New Santa Ana | Category Archives: Politics

Mayor Pro Tem Sarmiento used almost a million gallons of water last year

Posted on May 3, 2015 by Art Pedroza Posted in Miguel Pulido, Orange County, Politics, Santa Ana, Vince Sarmiento, Water 3 Comments

Vince Sarmiento’s Estate. Picture Courtesy of Google Maps.

In these times of drought we are all trying to cut back on water usage. But a recent expose by the Orange County Register revealed that a number of Orange County’s local politicians are actually wasting more water now than ever before.

Santa Ana Mayor Pro Tem Vince Sarmiento was one of the politicians highlighted in the article. He said that “he plans to abandon his expansive front lawn and switch to drought-tolerant landscaping and synthetic turf.”

Sarmiento has used more water each year for the past five years, starting at 556,000 gallons in 2010 and jumping to nearly a million gallons last year. He blamed a family of five that is now renting a carriage house on his property, which is about three-quarters of an acre. Continue reading→

The effort to recall Judge Marc Kelly is now underway

Posted on May 3, 2015 by Art Pedroza Posted in Courts, Crime, Orange County, Politics, Santa Ana Leave a comment

OFFICIAL RECALL EFFORT TO REMOVE JUDGE KELLY IS NOW UNDERWAY!

By: Sara Flores

May 2, 2015 — I am pleased to inform you that a formal recall effort to remove Judge Marc Kelly from the bench has OFFICIALLY begun as of today, May 1st, 2015.

Today, Bryan Scott, Chairman of the Committee to remove Judge Kelly and creator of the Facebook page “Remove M. Marc Kelly From the Bench,” announced that Judge Kelly has been officially served with a recall notice.

The OCRegister reports that Judge Kelly is accused of making “unacceptable and unilateral reductions of criminal sentences or punishments of criminals convicted of heinous sex crimes committed against a minor or child,” according to the notice served to him. Continue reading→

Woman who was targeted by the IRS to speak about it in Santa Ana on May 12

Posted on May 3, 2015 by Art Pedroza Posted in Entertainment, Federal Government, Politics, Santa Ana, Taxes, Tea Party Leave a comment

Have you ever wondered what it might be like to be targeted by the IRS? You can hear about it first hand when Dr. Karen Kenney comes to speak to the Santa Ana Tea Party Patriots on May 12, 2015, from 5:30 pm to 8:15 pm, at the Green Parrot Villa, located at 2035 N. Main Street Santa Ana, CA, across from the the Bowers Museum. (Note that there is a large free public parking lot north of the Green Parrot Villa, on the east side of Main Street, just south of the 5 Freeway.)

There will be a Social Hour from 5:30-6:30 pm (No host drinks, appetizers, meal) with the program running from 6:30-8:15 pm.

Dr. Kenney knows government intimidation up close and personal. Like so many Tea Party groups, her San Fernando Valley Patriots was targeted by President Barack Obama’s IRS when she applied for tax-exempt status. Continue reading→

OC Board of Supervisors pass resolution demanding Judge Kelly’s resignation

Posted on April 22, 2015 by Art Pedroza Posted in Courts, Crime, Judge Marc Kelly, Lawyers, Orange County, Politics, Santa Ana Leave a comment

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Wednesday, April 22, 2015

Contact: Kelsey Eiben 714.676.8879 or 213. 814.2474

OC Board of Supervisors Give Judge Marc Kelly Vote of “No Confidence” & Repudiate His Leniency with a Rapist

All 5 Supervisors Officially Demand Judge Kelly’s Resignation

(Irvine, CA)- Tuesday, the Orange County Board of Supervisors unanimously approved in a 5-0 vote, a resolution that rebuked Orange County Superior Court Judge M. Marc Kelly reducing the mandatory minimum sentencing for the sodomy rape of a 3-year old girl on April 3, 2015. The sharply worded resolution highlights the Board’s undisputed admonition of Judge Kelly’s sentencing decision and the dangerous precedent it sets throughout Orange County’s criminal justice system.

“There should be no leniency for child rapists, especially those who sodomize a 3-year old girl. Obviously, Judge Kelly disagrees. Its only a matter of time before Judge Kelly will face the voters in a recall, so he might as well resign immediately,” said Bryan Scott, Founder of the Recall Judge Kelly committee. Continue reading→

The OCTA seeks applicants for the Measure M Taxpayer Oversight Committee

Posted on April 17, 2015 by Art Pedroza Posted in OCTA, Orange County, Politics, Taxes, Transportation 2 Comments

OCTA Seeks Applicants For Measure M Taxpayer Oversight Committee

By: Supervisor Lisa Bartlett

The Orange County Transportation Authority (OCTA) is seeking qualified volunteers to serve on the Measure M Taxpayer Oversight Committee (TOC).

The eleven-member committee monitors OCTA’s use of Measure M funds and ensures that all revenue collected from both Measure M1 (M1) and the Renewed Measure M2 (M2) is spent on voter-approved transportation projects. The independent committee was formed after the passage in 1990 of Measure M, a half-cent sales tax to fund transportation improvements in Orange County. Continue reading→

The OCDA’s decision to clear Pulido of any wrongdoing is a sound one

Posted on April 15, 2015 by Art Pedroza Posted in Civic Affairs, Miguel Pulido, OCDA, Politics, Santa Ana 22 Comments

Orange County District Attorney Tony Rackauckas will be clearing Santa Ana Mayor Miguel Pulido of any criminal wrongdoing related to a property swap between the mayor and a city contractor, according to sources with knowledge of the decision, according to the Voice of OC.

Of course the Voice of OC does not explain why Pulido won’t be charged. Instead they used their latest article to attack our Mayor yet again.

I spoke to Mayor Pulido yesterday. He said that the OCDA twice had the parking lot that his father traded for a home in Westminster assessed. It turned out that the parking lot, located in Downtown Santa Ana next to a Napa Auto Parts store that was desperate for more space, is worth more than the house that the Pulido family received in return for the lot. Continue reading→

OC Tea Party to host a Tax Day protest in Santa Ana

Posted on April 14, 2015 by Art Pedroza Posted in Entertainment, Orange County, Politics, Santa Ana, Taxes, Tea Party 2 Comments

The Orange County Tea Party is hosting an OC Tax Day Sidewalk Rally on April 15, 2015, from 2 – 3 pm, at the Santa Ana Civic Center, located at Flower and West Civic Center Drive., in Santa Ana. Parking available at the Santa Ana Public Library.

In The Spirit of The Original Tea Party against unreasonable and oppressive taxation, we the people Tea Party on Tax Day Wed, April 15, 2015! Bring your American / Tea Party flags, signs and banners! The theme for signs and banners: STOP OVERTAXING CALIFORNIA!

ENTERTAINMENT: Ian Mitchell of the Bay City Rollers!

SPEAKERS: Continue reading→

The OCDA is investigating where O.C. Supervisor Andrew Do resides

Posted on April 13, 2015 by Art Pedroza Posted in Crime, Garden Grove, OCDA, Orange County, Politics, Republican Party, Santa Ana Leave a comment

It did not take long for Orange County Supervisor Andrew Do to land in hot water. In a March 24 email, Assistant District Attorney Ebrahim Baytieh, who heads the DA’s Court and Special Prosecutions Unit, confirmed that investigations based on allegations that Do has skirted residency laws are “still proceeding,” according to the Voice of OC.

Do does not have to reveal his voter registration address, as a former employee of the O.C. District Attorney’s office. However now that he is an elected Supervisor he does have to file conflict of interest disclosures, wherein he notes that he resides at on Irene Way in Westminster. Continue reading→

Scumbag criminal defense lawyers stand up for pedo-loving Judge Marc Kelly

Posted on April 12, 2015 by Art Pedroza Posted in Crime, Orange County, Politics, Santa Ana Leave a comment

As expected Orange County’s criminal defense lawyers are defending the pedo-loving Judge Marc Kelly, who came under fire recently after he reduced a possible 25 years to life sentence to only 10 years, for Santa Ana resident Kevin Jonas Rojano-Nieto, who sodomized a 3-year old little girl, who turned out to be his stepsister.

The OC Weekly published the official response to the public demand, led by three Orange County Supervisors (Todd Spitzer, Shawn Nelson and Lisa Bartlett), that Kelly resign, from the Orange County Defense Bar Association: Continue reading→

Three O.C. Supervisors to call for the resignation of Judge Marc Kelly, on Thursday

Posted on April 8, 2015 by Art Pedroza Posted in Courts, Crime, Entertainment, Lawyers, Politics, Santa Ana 6 Comments

Judge Marc Kelly

MEDIA ADVISORY

Wednesday, April 8, 2105

Contact: Kelsey Eiben 714-676-8879

Grassroots Organizer Bryan Scott and Top Orange County Elected Officials to call for Resignation of Judge Kelly

Announcing Major Support To Recall Orange County Judge M. Marc Kelly

(Santa Ana, CA)-Bryan Scott and several Orange County Supervisors, including Chairman Todd Spitzer, Vice-Chair Lisa Bartlett, and Shawn Nelson, will be holding a press conference tomorrow Thursday, April 9, 2015 at 1PM to call for the resignation of Orange County Superior Court Judge M. Marc Kelly who minimized the sentencing of Kevin Jonas Rojano-Nieto after he had been convicted of raping a 3-year old girl, and call for his resignation.

WHO: Continue reading→

Gov. Brown directs the first ever Statewide mandatory water reductions

Posted on April 1, 2015 by Art Pedroza Posted in california, Democratic Party, Jerry Brown, Politics, Water Leave a comment

4-1-2015

GOVERNOR BROWN DIRECTS FIRST EVER STATEWIDE MANDATORY WATER REDUCTIONS

SACRAMENTO – Following the lowest snowpack ever recorded and with no end to the drought in sight, Governor Edmund G. Brown Jr. today announced actions that will save water, increase enforcement to prevent wasteful water use, streamline the state’s drought response and invest in new technologies that will make California more drought resilient.

“Today we are standing on dry grass where there should be five feet of snow. This historic drought demands unprecedented action,” said Governor Brown. “Therefore, I’m issuing an executive order mandating substantial water reductions across our state. As Californians, we must pull together and save water in every way possible.” Continue reading→

The rise and fall of Latino political power in Central Orange County

Posted on April 1, 2015 by Art Pedroza Posted in 2014 Elections, 2015 Elections, Andrew Do, Asians, Democratic Party, Janet Nguyen, Jose Solorio, Latinos, Little Saigon, Loretta Sanchez, Lou Correa, Orange County, Politics, Republican Party, Santa Ana 4 Comments

A Los Angeles Times analysis of election results shows how Republicans can still win because Asian American voter turnout is so much higher than Latino turnout. The outcome, of an analysis of the recent Special Election in the 34th State Senate District, found that in the core of Santa Ana, where voting heavily favored Correa, only 22% of the absentee voters got around to returning their ballots, far below the state and county’s 50% return rate for absentee ballots in the 2014 general election. The unreturned ballots represented tens of thousands of votes.

The bad news for the Orange County Democrats is that Orange County’s famed blue donut hole, in Central Orange County, is now mostly red. The only Democratic Legislators left are U.S. Rep. Loretta Sanchez and State Assemblyman Tom Daly. Continue reading→

Is the Orange County Vector Control District poisoning our local honey bees?

Posted on March 30, 2015 by Art Pedroza Posted in Insects, Orange County, Orange County Vector Control District, Politics, Santa Ana 4 Comments

Did the reliably lame Orange County Vector Control District screw up and poison our local honey bees?

One of our readers, David Marder, is a beekeeper, and he runs a bee control company here in Orange County, called Bee Busters. In fact he is the one who took care of the Africanized honey bees that killed three dogs in Santa Ana lost week.

Marder and his colleagues started noticing earlier in this month (with a huge spike right around the weekend of the 7-8th of March) unusual numbers of people calling about swarms and colonies of bees which upon their arrival they found to be dying from apparent pesticide exposure. So they immediately called the offices of the Orange County Vector Control District, because they seemed like the most plausible cause of bee deaths all over the county. Continue reading→

So Cal Gas helps launch the new 2-1-1 info service for Veterans and their families

Posted on March 29, 2015 by Art Pedroza Posted in Military, Orange County, Politics, Santa Ana, Veterans Leave a comment

Chairman Todd Spitzer, 2-1-1 Chair Alan Roeder, OC Veterans Advisory Council Chairman Bobby McDonald, SoCalGas Public Affairs Manager Paul Simonds and Supervisor Lisa Bartlett

Orange County Works with SoCalGas and 2-1-1 to Launch Internet Site to Help Veterans and their Families Gain Greater Access to Services

By: OC Supervisor Todd Spitzer

Southern California Gas Co. (SoCalGas) has supplied a $30,000 grant to help 2-1-1 Orange County develop and launch an internet site that will help Orange County veterans and their families gain greater access to services, it was announced this week at the Orange County Supervisors meeting.

The new portal is connected to 2-1-1 Orange County’s extensive database of regional services that include housing, legal assistance, counseling, child care and other services. The portal will serve as a central location for the most current information and relevant services for veterans and their families. 2-1-1 Orange County is also working with the Orange County Veterans and Military Families Collaborative to make sure that area agencies are trained to work specifically with service men and women as they transition back from deployment. Continue reading→

What Supervisor Do is paying Probolsky over $60 an hour to do will shock you

Posted on March 27, 2015 by Art Pedroza Posted in Andrew Do, Brian Probolsky, Fountain Valley, Orange County, Politics, Santa Ana 7 Comments

Orange County First District Supervisor Andrew Do immediately disappointed us when he hired his Chief of Staff – the odious and overpaid Brian Probolsky. Probolsky is being paid over $60 an hour – and now we know what we, the taxpayers, are getting for our money.

Do recently dispatched Probolsky to the “Annual Kids’ Fishing Derby,” at the North Lake of Mile Square Regional Park in Fountain Valley. OC Parks hosted the event with the California Department of Fish and Game and United Anglers of Southern California. Continue reading→