Santa Ana's top news & views blog

Santa Ana's top news & views blog

Category Archives: Politics

Occupy Irvine begins today, Oct. 15, at 10 am

Posted on by Posted in Arts and Culture, Civil Rights, Entertainment, Free Speech, irvine, music, Occupy Orange County, Orange County, Poetry, Politics, Santa Ana 4 Comments

Occupy Irvinebegins today, October 15, at 10 am, at Irvine’s City Hall, located at 1 Civic Center Plaza, in Irvine, at Harvard and Alton.  Initial speakers will include both UCI professors & disenfranchised citizens.  Protesters are being urged not to bring any aerosol spray paint or weapons.

According to the OC Weekly, Oct. 15 has been referred to as a Global Day of Revolution by groups around the country protesting the stranglehold corporations wield over the government.

Occupy Irvine won’t be limited to Irvine residents (most of whom are more interested in occupying BMWs and Audis).  A contingent of artists, poets and musicians from Santa Ana will be traveling to Irvine to participate in an Open Mic forum led by Santa Ana’s own Theo Hirsch. Continue reading→

Protesters now planning on occupying Santa Ana, Irvine and Orange

Posted on by Posted in Banking, Entertainment, irvine, Orange, Orange County, Politics, Santa Ana 8 Comments

Support Occupy Orange County CA is going to occupy Orange on Saturday, Oct. 8, beginning at 12:00 noon and ongoing through the afternoon.

They ask that you wear comfortable shoes and if you want to bring a sign, keep them tasteful.  They have four signs of their first official flyer for protesters to use and 400 flyers to pass out. Continue reading→

Rep. Sanchez supports extending Trade Adjustment Assistance

Posted on by Posted in Democratic Party, Federal Government, Jobs, Labor, Loretta Sanchez, Politics, Santa Ana 2 Comments

Congresswoman Loretta Sanchez, Representing California’s 47th Congressional District

PRESS RELEASE, FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: October 13, 2011

MEDIA CONTACT: Adrienne Watson 202-309-0825

REP. SANCHEZ SUPPORTS REAUTHORIZING TRADE ADJUSTMENT ASSISTANCE

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Congresswoman Loretta Sanchez (CA-47) last night voted in favor of an extension of the Trade Adjustment Assistance (TAA) Act. The TAA program provides retraining opportunities to American workers laid off as a result of foreign trade. Rep. Sanchez joined a strong bipartisan majority to pass the extension, which will extend the TAA through December 2013. Continue reading→

Santa Ana’s other Assembly race features Harper versus Diep

Posted on by Posted in 2012 Elections, Democratic Party, Fountain Valley, Huntington Beach, Orange County, Politics, Republican Party, Santa Ana, Vietnamese, Westminster 11 Comments

Most Santa Ana residents live in the 69th Assembly District, but a few, on the west side, live in the newly created 72nd Assembly District.  This new district includes the following cities: Westminster, Fountain Valley, Garden Grove, Los Alamitos, Seal Beach, a portion of Huntington Beach, a portion of Santa Ana, and the unincorporated county island of Midway City.

Yes – this district includes quite a bit of Little Saigon – and it also encompasses Vietnamese communities in Fountain Valley, Santa Ana and other parts of the district. Continue reading→

Will Hugh Nguyen challenge Tom Daly for the 69th A.D.?

Posted on by Posted in 2012 Elections, Jose Solorio, Orange County, Politics, Republican Party, Santa Ana 8 Comments

The OC GOP finally has a chance to pick up the 69th Assembly District – but they surely won’t be able to do that behind uber-conservative Robert Hammond, who already lost to incumbent Jose Solorio in 2010.  So why else might they run?

One name I keep hearing is that of O.C. Assistant Clerk to the Board of Supervisors Hugh Nguyen, a thirty year resident of Santa Ana.

Nguyen previously ran against Tom Daly for the office of O.C. Clerk-Recorder, last year.  Nguyen got over 97,000 votes in that contest, according to Smart Voter.  Daly won that race, but he is now looking to abandon that office to run for Solorio’s seat in the 69th Assembly District.   Continue reading→

Who is Tom Daly?

Posted on by Posted in 2012 Elections, Anaheim, Democratic Party, Elections, Jose Solorio, Julio Perez, Michele Martinez, Orange County, Politics, Santa Ana, Shawn Nelson, Tom Daly 3 Comments

I first asked the question, “Who is Tom Daly,” back in March of 2009, on the Orange Juice blog.  Now that Daly is running for the 69th Assembly District, where Jose Solorio is terming out next year, it is time once again to ponder just who this political hack is.

As you may recall, Daly ran to replace Chris Norby on the O.C. Board of Supervisors back in 2009.  But then he got cold feet and pulled out – but only after he held a couple of fundraisers and padded his campaign account.

What do we really know about Daly in the first place?  I tried looking him up online and found little information.  But here is what I did find: Continue reading→

New blog rips Tom Daly, candidate for the 69th A.D.

Posted on by Posted in 2012 Elections, Anaheim, Blogs, Democratic Party, Jose Solorio, Julio Perez, Politics, Santa Ana, Tom Daly 12 Comments

Tom Daly, the money-wasting O.C. Clerk-Recorder and Anaheim resident, who is, inexplicably, running for the 69th Assembly District, is getting hammered by a new website called “the Trouble with Tom.”

Current posts include: Continue reading→

Occupy the DPOC Truman Dinner, which will feature Gov. Jerry Brown

Posted on by Posted in california, Democratic Party, Entertainment, Governor Jerry Brown, irvine, Lou Correa, Marijuana, Orange County, Politics 10 Comments

UPDATE: The Occupy protesters are going to show up at this event!  The dinner is sold out.  It should be quite a ruckus.

“California Governor Jerry Brown has vetoed SB 847, a bill by Senator Lou Correa (D-Santa Ana) that would have required medical cannabis cooperatives and collectives be located at least 600 feet from residential zones,” according to 420 Times.

The bill was SB 847, by state Sen. Lou Correa (D-Santa Ana), who said he wanted to allow cities to chose their own regulations and to protect children living near such facilities from second-hand smoke, according to the L.A. Times.

In vetoing Correa’s bill that would have unnecessarily restricted medical marijuana clinics, Brown wrote “Decisions of this kind are best made in cities and counties, not the state Capitol,” according to columnist Steven Greenhut, in the North County Times. Continue reading→

Martinez for Assembly campaign fundraiser on Oct. 13 at Karmina Restaurant

Posted on by Posted in Democratic Party, Entertainment, Jose Solorio, Latinos, Michele Martinez, Politics 6 Comments

Adolf Lopez, Edgar Sebastian Vazquez, Jesus Rodriguez, Sergio Buenrostro, Manauel Quintana, Abel Torres, Jose Antonio Meza, Hector Pineda, Raul Yanes, Humberto Murillo, Jesse Murillo, Art Rosiles, Manuel Las Vegas, Florencio Ramos, Felipe Sosa, Jose Zamora, Tony Tejeda, Comite Civico Mexicano, Tres Estrellas de Oro invite you to Celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month with Councilwoman Michele Martinez, Candidate for 69th Assembly District.

Thursday, October 13, 2011 @ 6:00 P.M. to 8:00 P.M., at Karmina Restaurant and Grill located at 515 N. Main Street, in Santa Ana.  (Arcade Restaurants Building and parking is in the back). Continue reading→

Could Tom Daly end up becoming the new Tom Umberg?

Posted on by Posted in 2012 Elections, Anaheim, Claudia Alvarez, Democratic Party, Elections, Janet Nguyen, Jose Solorio, Julio Perez, Latinos, Lou Correa, Michele Martinez, Miguel Pulido, Politics, Santa Ana 12 Comments

Will Tom Daly become the new Tom Umberg?  (And who knew these two had so much in common!)

Brea blogger Greg Diamond offered a breakdown of the electorate in the redistricted 69th Assembly District today, in a comment he posted here on NSA.  Here is his comment, followed by my own analysis:

Population of AD-69: 465,317.  Population of Santa Ana: 324,528.  So you might think so — but you’d probably be wrong.

Here are the results for the Santa Ana Mayor’s race in 2010: Continue reading→

Protesters to occupy Anaheim next, on Oct. 10

Posted on by Posted in Anaheim, Democratic Party, Entertainment, Labor, Politics, Santa Ana 9 Comments

The Occupy American movement is going to congregate in Anaheim, on Oct. 10, from 12 noon to 1 pm, at 101 S. Harbor Bl, to protest Chase and Bank of America.

It would appear that the unions are now involved in this, which comes as no surprise.  What is funny is that they are mad at the banks for charging debit card fees, but it was the Democrats in Congress who passed a bill that led to this.  Did they really think the banks would just eat their lost profit?  Would you? Continue reading→

Will Solorio endorse Daly for a job at the Clerk-Recorder’s office?

Posted on by Posted in 2012 Elections, Democratic Party, Elections, Jose Solorio, Michele Martinez, Orange County, Politics, Santa Ana 7 Comments

It looks like Orange County Clerk-Recorder Tom Daly will be holding a fundraiser on Oct. 19, at Original Mike’s in Santa Ana.  He is expected to announce his campaign for the 69th Assembly District at this event.

I am also hearing that Assemblyman Jose Solorio will be endorsing Daly at this event – even though he has also endorsed the leading candidate to replace him, Santa Ana Councilwoman Michele Martinez.

Why would Solorio undermine the value of his endorsement, such as it is, by endorsing two candidates?  Simple.  He is angling for a job. Continue reading→

Who will replace beleaguered Santa Ana Councilman Carlos Bustamante?

Posted on by Posted in Carlos Bustamante, David Benavides, Orange County, Politics, Santa Ana 25 Comments

UPDATE: Bustamante has resigned from his job at the County of Orange.  It is only a matter of time now before he is pressured off the Santa Ana City Council.  It is time to speculate as to who might replace him on the City Council when that happens…

I am hearing that beleaguered Republican Carlos Bustamante, who has been “put on paid administrative leave (from his job at the County of Orange) following anonymous allegations of a sexual nature,” according to ABC News, may dig in his heels and refuse to quit the Santa Ana City Council, which is meeting this Monday night.

Bustamante would be well-advised to leave the City Council.  He needs to focus on trying to save his job at the County, which pays him over $170,000 a year – and on saving his family.  He ought to just quit tomorrow before the City Council meeting, to save him what will surely be an embarrassing night. Continue reading→

Bustamante quits his County job – will he resign from the Council too?

Posted on by Posted in Carlos Bustamante, Orange County, Politics, Republican Party, Santa Ana 23 Comments

“County executive manager Carlos Bustamante, the target of an internal investigation into accusations that he had sexual encounters with his employees, resigned from his ($178,000) job Tuesday afternoon,” according to the O.C. Register.

The Register article hinted that others in Bustamante’s department might still be on the hot seat, which makes sense given California’s tough anti-harassment laws.  If it can be proven that Bustamante’s superiors covered up for his alleged behavior, or looked the other way, more heads will surely roll.

Will Bustamante resign from the Santa Ana City Council?  He must. Continue reading→

Councilwoman Martinez asks why not study outsourcing the SAPD?

Posted on by Posted in Business, california, Michele Martinez, Politics, Public Safety, Santa Ana 14 Comments

Santa Ana Council Member Michele Martinez did a very brave thing at tonight’s Santa Ana City Council meeting.  At the end of the meeting, during public comments, she spoke up and asked the question that has been on everyone’s minds – why isn’t the City of Santa Ana looking at outsourcing the Santa Ana Police Department?

The City of Santa Ana is looking at a minimum $30 million dollar annual deficit.  Of that, $25 million is paying for retirement funds for public employees.  And about half of the city’s general fund is spent on our police department! Continue reading→