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Category Archives: Phil Bacerra

Santa Ana welcomes new Councilmember Phil Bacerra

Posted on by Posted in Civic Affairs, Phil Bacerra, Santa Ana 2 Comments

SANTA ANA, CA – Councilmember Phil Bacerra was sworn in tonight, Nov. 19, as the new Ward 4 representative of the Santa Ana City Council.

He won the vacant seat in a special election on Nov. 5 and will serve out the remainder of a four-year term that ends in December 2022.

“I’m honored to have been elected by the people of Santa Ana and to join my fellow councilmembers in leading our community into a bright future,” Councilmember Bacerra said. “I look forward to working together to solve our homelessness crisis, improve public safety and bring investment to our city. I promise all Santa Ana residents that I will deliberate on the Council dais, as I did as a planning commissioner, with the same independent thoroughness that serves the best interests of our fellow residents.”

Mayor Miguel Pulido welcomed Councilmember Bacerra. “I am delighted to have Councilmember Bacerra join us and to have a full council in place working for the people of Santa Ana,” Mayor Pulido said. “The councilmember’s expertise in city planning will be a valuable asset in our decision-making.”

Councilmember Bacerra, the son of a union grocery store manager and a waitress, was born and raised in Orange County, where he attended local schools and worked as a busboy at his uncle’s restaurant in Santa Ana, Pop’s Café.

After graduating from the University of Southern California with a bachelor’s degree in urban planning, he went on to work for various city governments, including the City of Los Angeles. Councilmember Bacerra has been using that city government experience to help small businesses succeed and to increase access to high-quality housing.

The councilmember previously served for over five years on the Santa Ana Planning Commission. He has also served on the City’s General Plan Advisory Group and the Historic Resources Commission. He served two terms as an appointed member of the Orange County Transportation Authority’s Citizens Advisory Committee.

Councilmember Bacerra enjoys volunteering his time by contributing to the charitable efforts of the Santa Ana Elks, serving as a board member for Preserve Orange County, mentoring students from his alma mater, and assisting his high school alumni association in awarding scholarships to deserving students. He also enjoys watching USC football and hockey.

The councilmember and his wife, Wendy, have lived in Santa Ana for many years. They are parishioners at the historic Church of the Messiah in Downtown Santa Ana and live in South Santa Ana.

About City of Santa Ana
Santa Ana is downtown for the world famous Orange County, California. As the County Seat, home to a vibrant evening scene and one of the most diverse communities in California, Santa Ana is gaining national attention for its efforts to innovate and address a changing County. Over 1,200 City employees work hard every day to deliver efficient public services in partnership with our community to ensure public safety, a prosperous economic environment, opportunities for our youth, and a high quality of life for residents. Learn more at http://www.santa-ana.org.

Who will win in Santa Ana’s Special Election this Tuesday?

Posted on by Posted in 2019 Elections, Beatriz Mendoza, Brandon Sisco, Carolyn Torres, Cecilia Aguinaga, Civic Affairs, David Benavides, Elections, Gale Oliver Jr., Gisela Contreras, Jennifer Oliva, Manuel Escamilla, Phil Bacerra, Roman Reyna, Santa Ana, SAUSD 4 Comments

You don’t get a consolation prize when you run for office. You either win or lose. After many weeks of politicking a number of local Santa Ana candidates will discover their fate this Tuesday, Nov. 5, when the combined Santa Ana City Council and SAUSD School Board Special Election finally comes to fruition.

So who will win these seats?

Let’s take a look first at how we arrived at this moment. The City Council seat, in Ward 4, opened up after the incumbent, Roman Reyna, was sued in civil court by the candidate he defeated last November, Phil Bacerra. Reyna it seems moved into Ward 4 but fudged his campaign paperwork. Eventually he was charged by the OCDA and he was indicted and fined a half million dollars! He had to resign from the City Council and promise never to run for local office again.

Manny Escamilla

Bacerra is the leading candidate to replace Reyna. Other challengers include former Santa Ana planner Manny Escamilla, former Planning Commissioner Beatriz Mendoza, business owners Jennifer Oliva and Brandon Sisco, and Bishop Gale Oliver Jr.

Escamilla’s base is the left-wing of the Democratic Party, essentially those who support the likes of Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren. While those voters are fired up they are small in number and given to not voting.

Mendoza used to work for U.S. Rep. Loretta Sanchez. She has the support of the same people that supported Reyna last year. She is a single mom and the campaign has been very tough on her.

Brandon Sisco

Sisco is an outlier. He does not seem to be spending any money on his campaign. I am not sure why he is even running. But he seems to be having fun in the process.

Bishop Oliver Jr. is getting a lot of support from conservatives in the area. There are a lot of folks walking precincts with him. However he has not run for office before and presumably his name I.D. is low. Perhaps voters will be moved to vote for a minister?

Oliva is getting some help from the local police union, the Santa Ana Police Officers Association. So she has sent out some mail and has signs up. This is her first campaign too. Council Member David Penaloza has endorsed her and she serves him on our Arts Commission.

Bacerra however has a big advantage as he was on the November ballot last year and he remains popular in north Santa Ana. Like Escamilla, he is a college graduate and a planner by trade. He has served on the Planning Commission and he has plenty of contacts, here in Santa Ana and also up in Sacramento. He will benefit from the fact that these types of elections tend to have low turnouts that favor older voters. That’s his base!

If I was a betting man I would bet on Bacerra to pull this one out.

David Benavides and Roman Reyna

The SAUSD is also holding a Special Election after their former Trustee, Cecilia Iglesias, got elected to the Santa Ana City Council last year. The SAUSD Trustees were unable to figure out who to appoint to replace Iglesias so now we get to vote for a replacement.

The candidates include Iglesias’ longtime friend and ally, Gisela Contreras, former City Councilman David Benavides, Anaheim public schoolteacher Carolyn Torres, and Housing Commissioner/Realtor Cecilia Aguinaga.

Supporters of Bishop Gale Oliver Jr. and Gisela Contreras

The same folks walking for Bishop Oliver Jr. are also walking for Contreras. She is the only candidate who fully supports parental choice in education. This is her first campaign but she has the full endorsement and support of Council Member Cecilia Iglesias, a veteran of many elections.

Benavides was once married to a local schoolteacher but he divorced her a few years ago, when he was running for Mayor of Santa Ana. He heads up a local nonprofit, Kidworks, that is definitely in the education arena however he is what he appears to be – a career politician looking for his next gig.

Torres is cut from the same liberal cloth as Escamilla. You can expect her to promote the teacher’s union, oppose school choice (charter schools) and support new taxes and bond measures.

Aguinaga worked for the SAUSD many years ago. She has been involved in Santa Ana politics and community affairs for a long time. She has run a few times for the SAUSD School Board. This time around the local police union has funded several effective campaign mailers for her. However she is not walking precincts and will depend on the mailers and her existing name I.D.

This race is a tough one to call. Benavides has the highest name I.D. but he is covered in Roman Reyna stink and that will scare off a lot of voters. Torres is too liberal for what is a moderate community but her ballot designation is a good one. She is the only teacher on the ballot. Contreras is working hard but has few funds and is relying on grassroots support. Aguinaga has come close before. Perhaps this time she will finally win?

So who are you voting for?

Ward 4 candidate Manny Escamilla is winning on Facebook but who will win on Nov. 5?

Posted on by Posted in 2019 Elections, Beatriz Mendoza, Civic Affairs, Elections, Gale Oliver Jr., Jennifer Oliva, Manuel Escamilla, Phil Bacerra, Politics, Santa Ana 6 Comments

Have you decided who you will vote for in the upcoming Nov. 5 Santa Ana City Council, Ward 4, Special Election?

The race features several candidates with widely varied experiences. Almost all of them have some civic experience as well.

Elections have really changed in Santa Ana, which is a tough town to run in because so many of the newer residents have a tendency to move from city to city. This is a city dominated by Latino residents but Latino voters don’t always bother to vote.

As this is a Special Election I expect the overall voter turnout will be extremely low. Older voters can be expected to vote – particularly those who are worried about the direction the city is going in.

There are several candidates who are basing their campaign on getting young people out to vote, including former Santa Ana planning agency employee Manny Escamilla and Arts Commissioner Jennifer Oliva. But those voters often don’t vote.

Escamilla is also spending a lot of time garnering support from Santa Ana’s older voters, as you can see on his Facebook page. Smart move!

The candidate with the biggest advantage is former Planning Commissioner Phil Bacerra, who lost a close race to Roman Reyna last November. However Reyna quickly got into big trouble because he tried to carpetbag in Ward 4 and he bungled getting an address in the Ward in time. Quite frankly the City Clerk should never have allowed him to get onto the ballot.

Bacerra has several advantages. He has the highest name I.D. in the current race. While he is a Democrat he is popular with the city’s Republican voters. And he has garnered a lot of support in Ward 4 from residents who are mad about perceived over-development in the city.

But how are these candidates doing on Facebook? Oliva’s Facebook page only has 296 followers. Escamilla’s Facebook page has 851 followers. Bacerra’s Facebook page has 448 followers.

There is also a candidate who moved into Ward 4 fairly recently, former Planning Commissioner Beatriz Mendoza. Her Facebook page has 538 followers.

Mendoza has even less followers than the relatively unknown businessman Brandon Sisco, who is also running for Ward 4. His Facebook page has 125 followers.

There is one more candidate in the Ward 4 race – Bishop Gale Oliver Jr., who also heads up a church in town. His Facebook page has 322 followers.

Ward 4 City Council Candidate Beatriz Mendoza won a court case involving her ballot title

Posted on by Posted in 2019 Elections, Beatriz Mendoza, Civic Affairs, Courts, Phil Bacerra, Politics, Santa Ana, Tim Rush Leave a comment

Christmas came early this year for Santa Ana City Council Ward 4 candidate Beatriz Mendoza, as she successfully defended herself in court after her ballot title of “Victim Assistance Specialist” was challenged.

Tim Rush

The lawsuit was filed by Tim Rush, a longtime gadfly in Santa Ana. Rush argued that a state regulation disallows “specialist” on ballot designations, but the Judge said that the rule “applies only to attorney candidates for judicial office,” according to the O.C. Register.

Mendoza’s campaign reacted to the ruling on Facebook with these comments:

BEA HAS PREVAILED: The OC Courts have ruled that BEATRIZ MENDOZA can use “Victim Assistance Specialist” as her Ballot Designation!

In an unsavory move, friends of #PhilBacerra and his wife #WendyNuvalBacerra mobilized to intimidate & attack Bea but were unsuccessful.

Mendoza previously ran for the SAUSD School Board, back in 2016. She ended up in last place, according to Ballotpedia, with just over 10% of the total vote.

The leading Ward 4 candidate, Phil Bacerra, narrowly lost his campaign for Ward 4 in 2018, to Roman Reyna, garnering over 23,000 votes, according to Ballotpedia. Reyna later resigned from the Ward 4 seat after Bacerra sued him and Reyna’s many campaign shenanigans came to light. Reyna may yet face prosecution by the OCDA.

Who will win in Santa Ana’s Ward 4 Special Election this November?

Posted on by Posted in 2019 Elections, Beatriz Mendoza, Brandon Sisco, Civic Affairs, David Benavides, Democratic Party, Elections, Gale Oliver Jr., Jennifer Oliva, Manuel Escamilla, Phil Bacerra, Politics, Roman Reyna, Santa Ana Leave a comment

All of the candidates for Santa Ana’s Ward 4 are Democrats except for Bishop Gale Oliver Jr., who is an independent. Special Elections are generally low turnout affairs. Democrats in Santa Ana are infamous for not voting in such elections. So who has the edge this time around?

There are no Republicans in this race. That figures as only 22.6% of Santa Ana’s voters are Republicans. They have no pull in our city any more.

But the Democrats don’t quite have total control yet either as only 53.4% of the voters are from the blue party. The rest of the voters, 20.6%, are Decline to State or third party voters.

So if the Democrats don’t bother to vote the Independent and GOP voters could prevail – if they get behind one candidate.

The race for Ward 4 however is a crowded affair. Here is how the candidates break down:

  • Phil Bacerra – While he is a Democrat he is a moderate and he has a lot of support from Republican voters in Santa Ana including several former City Council Members. He is a former Santa Ana Planning Commissioner who barely lost to Reyna last time around. Check out his website here.
  • Beatriz Mendoza – She is a liberal Democrat who was once a staffer to U.S. Rep. Loretta Sanchez. Mendoza has previously run for the SAUSD School Board. Her campaign has already goofed on Facebook – referring to former City Councilman David Benavides as the interim Ward 5 Council Member. He is not serving in that role!
  • Brandon Sisco – Another Democrat. I have no idea why he is running. Perhaps this is a vanity campaign? His website claims that  at 15 assisted the FBI. He owns a company called Android Genius. Their Yelp reviews are very entertaining! Another website claims he is a real estate developer.
  • Bishop Oliver Gale, Jr. – He is an independent. He heads up the Greater Light Family Church, located at 1600 W. 3rd St. in Santa Ana. Council Member Ceci Iglesias has endorsed him.
  • Manuel Escamilla – He is a liberal Democrat. That means he and Mendoza will be fighting over the same voters! And those are precisely the voters who don’t show up in Special Elections. I can’t believe that he quit the City of Santa Ana’s Planning Department in order to run for Ward 4. Bad move I think.
  • Jennifer Oliva – She is an Arts and Culture Commissioner in Santa Ana. She was appointed by Councilman David Penaloza. During her interview with the City Council, when they were trying to figure out who to replace Reyna with, she talked a lot about the youth and education.

I expect that Mendoza and Escamilla are going to split the liberal votes – hurting both of them. Mendoza and Oliva will also split many of the woman votes. Mendoza also appears to be the candidate favored by the pro-Reyna faction. I don’t think it is a positive thing to be associated in any way with Reyna, who may still end up getting prosecuted by the OCDA for his campaign shenanigans.

Councilwoman Ceci Iglesias believes that Bishop Gale Jr. will prevail because of the vote splits. However the voters don’t know who he is so that seems like a tall order. Iglesias does run a great ground game however. She will also promote Gale Jr. at area churches. That is how she got elected to the City Council in the last election. She too benefited from a vote split when her two Democratic opponents knocked each other out.

Bacerra however has several huge advantages:

  • He got over 23,000 votes last November! If the same voters turnout for him again the race is over.
  • His opponent in the 2018 election, Roman Reyna, got over 29,000 votes but those will now be split among several opponents.
  • Bacerra already has campaign signs up in town and he is advertising here on this blog. His opponents? Asleep at the wheel.
  • He is immensely popular in north Santa Ana as he has taken a stand against an apartment development that has upset many residents.

Yes it is true that Bacerra was attacked last year by an ex-girlfriend who alleged that he abused her but she has since been generally discredited and the FPPC is investigating who funded the attack video she was featured in. On a personal note I knew them when they were dating and never saw him act rudely towards her. She is also allied with the most extreme liberals in Santa Ana. And it was fairly obvious that her attack was designed to help Bacerra’s opponent, Reyna.

Bacerra also has the support of the last African American City Council Member to hold office in Santa Ana – Alberta Christy, who was also a major figure in the OC GOP.

If I was a betting man I would say that Bacerra is going to win this race easily. And when the local Democrats endorse one of his opponents it will backfire as that party will only back a candidate who supports distribution of drug needles in our city. Reyna did. So will the next candidate the O.C. Democrats endorse. That won’t fly with most voters in our city.

Why would we support a candidate who wants to hand out drug needles to the addicted homeless mob in our city? The Democratic Party endorsement will as such be the kiss of death!

The Ward 4 candidates to replace Reyna are set for the Nov. 5 special election

Posted on by Posted in 2019 Elections, Beatriz Mendoza, Brandon Sisco, Civic Affairs, Elections, Jennifer Oliva, Manuel Escamilla, Oliver Gale Jr., Phil Bacerra, Politics, Roman Reyna, Santa Ana 3 Comments

The nomination period for Ward 4 on the Santa Ana City Council closed on August 9. We now know who the candidates will be – and it is a crowded filed. They are vying to replace Roman Reyna, the Councilman who had to resign when he was sued for issues related to his campaign paperwork (essentially he fudged his voting address and got caught).

The candidates include:

  • Phil Bacerra – A former Santa Ana Planning Commissioner who barely lost to Reyna last time around. Check out his website here.
  • Beatriz Mendoza – A former staffer to U.S. Rep. Loretta Sanchez. Mendoza has previously run for the SAUSD School Board too.
  • Brandon Sisco – His website claims that  at 15 assisted the FBI. He owns a company called Android Genius. Their Yelp reviews are very entertaining! Another website claims he is a real estate developer.
  • Bishop Oliver Gale, Jr. – He heads up the Greater Light Family Church, located at 1600 W. 3rd St. in Santa Ana.
  • Manuel Escamilla – His website notes that Escamilla “grew up at the McFadden Public Library and Jerome Recreation Center in central Santa Ana.” He is a graduate of SAUSD, SAC, UC Berkeley, and UCLA. He served as a City representative on the Santa Ana Arts & Cultural Master Plan and remained on staff in the City of Santa Ana’s Planning Department until he left to run for Ward 4.
  • Jennifer Oliva – She is an Arts and Culture Commissioner in Santa Ana.

Where were all these candidates last time around? I am glad to see that there is so much interest now in the Ward 4 seat. This is a crowded race with a lot of high quality candidates.

The election is set for November 5, 2019.

Six candidates have applied to replace Roman Reyna on the Santa Ana City Council

Posted on by Posted in 2018 elections, Civic Affairs, Elections, Gale Oliver Jr., Jennifer Oliva, Jose Solorio, Ken Nguyen, Maricela Vallejo, Phil Bacerra, Phillip Ortiz Jr., Roman Reyna, Santa Ana, Vince Sarmiento 2 Comments

Six people applied to replace former Santa Ana City Councilman Roman Reyna by the deadline at noon Tuesday, March 12, according to the O.C. Register.

The candidates include:

  • Phil Bacerra (D), a former Santa Ana Planning Commissioner who sued Reyna after the November election on the grounds that Reyna screwed up his campaign paperwork and never should have been allowed on the ballot. Phil was right!
  • Kenneth Khanh Nguyen (No Party Preference – NPP), a Santa Ana Planning Commissioner
  • Jennifer Oliva (D), a Santa Ana Arts and Culture Commissioner
  • Gale Oliver, Jr. (No Party Preference – NPP), a Baptist bishop
  • Phillip Ortiz, Jr. (No Party Preference – NPP), an Internet installer
  • Maricela Vallejo (No Party Preference – NPP), a Santa Ana Personnel Board Member

Our position is that Reyna’s seat should go to Bacerra, who was cheated out of victory last year. To make matters worse, Bacerra was smeared by Reyna’s supporters in what was perhaps the ugliest campaign we have ever seen. The fair thing to do would be to appoint Bacerra. This is particularly true as he is one of only two Asian candidates being considered by the City Council.

Apparently Council Members Jose Solorio and Vince Sarmiento are favoring the other Asian candidate, Kenneth “Ken” Khang Nguyen, who was successfully sued by Novell for copyright infringement back in 1997, because of a software piracy scheme. Nguyen is an affable fellow but it is likely that he is favored because he will go along to get along – and Solorio allegedly wants a candidate who will do his bidding.

I have met Bishop Gale Oliver before. He is very engaging. He has his hands full with his congregation though. While the City Council job is a part-time position it actually turns out to be almost full time – as any of our current City Council Members can attest.

I don’t know Jennifer Oliva or Maricela Vallejo but they are, like Nguyen, both City Commissioners. And we certainly could use more women on our City Council as currently only one City Council Member, Ceci Iglesias, is a woman.

My guess is that the City Council will not be able to muster four votes for any of these candidates. It is likely that we are headed for a Special Election that will take place in November, at the same time as the upcoming SAUSD Special election.

Adios Roman Reyna – please don’t run for office again!

Posted on by Posted in 2018 elections, 2019 Elections, Civic Affairs, Phil Bacerra, Roman Reyna, Santa Ana Leave a comment

Santa Ana City Councilman Roman Reyna has resigned from the City Council effective today according to a letter he sent to his colleagues.

Reyna did not admit why he really resigned – which was due to a legal settlement with his opponent in last November’s Ward 4 election, Phil Bacerra. Reyna had to resign because he really was unable to offer up much of a defense against the allegations that he fudged his campaign paperwork, after botching a move to Ward 4.

In his letter, dated today, Reyna explained that he is resigning based solely on personal reasons and he cited the need to spend time with his mother, who apparently is ill.

Reyna’s resignation deal with Bacerra will prevent him from running for Ward 4 again, should the Santa Ana City Council end up calling for a Special Election to replace Reyna.

I don’t know that a favorite has emerged yet to replace Reyna on the City Council. To be fair the City Council ought to appoint Bacerra.

There is talk that at least one of the Council Members wants to appoint Ken Nguyen, a Planning Commissioner, out of a desire to appoint an Asian Councilman. However it should be pointed out that Bacerra is Asian as he is half-Filipino.

If the City Council won’t agree to appoint Bacerra then I hope they will consider appointing a woman to replace Reyna as there is only one woman on the City Council currently – Ceci Iglesias.

As for Reyna, he ought to lie low – for a while. Rumor has it that new O.C. District Attorney Todd Spitzer may still file criminal charges against him. Remember that the settlement with Bacerra was in a civil court, now a criminal court. Reyna could still be in very hot water.

Here is the City’s official press release on this matter:

Santa Ana Council Member Roman A. Reyna Has Resigned Effective March 1, 2019

Council Member Roman A. Reyna submitted a resignation letter effective March 1, 2019. The Ward 4 Council seat is now deemed vacant.

Candidates for Council who did not receive the highest vote counts from the November 2018 election will not automatically fill this vacancy. The City Charter provides that the Council must fill the vacancy by appointment within 30 days or call for a special municipal election. Based on election laws, if a special election is necessary it will occur in November 2019. The City Council will discuss the process at a future meeting.

Attached to this press release are 1) answers to questions we have received about the process to fill a vacancy and 2) a copy of the resignation letter.

The City of Santa Ana appreciates all members of our community that put forth effort to make our community better.

Common Questions and Answers

What process applies to filling the Council vacancy?

• Santa Ana City Charter Section 403 states that the council must declare the office vacant and fill the council vacancy by appointment. The person appointed shall hold office until the next general municipal election.

Are there any requirements or restrictions on who can be appointed?

• The appointee must, at the time of appointment and continuously for one year prior thereto, have been and be a resident of the ward. No person who has served three consecutive terms as a Council Member may not be eligible for appointment until the passage of eight years. (Charter Section 401).

What is the time frame to hold this election? (Within 114 days from the call of the special election per the state election code)

• Under current Election Code the earliest the City can call for a special election is November 2019.

Does the city have to pass an ordinance defining the time frame for the special election to be held?

• No, the City Council will be asked to adopt resolutions seeking County assistance to administer the election and call for the election.

Does the term for the person, either appointed or elected, to fill the vacancy last until the next general election in November 2020?

• If a person is appointed the person only serves until the next general election in November 2020. In 2020 the position will be for the remainder of the at-large term.

• If a special election occurs then the person serves the entire balance of the term.

May the resigning Councilmember cast a vote on the appointment to fill the vacancy?
• Once they resign then they no longer participate in decisions.

Would the special election be citywide or only District based?

• The council member for Ward 4 is currently serving in an at-large position. Since the Councilmember was elected at large, the seat would be a citywide election should there be a special election.

The Roman Reyna election scandal is even worse than we thought

Posted on by Posted in 2018 elections, Phil Bacerra, Roman Reyna, Santa Ana, Vince Sarmiento 6 Comments
Roman Reyna supports free drug needles

I spoke with former Santa Ana Planning Commissioner Phil Bacerra the other day, after we all found out that his Ward 4 City Council opponent Roman Reyna was going to resign from the City Council. What Bacerra had to say about the negotiations that led up to Reyna’s resignation was mind-blowing.

Turns out that Reyna’s legal team tried to get him off the hook, even as he was losing the lawsuit that Bacerra filed regarding Reyna’s horribly botched campaign paperwork. You might recall that Reyna carpetbagged in Ward 4 – and he did it so awfully that he put himself in major legal liability.

Reyna offered to patch things up with Bacerra by putting him back on the Santa Ana Planning Commission. And he offered to have Bacerra’s ex-girlfriend recant all the lies she uttered against Bacerra during the Ward 4 campaign – which amounted to perhaps the worst and most foul smear campaign ever conducted during a Santa Ana election.

The story gets even stranger. It appears that Reyna’s attorney, who usually handles bankruptcies, has been working with Santa Ana City Councilman Vince Sarmiento on a cannabis advisory project in the City of Cudahy.

One has to wonder if it was Sarmiento who was secretly advising Reyna all along?

The fact is Reyna should never have been allowed on the ballot in the first place. And Bacerra should be our Councilman in Ward 4.

I also hear that Reyna’s team had been trying to get the City of Santa Ana to pay his legal fees. Apparently however that is not going to happen after all.

Bacerra, who is half Filipino, would have been Santa Ana’s first Asian City Councilman. If the City Council is not going to appoint Bacerra to replace Reyna perhaps they should consider appointing a Vietnamese or Cambodian candidate to replace Reyna in Ward 4? And that candidate should preferably be a woman as currently we only have one woman on the City Council – Ceci Iglesias.

Who will replace Roman Reyna in the Santa Ana City Council’s Ward 4?

Posted on by Posted in 2018 elections, Civic Affairs, Phil Bacerra, Roman Reyna, Santa Ana 3 Comments

Roman Reyna’s latest term on the Santa Ana City Council is already over, as we reported last night on our Facebook page.

Reyna was just elected in November, to Ward 4, after his allies conducted a horrific smear campaign against his opponent, former Santa Ana Planning Commissioner Phil Bacerra.

Bacerra however sued Reyna on the grounds that Reyna had not proven he was eligible to run for Ward 4. Reyna agreed to a settlement which will see him step down from the City Council by March 1. Reyna also agreed not to seek appointment or run in a special election for the Ward 4 seat.

The City Council can now appoint someone to replace Reyna in Ward 4. They could also call for a Special Election however that is most unlikely due the high cost of conducting such an election.

So who will replace Reyna in Ward 4? My sources tell me that there is no consensus candidate. One might argue that Bacerra should be appointed however the smear campaign against him cost him support on the City Council – and a few of the current City Council Members were allied with Reyna in the last election.

The City Council last night approved the MOU with the Santa Ana Police Officers Association. However they were unable to approve a means to fund that new contract as they lacked one vote – as Reyna blew off last night’s meeting.

While Reyna could return to the City Council in two weeks my sources tell me that the City Attorney has asked him not to vote on any other items as he could open the city up to lawsuits. So don’t be surprised if he continues to skip out on meetings while getting paid up to March 1.

The City Council also had to delay a decision on the apartment development project at 2525 Main St. Santa Ana Mayor Miguel Pulido had to continue the public hearing on that development when 150 public speakers showed up and the hearing dragged on until 11:30 p.m. That matter will be resolved at the next City Council meeting, in two weeks.

While the current City Council lacks a consistent majority they will have to muster at least four votes to replace Reyna. It will be very tough to find a decent candidate in Ward 4. If the replacement won’t be Bacerra my personal inclination would be to find a woman candidate to replace Reyna as the current City Council only features one woman – Ceci Iglesias.

Karma has caught up to Roman Reyna

Posted on by Posted in 2018 elections, Civic Affairs, Crime, OCDA, Phil Bacerra, Roman Reyna, Santa Ana 3 Comments

Santa Ana City Councilman Roman Reyna is apparently on the verge of resigning because of the shenanigans he got involved in when filing as a carpetbagger City Council candidate last year, according to the Voice of OC.

Reyna tried to do what current City Councilman Jose Solorio did. Move from one ward to another and run for the City Council. But Solorio was pretty careful when he ran in Ward 3, even though he was actually living in Ward 1. Solorio rented an apartment in Ward 3. His wife and kids stayed in Ward 1. Very few folks at this point believe he lives in Ward 3, but he got away with it.

Reyna however goofed up his campaign paperwork. He moved and registered to vote several times and apparently finally turned in his campaign papers after the deadline. By all rights the City Clerk, Maria Huizar, should have kept him off the ballot. Or at the very least the Santa Ana City Council should have got involved. But Reyna’s allies on the Council intervened and he ended up on the ballot.

Now Reyna is facing a civil lawsuit filed by his opponent, Phil Bacerra. This is total karma as Reyna and his allies conducted what might be the worst smear in Santa Ana political history against Bacerra. It was downright criminal. They got away with it and Reyna won but now he is in very hot water as he really has no defense against the charges.

Even worse for Reyna it is very likely that when the civil case is done the new O.C. District Attorney, Todd Spitzer, will likely come after him as well. If Reyna is charged he will be facing felony fraud charges and will likely do jail time and be banned from ever holding public office again.

Reyna has always managed to skate by with minimal effort. In fact I hear that when his former girlfriend tossed him out and then had to discard many of his belongings, entire City Council meeting packets were found that Reyna had never opened. Imagine that? He might have been the laziest City Councilman ever – and he somehow got elected again, last year.

I have no doubt at this point that Reyna will resign – and soon. It is his only hope if he expects to avoid jail down the road. The City Council will then likely appoint someone to take his place. They could hold a Special Election, but I doubt they will.

When Solorio left the City Council a few years ago, after he was elected to the State Assembly, the City Council at the time appointed Vince Sarmiento to finish out his term. So there is precedent for appointing a new City Councilman in Ward 4.

Roman Reyna supports free drug needles

Reyna has only himself to blame. And this time he cannot get away with his wrongdoings. His unethical behavior has resulted in the likely end of his political career.

Perhaps Reyna can now spend more time with his old pal Carlos Bustamante, who also got in big trouble and saw his own political career ruined, due to his own bad behavior.

Reyna won’t be missed. His supporters ought to be ashamed of themselves, particularly those that piled on Bacerra.

Roman Reyna has been sued for not being a qualified candidate for Ward 4 of the Santa Ana City Council

Posted on by Posted in 2018 elections, Civic Affairs, Crime, Phil Bacerra, Politics, Roman Reyna, Santa Ana 6 Comments

Roman Reyna may have won a seat on the Santa Ana City Council in the November General Election but he probably should refrain from celebrating now that he has been sued by his Ward 4 opponent, Phil Bacerra. Click here to read the legal pleading.

You might recall a campaign mailer that included a representation of an actual text conversation that occurred between Reyna and the Santa Ana City Clerk wherein she advised him that he had applied to run as a Ward 4 candidate while using a Ward 6 address. Reyna then asked the City Clerk for a copy of the city’s ward map and he responded with “Yikes!” Continue reading→

Would you hire the Santa Ana political candidates you are voting for?

Posted on by Posted in 2018 elections, Angie Rosario Cano, Art Pedroza, Cecilia Aguinaga, Cecilia Iglesias, Civic Affairs, David Penaloza, Education, John Palacio, Jose Solorio, Juan Villegas, Michele Martinez, Miguel Pulido, Nelida Mendoza-Yanez, Paul Gonzales, Phil Bacerra, Roman Reyna, Sal Tinajero, Santa Ana, SAUSD Leave a comment

As voters we sometimes fail to recognize that electing someone to represent us on any elective body, such as the Santa Ana City Council or the Santa Ana Unified School District’s Board of Education, is similar to hiring someone to work for us. We are entrusting these candidates to do right by the community.

But if you were hiring someone to work for you, would you consider the folks who are running for local office in Santa Ana this year? In that case what factors would you weigh in trying to determine who to support for local offices? Continue reading→

A brutal campaign mailer hammered carpetbagging Ward 4 candidate Roman Reyna this week

Posted on by Posted in 2018 elections, Crime, Phil Bacerra, Politics, Roman Reyna, Santa Ana Leave a comment

Former Santa Ana City Councilman Roman Reyna is trying to get back onto the City Council this year. He has moved from Ward 5, which he previously represented, to Ward 4.

As one might expect his detractors don’t want to see him get back onto the City Council. To that end a blistering mailer arrived in our mailboxes yesterday. It reminded voters about Reyna’s past gang connections and then endeavored to explain the intricacies of Reyna’s carpetbagging. Continue reading→

Ward 4 Santa Ana City Council candidate responds to allegations made by an ex-girlfriend

Posted on by Posted in 2018 elections, Phil Bacerra, Politics, Santa Ana 9 Comments

By: Phil Bacerra, Candidate for Ward 4 of the Santa Ana City Council

I want to address the serious claims that have been made against me by a former girlfriend. Griselda and I were in a consensual relationship for about four years. Unfortunately, our relationship was unhealthy for the both of us, and we went our separate ways. While our relationship was unhealthy, I was never physically abusive. I have never in my life laid my hand on a woman in violence. I was far from the perfect boyfriend and I regret and apologize for the harsh words said during emotionally-charged arguments. Continue reading→