The 2017 Santa Ana State of the City Breakfast is coming up on August 9, 2017, from 7:30 AM – 9:15 AM, at the Bowers Museum, located at 2002 N. Main St., in Santa Ana.
This event will feature Santa Ana Mayor Miguel Pulido, who will talk about how Santa Ana is doing. He usually joins his sons and his dad in performing a few traditional Mexican folks songs as well. Continue reading
Santa Ana, Downtown Orange County
Community: Mayor Pulido to Address Business Community at Annual State of the City Breakfast June 28
Santa Ana Mayor Miguel Pulido will once again be the featured speaker at the annual “State of the City” breakfast scheduled for Wednesday, June 28 at Bowers Museum.
This special address by the city’s chief executive to hundreds of business leaders is presented by the Santa Ana Chamber of Commerce, with assistance from the City of Santa Ana. Community- minded business persons have a chance to show their civic pride and support for the city by attending the State of the City event. Each year, Mayor Pulido shares up-to-the-minute news and anecdotes outlining the civic progress made during the past twelve months, as well as future goals and projects. Continue reading
Council Members Tinajero, Martinez and Benavides
Apparently efforts are now underway to recall Santa Ana City Council Members Sal Tinajero, David Benavides and Vince Sarmiento. All three of them have opposed hiring more cops and supported our lame former SAPD Police Chief, Carlos Rojas, who did us all a favor by quitting and moving to the Bay area. This means they have been pro-gang City Council Members – which is now what the people of Santa Ana elected them to do.
Tinajero should have been recalled some years ago. If you recall he was a friend and colleague of Nativo Lopez, when they were both on the SAUSD School Board. Lopez got recalled but Tinajero was allowed to stay on the School Board. Now he will finally have to face the music. Continue reading
Mayor Miguel Pulido and Gerardo Mouet
The Santa Ana City Council has voted to send Gerardo Mouet back to the Parks Department. He is no longer the acting Santa Ana City Manager.
Mouet has been replaced by Deputy City Manager Robert Cortez, who will be the acting city manager while the City Council looks for a permanent replacement for fired former City Manager David Cavazos. Continue reading
David De Leon and Angie Amezcua
Do you remember Angie Amezcua? She was accidentally elected a little over four years ago in Santa Ana’s Ward 3. She did not campaign at all that year. But her ballot title, “teacher” and her last name helped propel her to victory. She finished out her accidental term then walked away from the City Council, endorsing David De Leon, who proceeded to lose badly to Jose Solorio last November.
I guess Angie missed politics because she and her husband, Robert Oliver, joined ten other individuals, including the bitter loser De Leon, in signing a Notice of Intention to Circulate a Petition, on March 14, 2017. The group of 12 wanted to gather signatures for a campaign to recall Santa Ana Mayor Miguel Pulido, who easily beat a socialist candidate in November, Benjamin Vazquez. Continue reading
City of Santa Ana, Downtown Orange County
Community: Response to President Trump’s Executive Order on Immigration
SANTA ANA – The Santa Ana City Council, who recently adopted an ordinance solidifying into law a resolution declaring the City of Santa Ana a sanctuary for all its residents, has been confronted by President Donald Trump’s Executive Order that targets what he refers to as “sanctuary cities.” The City of Santa Ana respects the Office of the President of the United States, but respectfully disagrees with President Trump’s Executive Order that would take federal funds away from “sanctuary cities.”
“The safety and well-being of our community is our number-one priority. Santa Ana is committed to equality, and will continue to treat all its residents with respect and dignity,” said Mayor Miguel A. Pulido. Continue reading
City of Santa Ana
Community Alert: Mayor Pulido Honors Sandi Jackson with the Exceptional Citizen Award
Mayor Pulido will present the Exceptional Citizen Award to Sandi Jackson for receiving the 2016 Outstanding Philanthropist Award. The Outstanding Philanthropist Award is presented at the National Philanthropy Day Awards Luncheon hosted by the Association of Fundraising Professionals, which recognizes the great contributions that philanthropy makes to our community and honors individuals, businesses, and support organizations that are active in the philanthropic community. In 1986, President Ronald Reagan proclaimed November 15th as National Philanthropy Day, which is a special day set aside for the purpose of recognizing the great contribution philanthropy makes to our society. Continue reading
Do you remember Nativo Lopez? He was a Santa Ana School Board member who was recalled in 2003 due in part to allegations that he was impeding the implementation of Proposition 227 in the 62,000-student school system. Prop. 227 was the measure backed by wealthy Republican Ron Unz that put a stop to bilingual education in California. Unz also spent $100,00 to gather the signatures that put the Lopez recall on the ballot.
But in the November General Election this year California’ voters reversed Prop. 227 – by passing Prop. 58 they restored bilingual education in the Golden State. And this week the Santa Ana City Council passed a Sanctuary City resolution. Continue reading
While the Democrats are completely stunned this morning by the loss of the White House to Donald Trump here in Santa Ana another big upset has occurred as our embattled Mayor, Miguel Pulido, has not only won his reelection campaign – he now has regained control of the Santa Ana City Council.
The election last night of Jose Solorio in Ward 3 and Juan Villegas in Ward 5 has given Pulido a firm City Council majority as he can now count on Mayor Pro Tem Vince Sarmiento in Ward 1 as well. Sarmiento owes Pulido a huge debt as there is no doubt that Sarmiento only survived his battle against Jessica Cha because of Pulido’s support. 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
The biggest civic issue in Santa Ana, without a doubt, is the horrible rise in violent crime – ever since the current City Council majority took power. You might recall that they fired former SAPD Police Chief Paul Walters, after he saved our city from bankruptcy. That is when they hired the current overpaid City Manager, David Cavazos, who later got caught having an affair with a Santa Ana city employee in the Planning Department. And they hired inexperienced first-time Police Chief Carlos Rojas – who has been over his head ever since.
The current City Council majority also got rid of the SAPD’s anti-gang squad. And look at the results. Shootings and stabbings just about every day. Over 800 crimes a week reported by crimemapping.com. The people of our city are afraid – and justifiably so. Continue reading
Perhaps the biggest knock on Santa Ana Mayoral challenger Benjamin Vazquez, besides his aggressively liberal politics, is the doubt that he can raise enough money to seriously contend against longtime Santa Ana Mayor Miguel Pulido. Vazquez is attempting to answer that doubt with a campaign fundraiser set for Oct. 5, 2016, from 6 to 8 p.m., at the Robbins Nest, located at 207 W. 2nd St., in DTSA.
The Vazquez fundraiser is hosted by SAUSD Trustee Valerie Amezcua and her dad, former Mayoral candidate Alfredo Amezcua, a criminal defense attorney who regularly defends Santa Ana gangbangers in court; as well as Dr. Arturo Lomeli, a Dentist; Eddie Quillares (a local insurance agent); Luis Mier (a local bail bondsman); and Santa Ana City Councilman Sal Tinajero. Continue reading
Ana Urzua Alcaraz and Benjamin Vazquez
Santa Ana Mayoral candidate Benjamin Vazquez looked like a longshot when he first announced his campaign against longtime Santa Ana Mayor Miguel Pulido. Now I’m not so sure about that as Vazquez has picked up a couple of major endorsments.
Vazquez has been endorsed by both the Democratic Party of Orange County and the Orange County Young Democrats. While neither of these organizations are likely to pump much money into Vazquez’ campaign coffers they are notable endorsements – and they hint at what might be a gathering storm for Pulido. Continue reading
Santa Ana Mayor Miguel Pulido has won his seat eleven times. The last few years he has faced a string of challengers who at least on paper looked somewhat legitimate – but he beat them all, including Council Members Michele Martinez, David Benavides and Roman Reyna as well as criminal defense attorney Alfredo Amezcua.
Now Pulido, who his detractors at times refer to as “Papi” (Spanish for father) is facing perhaps his most interesting challenger yet – local teacher Benjamin Vazquez, who apparently likes to be referred to as “Don” (a Spanish honorific that is usually reserved for royalty, select nobles, and church hierarchs, it is also often used as a mark of esteem for a person of personal, social or official distinction, such as a community leader of long standing, a person of significant wealth, or a noble, according to Wikipedia). Can Don Vazquez beat Papi Pulido? Continue reading