New Santa Ana | Category Archives: Sean Mill

The Little Sparrow Cafe gets their liquor license but can’t open past 12 am

Posted on October 8, 2012 by Art Pedroza Posted in Alcohol, Bars, Eric Alderete, Food, Restaurants, Santa Ana, Sean Mill 27 Comments

The new Little Sparrow Cafe asked their supporters to show up at tonight’s Santa Ana Planning Commission meeting and they did, about fifteen of them. One after another they got up to talk about how nothing was happening in Downtown Santa Ana until they showed up. Then Planning Commissioners Sean Mill and Eric Alderete set them straight – there are businesses today in the Downtown area that have been there for decades.

Mill went on to remind folks that these businesses, owned primarily by Latinos, were ripped off by the PBID – and that money was used to prop up all the newcomers. The Little Sparrow fans immediately erupted in hoots and hollers until Alderete had to shut them up. Continue reading→

Alderete’s fundraiser attracted many of Santa Ana’s political players

Posted on August 10, 2012 by Art Pedroza Posted in 2012 Elections, David Benavides, Democratic Party, Elections, Eric Alderete, Latino Leaders, Lou Correa, Mark McLoughlin, Michele Martinez, Nelida Mendoza-Yanez, Politics, Sal Tinajero, Santa Ana, Sean Mill, Vince Sarmiento 15 Comments

Santa Ana Ward 3 candidate Eric Alderete’s campaign held a fundraiser tonight at Chapter One: the Modern Local, in Downtown Santa Ana. There were at least 80 attendees including quite a few elected and appointed officials. These included:

State Senator Lou Correa
Santa Ana Council Members Sal Tinajero, Vince Sarmiento, Michele Martinez and David Benavides (who came to the event by himself)
Rancho Santiago Community College District Trustees Mark McLoughlin, Larry Labrado and John Hanna
Santa Ana Planning Commissioners Sean Mill, Sandy Nalle, Patrick Yrarrazaval and Mario Turner Continue reading→

Mayor Miguel Pulido should join those asking Bustamante to resign now

Posted on July 6, 2012 by Art Pedroza Posted in Carlos Bustamante, Civic Affairs, Miguel Pulido, Politics, Santa Ana, Sean Mill 22 Comments

Santa Ana Mayor Miguel Pulido has been silent thus far on the matter of whether or not Santa Ana Council Member Carlos Bustamante should resign from the City Council, now that he is facing a number of felony sex crime and public theft charges. My sources tell me though that he is standing by Bustamante.

Santa Ana Planning Commissioner Sean Mill sent an email to Pulido earlier today, asking him to join in the call for Bustamante’s resignation. You may also email Pulido at this link. Here’s Mill’s email message to Pulido: Continue reading→

Planning Commissioner Alderete to run for Bustamante’s City Council seat

Posted on July 6, 2012 by Editor Posted in Carlos Bustamante, Civic Affairs, David Benavides, Democratic Party, Eric Alderete, Jose Solorio, Lou Correa, Michele Martinez, Politics, Sal Tinajero, Santa Ana, Sean Mill, Vince Sarmiento 20 Comments

Santa Ana Planning Commissioner Eric Alderete has announced that he will campaign for Ward 3 on the Santa Ana City Council, which is currently held by Council Member Carlos Bustamante, who was arrested last week on a plethora of sex crime and public theft charges. Ward 3 opens up in November, although Bustamante could still run for reelection.

Alderete has already racked up a number of powerful endorsements including those of: Continue reading→

69th A.D. candidate Martinez gets bipartisan & Vietnamese support at event

Posted on February 23, 2012 by Art Pedroza Posted in 2012 Elections, Carlos Bustamante, David Benavides, Democratic Party, Elections, Jose Solorio, Little Saigon, Michele Martinez, Miguel Pulido, Republican Party, Santa Ana, Sean Mill, Vietnamese, Vince Sarmiento, Westminster 8 Comments

I expected a good turnout at Santa Ana Council Member Michele Martinez’ fundraising event tonight, which was hosted at the home of Council Member Vince Sarmiento and his wife Eva. And sure enough, the place was packed – but that was not the entire story.

For one thing, a lot of Republicans were there tonight, including past CRP Vice Chair Mario Rodriguez, who was a high-ranking official in Governor Schwarzenegger’s administration; Break Mayor Ron Garcia, who works with Martinez in NALEO (the National Association of Latino Elected Officials); MWD Trustee Brett Barbre; developer and consultant Steve Sheldon; and Santa Ana Council Member Carlos Bustamante. Continue reading→

Bar fight breaks out in Downtown Santa Ana

Posted on November 16, 2011 by Art Pedroza Posted in Bars, Civic Affairs, Development, Planning, Santa Ana, Sean Mill 43 Comments

The Santa Ana Planning Commission is considering new rules for Downtown Santa Ana bars – and several of the more controversial bar owners and other Downtown Santa Ana gadflyes showed up at this evening’s meeting to speak up in support of a proposed expansion sought by Proof Bar.

You may recall that Proof owner Joey Mendes got ripped by the OC Weekly a few months ago when he refused to allow a member of a band that was set to play at his bar to enter his establishment, because the poor guy was using a Matricular Consular card as I.D. Mendes was there tonight as well. Continue reading→

How and why I ended up helping Pulido to defeat Amezcua last year

Posted on August 7, 2011 by Editor Posted in 2010 Elections, Alfredo Amezcua, Carlos Bustamante, Claudia Alvarez, Dave Ream, David Benavides, Elections, Michele Martinez, Miguel Pulido, Politics, Sal Tinajero, Santa Ana, Sean Mill, Vince Sarmiento 10 Comments

Former Santa Ana City Manager Dave Ream was not a fan of the Orange Juice blog

I have taken a lot of heat over the past couple of years because I ended up supporting Santa Ana Mayor Miguel Pulido for Mayor last year – and I was retained by his consultant to design his campaign blog. This left a few of my friends scratching their heads.

I fought Pulido and his allies for over fifteen years – and flayed them onthe political blog I created, the Orange Juice. The Orange Juice blog changed Santa Ana politics. It broke down the barriers built up by now retired Santa Ana City Manager Dave Ream. We went after him and his allies with such a vengeance that they monitored our site all day long. Continue reading→

The SAPD’s top employees honored at their 24th Annual Awards Ceremony

Posted on May 27, 2011 by Art Pedroza Posted in Carlos Bustamante, Civic Affairs, Claudia Alvarez, Lou Correa, Public Safety, Santa Ana, Sean Mill, Vince Sarmiento 8 Comments

The Santa Ana Police Department held their 24th Annual Employee Recognition and Awards Ceremony last night, at the DoubleTree Hotel in Santa Ana.

Deputy Chief Carlos Rojas welcomed the attendees as he explained that “Tonight we are recognizing 52 (fifty-two) current and former employees for their exceptional contributions to public safety in Santa Ana during 2010.”

Rojas also thanked the SAPD’s community sponsors such as David Grant of South Coast Plaza Security, the Santa Ana Police Officers Association, Sheffield Limited/Aborn Powers Incorporated, Santa Ana Police Towing Association, Maybelle and Sebastian Paul Musco of Gemini Industries, S&A Property Management, Doubletree Hotel, Original Mike’s Restaurant, Senator Lou Correa, Western Medical Center, Macres Florist, and others who were mentioned in the event program.

Several local elected officials were there, including:

State Senator Lou Correa
Santa Ana Mayor Pro Tem Claudia Alvarez
Santa Ana Council Members Vince Sarmiento and Carlos Bustamante
SAUSD Board Members Rob Richardson and Jose Hernandez

Other VIPs included:

Former O.C. Supervisor Todd Spitzer
SAUSD Superintendent Jane Russo
SAUSD Deputy Superintendent Cathie Olsky
Santa Ana Planning Commissioner Sean Mill
Former Santa Ana City Manager Dave Ream
Santa Ana Public Works Director Raul Godinez II

Correa paid tribute to the officers who have fallen in the line of duty. He mentioned that the City of Santa Ana has had the biggest drop in crime in Orange County, according to the latest FBI Uniform Crime Report and he thanked the SAPD officers for that achievement. He also said that his four kids all go to local SAUSD schools and they all walk home after school and are always safe.

Alvarez was introduced by Rojas as “one of us” because of her work as an Orange County Assistant District Attorney. She stayed on stage, along with Sarmiento, to personally thank each officer who received an award. Bustamante left the event early.

The emcee was Michele Gile, a news anchor for both KCAL Channel 9 and CBS Channel 2.

To begin the awards ceremony, two former employees were recognized for their contributions to the department and the community.

First was Retired Commander John Gabelman. John served for many years as a member of the SWAT team eventually rising to the rank of SWAT Commander.Retired Commander Ed Demarco also received the Chief’s Award for his many years in Special Investigations.

The next award of the evening was the Department Commendation. Formerly known as the Class “A” Commendation, this award recognizes outstanding and exceptional work that is beyond the call of duty and which directly enhances the image and operation of the Police Department.

Department Commendations were awarded to:

Sergeant Richard Gatto – Ran the SAPD Narcotics Unit
Detective Corporal Oscar Lizardi – Caught a serial robber/rapist
Detective Edward Zaragoza – Caught a serial robber/rapist
Commander Mark Steen – Bishop Manor Task Force
Sergeant Carol Leiva – Bishop Manor Task Force
Detective Roland Andrade – Bishop Manor Task Force
Detective Jason Garcia – Bishop Manor Task Force
Detective Jorge Lopez – Bishop Manor Task Force

A Distinguished Service Medal was awarded to Officer David Jansen – he responded to a report of an armed robber and confronted and engaged one of the subjects.

Lifesaving Medals were presented to three officers who responded to a serious car accident and were able to rescue three of the four passengers, who survived the initial impact, as follows:

Officer Sommer Beatley
Officer Elizabeth Granados
Officer Cameron Price

The SAPD Mounted Unit was also honored. These officers include:

Sergant Jeff Smith
Sergeant Jose Gonzalez
Corporal Mike Watson
Officer Kanan Blake
Officer Isidro Galguera
Officer Don Kozakowski
Officer Ed Mendoza
Officer Bill Sweet
Officer Phil Ricaud

A Chief’s Award was presented to the SAPD Strike Force, or SWAT Team, which includes:

Sergeant Ken Witt
Corporal Oscar Lizardi
Corporal Gil Hernandez
Detective Jason Bruns
Detective Luis Galeana
Detective J. Gripentrog
Detective Ed Gutierrez
Detective Jorge Lopez
Detective D. Padilla
Detective Pete Picone
Detective J. Rodriguez

Chief’s Awards were also presented to:

School Police Commander David Valentin
Corporal Eric Demopoulos, Computer Crimes
Homeland Security, Sergeant Henry Esparza
Homeland Security, Jocelyn Tingley

Employees of the Year were also recognized, including:

Glenn Beach, Non-Sworn Supervisor of the Year
Sue Buckle, Records Specialist of the Year
Rosemary Lopez, Non-Sworn Employee of the Year
Carol Casey, Dispatcher of the Year
Mary Castillo, Correctional Supervisor of the Year
Pedro Jiron, Senior Correctional Officer of the Year
Michelle Montreal, Correctional Officer of the Year
Jessica Moreno, Correctional Records Employee of the Year
Troy Guidry, Sergeant of the Year
Mel Sarabia, Corporal of the Year
Dan Aguilar, Detective of the Year
Rene Cervantes, Traffic Officer of the Year
Robert Pendergraft, Reserve Officer of the Year
Jose Mendoza, Officer of the Year

It was a great event and many of the officers were accompanied by their families. Kudos to Chief Walters for taking the time to honor the fantastic officers in his department. (His wife even participated as her band, Cheap Date, provided the musical entertainment).

A blogger no more, call me Commissioner Mill

Posted on January 26, 2011 by Art Pedroza Posted in Blogs, Civic Affairs, Politics, Santa Ana, Sean Mill 28 Comments

There is almost nothing that I have enjoyed more than being a part of the local blogosphere over the last four years. As a member of the blog team here at New Santa Ana and before that at the Orange Juice and the Liberal OC I have truly enjoyed writing posts, sharing opinions and debating with our readers. I have come to realize that one of the things that I enjoy more than blogging is serving on the Santa Ana Planning Commission.

In September of 2009 I stepped down from the Planning Commission to join with Art Pedroza in creating this new venture we call “New Santa Ana”. We wanted to create a place where folks wanting to find out about all things Santa Ana could come to in the blogosphere. It was our goal to promote our city, its businesses, its happenings and its leaders in a positive fashion. I think we have succeeded in doing that since our inception.

However after some time I realized that I missed being involved with the Planning Commission and being a part of a group that will help shape Santa Ana’s future. Being a part of the Planning Commission is a serious undertaking and deserves dedication from its members. That being the case I have decided to stop blogging altogether and dedicate the time I have away from my job to being the best Planning Commissioner I can be. The citizens of Santa Ana deserve no less than that.

This past Monday the 24th was my first meeting back on the commission. Most of the commission members are the same as when I was there previously with the exception of Frank Acosta and Sandy Nalle. Sandy, who also come on board Monday, had also previously served on the commission some years back. I am very excited to get to serve with Sandy whom I see as a tremendous source of knowledge on planning, real estate and Santa Ana history.

I look forward to serving all of the residents in my capacity as a commissioner and am excited about playing a role in creating a bright future for us all. Should you have any suggestions, concerns or comments about issues facing the city or the Planning Commission I encourage you to contact me at seanhmill@gmail.com or (714) 858-1145.

I know that this blog will continue to grow under the capable and tremendous efforts of Art Pedroza. I encourage you all to tell all your friends about New Santa Ana and to continue with your loyal readership. Finally I want to thank Art for all he has done with this blog and for promoting our city in a positive fashion. Keep up the great work.

Sean Mill to be appointed to the Santa Ana Planning Commission next week

Posted on December 30, 2010 by Art Pedroza Posted in Civic Affairs, Development, Santa Ana, Sean Mill 16 Comments

Next week’s Santa Ana City Council meeting was moved to January 4, which is on Tuesday. Ordinarily the first Council meeting of the year would likely be a boring affair, but not this time. Our blogger, Sean Mill, is going to be re-appointed to the Santa Ana Planning Commission.

Mill served honorably on that Commission, and helped to shepherd the new Courtyard by Marriott, which is being built at MacArthur Boulevard and MacArthur Place.

I spoke to Mill today and he said that his goal as a Planning Commissioner will be to help to guide new developments through the planning process, as they will bring badly-needed jobs and economic growth to our city.

Mill works for a title company and he has been involved in Santa Ana politics virtually his entire adult life. He worked on Santa Ana Mayor Miguel Pulido’s first campaign, many years ago, and also helped former Assemblyman Dick Longshore, who died in 1988, after winning the June primary that year.

Mill is a graduate of the University of California, at Irvine, where he earned a political science degree. In his college years he worked on the Wally George T.V. show. Mill also worked for Coach Jerry Tarkanian and the NCAA champion Running Rebels.

Mill works today for a title company. He has a great understanding of planning issues and development. Congratulations to Mill. I know that he will be a positive addition to the Santa Ana Planning Commission.

The agenda for next week’s Council meeting has not been posted yet. I suspect it will be up later this evening, at this link.