Santa Ana's top news & views blog

Santa Ana's top news & views blog

Category Archives: Democratic Party

Team Pulido and Solorio publicly endorse Michele Martinez at her fundraiser

Posted on by Posted in 2012 Elections, Alfredo Amezcua, Carlos Bustamante, Democratic Party, Elections, Jose Solorio, Michele Martinez, Politics, Sal Tinajero, Santa Ana, Vince Sarmiento 43 Comments

When OC Labor Political wannabe Julio (Wholio?) Perez held his fundraiser this month it turned into a reunion of the sad sacks who failed to elect Alfredo Amezcua last year, when he got thoroughly trounced by Santa Ana Mayor Miguel Pulido.  In stunning contrast tonight, Santa Ana Councilwoman Michele Martinez was ringed by the entire Pulido political machine – including Assemblyman Jose Solorio, who enthusiastically endorsed Martinez.  So what do you think?  Will the failed Team Amezcua beat Team Pulido?  LOL!  Not in our lifetime…

Martinez and her supporters met at Chapter One: the Modern Local, a newish restaurant over on Broadway and 3rd.  Santa Ana Council Members David Benavides, Vince Sarmiento, and Sal Tinajero showed up to publicly announce their support for Martinez – and so did several Santa Ana Planning Commissioners, including Eric Alderete, Sean Mill and Mario Turner. Continue reading→

Updated: Michele Martinez to kick off her Assembly campaign on 9/22

Posted on by Posted in 2012 Elections, David Benavides, Democratic Party, Elections, Jose Solorio, Michele Martinez, Miguel Pulido, Politics, Sal Tinajero, Santa Ana, Vince Sarmiento 14 Comments

Santa Ana Council Member Michele Martinez has officially announced her candidacy for the 69th Assembly District, in an email I am reproducing below.  She is also hosting a Candidacy Announcement Kick-Off event on Thursday, September 22nd.  Click here to RSVP on Facebook.

Martinez’ candidacy announcement cited the support of numerous elected and appointed officials, including Assemblyman Jose Solorio; OUSD Trustee Diane Singer; Santa Ana Mayor Miguel Pulido; and Santa Ana Council Members David Benavides, Vince Sarmiento and Sal Tinajero.

Mayor Pulido sent out a personal endorsement of Martinez today: Continue reading→

Rep. Sanchez discovers that O.C. public employee pensions are a problem

Posted on by Posted in Democratic Party, Federal Government, Labor, Loretta Sanchez, Orange County, Politics, Santa Ana Leave a comment

Loretta Sanchez, with OCEA head Nick Berardino – the guy who created the OC public employee pension crisis

Congresswoman Loretta Sanchez, Representing California’s 47th Congressional District
PRESS RELEASE, FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: September 15, 2011
MEDIA CONTACT: Adrienne Watson 202-309-0825

REP. SANCHEZ INTRODUCES BIPARTISAN LEGISLATION TO ALLOW REVISIONS TO ORANGE COUNTY PENSION STRUCTURE
SANCHEZ DEVELOPED AND LED PUSH FOR INNOVATIVE SOLUTION TO PENSION PROBLEM

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Congresswoman Loretta Sanchez (CA-47), a member of the bipartisan Joint Economic Committee, today introduced legislation to allow for the implementation of an employee pension plan that will address the rising costs of government pensions in Orange County, a growing problem that many local governments are facing across the country. Continue reading→

Durkeegate Update: The FBI freezes the DPOC’s bank accounts

Posted on by Posted in 2012 Elections, Democratic Party, Elections, Jose Solorio, Loretta Sanchez, Michele Martinez, Orange County, Politics, Santa Ana 9 Comments

UPDATE: Democratic Party Chair Frank Barbero says the FBI has frozen bank accounts connected to Orange County’s Democratic Party, according to NBC News.

UPDATE: Kang is done: Irvine mayor Sukhee Kang says his bank account shrunk from $20,000 to $700. Kang opened a second account in July to fund his run for congress, but it is missing about $25,000, too, according to NBC News.

UPDATE: O.C. Register reports that Democratic candidates may not be able to replace their stolen campaign funds. Continue reading→

Why is DPOC Chairman Frank Barbaro silent about Kinde Durkee?

Posted on by Posted in Blogs, Crime, Democratic Party, Fraud 9 Comments

 

Frank Barbaro, the longtime Chair of the Democratic Party of Orange County (DPOC) was compelled to issue a press release ripping Santa Ana Mayor Pro Tem Claudia Alvarez, for her use of a Hitler analogy with regard to developer and property owner Irv Chase – even though Barbaro noted in his release that he had no sway over her as she is not a member of his party’s Central Committee, and even though Alvarez had already apologized.  But why hasn’t Barbaro commented about the arrest of Kinde Durkee, the onetime Treasurer of the DPOC?
 
We found evidence that Melahat Rafiei, the former Executive Director of the DPOC, had promoted a meeting that Durkee spoke at, and Durkee oversaw the money at Barbaro’s Victory Fund, a PAC he uses to promote candidates he likes. 

Continue reading→

Alvarez would have avoided censure if she had not voted

Posted on by Posted in Claudia Alvarez, Democratic Party, Latinos, Politics, Santa Ana 25 Comments

How silly.  The O.C. Register, the Voice of OC and that annoying fake liberal blog all lost their minds wondering if it was legal for Santa Ana Mayor Pro Tem Claudia Alvarez to vote for an alternative motion that resulted in her censure, but avoided the far worse fate that Council Members David Benavides and Carlos Bustamante had in mind for her.

Ironically, the Voice of OC’s open government expert, Terry Francke, says there was nothing illegal or unethical about Alvarez’s vote.  This is the guy the fake liberals love to quote – but this time they are all ignoring what he said.  LOL! Continue reading→

Solorio’s anti-employer bill, AB 350, fails

Posted on by Posted in Business, california, Democratic Party, Jose Solorio, Labor, Politics, Santa Ana Leave a comment

Assemblyman Jose Solorio’s AB 350 failed to get enough votes to pass the Senate Floor late Friday evening, the last  night of this year’s legislative session. Despite coming up for seven separate votes, supporters failed to get 21 votes in the Senate to secure passage, according to the No on AB 350 Coalition.

  • AB 350 would have forced employers to fire their own employees in order to hire employees from competing companies.
  • AB 350 would have seriously impeded the ability of businesses to run efficient, quality operations, and provide job security for their workforce.
  • AB 350 would NOT have created a single job. Continue reading→

The Orange County Progressive Summit is at Santa Ana today

Posted on by Posted in Democratic Party, Entertainment, Politics, Santa Ana Leave a comment

The Orange County Progressive Summit will be held on Saturday, September 10th, and they are looking to have another great turnout.

Last year’s event was a great success, and again this year it will run a full day from 9:00am to 5:30pm to provide ample time to network and learn. Continue reading→

There were red flags about Kinde Durkee, but Solorio hired her anyway

Posted on by Posted in Courts, Crime, Democratic Party, Jose Solorio, Santa Ana 2 Comments

Details are now coming out about “Prominent Democratic campaign treasurer Kindee Durkee” who was finally arrested by the FBI this weekend — more than four years after the Chronicle reported complaints that she was involved in a fake “Californians for Obama” campaign that ripped off unsuspecting donors, according to the San Francisco Chronicle.

The Chronicle also noted that Durkee was listed as treasurer for a “California for Obama” campaign that sold itself as raising money for the campaign of then-Senator Barack Obama. It scooped up thousands in checks from Californians through promotions ranging from celebrity-studded cruises to campaign office “grand openings,” the Chronicle reported in July 2007. Continue reading→

Treasurer who worked with Correa, Sanchez and Solorio arrested by the FBI

Posted on by Posted in Courts, Crime, Democratic Party, Jose Solorio, Loretta Sanchez, Lou Correa, Michele Martinez, Politics, Santa Ana 5 Comments

Kindee Durkee photo by Henry V

Kinde Durkee of Burbank-based Durkee and Associates, a prominent Democratic campaign treasurer who works for federal, state and O.C. lawmakers including U.S. Sen. Dianne Feinstein. Rep. Loretta Sanchez and state legislators Lou Correa and Jose Solorio, has been arrested by the FBI on suspicion of mail fraud, according to The Orange County Register.

State Sen. Lou Correa of Santa Ana told the Register the FBI notified him late Friday that he was one of many victims. Correa said he believes he has lost hundreds of thousands of dollars in campaign funds. Durkee had been his campaign treasurer since 1995, according to the Huffington Post.

Correa quickly posted a response on Facebook: Continue reading→

Benavides and Bustamante to attack Alvarez at the 9/6 City Council meeting

Posted on by Posted in Carlos Bustamante, Claudia Alvarez, David Benavides, Democratic Party, Miguel Pulido, Politics, Santa Ana 66 Comments

Santa Ana Mayor Pro Tem Claudia Alvarez has faced a withering attack this week, even though she has already apologized for her ill-chosen analogy, comparing developer and landlord Irv Chase, who it turns out is Jewish, to Adolf Hitler.  She might have made it through this mini-storm if her colleagues had stuck by her but I don’t think any of them are willing to take a stand for her.  It has as such become increasingly likely that she may step down as Mayor Pro Tem, although I suspect that she will remain on the Santa Ana City Council.

This could happen at the next Santa Ana City Council meeting on Sep. 6.  Council Member David Benavides and his Republican amigo, Carlos Bustamante, have placed an 85A item on the Council Agenda, targeting Alvarez.   Continue reading→

Santa Ana Political Chismes – will Daly announce his 69th A.D. campaign today?

Posted on by Posted in 2012 Elections, Anaheim, Democratic Party, Elections, Michele Martinez, Orange County, Politics, Santa Ana 2 Comments

Daly and his fellow overpaid government worker pals…

I just got a tip that O.C. Clerk-Recorder Tom Daly is going to be announcing his campaign for the 69th Assembly District today.  The timing makes sense as this will allow him to take the stage at the O.C. Labor Day event, at the Santa Ana Zoo, and pimp for votes.

Daly was the Mayor of Anaheim back in the 90’s.  In his last campaign, in 1998, he beat Bob Zemel, a Republican, by 54% to 40%, according to Smart Voter.  He ran on a platform of hiring more cops, not raising taxes and “beautifying and revitalizing” Anaheim – which is Usual Suspect code for getting rid of the poor and the immigrants.

Has Daly done a good job as O.C. Clerk-Recorder?   Continue reading→

DPOC Chairman Barbaro rips Alvarez, but he once compared Bush to the Nazis

Posted on by Posted in Claudia Alvarez, Democratic Party, Orange County, Politics, Santa Ana 13 Comments

Frank Barbaro, the Chairman of the Democratic Party of Orange County (DPOC) attacked Santa Ana Mayor Pro Tem Claudia Alvarez today, in a statement released to the media.

Barbaro wrote that  “We strongly agree with the Anti-Defamation League’s position that no matter how strong one’s objections to any government policy, invoking the Holocaust and the Nazi effort to exterminate the Jewish people is grossly offensive and has no place in civil political discourse.

Barbaro also wrote that “Using the Holocaust as an analogy for the frustration of local politics displays an ignorance of history and an insensitivity to the tragedy in human history that saw the murder of six million Jews and millions of others. The use of words such as ‘ethnic cleansing’ had no place in meaningful debate and discourse at the Santa Ana City Council meeting.” Continue reading→

SB 791 will raise gas taxes to allow local communities to fix transportation

Posted on by Posted in california, Democratic Party, Politics, Santa Ana, Transportation 3 Comments

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

CONTACT:

  • Graham Brownstein, TransForm, (916) 441-0204 x 302, graham@transformca.org
  • Ahmad Chapman, TransForm, (916) 441-0204 x 301, achapman@transformca.org
  • Noah Finneburgh, Next Generation, (510) 289-0908, noah@nextgeneration.org
  • Warner Chabot, California League of Conservation Voters, (510) 375-2141, warner@ecovote.org
  • Rebecca Saltzman, California League of Conservation Voters, (510) 844-0226, rebecca@ecovote.org

SEN. DARRELL STEINBERG INTRODUCES BILL TO EMPOWER LOCAL COMMUNITIES TO FIX TRANSPORTATION

Coalition of Business, Labor, and Environmental Groups Launches to Pass SB 791

(Sacramento, CA) Today, California State Senate President Pro Tem Darrell Steinberg introduced legislation, SB 791, which would empower local communities in California to fix transportation. Continue reading→

The O.C. Democratic Foundation to host a redistricting panel lunch on 8/30

Posted on by Posted in 2012 Elections, Democratic Party, Elections, Entertainment, Politics, Santa Ana Leave a comment

Join the Orange County Democratic Foundation for a detailed overview of the final release of new state district maps for Orange County at their August luncheon, on Tuesday, August 30, from 12:00 pm – 2:00 pm, at the Center Club in Costra Mesa, located at 650 Town Center Drive.

After considerable interest from their members as to what the new maps will mean for Orange County and their current local officials, they have invited a panel of redistricting professionals to give us a complete review of the process and lay out in detail what the new districts look like for the county. Continue reading→