Santa Ana's top news & views blog

Santa Ana's top news & views blog

Category Archives: Kevin O’Rourke

City Council blew over a million dollars getting rid of Paul Walters

Posted on by Posted in Civic Affairs, Kevin O'Rourke, Paul Walters, Santa Ana 1 Comment
Santa Ana City Council

This Council spends money like drunken sailors…

At its last meeting with him, an appreciative City Council honored O’Rourke with a proclamation and declared the day “Kevin O’Rourke Day,” according to the O.C. Register.  As it turns out, O’Rourke made a mint working as a temp City Manager in Santa Ana.

How much did it cost Santa Ana to get rid of former City Manager Paul Walters?  Over one million dollars.  That is the tip of the icerberg.  Check out the huge sums of money our City Council has blown over the past few years: Continue reading→

Former City Manager Walters should get the credit for the new City budget

Posted on by Posted in Civic Affairs, Crime, Kevin O'Rourke, Paul Walters, Santa Ana 4 Comments
SAPOA Board Members

Santa Ana’s police union is negotiating a new contract

The Santa Ana City Council Monday passed what could be called its first post-crisis budget, adopting a two-year spending plan that beefs up reserves, potentially restores furlough hours to city employees and provides small increases to the police and code enforcement budgets, according to the Voice of OC.

The Voice of OC’s Santa Ana reporter, Adam Elmahrek, wrote that the SAPD is reorganizing in the wake of the departure of former Santa Ana police chief Paul Walters, who was fired by our City Council for no good reason earlier this year.  But while Elmahrek tried to make it look like Walters wasted money on the SAPD in the past, he also had to admit that it was due to Walters that we have a budget at all this year – “This year, thanks in large part to the decision to outsource the city’s fire protection, the city is working with a reserve of between $27 and $30 million.” Continue reading→

Deputy City Manager Jill Arthur being investigated for misconduct

Posted on by Posted in Civic Affairs, David Benavides, Kevin O'Rourke, Michele Martinez, Santa Ana, Vince Sarmiento 12 Comments

Jill Arthur

Santa Ana Deputy City Manager Jill Arthur was placed on administrative leave this week pending a city-commissioned investigation into allegations that she engaged in misconduct following a traffic accident, according to the Voice of OC.

The Voice of OC reported that “According to sources familiar with the investigation who spoke on condition of anonymity, Arthur was involved in a car accident with Marcel Alvarez, a 22-year-old Buena Park resident. Rather than exchange insurance information, Arthur offered to get Alvarez a job by leveraging her influence at the Santa Ana Work Center, a city office that assists residents in finding employment, sources said.” Continue reading→

Will you go to a meeting about “the City Manager recruitment process?”

Posted on by Posted in Entertainment, Kevin O'Rourke, Santa Ana 6 Comments
Kevin O'Rourke, Temp City Manager

Santa Ana Temp City Manager Kevin O’Rourke

City of Santa Ana, Downtown Orange County

Community: Santa Ana City Council Seeks Public Input at Community Meetings for City Manager Recruitment Process

SANTA ANA, CA – (April 18, 2013) – Under City Council direction, Santa Ana Interim City Manager Kevin O’Rourke has arranged two separate community input meetings so residents can voice their expectations to City Council members regarding the City Manager recruitment and selection process.

Take advantage of this important phase and let your voice be heard. The meetings are scheduled as follows: Continue reading→

The City Council fired Walters but it’s still business as usual at City Hall

Posted on by Posted in Civic Affairs, David Benavides, Kevin O'Rourke, Michele Martinez, Miguel Pulido, Paul Walters, Sal Tinajero, Santa Ana 4 Comments

David Benavides supports the PBID

I almost fell out of my chair laughing today when I read that “Among the shifts Rourke made late in March, External Affairs Manager Jill Arthur was promoted to deputy city manager and installed as head of the city’s community development agency, according to an email March 27 from O’Rourke to the city’s management team,” according to the Voice of OC.

Hilarious!  The Santa Ana City Council absolutely hates Jill Arthur and now their $22K a month temporary City Manager, Kevin O’Rourke, has effectively given her a raise!  For this they fired Paul Walters?  Unbelievable. Continue reading→

Santa Ana’s temp City Manager wants your input about his replacement

Posted on by Posted in Kevin O'Rourke, Santa Ana 4 Comments

City of Santa Ana, Downtown Orange County

Community Alert: Santa Ana City Council Seeks Public Input In Nationwide City Manager Recruitment

SANTA ANA, CA – (April 2, 2013) – The Santa Ana Interim City Manager Kevin O’Rourke has initiated the recruitment process for a new City Manager by entering into an agreement with Bob Murray & Associates. City Council members are interested in obtaining feedback from the community to guide the recruitment and selection strategies. Continue reading→

Santa Ana Political Chismes – Special Bustamante edition

Posted on by Posted in Angelica Amezcua, Carlos Bustamante, Carlos Rojas, Civic Affairs, Crime, David Benavides, Food, Kevin O'Rourke, Michele Martinez, Planning, Politics, Public Safety, Safety, Santa Ana 18 Comments

David Benavides and Carlos Bustamante

There is so much going on today in Santa Ana that I chose to report it all in our infamous Political Chismes format, rather than post several articles.  Here we go!

  • Bad news for Busty.  Today was a bad day for former Santa Ana City Councilman Carlos Bustamante, as a “judge refused to dismiss a number of felony sex crime charges against him,” according to the O.C. Register.  Bustamante is accused of sexually assaulting seven women he worked with in his former job in the county’s Public Works Department. The judge also denied a motion to have the Orange County District Attorney’s Office taken off the case.  Bustamante worked to elect his former colleague, David Benavides, in last year’s Santa Ana Mayoral race.  Luckily Santa Ana Mayor Miguel Pulido prevailed.  Will Benavides commisserate with Bustamante tonight?  Stop by Chapter One, in Downtown Santa Ana, and see if they show up.  Be sure to send us any pictures you get of these two tossing them down! Continue reading→

The Council is paying Walters over $700K and O’Rourke is getting $22K a month

Posted on by Posted in Civic Affairs, Kevin O'Rourke, Miguel Pulido, Paul Walters, Politics, Public Safety, Sal Tinajero, Santa Ana 34 Comments

Mayor Pro Tem Sal Tinajero

” The City of Santa Ana will pay out more than $700,000 under the severance agreement struck with former city manager Paul M. Walters,” according to the O.C. Register.

The Voice of OC asked Santa Ana Mayor Pro Tem Sal Tinajero if the council majority miscalculated? “A miscalculation is the car’s running at 50 miles per hour and you think you can get across before you get hit,” Tinajero said. “But if the car speeds to 110 miles per hour, that’s not a miscalculation, someone just changed the rules on you.” Continue reading→

The Council’s war on Pulido could end up costing us over $1 million dollars

Posted on by Posted in Civic Affairs, David Benavides, Kevin O'Rourke, Miguel Pulido, Paul Walters, Politics, Sal Tinajero, Santa Ana 10 Comments

School bond measures waste our money

“The cost of the severance agreement with former Santa Ana City Manager Paul Walters will be “above $400,000,” according to Mayor Pro Tem Sal Tinajero, as reported by the O.C. Register.

The L.A. Times reported that “Santa Ana city leaders have also agreed to name the city’s police building in honor of Walters” – a fitting tribute to a public servant who toiled on our behalf for 42 years. Continue reading→

City Council hires interim city manager who temped in Bell and Stockton

Posted on by Posted in Civic Affairs, Kevin O'Rourke, Michele Martinez, Paul Walters, Politics, Santa Ana 25 Comments

Kevin O'Rourke

Kevin O’Rourke, a retired government executive with two decades of experience in Orange County was appointed Monday by the City Council as Santa Ana’s interim city manager,” according to the O.C. Register.

We reported this was going to happen way back on Feb. 5.

O’Rourke has made a career of serving as both an interim and permanent city manager, with stops in Buena Park, Stanton and Stockton, which filed for municipal bankruptcy last year.  Stanton seems to be headed for the same result too.  He last temped in Woodland, according to a media report, in 2011.  And surprise!  He temped in the City of Bell too. Continue reading→

Will the Council hire former Stockton interim city manager Kevin O’Rourke?

Posted on by Posted in Civic Affairs, Dave Ream, Gerardo Mouet, Kevin O'Rourke, Michele Martinez, Paul Walters, Politics, Santa Ana 15 Comments
Kevin O'Rourke

Picture of Kevin O’Rourke Courtesy of Recordnet

“Santa Ana city leaders apparently reached consensus Monday on appointing an interim city manager to fill the slot left open by the firing of City Manager Paul Walters,” according to the Voice of OC.

Council members emerged from their closed session just after 7 p.m. and announced a decision, but said they couldn’t disclose the candidate’s name yet because they were still negotiating terms.  Then Councilwoman Michelle Martinez said the new interim city manager’s name would be made public in about a week.

So much drama when there is a darn good chance that the interim city manager will be Gerardo Mouet, the Santa Ana Parks and Rec Agency director.  Scratch that.  Apparently former Buena Park/Stanton City Manager Kevin O’Rourke might become Santa Ana’s highest paid temp, I mean interim City Manager.  He currently works as a consultant who specializes in figuring out how to pay for retired public employees’ pensions, according to this link.  He was previously an interim City Manager in now bankrupt Stockton. Continue reading→