first ran for the City Council. He did create David Benavides, but when Vince Sarmiento was appointed to the Council, to replace Jose Solorio, he was already his own man. Unlike Benavides, he was a polished product and a guy most people respected. Who would have forseen two Pulido allies going down in flames – Carlos Bustamante’s own alleged misbehavior did him in, and Claudia Alvarez could not undo the term limits she helped create. Now Pulido, like Julius Caesar, is surrounded by short swords and although we are headed into August, it might as well be the Ides of March.

Back in Pulido’s heyday, he and former City Manager Dave Ream knew how to work this bunch. Once they got elected, they would be warmly welcomed, even if they had initially been opposed. Commission appointments would be handed out like Halloween candies and just like that Council members would be subverted. But Ream is gone and so is his magic bag of redevelopment – and now even the developers that lived high on the hog in our town for so long are slinking to the Council’s side. Continue reading→

Pulido scrambling to stop a mayoral term limit ballot measure

Posted on July 21, 2012 by Art Pedroza Posted in 2012 Elections, Charles Hart, Civic Affairs, David Benavides, Eric Alderete, Michele Martinez, Miguel Pulido, Santa Ana, Shane Barrows, Term Limits, Vince Sarmiento 8 Comments

Sources at City Hall are telling me that Mayor Miguel Pulido is working overtime to stop an attempt by the Santa Ana City Council to draft a term limit measure that will eventually end his career as Mayor of Santa Ana.

The City Council appointed an Ad Hoc committee to consider term limits. The term limit committee includes Council Members Michele Martinez, David Benavides and Vince Sarmiento. That committee will present their findings to their colleagues at the next Santa Ana City Council meeting. It is thought that the committee will show up with a prepared ballot measure that the voters will be able to consider in the November general election. Continue reading→

Santa Ana City Council establishes a term limits committee

Posted on July 17, 2012 by Editor Posted in 2012 Elections, Carlos Bustamante, Civic Affairs, Claudia Alvarez, David Benavides, Democratic Party, Karina Onofre, Michele Martinez, Miguel Pulido, Politics, Roman Reyna, Sal Tinajero, Santa Ana, Vince Sarmiento 2 Comments

Tonight’s Santa Ana City Council meeting, which was held at the SAPD’s Community Room, was, as predicted, a real zoo. Media vans and news crews were everywhere and residents and out of town bloggers packed the proceedings.

As we stated in an earlier post, Council Member Carlos Bustamante, who is facing serious felony sex crime and public theft charges, was not likely to show up, and he didn’t. This is his second unexcused absence. After sixty days of not showing up to work, at City Hall, the City Council can dump him and appoint someone to fill out his term. Continue reading→

Planning Commissioner Alderete to run for Bustamante’s City Council seat

Posted on July 6, 2012 by Editor Posted in Carlos Bustamante, Civic Affairs, David Benavides, Democratic Party, Eric Alderete, Jose Solorio, Lou Correa, Michele Martinez, Politics, Sal Tinajero, Santa Ana, Sean Mill, Vince Sarmiento 20 Comments

Santa Ana Planning Commissioner Eric Alderete has announced that he will campaign for Ward 3 on the Santa Ana City Council, which is currently held by Council Member Carlos Bustamante, who was arrested last week on a plethora of sex crime and public theft charges. Ward 3 opens up in November, although Bustamante could still run for reelection.

Alderete has already racked up a number of powerful endorsements including those of: Continue reading→

Alvarez gets the last laugh as Bustamante gets arrested

Posted on July 2, 2012 by Art Pedroza Posted in Carlos Bustamante, Civic Affairs, Claudia Alvarez, Courts, Crime, David Benavides, Democratic Party, Orange County, Politics, Republican Party, Sal Tinajero, Santa Ana, Vince Sarmiento 15 Comments

Alvarez couldn’t help but smile at tonight’s City Council meeting…

Remember when Santa Ana Council Member Carlos Bustamante went after his colleague, Santa Ana Mayor Pro Tem Claudia Alvarez, after she compared landlord and developer Irv Chases’s business practices to Adolf Hitler’s ethnic cleansing? Well, last week the Orange County Grand Jury found that Alvarez was right about Chase and his friends at Downtown, Inc. – in a report that slammed the Santa Ana PBID tax. And Bustamante? Well he is now rotting in jail after being arrested today on multiple felony and misdemeanor counts.

When Bustamante raises bail he will have quite a few decisions to make – like hiring a lawyer, but eventually he will also have to write his formal letter of resignation. His time on the Santa Ana City Council is done.

I expect that one of our City Commissioners will be named to replace him – perhaps one of the many Planning Commissioners who live in Ward 3. Bustamante’s seat will be available this November in the General Election and his replacement will have a leg up on the rest of the competition. Continue reading→

City Council to decide the fate of the Downtown PBID tax tonight

Posted on July 2, 2012 by Editor Posted in Business, Carlos Bustamante, Civic Affairs, Claudia Alvarez, Courts, Dave Ream, David Benavides, Development, Fraud, Latinos, Michele Martinez, Miguel Pulido, Politics, Sal Tinajero, Santa Ana, Vince Sarmiento 12 Comments

July 4 falls on a Wednesday this year but there will be fireworks early this week, at Monday night’s Santa Ana City Council meeting, on July 2, at 5 pm, as Council Member Sal Tinajero and Mayor Pro Tem Claudia Alvarez have placed an 85 A item on the City Council agenda to disestablish the Downtown Santa Ana property tax – the PBID.

Here is the 85 A PBID agenda item: Continue reading→

Isn’t it time to end the Downtown Santa Ana Pbid?

Posted on May 16, 2012 by Editor Posted in Arts and Culture, Bars, Business, Civic Affairs, Claudia Alvarez, David Benavides, Michele Martinez, Restaurants, Sal Tinajero, Santa Ana, Taxes, Vince Sarmiento 19 Comments

Santa Ana Council Member Sal Tinajero may put an item on an upcoming City Council meeting agenda to get rid of the Downtown Santa Ana Pbid, a property assessment that is collected and spent by a non-profit, Downtown Inc. There has been a lot of anger on the part of small businesses made to pay these fees (either directly as property owners or passed on to them in their leases by their landords), but who feel that they don’t draw benefit from Downtown Inc’s marketing, which has apparently benefited the Downtown restaurants and bars more.

Need more proof of that? Tara Jimenez, the owner of Drapes Vintage, was hired by Downtown, Inc. to run workshops to teach local Downtown businesses how they could make their stores more appealing to the downtown’s changing demographic,” according to the Voice of OC. But she is now closing her business – and she has turned on Downtown Inc. too. Continue reading→