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Santa Ana's top news & views blog

Category Archives: immigration

Full Moon Open Mic, hosted by Tonantzin Colectivo, on Sep. 23-24

Posted on by Posted in Arts and Culture, Culture, Entertainment, immigration, Latino Leaders, Latinos, Santa Ana Leave a comment

Tonantzin Colectivo is hosting a Full Moon Open Mic from September 23 at 8:30pm – September 24 at 1:30am, at El Centro Cultural de Mexico, located at 310 W 5th Street, in Santa Ana.  More Info http://www.el-centro.org/.

This Open Mic Night event is free , donation welcomed and occurs every full moon.We welcome visual art for display, music, poetry, comedy,etc. Bring your poetry, music, art, instruments, family, friends, and an open heart… Anyone is welcome to perform!

Guest poet: Citlalli Citlalmina Anahuac -Mexica woman poet .

A documentry will be featured called “Jornaleros in la lucha” by Arturo Tolenttino , about day laborers fighting back against police harassment .

Click here to RSVP on Facebook.

Exclusive video of this year’s Santa Ana’s Fiestas Patrias Parade

Posted on by Posted in 2010 Elections, Arts and Culture, Carlos Bustamante, Civic Affairs, Claudia Alvarez, David Benavides, Democratic Party, immigration, Independence, Janet Nguyen, Jose Solorio, Latinos, Loretta Sanchez, Lou Correa, mexico, Miguel Pulido, Santa Ana, Vince Sarmiento, Working Families Leave a comment

Yesterday’s Fiestas Patrias parade, in Santa Ana, was perhaps the best one yet.  A huge crowd lined Main St., many in folding chairs.  Kids blew on horns and waved Mexican flags.  You could feel the fervor in the air.  They were all there to celebrate two hundred years of Mexican independence.

Santa Ana Mayor Miguel Pulido rode in a stagecoach provided by Wells Fargo, along with his fellow Grand Marshal, Mexican Consul Alejandra García Williams.

Santa Ana Council Members Vincent Sarmiento, David Benavides and Carlos Bustamante were there, riding in cars in the parade, as was Mayor Pro Tem Claudia Alvarez.

Also in the parade were Congresswoman Loretta Sanchez, State Senator Lou Correa, Assemblyman Jose Solorio, and Supervisor Janet Nguyen.

The parade featured high school bands, the Santa Ana ROTC, caballeros on horseback, cultural organizations – displaying Ballet Folklorico and Native dances (in full costume) and representatives from many Mexican states.  It was quite a spectacle.

I had to take two separate videos.  Part one is above and part two is below.  You can see many of the politicians in part two, but the local electeds are in part one.  Click here to see more pictures I took at the event.

Will George Collins help Mayor Miguel Pulido get reelected in November?

Posted on by Posted in 2010 Elections, Alfredo Amezcua, Civic Affairs, Elections, immigration, Michele Martinez, Miguel Pulido, Politics, Sal Tinajero, Santa Ana Leave a comment

Santa Ana Councilman Sal Tinajero won in 2006, because of George Collins.  Mayor Miguel Pulido threw his entire political machine behind Jennifer Villasenor, but then Collins jumped into the race for Ward 6.  He effectively split the vote, allowing Tinajero to prevail.

Collins got 5,419 votes in 2006.  Villasenor got 12,922 votes.  Tinajero won with 13,802 votes.

Today Tinajero is part of a progressive majority on the Santa Ana City Council.  Villasenor is on the Santa Ana Housing and Redevelopment Commission.  And Collins?  He is running for Mayor.  Again.

Collins ran in 2008, which is also when Santa Ana City Councilwoman Michele Martinez challenged Pulido.  Collins ended up with 7,610 votes.  Martinez got 16,199 votes.  Pulido easily won with 30,352 votes.

How will Collins do this time?  Well, there are quite a few challengers to Pulido this year.  They include two first-time opponents, Charles Hart, a County government worker; and Roy Alvarado, a retired union engineer.  Also running is criminal defense lawyer Alfredo Amezcua, who got over 54,000 votes in 2004, when he won a seat on the Rancho Santiago Community College District’s Board of Education.  He mysteriously resigned before his term was over.

Collins will no doubt cost Hart any chance he had at a victory.  Hart came out of nowhere.  To win he must get all the white votes – Collins will assure that he fails in that regard.  I still think Hart might come in second this November.  Hart is quite popular with Santa Ana’s “Usual Suspects.”  But don’t underestimate Collins.  He has a following and he increased his votes from 2006 to 2008.

Collins has a unique way of campaigning.  He whirls around on his one-man Segway, dropping flyers all over town.  He bought his own high speed color copier, and he says he can make thousands of copies in a very small amount of time, at a very low cost.  He is his own one-man army.

Collins uses a Segway to deliver campaign flyers all over town

What exactly does Collins stand for?  He is centering his campaign this year around the premise of taxing wire transfers to foreign countries.  I got into an argument with him about this idea at a candidates forum this week.  It seems to be that this idea punishes the very poorest residents of our city even as they try to send money to folks who are even poorer.  It is rather heartless.

Collins however is not generally a cold guy.  He donates a lot of time to various charities in town.  He just has an issue with immigrants.  That’s too bad, but he is a Republican and that’s how they roll.

Collins also says he supports Santa Ana’s different cultures.  He is married to a Peruvian immigrant.  But if you visit his website you will find a screed about how the Mexican flag hangs higher at our Plaza of the Flags, at the Civic Downtown area.  Collins also spoke, at the recent forum, about American culture.  I believe the only real American culture is that of the Native Americans.  Everything else came from somewhere else.  Collins disagrees.

You would think the Usual Suspects would endorse such beliefs, but they don’t trust Collins.  He is truly independent and self-motivated.  He is the last guy who will kiss up to the Usual Suspects.  And so he continues to campaign on his own, blazing through Santa Ana on his Segway.  Don’t scoff.  He just might be the deciding factor in this year’s race.

You can learn more about Collins at this link.  He also is the publisher of Santa Ana Insight, a video blog.

I must add in closing that Stanislav Fiala, a Czech immigrant who also ran for Mayor in 2008, is now making noise about running a write-in campaign in November.  He got just over one thousand votes in his last campaign.  If he does jump in this year, Hart will lose even more votes.

2010 Mexican Bicentennial Events in Santa Ana on Sep. 18 and 19

Posted on by Posted in Arts and Culture, Civic Affairs, Education, Entertainment, immigration, Latinos, mexico, Santa Ana Leave a comment

2010 Mexican Bicentennial Events in Santa Ana

September 16, 2010 will mark the 200th anniversary of Father Hidalgo’s call (El Grito) for Mexico’s independence from Spain.

The Fourth Street Mexican Independence Day Festivities has been a positive community event supported by the downtown businesses and the community for the past 21 years.

Given the significance of the Bicentennial a wide variety of activities are planned throughout the year in Santa Ana including an official El Grito ceremony at the Bowers Museum on September 15; a Bicentennial festival including a carnival on Fourth Street in Downtown on September 18 and 19; a symbolic El Grito ceremony and a parade on Sunday, September 19.

Other activities will include a series of city-wide Mexican Independence cultural events highlighting the historical significance of the El Grito Bicentennial.

Click here to see all the events that the Mexican consulate is sponsoring.

Fiestas De Independencia – Fiestas Patrias Downtown Festival

Save the Date: Saturday, September 18 and Sunday, September 19
Location: Fourth Street from Mortimer to Ross
Live entertainment, cultural booths, food, carnival, fun for the entire family

Fiestas Patrias De Orange County Parade

Save the date: Sunday, September 19
Time 4 p.m. to 6 p.m.
Route: Main Street to Civic Center Drive to Flower
Starting point: 17th and Main
Ends at Flower and Civic Center

Santa Ana Bicentennial Film Festival

The Santa Ana Film Fiesta is a film festival component of The City of Santa Ana’s 2010 “Fiestas Patrias – Fiestas de Independencia” Mexican Bicentennial events. It’s a celebration of the Santa Ana’s Latino heritage through cinema and an educational tour of Santa Ana’s historic roots.

This unity-building event will provide downtown audiences, both new arrivals and traditional families, with entertaining events throughout the City of Santa Ana that deepen relationships with local cultural groups, businesses, colleges and the film industry.

http://www.ocfilmfiesta.org/

Event Promoters:

MXLive Entertainment
www.santaanafiestaspatrias.com

Valequez Publishing and Promotions
www.fiestacalle4.com

Aye Dios! Meg Whitman is opening an office in Santa Ana

Posted on by Posted in Elections, immigration, Politics, Republican Party, Santa Ana Leave a comment

Campaign spokeswoman Sarah Pompei confirmed that Meg Whitman is opening an office in Santa Ana and said that it will “help our get-out-the-vote efforts for Meg and the entire Republican ticket,” according to the O.C. Register.

The Whitman office will be on Fourth Street, in a former Western Wear store.

I find it highly unlikely that many residents of Santa Ana will be inclined to vote for Whitman and her GOP cohorts.  Her campaign chairman is former Governor Pete Wilson, who championed the infamous Prop. 187.

Here is how an L.A. Times reporter assessed Whitman’s attempt to court the Latino vote:

Strategists from both parties agree that Whitman must win at least a third of the Latino vote to stay competitive in this blue state. No one realistically sees her winning a majority, but her flood-the-zone strategy has paid early dividends: A Field poll released in early July found the race a tossup and Brown leading among solidly Democratic Latinos by 50 percent to 39 percent, according to Politico.com.

Latinos should not buy into Whitman’s B.S.  A vote for Whitman is a vote for the very same Republicans who have been bashing our people for several years.  No se puede Meg!

Remember when Van Tran flew his Trannies to the border, at taxpayer expense?

Posted on by Posted in Elections, immigration, Latinos, Loretta Sanchez, mexico, Politics, Santa Ana, Vietnamese 3 Comments

Remember when Republican Assemblyman Van Tran flew a bunch of his Mexican-bashing Trannies to San Diego, to attack and ridicule Mexicans at the border?  I do.

You can read about it by clicking here, where I have translated an article that appeared in a Viet newspaper.

To make matters worse, these haters used a U.S. military plane to take them to the border.  That’s right.  Taxpayers paid for this trip!

Now Tran wants Latinos to vote for him in his campaign against Congresswoman Loretta Sanchez.  No thanks Tran!  We have not forgotten your trip to the border…

Van Tran reiterates his support for Arizona’s crackdown on immigrants

Posted on by Posted in Democratic Party, Elections, immigration, Loretta Sanchez, Politics, Republican Party, Santa Ana, Vietnamese 5 Comments

Picture of Mexican-bashers Van Tran and Allan Mansoor courtesy of the L.A. Times

Republican congressional candidate Van Tran has been quite sneaky this year about his views on immigration.  But he finally came clean during an interview with the O.C. Register that was published today.  He “aid he supports Arizona’s right to attempt to crack down on illegal immigration.”

Tran flew to the border a few years ago with a host of his Trannies, to make fun of Mexico and the border situation.  I was deeply offended considering that he and most of them are also immigrants, but unlike Mexicans these haters got a red carpet welcome to the United States, after the fall of Vietnam.

Congresswoman Loretta Sanchez, who Tran is challenging also was interviewed.  Here is what she had to say about immigration:

Sanchez said the federal government should do a better job of controlling its borders and knowing who is coming in and out. She also said there should be more visas made available for immigrants coming here to work.

She said she would support a program for illegal immigrants to apply for citizenship if they learn English and pay a fine. “People should have the right to earn their way in,” she said.

Clearly she is much better on immigration than Tran.

No Latinos showed up to Van Tran’s grand opening on Labor Day

But will Sanchez prevail?  Many Democrats aren’t so sure about that.  I spoke to a number of Democratic elected officials and candidates yesterday, at the O.C. Labor Day event at the Santa Ana Zoo.  Many expressed concern about Sanchez’s chances of reelection.

The problem is that an independent Latina, Cecilia Iglesias, was able to get on the ballot, after collecting 11,ooo signatures.  One elected official said that the way she collected the signatures was interesting.  At first she only was collecting a handful per day, then all of a sudden she was turning in thousands of signatures, he said.  It looked like someone had paid to collect the signatures.  Did Tran and the OC GOP pave the way for Iglesias by collecting signatures for her?

There are also rumors that Iglesias’ campaign materials are being walked by Tran’s volunteers.

And then there is the recent video that Iglesias posted, of Ronald Reagan talking about a suspect election in El Salvador, which our blogger Gabriel San Roman posted about here.  Iglesias is from El Salvador.  There are a lot of Latino Republicans of Salvadorean extraction.

Another Democratic insider told me that over the past few years she has consistently requested Republican ballots from the O.C. Voter Registrar, even though she is registered as a Decline to State voter.

I have not confirmed any of this, but it is worrisome.  Tran is disgusting and corrupt.  We must stop him from getting to Congress.

I have had my issues over the years with Sanchez, but we all need to set aside such trepidation and get behind her.  Tran must be stopped!

Today’s Fiesta de Caracoles will benefit the Santa Ana 8

Posted on by Posted in Civil Rights, Entertainment, immigration, Latinos, mexico, music, Santa Ana, Working Families, Youth Activities 1 Comment

On June 3, 2010, the Santa Ana 8 effectively shut down the ICE detention facility in Santa Ana to protest SB 1070, local 287(g) laws, and attacks on immigrants in the local community.  They were charged with 5 misdemeanors, these were dropped but they were cited by the City of Santa Ana.

Now the Santa Ana 8 and their supporters are trying to raise funds to pay the citations.  They are having a party to help the Santa Ana 8 with legal fees, as well to provide an opportunity for the community to come together and have some fun under the influence of alcohol.

There will be alcohol, food, great energy, and music!

Today at 7:30pm – 2:00am
Location: 417 Harwood, SanTana between Mcfadden and Main.

The Santa Ana 8 supporters are asking a $5 dollar donation.

If you can’t make it but would like to make a donation for “la causa,” please make your check payable to Girl Scout Troop 1906 and under the note section state: SA8.

Click here to RSVP on Facebook.

Migration, indigenous and immigration panel in Costa Mesa, on Aug. 25

Posted on by Posted in Civil Rights, Costa Mesa, Education, Entertainment, immigration, Latinos, mexico, Santa Ana 1 Comment

A migration, indigenous and immigration panel will be held in Costa Mesa, on Aug. 25, from 5 pm to 10 pm, at the Neighborhood Community Center located at 1845 Park.

5 dollars is requested as a donation.  Food will be sold, there will be info booths and free child care.

Schedule/Program: arrive early limted seating, a Spanish interpreter will be available.

  • 5:00pm doors open
  • 5:30 – 6:00 PM Food, DJ Matt, Slide Show
  • 6:00- 6:15 PM Naui Huitzilopochtli aka nauiocelotl’s youtube videos
  • 6:15- 6:30 PM Testimonies
  • 6:30-7:10 PM “Jornaleros En Lucha” W/ Q&A
  • 7:10-10:00 PM Panel Discussion W/ Q&A from the audience

Organizations involved include:

  • Immortal Technique
  • Colectivo Tonantzin
  • Cop Watch Los Angeles
  • Mexica Movement’s-Nelyollotl Toltecatl (muralist,speaker)
  • Black Riders Liberation Party
  • Tongva Nation
  • ACLU
  • Pomona Day labor center
  • South Asain Network
  • 10:00-11:00 PM Optional Street Patrol

For more info send an email to nauiocelotl@yahoo.com or click here.

Click here to RSVP on Facebook.

InterAmerican Sports Association health fair made a difference for our community

Posted on by Posted in Charities, Health and Medical, immigration, Latinos, mexico, Santa Ana, Sports, Working Families, Youth Activities Leave a comment

Above: Senator Lou Correa stands with InterAmerican Sports Association Founder Edgar Vazquez and students of Newbridge College, which trains medical assistants.

Seeking to demonstrate its commitment to community health and fitness, the InterAmerican Sports Association hosted its first health fair on Sunday, August 15, 2010.  Click here to see their official newsletter about the event.

The fair at Mile Square Park, titled Soccer+ Salud =Solución, was co-sponsored by health care agency CalOptima. Ten health agencies and five others local companies participated.

“We’ve taken a first step to think of ourselves as more than a mere administrator of athletic games,” said
InterAmerican Sports Association founder Edgar Vazquez. “We are fulfilling our role as a partner in the community. Through our players who compete every day of the week, we have contact with thousands of families in Santa Ana and we want them to know more about how to improve their health.”

Participant Ricardo Sanchez, state coordinator of Por La Salud y Educación del Migrante, an arm of the Mexican government, administered more than forty glucose tests and gave dozens of other exams on Sunday. Among those he tested: a man who learned he likely has diabetes, a new resident of the area who did not know how to get diabetes medications and a woman who mistakenly thought she doesn’t need annual well woman checks because she is no longer married.

“We need to reach people one at a time, face to face,” he said. “It’s an event like this that gives us that chance at improving public health.”

About the InterAmerican Sports Association

The InterAmerican Sports Association is a league comprising 2,000 soccer players who play in 150 teams. The association, founded in 1991, The association estimates it has hosted 25,000 games since. The league leases fields from the city of Santa Ana and works diligently with city officials to maintain them. Soccer is the largest single source of physical activity in Santa Ana. There are 30,000 players in the city: an estimated one in every 17 adults playing the sport and one in four children on a team.

Lawyer to discuss immigrant rights at Libreria Martinez this Saturday

Posted on by Posted in immigration, Lawyers, Literature, Santa Ana Leave a comment

Libreria Martinez Books and Art Gallery is hosting a “community conversation on immigration,” according to the O.C. Register, this Saturday, Aug. 14, at 6 pm, at the bookstore.

Lawyer Lisa Ramirez will discuss immigrant rights, and take questions afterwards.  She has her own practice, in Santa Ana, at 1913 E 17th St Ste 204, Santa Ana, CA 92705.  Ramirez is a graduate of Loyola Law School.

The bookstore is located at 216 N. Broadway, Santa Ana. RSVP at 714-973-7900.  Childcare will be provided.

Gran Baile y Cena to benefit the Orange County DREAM!

Posted on by Posted in Charities, Dream Act, Education, Entertainment, immigration, Latinos, mexico, music, Santa Ana, Working Families, Youth Activities Leave a comment

Gran Baile y Cena to benefit the Orange County DREAM!

August 21 · 6:30pm – 11:30pm, at the Elk’s Lodge, located at 212 South Elk Lane, in Santa Ana.

Do you like to dance?…and better yet, help a great cause at the same time?  H.P.O. Promotions and Veterans Soccer League invite you to…El GRAN BAILE (y cena) to benefit the Orange County DREAM Team’s Scholarship Fund.  Only $20, includes dinner (tickets will be sold in advance and at the door).

Featuring:

  • La Internacional Sonora Dinamita
  • Los Cadetes De Linares
  • El Grupo Mysterio
  • Pepe Reyna ( El hijo de Cornelio Reyna )
  • Y otros grupos sorpresa…

Come and celebrate the beautiful student movement, that is the DREAM movement. Your contribution will benefit the Orange County DREAM Team’s scholarship fund, which awards scholarships to undocumented students pursuing a higher education. The Orange County DREAM Team is proud to advocate for the rights of undocumented students of all nationalities.

Invite your family, friends, co-workers, neighbors, classmates, etc! Hope to see you all there!

For more information, please contact Vanessa Castillo: vanessacastillo27@yahoo.com.  Click here to RSVP on Facebook.

SAUSD finally offers translation, but only on their Home Page

Posted on by Posted in Education, immigration, Latinos, Santa Ana Leave a comment

The SAUSD administrators must be reading my posts very closely.  They finally loaded the Google language translator widget on their website, on the home page, on the bottom, left side corner.  However, they apparently don’t realize that you have to load the tool on every single page, otherwise it won’t work.

They still are not offering any way for the public to communicate with the School Board members.  No email addresses.  No phone numbers.

Click here to read the rest of this post.

The SAUSD does not offer their website in other languages – and their ESL links are broken

Posted on by Posted in Cambodians, Education, immigration, Latinos, Santa Ana, Vietnamese, Working Families Leave a comment

Why doesn’t the Santa Ana Unified School District (SAUSD) offer their website in additional languages, such as Cambodian, Spanish and Vietnamese?  I just called their Public Information Office and confirmed that they do not offer such a service on their website.  I find that simply astounding.

I checked with other local school districts and found they also don’t offer translation on their district websites, except for Garden Grove Unified, which does offer several options to those who speak other languages.  Click here to see their Spanish resource page.

Irvine Unified does offer a web page with information and resources for parents of children who need to learn English.  Click here to see that page.  They offer information on that page in numerous languages.

What about the SAUSD?  Well, take a look at the graphic atop this post.  That is what you will find when you click on their “Master Plan for English Learners.”   No wonder they have screwed up so badly with English learners that over 1,000 high school seniors per year end up failing the High School Exit Exam!

Click here to read the rest of this post.

Benavides goes after Mayor Pro Tem Alvarez while defending Moreno and the Minutemen again

Posted on by Posted in Carlos Bustamante, Civic Affairs, Civil Rights, Claudia Alvarez, David Benavides, Democratic Party, Elections, immigration, Latinos, Michele Martinez, Miguel Pulido, Politics, Racism, Republican Party, Sal Tinajero, Santa Ana, Vince Sarmiento 3 Comments

Tonight’s Santa Ana City Council meeting blew up again as a few of the haters that Councilman David Benavides honored at the last meeting showed up to cry about the fact that the City Council ripped Benavides for doing that.

One of the speakers, Ann Menaldo, claimed tonight that she did not sign Lupe Moreno’s nomination papers, according to a friend of mine who was at the meeting.  She lied.  She did indeed sign the papers, when Moreno ran for the OC GOP Central Committee this year.  Here is the form with her signature:

During the Council Members’ comments, Benavides once again ripped into his colleagues and he even went after Mayor Pro Tem Claudia Alvarez.  He commented that she seconded the motion, a few years ago, that put Moreno on the Santa Ana Public Library Board.  He did not mention that Mayor Miguel Pulido submitted that motion.  Why did Benavides only go after Alvarez?

Alvarez spoke next – and she let Benavides have it.  She said that the Council gave Moreno a chance but she proved to be a hater and they had to get rid of her.  That is true.  Pulido and company deserve much credit for dumping Moreno.

Alvarez was rudely interrupted by some of Benavides’ supporters, who you can see in the picture above.

Pulido said he wants to plan the event next year with Council members on the event committee, and they need to raise significant money so they can hold the event at Centennial Park with music, fireworks, etc.  He suggested we do old-fashioned thinks like sack races, tug of war, bobbing for apples, etc.  He said that everyone will know that we are united and we love and respect both this country and our city.

Bustamante said he wanted to spearhead the 2011 Santa Ana Independence Day event.  He specifically said that “all citizens are welcome to participate.”  His comments appeared to exclude those who are not citizens but do reside in our city.  That is typical of Bustamante, who is a Republican and who is backed by the same people Benavides is involved with.

Benavides spoke again at the end and said he wanted to make some corrections.  He said he did not lie to the City Staff by saying that the Council backed his recognition of the haters.  He said the names of the Committee members were removed.  However what he did not admit to was that certificates were presented to each of the Committee members including the Minutemen and their leader Moreno.  Sure, they were not individually noted on the Agenda but all of them, including Thomas Gordon – who wasn’t even at the event, got their awards.

Pulido finally had to shut Benavides down as he was way over his three minutes.

Alvarez then asked Chief of Police Paul Walters to talk about tomorrow night’s National Night Out, at Davis Elementary, at 4 pm, to 7 pm.  Click here to read about that event.

I am hearing now that the City Council has had it with Benavides.  They have until this Friday to recruit a new candidate to replace him.  It is very likely that by tomorrow they will all be renouncing him, withdrawing their support, and casting him to the dogs.

Stay tuned as my colleague, Sean Mill, has received information revealing that Benavides’ campaign committee is made up entirely of Usual Suspects.  That post should be up by tomorrow afternoon.