New Santa Ana | Category Archives: Estela Amezcua

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→

Pulido opposes the Downtown Santa Ana PBID tax!

Posted on December 6, 2012 by Art Pedroza 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 December 4, 2012 by Art Pedroza 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 Opinion Poll 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→

Pulido is beating Benavides by a larger margin than he beat Amezcua in 2010

Posted on November 21, 2012 by Art Pedroza Posted in 2012 Elections, Alfredo Amezcua, Angelica Amezcua, Cecilia Iglesias, Charles Hart, Civic Affairs, Claudia Alvarez, David Benavides, Education, Elections, Eric Alderete, Estela Amezcua, George Collins, Lupe Moreno, Mark McLoughlin, Miguel Angel Briseno, Miguel Pulido, Myriam Tinajero, Politics, Rob Richardson, Santa Ana, SAUSD, Valerie Amezcua, Vince Sarmiento 7 Comments

Santa Ana Mayor Miguel Pulido is currently leading his closes challenger, Santa Ana Council Member David Benavides, by over 12,000 votes. Pulido has 27,068 votes, or 48.2% of the ballots versus 14,982 votes, or 26.7% of the ballots for Benavides. There were four other mayoral candidates this year, including George Collins, Roy Alvarado, Lupe Moreno and Miguel Angel Briseno.

Pulido beat Alfredo “Al” Amezcua two years ago, in 2010, by just under ten thousand votes. Pulido got 21,588 votes, or 49.5% of the ballots, in 2010, versus 11,689 votes, or 26.8% of the ballots, for Amezcua, according to Smart Voter. There were three other mayoral candidates in 2010 – Alvarado, Collins and Charles Hart. Continue reading→

The new Santa Ana Council leader is incoming Mayor Pro Tem Tinajero

Posted on November 11, 2012 by Art Pedroza Posted in 2012 Elections, David Benavides, Elections, Eric Alderete, Estela Amezcua, Julio Perez, Michele Martinez, Miguel Pulido, Myriam Tinajero, Politics, Roman Reyna, Sal Tinajero, Santa Ana, Valerie Amezcua, Vince Sarmiento 16 Comments

Santa Ana Council Member Sal Tinajero got out of the way when his colleague, Council Member Michele Martinez, wanted to run for the 69th Assembly District. And he stepped aside when his colleague, Council Member David Benavides, wanted to run for Mayor this year.

Well, Martinez and Benavides were at the helm of the so-called “Santa Ana Spring,” even as it went into a death spiral. Most of Team Benavides lost. Now at last its Tinajero’s turn. Continue reading→

Palacio to blame for Amezcua’s loss in the SAUSD School Board race

Posted on November 11, 2012 by Editor Posted in 2012 Elections, Cecilia Aguinaga, Cecilia Iglesias, David Benavides, Education, Estela Amezcua, John Palacio, Myriam Tinajero, Politics, Republican Party, Rob Richardson, Roman Reyna, Sal Tinajero, Santa Ana, SAUSD, Term Limits, Vince Sarmiento 15 Comments

Valerie Amezcua

Regardless of whether or not you are a supporter of Valerie Amezcua, the daughter of failed Santa Ana mayoral candidate Alfredo Amezcua, you have to feel bad for her. She almost won a seat on the SAUSD School Board four years ago, barely losing to Roman Reyna, who vacated that seat this year and is now moving on to Ward 5 on the Santa Ana City Council.

Two years ago Amezcua had a chance to run again, and to build on her success in the 2008 election. But SAUSD Trustee John Palacio, who now considers himself to be a political consultant, got in the way. He prevented her from running out of fear that she might beat him. There were only two seats up in 2010, Palacio’s and that of his fellow incumbent, Audrey Noji. Palacio ended up keeping everyone out of that race, except for me. I was sickened to see that no Latinos were challenging Noji so I ran and lost by only 1,400 votes, with no campaign budget. Palacio ended up endorsing Noji. Continue reading→

The Santa Ana City Clerk announces the 2012 Nov. 6 election results

Posted on November 7, 2012 by Art Pedroza Posted in 2012 Elections, Angelica Amezcua, Brett Franklin, Charles Hart, David Benavides, Elections, Eric Alderete, Estela Amezcua, George Collins, Karina Onofre, Lupe Moreno, Measure GG, Miguel Angel Briseno, Miguel Pulido, Politics, Roman Reyna, Santa Ana, Shane Barrows, Shane Ramon Barrows, Vince Sarmiento 10 Comments

City of Santa Ana, Downtown Orange County

Community Alert: 2012 UNOFFICIAL LOCAL SANTA ANA ELECTION RESULTS

SANTA ANA, CA (November 7, 2012) – In an effort to keep Santa Ana residents informed about the local election, the following information is provided. As of 11/07/2012 at 8 am, the Orange County Registrar of Voters Office has released the following results. Please note that this information is UNOFFICIAL until certified on December 11, 2012. For complete election information, please go to http://www.ocvote.com/results.

Santa Ana Mayor, Vote Count Percentage: Continue reading→

Team Benavides stumbles as Pulido and Alvarez win

Posted on November 7, 2012 by Art Pedroza Posted in 2012 Elections, Angelica Amezcua, Claudia Alvarez, David Benavides, Elections, Estela Amezcua, John Palacio, Karina Onofre, Michele Martinez, Miguel Pulido, Myriam Tinajero, Politics, Rob Richardson, Roman Reyna, Santa Ana, SAUSD, Valerie Amezcua, Vince Sarmiento 12 Comments

The Team Benavides consultant, John Palacio, lost his tug of war with Mayor Pulido

What a night. To sum it up, Mayor Miguel Pulido won easily. Over in the RSCCD Area 5 race his longtime ally, Claudia Alvarez, also won.

What about Team Benavides? Well, David Benavides got beat, badly. So did Eric Alderete, in Ward 3, by an unknown candidate, Angelica Amezcua, who barely campaigned. And while Vince Sarmiento won in Ward 1, he did so barely over another unknown candidate, Estela Amezcua. The one guy in the Benavides cabal who won with a big margin was Roman Reyna, in Ward 5. Continue reading→

Santa Ana Election results – Pulido far ahead and Amezcua winning in Ward 3!

Posted on November 6, 2012 by Art Pedroza Posted in 2012 Elections, Alfredo Amezcua, Bond Measures, Brett Franklin, Cecilia Iglesias, Charles Hart, Civic Affairs, Claudia Alvarez, Dave Chapel, David Benavides, Democratic Party, Elections, Eric Alderete, Estela Amezcua, George Collins, Jose Hernandez, Mark McLoughlin, Measure GG, Miguel Pulido, Myriam Tinajero, Nelida Mendoza-Yanez, Politics, Rob Richardson, Roman Reyna, Santa Ana, SAUSD, Shane Barrows, Shane Ramon Barrows, Steve Rocco, Thomas Gordon, Tony Tapia, Vince Sarmiento 1 Comment

Two winners – Mayor Miguel Pulido and President Barack Obama

As expected, Santa Ana Mayor Miguel Pulido is winning handily tonight. The O.C. Voter Registrar has posted the early returns, which are absentee ballots. Here are some of the evening’s highlights:

Mayor Miguel Pulido has a whopping 7,454 votes – David Benavides only has 3,676 votes. George Collins is nipping at Benavides’ heels with 2,523 votes
In a shocker, the unknown schoolteacher Angelica Amezcua is leading in Ward 3, with 6,637 votes, while Santa Ana Planning Commissioner Eric Alderete has 5,097 votes and former Council Member Brett Franklin has 4,172 votes. It is early yet but if this trend continues then Franklin has a good shot as the Latino vote in Ward 3 is clearly split. There are however three candidates splitting up the white vote – Charles Hart, Shane Barrows and Steve Rocco. Continue reading→

Who will win in Santa Ana’s elections on Tuesday?

Posted on November 6, 2012 by Art Pedroza Posted in 2012 Elections, Bond Measures, Brett Franklin, Cecilia Iglesias, Civic Affairs, David Benavides, Elections, Eric Alderete, Estela Amezcua, Jerry Hayden, Jose Solorio, Karina Onofre, Loretta Sanchez, Mark McLoughlin, Measure GG, Miguel Pulido, Myriam Tinajero, Nelida Mendoza-Yanez, Orange County, Politics, Rob Richardson, Roman Reyna, Santa Ana, SAUSD, Tony Tapia, Travis Allen, Troy Edgar, Valerie Amezcua, Vince Sarmiento 2 Comments

Santa Ana Mayoral challenger David Benavides wasn’t on the ballot two years ago, as he had no opponent for his City Council seat. The last time he appeared on the ballot was six years ago, back when he still mentioned his wife and family on his fliers and websites.

So it was a daunting task for Benavides to ramp up his name I.D. this year in a few short weeks, having announced his mayoral campaign rather late in the game.

As such I think he is going to be toast on Tuesday, Nov. 6. But what about the other races? Who will win? Comment here with your picks, including estimated vote percentages and whoever gets the closest will win a free banner ad on our blog for one month, for the business or non-profit of their choice.

Here are my predictions: Continue reading→

Our Santa Ana Voter Guide for the Nov. 6 election

Posted on October 19, 2012 by Editor Posted in 2012 Elections, Civic Affairs, Claudia Alvarez, Elections, Estela Amezcua, Jose Hernandez, Jose Moreno, Karina Onofre, Loretta Sanchez, Measure GG, Miguel Pulido, Myriam Tinajero, Politics, Santa Ana, SAUSD, Shane Barrows, Shane Ramon Barrows 32 Comments

There are quite a few key races coming up in the November 6, 2012 General Election, here in Santa Ana.

I have written dozens of posts in recent weeks about many of the candidates for the City Council, the SAUSD School Board, and the Rancho Santiago Community College District. After much deliberation, here are my endorsements:

Santa Ana City Council: Continue reading→

Why aren’t there more women elected in Santa Ana?

Posted on October 5, 2012 by Art Pedroza Posted in 2012 Elections, Angelica Amezcua, Claudia Alvarez, Elections, Estela Amezcua, Karina Onofre, Loretta Sanchez, Lupe Moreno, Michele Martinez, Santa Ana 16 Comments

It is hard to believe that the Santa Ana Unified School District’s Board of Education, which consists of five Trustees, includes only one woman – longtime Trustee Audrey Noji. Or that the Santa Ana City Council only has two women – Mayor Pro Tem Claudia Alvarez and Council Member Michele Martinez. After November that number will be down to one, as Alvarez is termed out. There are five men on the Santa Ana City Council.

What is up with that? Figure that over half of our electorate must be made up of women. Are they voting? Are they voting for men? Are there not enough women running for office in Santa Ana? Continue reading→

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→

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→