More than 100 people from about 25 churches and community organizations marched on Saturday morning in a quest for peace in Santa Ana’s neighborhoods, according to the O.C. Register.
What was missing from this Santa Ana Peace March? Apparently none of the Santa Ana Council Members showed up. Click here and see for yourself – the Register did not capture any Council Members in their photo coverage of this event. And Pastor Ariel Meza, who coordinated this event, also did not mention the Council Members on his Facebook page, nor do they appear in the pictures that he took.
You might recall that when Councilwoman Michele Martinez was elected she was the one spearheading these marches. Now she seems to be MIA. Although you won’t have any trouble finding her at various bars and restaurants in Downtown Santa Ana. (According to her Facebook page, Martinez was on a tour of Napa’s vineyards this weekend and was stuffing herself with gourmet food yesterday).
Martinez no longer participates in peace marches
You can say the same thing for Councilman David Benavides, who came to Santa Ana as a youth minister years ago, with his schoolteacher wife. Today he scoots around town on a Harley and his family is no longer mentioned on his websites and Facebook pages. His main mission now is to find ways to open more bars in Downtown Santa Ana. (In fairness it may be that Benavides was on a church trip in Mexico on Saturday, according to his Facebook page – which is all well and good but shouldn’t he be working in the community he was elected to serve?)
And where was Councilman Roman Reyna? This Peace March took place entirely in his Ward 5! Remember that Reyna has spent his entire adult life working at the Santa Ana Parks and Rec Agency, the Santa Ana Boys and Girls Club and the Santa Ana YMCA. He ran on an agenda of caring for kids, although he remains unmarried and has no kids of his own, that are publicly acknowledged at any rate. But like Benavides and Martinez, Reyna was MIA on Saturday too. (Reyna’s Facebook page makes no mention of where he was this weekend).
What gives? All three of these Council Members have been affected by crime and gangs. Martinez admitted to having been a drug dealer when she was a teen and her stepbrother was famously arrested for a parole violation when she unsuccessfully ran for Mayor a few years ago. Benavides fled crime-ridden East Los Angeles and Reyna’s brother, allegedly, died in prison.
Crime is going up in this city, as we have been reporting on a daily basis now. But our Council Members are no longer engaged in the effort to restore our city. And that is a darn shame.
“Crime is going up in this city.” You’re joking right? Why don’t you stop the fear mongering.
A peace march for what? There hasn’t been a homicide in like… 2 months!
Really? You must not be counting the police shootings of unarmed subjects, the poor guy who owned an Irvine company and got run over while gang bangers were fleeing the police and you are clearly discounting the many assaults and shootings that we have been reporting on a daily basis.
Admin.
Give Councilwomen Martinez a break, it was her birthday this week, so her “sugardaddy” took her up North where she blogged about the fancy dinners, complete with pictures of the $100. plate dinners! She has made it man, Napa, SF, she is one step away from Dan Tanna’s in WEHO! What a disgrace.
As for Benavides this dude FB’s he was busy “Cleaning His House” Friday night. Likely because his court appointed visit with his children took place on Saturday. Since it has been rumored that Emily was very concerned about raising children in the UBER DANGEROUS neighborhood she bought the house for him, and he uses as an address ( she grew up in like Valencia or Santa Clarita right???) this has been a point of contention in the divorce, so I am told. She doesn’t want to raise her children in a crossfire, but, as a councilman, he can’t move, lest he could lose his seat. Bye Bye Famlia, (or adios is you please), this is POLITICS!
Roman can only look good next to Angie Oliver, who is SO disconnected to the goings on, her old man El Merro Merro has lookouts on their North Flower street. Which is of course a stones throw from CBUS, party pad, now that that his wife grew a pair! I wonder if Annie or Jasmine have reported the sound of an unmufflered Harley in Jack Fisher Park? That would make sense.
A) what do you mean? Angie “grew a Pair”?
B) These church peace marches are the ultimate symbol of everything wrong with American Society. These dumb shet peace marchers do not give a hoot about political solutions. They just want to march for Jesus and their vain pathetic mediocre uneducated ego gratification. You Know it! I know it!
Look at the jack ass with the Jesus shirt.
The guy that owned the Irvine Co. got run over?
Good!
Maybe he will stop appointing puppets to rule over Santa Ana.
Mateo,
Easy, Jesus is my gardener (pronounced HEY-ZUES)
It probably translates to= Of – Zeus.
Jesus has virtually the same immaculate birth, geneology as Zeus and Horus.
Jesus=
“King of Kings”
Zeus=
“KIng of the Gods” born in a cave, protected by sheep.
Horus=
Was born of the virgin Isis-Meri on December 25th in a cave with his birth being announced by a star in the East and attended by three wise men.
Perhaps this is why Plato suggested that we step out of the cave to discover reality?
No Pulido at the march.
And your point is? He never goes to marches. But Martinez used to. And Benavides used to be a youth minister while Reyna was out setting up volleyball games. They don’t seem to care now…