Santa Ana's top news & views blog

Santa Ana's top news & views blog

Category Archives: Politics

The Santa Ana City Council majority confirms that they are still trying to illegally extend their term limits

Posted on by Posted in Ballot Measures, Politics, Santa Ana Leave a comment

City of Santa Ana

Community: Update on Santa Ana Special Municipal Elections for June 5, 2018

On March 1, 2018, an Ad Hoc Committee of the City Council met to discuss Ward Boundaries and Ward Based Elections, otherwise known as by-district elections. The Ad Hoc Committee recommended that staff prepare the required resolutions for placing a Charter Amendment on the June 5, 2018 Statewide Primary Election for consideration by the City Council at the next regularly scheduled City Council Meeting of March 6, 2018. Continue reading→

The Santa Ana City Council’s latest attempt to extend their term limits got punked again

Posted on by Posted in 2018 elections, Ballot Measures, Civic Affairs, David Benavides, Jose Solorio, Miguel Pulido, Politics, Sal Tinajero, Santa Ana, Vince Sarmiento Leave a comment

The Santa Ana City Council Majority

The Santa Ana City Council Majority – which now includes Council Members David Benavides, Jose Solorio, Vince Sarmiento and Sal Tinajero, tried once again yesterday to illegally extend their term limits by trying to place a last-minute district election measure on the June ballot.

They were previously punked by Santa Ana Mayor Miguel Pulido when he refused to sign off on their vote to place the measure on the June ballot. A judge recently forced Pulido to finally sign those papers but the June election ballot submission deadline had already expired.  Continue reading→

The SAUSD is going to waste our money again on yet another bond measure

Posted on by Posted in 2018 elections, Bond Measures, Education, Politics, Santa Ana, SAUSD 4 Comments

Are you ready to give SAUSD more of your hard-earned money?

The Santa Ana Unified School District is currently working on a $497 million dollar Bond Measure to be put on the upcoming November ballot. If passed, the Bond Measure will increase our property taxes and cost close to ONE BILLION DOLLARS to pay off with interest!

Why do they need this Bond Measure? Continue reading→

An early look at this November’s Santa Ana City Council candidates

Posted on by Posted in 2018 elections, Civic Affairs, David Benavides, David Penaloza, Irma Macias, Laura Kanter, Michele Martinez, Miguel Pulido, Mirna Velasquez, Phil Bacerra, Politics, Sal Tinajero, Sandra Pena, Santa Ana 2 Comments

It looks like the Santa Ana City Council majority will not be able to put a district election measure on the June ballot after all. A judge ruled today that Mayor Miguel Pulido should have signed their paperwork submitting the district election measure to the O.C. Voter Registrar. But it is too late for that measure to make it to the June ballot, according to the O.C. Register.

What this means is that Council Members Michele Martinez, David Benavides and Sal Tinajero are going to term out this November. They will have to be replaced in the November election.

Here are the Santa Ana City Council candidates that I am aware of at the moment: Continue reading→

The Santa Ana City Council voted to consider suing the County regarding the homeless problem

Posted on by Posted in Civic Affairs, homeless, Orange County, Politics, Santa Ana Leave a comment

City of Santa Ana

Community: Santa Ana to Evaluate Legal Options to Address Countywide Homeless Inaction

City Council Strikes Back for Shared Responsibility

SANTA ANA, CA – The Santa Ana City Council voted unanimously (6-0-1) to seek legal options for the City to motivate the entire Orange County community to take action on homelessness. The City Attorney is to return back to the Council on Tuesday, April 3rd with legal options to sue the County of Orange to force additional action to spread the responsibility of homeless solutions across the county. The action comes in response to the County Board of Supervisors’ March 27 vote to rescind a prior decision to create three temporary homeless shelters throughout Orange County. Continue reading→

The Santa Ana City Council to discuss the homeless crisis at a special meeting on Friday

Posted on by Posted in Civic Affairs, homeless, Politics, Santa Ana Leave a comment

The Santa Ana City Council is conducting a special City Council meeting this Friday, March 30, 2018, at 9 a.m., at their Council chambers, located at 22 Civic Center Plaza.

The first half of this meeting is a closed session during which time the City Council will talk about their plans to illegally place a ballot measure on the June Primary ballot so they can extend their term limits.

The second half of the meeting gets more interesting. They are going to allow the public to comment as the City Council considers what they are calling a Short Term Homeless Plan. Continue reading→

The OC Board of Supervisors voted today to oppose California’s Sanctuary State law

Posted on by Posted in california, Civic Affairs, Crime, immigration, Orange County, Politics, Santa Ana 1 Comment

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: March 27, 2018

Contact: Denis Bilodeau, 714-749-6386

Orange County Supervisors votes to join the Department of Justice litigation against California State Law Senate Bill 54 “California Values Act”

SANTA ANA, CA— Today on a vote of 4-0, the Board of Supervisors authorized and directed County Counsel to intervene in the pending case United States v. California, Case #18-264 on behalf of the County of Orange. The Department of Justice’s lawsuit seeks to restore the federal government’s Constitutional authority and sole jurisdiction over immigration issues and end the existing conflict that local law enforcement encounters with state law. The County of Orange seeks to join this lawsuit. Continue reading→

The OC Board of Supervisors decided not to move the homeless out of Santa Ana

Posted on by Posted in Civic Affairs, Crime, homeless, Orange County, Politics, Santa Ana Leave a comment

City of Santa Ana

Community: Homeless Solution Can Kicked Further Down the Road. Santa Ana Calls For Countywide Action on Homelessness

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: MARCH 27, 2018

Media Contact: Jorge Garcia, Assistant to the City Manager, (714) 586-6321

SANTA ANA, CA – Today, the Orange County Board of Supervisors reversed last week’s vote to designate three additional sites throughout Orange County as potential temporary homeless shelters. The action creates further delays in addressing a growing homelessness problem that the entire County is facing. The Board plans to revisit the matter in early April. Continue reading→

Santa Ana residents urged to speak at tomorrow’s Board of Supervisor meeting regarding the homeless

Posted on by Posted in Civic Affairs, homeless, Michele Martinez, Orange County, Politics, Santa Ana Leave a comment

Urgent Call to Action: Santa Ana we need to stand up and say no more…. Enough is enough!

By: Santa Ana Mayor Pro Tem Michele Martinez

Santa Ana has provided the largest share of assistance by any city in the county.

The Civic Center is the living room of Orange County but unfortunately, it has become ground zero for the homeless population. This regional crisis is impacting the quality of life for all residents, employees and visitors of Santa Ana.

I want to encourage all Santa Ana residents to attend the Board of Supervisors meeting this coming Tuesday, March 27, 2018, at 9am and ask the board to adopt a comprehensive homeless policy that states, “The County supports the equitable distribution of facilities and services throughout the Region, so that no one jurisdiction or community is impacted by providing more than its fair share of facilities and services”. Continue reading→

Santa Ana College will host an O.C.D.A. candidates forum on March 21

Posted on by Posted in Brett Murdock, Crime, Lawyers, Lenore Albert-Sheridan, OCDA, Orange County, Politics, Santa Ana, Todd Spitzer, Tony Rackauckas 2 Comments

An OC District Attorney Candidates Forum will be hosted at Phillips Hall Theatre at Santa Ana College on Wednesday, March 21 from 6 p.m. – 8 p.m. Phillips Hall Theatre is located at 1530 W 17th St., in Santa Ana.

OCDA Candidates who will be at this forum include O.C. Supervisor Todd Spitzer, OCDA Tony Rackauckas, Lenore Albert-Sheridan and Brett Murdock. Continue reading→

The Santa Ana City Council majority will try again on Monday to illegally extend their term limits

Posted on by Posted in 2018 elections, Civic Affairs, David Benavides, Elections, Jose Solorio, Miguel Pulido, Politics, Sal Tinajero, Santa Ana, Vince Sarmiento 1 Comment

The Santa Ana City Council majority – David Benavides, Vince Sarmiento, Sal Tinajero and Jose Solorio

The four clowns on the current Santa Ana City Council majority are going to try again to illegally place a district election measure on the June Primary Election ballot this Monday, at a last minute special City Council meeting set at 1:30 p.m.

The agenda for this meeting notes that this will be a conference with legal counsel regarding a threat or anticipated/potential litigation. Well that is true as the City Council majority got caught violating the Brown Act last week as they secretly texted each other to discuss the special meeting that was supposed to be held on Friday. Continue reading→

The S.A. City Council majority got caught trying to illegally place a district election measure on the June ballot

Posted on by Posted in 2018 elections, Civic Affairs, David Benavides, Elections, Jose Solorio, Juan Villegas, Michele Martinez, Miguel Pulido, Orange County, Politics, Sal Tinajero, Santa Ana, Vince Sarmiento 1 Comment

The Santa Ana City Council majority proved once again this week that they are a bunch of clowns as their efforts to illegally place a district specific elections measure on the June primary election ballot failed miserably, according to the Voice of OC.

The City Council majority, which included Vince Sarmiento, Sal Tinajero, David Benavides and their new pal Jose Solorio, voted on Tuesday, this week, to place this measure on the June ballot. But they once again underestimated Mayor Miguel Pulido, who proceeded to punk them in royal fashion. Continue reading→

OC Democrats who don’t live in Santa Ana want to bring the needle exchange back to DTSA

Posted on by Posted in Crime, Drugs, Politics, Sal Tinajero, Santa Ana 1 Comment

Should Santa Ana allow the Needle Exchange to operate again in the Civic Center?

Once again, people who do not live in Santa Ana are trying to tell our city what to do. After operating in the Civic Center for 2 years, the Orange County Needle Exchange Program (OCNEP) was denied a permit to continue giving out free needles in the Civic Center every Saturday. In January, the city decided that finding needles in our Civic Center, library, parks, and neighborhoods was a public safety issue, and could no longer allow the program to put resident’s and city worker’s safety at risk. Continue reading→

Candidates may sign up now for the 2018 O.C. Election Academy workshop

Posted on by Posted in 2018 elections, Orange County, Politics, Santa Ana Leave a comment

City of Santa Ana, Downtown Orange County

Community: Orange County Elections Invites Applications for Upcoming Election Academy

In 2010 the Registrar of Voters launched the Orange County Election Academy, an academic program designed to teach participants about elections in Orange County, California. This award winning, one-of-a-kind elections education program, is open to the public at no cost. The comprehensive curriculum is particularly beneficial to those individuals interested in voting, running for office, and the elections process in general.

The Registrar of Voters is currently accepting applications for the 2018 session, which is scheduled to begin on Wednesday, March 28, 2018. The program will be conducted at the Registrar of Voters, 1300 South Grand Avenue, Santa Ana. The curriculum will encompass all election management functions including candidate filing, campaign finance, ballot creation, election security, communications and more. Continue reading→

Retired white man wants to represent Santa Ana in the CA State Senate

Posted on by Posted in 2018 elections, Democratic Party, Politics, Santa Ana, Tom Umberg 10 Comments

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: February 21, 2018

RETIRED U.S. ARMY COLONEL & FORMER FEDERAL PROSECUTOR TOM UMBERG ANNOUNCES CANDIDACY FOR STATE SENATE

Also Announces Endorsements From U.S. Congressman Lou Correa, State Assemblyman Tom Daly, Santa Ana Mayor Miguel Pulido, State Senator Betty Karnette (Ret.), and former Long Beach Mayor Robert Foster

SANTA ANA – U.S. Army Colonel (Ret.) & former Federal Prosecutor and State Assemblyman Tom Umberg announced today that he is running for State Senate to represent California’s 34th Senate District.

“I am running for State Senate because I believe that our community needs a strong fighter in Sacramento who will stand up to President Trump and his Administration on important issues like health care, immigration, energy, the environment, civil rights, education, and consumer issues,” said Umberg who previously represented the cities of Anaheim, Garden Grove, Santa Ana, and Westminster during three terms in the California State Assembly. Continue reading→