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
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
You are probably as sick of this year’s general election as I am. The last few weeks have given us all plenty to dislike about the top two presidential nominees – Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump. And here in Santa Ana several candidates aligned with the Democratic Party have tried to use Trump against Republicans running for non-partisan offices, in one of the most underhanded schemes I have ever seen in my over 20 years of covering Orange County politics.
These candidates, including Rancho Santiago Community College District Trustee Claudia Alvarez and the slate of SAUSD School Board candidates sponsored by the Santa Ana Educators’ Association (the teachers’ union) – including Rigo Rodriguez, Mark McLoughlin and Alfonso Alvarez, have forgotten that Santa Ana is not quite as Democratic as they think it is. Continue reading
The absentee ballots were sent to Santa Ana voters this week. So now it is time to vote! This is an important local election as the City Council majority is at stake. Our current City Council majority is trying to fool the voters into giving them a 700% raise via Measure PP. Needless to say we oppose Measure PP. If anything our City Council deserves less of our tax money, not more. Vote No on Measure PP!
Santa Ana City Council Election: Continue reading
Saudi mistreatment of women
Why in the world would the Rancho Santiago Community College District (RSCCD) get involved in a consulting contract to help run two technical schools in the kingdom of Saudi Arabia? It is a crazy idea – and it is wrong on so many levels. Yet the scheme, which was hatched by the RSCCD Foundation, is moving forward – but not as was expected.
The potential profit from the deal has also been reduced from $8 million to $2 million after negotiations with Saudi Arabian officials finished, according to the Santa Ana College Newspaper, El Don. Continue reading
Claudia Alvarez, the former Santa Ana City Council Member and current Rancho Santiago Community College District Trustee, is facing a serious challenge to her seat this November as several candidates have filed to run against her.
One of the candidates, Cecilia Aguinaga, has run for office several times and has come close to winning a seat on the SAUSD School Board. Another candidate, Steven Nguyen, has had more recent electoral success as he was elected to the OC GOP Central Committee in this year’s June Primary Election. You might know his dad – OC Clerk-Recorder ∫ç. Continue reading
An unidentified suspect described as a 6-foot tall Caucasian male between 50-60 years old terrorized a classroom at Santa Ana College on Saturday and prompted a professor to call 911 after campus security failed to answer his calls, according to the campus newspaper, El Don.
Communication Studies Professor Vera Holder took action after the suspect entered the C-Building on the east side of SAC’s main campus. Holder was teaching a class and leading a Communications Club meeting at around 4 p.m., at the time. Holder did not recognize the suspect so she asked him if he needed help. Continue reading
“Claudia Alvarez, a trustee with the Rancho Santiago Community College District, says she is “strongly considering” a run,” according to the O.C. Register.
Alvarez, a Deputy District Attorney, spent several years on the Santa Ana City Council. When she termed out she won a seat on the Rancho Santiago Community College District’s Board of Education.
The O.C. Register also reported that Jose Solorio, who just lost badly to Supervisor Janet Nguyen in the General Election race for the 34th State Senate District, is not going to run for Nguyen’s seat on the O.C. Board of Supervisors. Continue reading
This year’s General Election is coming up very quickly, on Nov. 4. Time is running out for Santa Ana Mayoral challenger Roman Reyna, who has been under fire for weeks over a picture that emerged on Facebook depicting Reyna with two of his “homies” who were identified by the Santa Ana Police as dangerous members of a criminal enterprise.
It is by now a forgone conclusion that Reyna is going to lose and lose big – unless his bizarre coalition of gang bangers and high density apartment developers can somehow steal the election.
The question now is when should those who want to restore order at Santa Ana’s City Hall start planning to recall Reyna from the City Council? And is former Mayor Pro Tem Claudia Alvarez eligible to return to Reyna’s Ward 5? Continue reading
I am hearing from several sources that Santa Ana Mayor Miguel Pulido is quite serious about defending himself as he is investigated for various issues stemming from campaign finances and real estate shenanigans. He is telling friends that his priority is his legal defense – so what if he ends up retiring from politics and not running again in November? Who will run?
First term Santa Ana Councilman Roman Reyna is in but no one is taking him very seriously. If Pulido pulls out you can expect much bigger names to jump in.
I am told that former Santa Ana Mayor Pro Tem Claudia Alvarez, an Assistant Orange County District Attorney who currently serves on the Rancho Santiago Community College District’s Board of Trustees, is already planning to run. Continue reading
I had a long talk this afernoon with a Santa Ana insider who had some amazing chismes for me. I was expecting that perhaps Santa Ana Mayor Miguel Pulido would run for the Orange County Supervisorial seat that is currently held by Janet Nguyen, but apparently Councilman Vincent Sarmiento has decided to run, and Pulido is not going to oppose him.
But the biggest shocker was that Measure D may be in trouble – and that it could be reversed if it is challenged in court. That was the measure that extended the term limits of the Santa Ana Council Members by four years, from 8 years to 12. That measure was on the ballot in a special election but apparently it should have been put in front of the voters in a general election. What this means, if it does get wiped out, is that several Santa Ana Council Members will be termed out – including Michele Martinez and Sal Tinajero. Continue reading
Should Santa Ana Mayor Miguel Pulido and local community leaders demand an appeal of the Santa Ana City Council’s decision to fire City Manager Paul Walters – seven months after they voted unanimously to hire him?
My sources report that the Council is allegedly working overtime to discredit Pulido and Walters – in case there is a public hearing to review the Council’s decision to fire Walters.
While the Council Members said nice things about Walters at the close of Tuesday night’s Council meeting, the attack they are supposedly preparing is beyond belief. My insiders tell me that the Council is trying to find proof that former Santa Ana Mayor Pro Tem Claudia Alvarez had an affair some years ago, with Walters. Continue reading
Maybe Michele Martinez needs a time machine so she can vote again for a new City Manager?
So this is what it has come down to. The two or three defenders of the Santa Ana City Council majority are now pleading on the blogs, anonymously of course, for a new national search for a new City Manager even though we already have one and he was selected unanimously by the Council. And they gave him a contract that pretty much backfires on them if they can him.
The reality folks is that the Council Majority is desperate to take complete power at City Hall and that is not going to happen as long as Paul Walters is at the helm. Note that former Mayor Pro Tem Claudia Alvarez is gone now. She was the one who kept these guys from breaking the law. The good news is that now she can come after them as an Orange County Deputy District Attorney – and that is just what it might come down to. Continue reading
“Schools will be the big winner in the governor’s new spending plan, receiving $56.2 billion in state funds, an increase by $2.7 billion over the last year. That funding is set to jump to more than $66 billion by 2016,” according to the Los Angeles Times.
“School districts would receive a 35 percent increase in per-student funding for each of their English language learners and economically disadvantaged students, and districts where more than half of students fall into those categories would automatically receive an a second 35 percent bump in per-student funding, according to the governor’s plan,” according to the O.C. Register. Continue reading
This was a news-packed year in Santa Ana – and women were a big part of many of our leading stories this year. Now its time to pick our 2012 Woman of the Year. Are you ready to vote? You may vote for up to three candidates! Please let me know if I overlooked someone who should be added to the poll. Voting will close on Jan. 8, 2013.
Our nominees include popular politicians and community and education leaders, including Angelica Amezcua, the schoolteacher who came out of nowhere to win a seat on the Santa Ana City Councilp; Claudia Alvarez, who finished her last term as Santa Ana Mayor Pro Tem and promptly got elected to the RSCCD Board of Trustees; Cecilia Iglesias, the newly minted Republican who ended up being the top vote-getter for the SAUSD School Board; and Delilah Snell, the creative mastermind of the Road Less Traveled and the Patchwork Festivals.
Here is our poll – be sure to vote for up to three candidates: Continue reading