New Santa Ana | Category Archives: Vince Sarmiento

Why is the Council blaming Walters for problems they created?

Posted on January 19, 2013 by Art Pedroza Posted in Carlos Bustamante, Civic Affairs, Dave Ream, David Benavides, Michele Martinez, Miguel Pulido, Paul Walters, Politics, Sal Tinajero, Santa Ana, Vince Sarmiento 7 Comments

Where were Sarmiento’s complaints before the majority took power?

I continue to be amazed by the lame excuses our Santa Ana Council Members are making with regard to their ongoing attempt to fire our successful City Manager, Paul Walters. Here are the latest nuggets from the Council, from the O.C. Register:

“Some staff in particular only do the work of the mayor, and that’s been the culture of the city,” said Tinajero. Pulido has been mayor for 18 years, and worked for years alongside Walters’ predecessor, David Ream, and other top officials. (Our Response: Are you kidding? Tinajero worked with Ream too – in fact he essentially sold out after getting elected in 2006, when Ream arranged for Tinajero to serve on various well-paying municipal commissions!) Continue reading→

Council majority adds item to dismiss Walters to next week’s meeting agenda

Posted on January 17, 2013 by Art Pedroza Posted in Angelica Amezcua, Civic Affairs, David Benavides, Michele Martinez, Paul Walters, Roman Reyna, Sal Tinajero, Santa Ana, Vince Sarmiento 37 Comments

The Santa Ana Council Majority has placed an item, 1C, on the agenda for the next Council Meeting, on Jan. 22, that reads:

PUBLIC EMPLOYEE EVALUATION OF PERFORMANCE AND/OR

POTENTIAL DISMISSAL/RELEASE pursuant to Government Code Section

54957(b)(1)

Title: City Manager

This is it folks. They are going to move to fire our City Manager, Paul Walters. They apparently did not learn a thing from the last Council meeting, on Jan. 7, when dozens of local residents and business leaders, including OCTA Chairman Greg Winterbottom, SAUSD Trustee and Local Attorney Jose Hernandez, and Com Link Chair Evangeline Gawronski, ripped them a new one for threatening to fire Walters. Imagine how many folks will turn out for next week’s meeting? Continue reading→

Poll: Should any of our Council members be recalled over the Walters flap?

Posted on January 15, 2013 by Art Pedroza Posted in 2013 Elections, Civic Affairs, David Benavides, Elections, Michele Martinez, Miguel Pulido, Paul Walters, Politics, Roman Reyna, Sal Tinajero, Santa Ana, Vince Sarmiento 41 Comments

What to do? Our Santa Ana City Council majority has lost it. Now Council Member David Benavides is back from his travels – apparently he flew to India with his church. And so they are ready to resume their horrible attack on our City Manager, Paul Walters. What is driving this? Who knows? Hatred of our popular Mayor, Miguel Pulido? Pressure from the police union, which wants a big contract? Apartment developers who want to build high density units that Pulido won’t allow? Who knows?

What we do know is that it might well be time to strike back. And one way to do that would be to start a recall – and remove these miscreants from our Council. But who to recall? Michele Martinez? That would be a good start. She certainly has been the vortex of the Walter attacks. Benavides? He allowed his supporters to attack Pulido’s kids during his failed mayoral campaign. Vincent Sarmiento? He almost lost in November to a total unknown. Sal Tinajero? He already survived the recall of his pal Nativo Lopez, from the SAUSD School Board, back in the day. Can he survive another one? Roman Reyna? He seems to be going along with the Walters lynch mob…

Here is your chance to be heard! I have set up the poll below so that you may vote to recall one of the Council Members, or more, or all of them, or perhaps none of them. You decide! Continue reading→

Has the Council forgotten that they voted unanimously to hire Walters?

Posted on January 9, 2013 by Art Pedroza Posted in Civic Affairs, David Benavides, Michele Martinez, Miguel Pulido, Paul Walters, Politics, Sal Tinajero, Santa Ana, Vince Sarmiento 40 Comments

The lame Santa Ana City Council Majority want us to believe that Mayor Miguel Pulido forced them to hire current City Manager Paul Walters, but they were all there at the City Council meeting on May 21, according to the meeting minutes, when they discussed the appointment of Paul Walters, who at the time was the Acting City Manager, in closed session. It should be noted that three Council Members were late to that meeting – Vince Sarmiento, David Benavides and Michele Martinez.

Those Council Members are now accusing Mayor Miguel Pulido of violating the Brown Act, but what were they doing arriving late to that May meeting – and walking in together to boot? Did they have an illegal “pre-meeting?” Continue reading→

Martinez and Reyna flee the Council meeting early to escape Walters’ fans

Posted on January 7, 2013 by Art Pedroza Posted in Angelica Amezcua, Civic Affairs, David Benavides, Michele Martinez, Miguel Pulido, Paul Walters, Politics, Roman Reyna, Sal Tinajero, Santa Ana, Vince Sarmiento 22 Comments

Martinez left early tonight. Perhaps she had a party to get to?

Mission accomplished! So many fans of Santa Ana City Manager Paul Walters showed up at tonight’s Santa Ana City Council meeting that Council Members Michele Martinez and Roman Reyna got up and fled the meeting early, breaking quorum and rendering the meeting useless, as Council Member David Benavides was in Mexico and new Council Member Angelica Amezcua was a no-show again.

Martinez has been pestering Walters for years – accusing him of arresting her half brother when she ran for Santa Ana Mayor. That is of course total BS as her half-brother has a different name and he was arrested for legitimate reasons – busting parole. This year Martinez has taken her battle to another level – calling for Walters’ dismissal even though he saved our city from a budget disaster last year. Continue reading→

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

Posted on January 4, 2013 by Editor 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

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 January 3, 2013 by Art Pedroza Posted in Civic Affairs, David Benavides, Michele Martinez, Miguel Pulido, Politics, Sal Tinajero, Santa Ana, Taxes, Tom Daly, Vince Sarmiento 15 Comments

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 January 2, 2013 by Art Pedroza 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

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 December 29, 2012 by Art Pedroza 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

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 December 27, 2012 by Art Pedroza Posted in 2014 Elections, David Benavides, Labor, Miguel Pulido, Paul Walters, Politics, Public Safety, Sal Tinajero, Santa Ana, Vince Sarmiento 16 Comments

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→

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

Posted on December 26, 2012 by Art Pedroza 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

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 December 19, 2012 by Art Pedroza 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

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 December 18, 2012 by Art Pedroza 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 December 18, 2012 by Art Pedroza Posted in Angelica Amezcua, Civic Affairs, David Benavides, Michele Martinez, Miguel Pulido, Politics, Roman Reyna, Sal Tinajero, Santa Ana, Vince Sarmiento, Water 9 Comments

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 December 12, 2012 by Art Pedroza 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→