New Santa Ana | Category Archives: SAUSD

City Council and the SAUSD to host event to remember CT victims today at 3 pm

Posted on December 17, 2012 by Art Pedroza Posted in Civic Affairs, Education, Entertainment, Public Safety, Santa Ana, SAUSD 2 Comments

City of Santa Ana, Downtown Orange County Community Alert:

SANTA ANA CITY COUNCIL AND SANTA ANA UNIFIED SCHOOL DISTRICT GATHER IN REMEMBERANCE OF THE VICTIMS AND FAMILIES OF NEWTOWN, CONN.

SANTA ANA, CA (December 17, 2012) – Please join the Santa Ana City Council and the Santa Ana Unified School District as they gather in memory of the victims and the families of the recent school shooting that occurred at an elementary school in Newtown, Connecticut this past Friday. The event will include a prayer, a moment of silence, and a discussion on the preventative measures that are in place to protect our schoolchildren. Officials representing the Santa Ana Unified School District and the City of Santa Ana will lead the discussion. Continue reading→

Jose Hernandez to serve as President of the SAUSD School Board

Posted on December 12, 2012 by Art Pedroza Posted in 2012 Elections, Cecilia Iglesias, Education, John Palacio, Jose Hernandez, Politics, Rob Richardson, Santa Ana, SAUSD 10 Comments

Re-elected and Newly elected Board Members Officially Installed

Mr. Rob Richardson and Mr. Jose Hernandez will serve another term on the Santa Ana Unified School District Board of Education after being re-elected by the voters of the Santa Ana community. They will be joined by newly elected Board Member, Ms. Cecilia Iglesias, and current Board Members, Dr. Audrey Yamagata-Noji and Mr. John Palacio. Mr. Richardson, Mr. Hernandez, and Mrs. Iglesias were installed during the December 11, 2012 meeting of the Board of Education. Continue reading→

SAPD seeks more victims of man who exposed himself by schools

Posted on December 8, 2012 by Art Pedroza Posted in Crime, Education, Public Safety, Santa Ana, SAUSD Leave a comment

Contact: Sgt. Manuel Chavez – Public Information Officer, Santa Ana Unified School District, City of Santa Ana, Office:714-558-5535, Cell:714-309-7674
Contact: Cpl. Anthony Bertagna -Public Information Officer Santa Ana Police Department, Office: 714-245-8029, Cell: 714-709-2043

Santa Ana Police Department Advisory: LAW ENFORCEMENT IS SEEKING THE PUBLIC’S HELP IDENTIFYING POTENTIAL ADDITIONAL VICTIMS OF A COSTA MESA MAN ARRESTED AND CHARGED FOR INDECENT EXPOSURE NEAR SCHOOLS

SANTA ANA – On Friday, December 7, 2012 at approximately 7:55 AM, a Santa Ana School Police Officer saw a vehicle matching the description of a vehicle wanted in connection with a series of indecent exposure incidents near schools. Continue reading→

O.C. High School of the Arts lock out lifted after shots fired in the area

Posted on November 30, 2012 by Art Pedroza Posted in Arts and Culture, Crime, Education, Public Safety, Santa Ana, SAUSD 4 Comments

Click here for an update on this story, from the L.A. Times.

Advisory: Orange County High School of the Arts on “Lock Out” for police activity in the area. Students and staff safe.

The Santa Ana Unified School District’s police department notified the community, via email that Tte “Lock Out” at Orange County High School of the Artswas lifted at 4:12 pm today. They also reported that the area is secure.

The School Police reported earlier today, at 3:46 pm, that: Continue reading→

“Lock out” at Carr Intermediate and Diamond Elementary School lifted

Posted on November 28, 2012 by Art Pedroza Posted in Education, Public Safety, Santa Ana, SAUSD 8 Comments

Santa Ana School Police Department Advisory

The “lock out” at Carr Intermediate and Diamond Elementary has been lifted. The investigation is ongoing by SAPD as the incident occurred off campus. School Police Officers will remain in the area and available to students and staff. Continue reading→

Free SAUSD Halftime Band Showcase set for 11/30 at Segerstrom H.S.

Posted on November 28, 2012 by Art Pedroza Posted in Arts and Culture, Education, Entertainment, music, Santa Ana, SAUSD Leave a comment

SAUSD Halftime Band Showcase

The annual SAUSD marching band and pep band showcase is scheduled for Friday, November 30, 2012 at 7:00 p.m. at Segerstrom High School, located at 2301 W. MacArthur Blvd., in Santa Ana.

This event features bands from Saddleback H.S., Santa Ana H.S., Valley H.S., Segerstrom H.S. and Godinez Fundamental H.S. Continue reading→

Blame John Lewis for the Democrats picking up an Assembly supermajority

Posted on November 25, 2012 by Art Pedroza Posted in 2012 Elections, Anaheim, Cecilia Iglesias, Fullerton, Jose Moreno, Miguel Pulido, Orange County, Politics, Republican Party, Rob Richardson, Santa Ana, SAUSD, Tom Daly, Transportation 13 Comments

Former State Senator John Lewis has such a hold on the Republican Party of Orange County that he was able to force the withdrawal of Robert Hammond, their candidate for the 69th Assembly District, so as to pave the way for his Democratic pal Tom Daly. And Lewis also ran the failed campaign of Chris Norby, for the 65th Assembly District. With the loss of Norby’s seat, and the 69th, the California Republican Party ceded a supermajority in the State Assembly to the California Democratic Party.

But Lewis is not the only one to blame. OC GOP Chairman Scott Baugh (a political consultant) and OC Supervisor Janet Nguyen were personally involved in pulling Hammond out of the race for the 69th. And neither of them helped Jose “Joe” Moreno, the Anaheim Republican who, at the last minute, filed for the 69th rather than concede the victory to Daly. Moreno was however undone by allegations that he violated an obscure Federal law – the Hatch Act. Moreno, an employee of the O.C. Health Agency, was accused of this by labor, even though he is a longtime union member. Continue reading→

Pulido is beating Benavides by a larger margin than he beat Amezcua in 2010

Posted on November 21, 2012 by Art Pedroza Posted in 2012 Elections, Alfredo Amezcua, Angelica Amezcua, Cecilia Iglesias, Charles Hart, Civic Affairs, Claudia Alvarez, David Benavides, Education, Elections, Eric Alderete, Estela Amezcua, George Collins, Lupe Moreno, Mark McLoughlin, Miguel Angel Briseno, Miguel Pulido, Myriam Tinajero, Politics, Rob Richardson, Santa Ana, SAUSD, Valerie Amezcua, Vince Sarmiento 7 Comments

Santa Ana Mayor Miguel Pulido is currently leading his closes challenger, Santa Ana Council Member David Benavides, by over 12,000 votes. Pulido has 27,068 votes, or 48.2% of the ballots versus 14,982 votes, or 26.7% of the ballots for Benavides. There were four other mayoral candidates this year, including George Collins, Roy Alvarado, Lupe Moreno and Miguel Angel Briseno.

Pulido beat Alfredo “Al” Amezcua two years ago, in 2010, by just under ten thousand votes. Pulido got 21,588 votes, or 49.5% of the ballots, in 2010, versus 11,689 votes, or 26.8% of the ballots, for Amezcua, according to Smart Voter. There were three other mayoral candidates in 2010 – Alvarado, Collins and Charles Hart. Continue reading→

David and Diamond Elementary students to participate in Thanksgiving incentives

Posted on November 14, 2012 by Art Pedroza Posted in Education, Gangs, Santa Ana, SAUSD 4 Comments

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contacts: David Valentin, Chief of School Police, 714-558-5829 and Deidra Powell, Chief Communications Officer, 714-558-5555

SAUSD’s Davis and Diamond Elementary School GRIP Program Celebrates Student Success in School and Staying Out of Gangs

At-Risk Students in GRIP Program Selected for Thanksgiving Holiday Incentives

SANTA ANA, CA — November 14, 2012 – Santa Ana Unified School District’s Davis and Diamond Elementary Schools will be two of multiple school sites in Orange County to host turkey dinner giveaways as part of the Orange County Gang Reduction Intervention Partnership (OC GRIP) Wednesday, November 14, 2012 at 4:00 p.m. Turkey dinners will be distributed to students who succeeded in a challenge to improve their attendance, behavior, and grades in time for Thanksgiving, while continuing their pledge not to get involved with gangs. Continue reading→

Palacio to blame for Amezcua’s loss in the SAUSD School Board race

Posted on November 11, 2012 by Editor Posted in 2012 Elections, Cecilia Aguinaga, Cecilia Iglesias, David Benavides, Education, Estela Amezcua, John Palacio, Myriam Tinajero, Politics, Republican Party, Rob Richardson, Roman Reyna, Sal Tinajero, Santa Ana, SAUSD, Term Limits, Vince Sarmiento 15 Comments

Valerie Amezcua

Regardless of whether or not you are a supporter of Valerie Amezcua, the daughter of failed Santa Ana mayoral candidate Alfredo Amezcua, you have to feel bad for her. She almost won a seat on the SAUSD School Board four years ago, barely losing to Roman Reyna, who vacated that seat this year and is now moving on to Ward 5 on the Santa Ana City Council.

Two years ago Amezcua had a chance to run again, and to build on her success in the 2008 election. But SAUSD Trustee John Palacio, who now considers himself to be a political consultant, got in the way. He prevented her from running out of fear that she might beat him. There were only two seats up in 2010, Palacio’s and that of his fellow incumbent, Audrey Noji. Palacio ended up keeping everyone out of that race, except for me. I was sickened to see that no Latinos were challenging Noji so I ran and lost by only 1,400 votes, with no campaign budget. Palacio ended up endorsing Noji. Continue reading→

Team Benavides stumbles as Pulido and Alvarez win

Posted on November 7, 2012 by Art Pedroza Posted in 2012 Elections, Angelica Amezcua, Claudia Alvarez, David Benavides, Elections, Estela Amezcua, John Palacio, Karina Onofre, Michele Martinez, Miguel Pulido, Myriam Tinajero, Politics, Rob Richardson, Roman Reyna, Santa Ana, SAUSD, Valerie Amezcua, Vince Sarmiento 12 Comments

The Team Benavides consultant, John Palacio, lost his tug of war with Mayor Pulido

What a night. To sum it up, Mayor Miguel Pulido won easily. Over in the RSCCD Area 5 race his longtime ally, Claudia Alvarez, also won.

What about Team Benavides? Well, David Benavides got beat, badly. So did Eric Alderete, in Ward 3, by an unknown candidate, Angelica Amezcua, who barely campaigned. And while Vince Sarmiento won in Ward 1, he did so barely over another unknown candidate, Estela Amezcua. The one guy in the Benavides cabal who won with a big margin was Roman Reyna, in Ward 5. Continue reading→

Santa Ana Election results – Pulido far ahead and Amezcua winning in Ward 3!

Posted on November 6, 2012 by Art Pedroza Posted in 2012 Elections, Alfredo Amezcua, Bond Measures, Brett Franklin, Cecilia Iglesias, Charles Hart, Civic Affairs, Claudia Alvarez, Dave Chapel, David Benavides, Democratic Party, Elections, Eric Alderete, Estela Amezcua, George Collins, Jose Hernandez, Mark McLoughlin, Measure GG, Miguel Pulido, Myriam Tinajero, Nelida Mendoza-Yanez, Politics, Rob Richardson, Roman Reyna, Santa Ana, SAUSD, Shane Barrows, Shane Ramon Barrows, Steve Rocco, Thomas Gordon, Tony Tapia, Vince Sarmiento 1 Comment

Two winners – Mayor Miguel Pulido and President Barack Obama

As expected, Santa Ana Mayor Miguel Pulido is winning handily tonight. The O.C. Voter Registrar has posted the early returns, which are absentee ballots. Here are some of the evening’s highlights:

Mayor Miguel Pulido has a whopping 7,454 votes – David Benavides only has 3,676 votes. George Collins is nipping at Benavides’ heels with 2,523 votes
In a shocker, the unknown schoolteacher Angelica Amezcua is leading in Ward 3, with 6,637 votes, while Santa Ana Planning Commissioner Eric Alderete has 5,097 votes and former Council Member Brett Franklin has 4,172 votes. It is early yet but if this trend continues then Franklin has a good shot as the Latino vote in Ward 3 is clearly split. There are however three candidates splitting up the white vote – Charles Hart, Shane Barrows and Steve Rocco. Continue reading→

Who will win in Santa Ana’s elections on Tuesday?

Posted on November 6, 2012 by Art Pedroza Posted in 2012 Elections, Bond Measures, Brett Franklin, Cecilia Iglesias, Civic Affairs, David Benavides, Elections, Eric Alderete, Estela Amezcua, Jerry Hayden, Jose Solorio, Karina Onofre, Loretta Sanchez, Mark McLoughlin, Measure GG, Miguel Pulido, Myriam Tinajero, Nelida Mendoza-Yanez, Orange County, Politics, Rob Richardson, Roman Reyna, Santa Ana, SAUSD, Tony Tapia, Travis Allen, Troy Edgar, Valerie Amezcua, Vince Sarmiento 2 Comments

Santa Ana Mayoral challenger David Benavides wasn’t on the ballot two years ago, as he had no opponent for his City Council seat. The last time he appeared on the ballot was six years ago, back when he still mentioned his wife and family on his fliers and websites.

So it was a daunting task for Benavides to ramp up his name I.D. this year in a few short weeks, having announced his mayoral campaign rather late in the game.

As such I think he is going to be toast on Tuesday, Nov. 6. But what about the other races? Who will win? Comment here with your picks, including estimated vote percentages and whoever gets the closest will win a free banner ad on our blog for one month, for the business or non-profit of their choice.

Here are my predictions: Continue reading→

The School Board candidates who will refuse health and retirement benefits

Posted on November 3, 2012 by Art Pedroza Posted in 2012 Elections, Education, Jose Hernandez, Orange, Orange County, SAUSD, Tony Tapia 5 Comments

Tony Tapia, speaking at a candidates forum

Dr. Mike Moodian, an educator and a candidate for the South Orange County Community College District, contacted every Orange County candidate for school board and community college board (119 total) and asked them to sign the 2012 Public Service Pledge. By signing the pledge, the candidate promises that he or she will refuse all health and retirement benefits if elected next week.

The following candidates signed the pledge: Continue reading→

Arturo Sandoval & Shelia E. headline benefit concert for the SAUSD

Posted on October 31, 2012 by Art Pedroza Posted in Charities, Churches and Religion, Education, Entertainment, music, Santa Ana, SAUSD Leave a comment

Sheila E

SAUSD Media Advisory: Arturo Sandoval & Shelia E. Headline Benefit Concert

Hope Alive! Keeping Music Alive in the Schools

Student Rehearsal – November 4, 2012, 2:00 p.m. – 6:00 p.m. at Santa Ana High School

When concerned citizens of an Orange County neighborhood church saw the impact significant budget cuts in the State of California would have on the music program at Willard Intermediate School in Santa Ana, they knew they could not sit idle. “We needed to let these youth know that they matter. We decided to create a first-rate benefit concert to help bridge the gap in funding,” said Reverend Chineta Goodjoin, pastor of the New Hope Presbyterian Church in Orange. Continue reading→