New Santa Ana

Why I changed my mind about the apartment development at 2525 Main St.

Posted on February 11, 2019 by Art Pedroza Posted in Civic Affairs, Development, Planning, Santa Ana 30 Comments

One of my neighbors approached me at the last Santa Ana City Council meeting and asked me why I had changed my mind about the proposed apartment development at 2525 Main St.

I live right down the street from this proposed development, at Spurgeon and Santa Clara. And I walk by 2525 Main St. just about every night, as I like to walk to the 24 Hour Fitness gym at the MainPlace Mall rather than drive there.

Because of my family’s proximity to this project I was at one time opposed to it. But then the EIR (Environmental Impact Report) was published. For me that changed everything. I was expecting the EIR to slam the project. Not only did it not do that, it instead put the project in a positive light. The Planning Agency was also very supportive of this project in their staff report.

This project is going to generate $33.5 million in revenue for the City’s General fund. And it will contribute millions in annual taxes. Remember that many of the residents of the adjacent Park Santiago neighborhood barely pay any property taxes, due to Prop. 13. We need this project’s revenue to offset their in adequate contribution’s to the City’s tax coffers.

What else contributed to my change of heart?

Main St. is a commercial street – if you stand just north of the 5 Freeway and look north on Main St. all you see is development.
While some NIMBYs are complaining about this project they fail to understand that the real threat to our neighborhood is the homeless vagrants who live in Santiago Creek and at Santiago Park. This project will solve that problem by providing around the clock security both in the development and in the neighborhood and park. The apartments will also act as a bulwark against intruders into our neighborhood!
This project will not have an entrance/exit on Edgewood. All traffic will be directed to Main St.
I am not by the way worried about the traffic. Millennials are driving less. They often use public transportation, or walk or bike to work.
The apartments in question won’t be affordable housing. Their target market will be millennials. Millennials are on track to be the most educated generation to date, according to the Pew Research Center. That is exactly what our city needs!
The developer has made a ton of concessions and the project will include a lot of amenities for our neighborhood. The NIMBYs refuse to give him credit for any of that.

So many homes are up for sale in the Park Santiago Neighborhood

I was so disturbed by what I saw at the last Santa Ana City Council meeting. The NIMBYs showed up in force and they were unbelievably rude and just plain mean. They purport to be better than everyone else in our city but can’t behave in public? I was so embarrassed by their poor behavior.

You can already see the commercial properties next door to the Santiago Park Neighborhood

The NIMBYs don’t care about facts. Their arguments are strictly emotional and at this point can only be characterized as empty hysteria.

At the City Council meeting, which was a public hearing on this project, the NIMBY’s kept saying the same thing – “This project is too big/too dense. The EIR is flawed.”

How could the EIR be flawed? That is plain nuts! The EIR process is a very tricky one and our Planning Agency Director, Minh Thai, knows it inside and out. He has been doing this type of work for over 25 years! He has worked at the Cities of El Monte, Torrance and Monterey Park. And he has even worked at Caltrans. He knows what he is doing! When the NIMBYs say the EIR is flawed please understand that what they are doing is calling Thai a liar and a fraud. That is plain despicable. Here is a video where he talks about how much work he puts into the planning process:

This project won’t be the end of the world. I am confident that after it is built the NIMBYs will all have egg on their faces as they will have to admit they were wrong.

The City Council is going to finish the public hearing on this project at their next meeting, this month. I hope the entire City Council will do the right thing and vote to approve this project. They need to vote not just for today but also for the future. That future belongs to the Millennials. In ten short years they will make up 75% of the consumers. We need to start accommodating them now!

A man was shot to death at a tire and audio store in Santa Ana today

Posted on February 10, 2019 by Art Pedroza Posted in Crime, Santa Ana, SAPD Leave a comment

Detectives Investigating Homicide 2015 West 17th Street

On Sunday, February 10, 2019, at 3:44 PM, SAPD officers responded to reports of a shooting at the Pro Audio Wheels and Tires shop located at 2015 West 17th Street. Officers detained numerous individuals, two of which were suffering gunshot wounds. One of the males, an adult John Doe, died at the scene. Orange County Fire Authority Paramedics responded, treated, and transported the surviving male to a local trauma center. A short time later, a third male arrived at a local trauma center with multiple gunshot wounds, which are life threatening. Preliminary information indicates the third male was part of the shooting on West 17th Street.

SAPD Homicide Detectives responded and assumed the investigation, which is ongoing. Officers recovered multiple firearms at the scene. SAPD crime scene investigators are currently processing the scene for more evidence. Detectives have not determined the motive for the shooting at this time.

Homicide detectives are requesting to speak with anyone that observed the suspect in the area prior to the shooting, was contacted or confronted by the suspect, or witnessed the shooting. Anyone with information on the case is asked to call SAPD Homicide Section detectives at (714) 245-8390, or Orange County Crime Stoppers at 1-855-TIP-OCCS. This case may be eligible for the Santa Ana Homicide Reward Program.

This week’s Cochino List includes’s DTSA’s hipster Blackmarket Bakery

Posted on February 10, 2019 by Art Pedroza Posted in Disease, Food, Food & Health, Health, Health and Medical, Insects, OC Health Care, Public Safety, Restaurants, Santa Ana 3 Comments

The OC Health Care Agency has released a list of the eateries (including restaurants, caterers and even school kitchens) that they inspected and shut down for the week of Jan. 31 to Feb. 8, 2019. Most of these eateries reopen pretty quickly after the health inspectors determine their issues have been resolved. Here is the list:

Blackmarket Bakery, 211 N. Broadway, Santa Ana, Closed: Feb. 5, Reason: Rodent infestation, Reopened: Feb. 5
Taqueria Los Escalreras, 312 S. Main St., Orange, Closed: Feb. 6, Reason: Operating without a valid health permit, Reopened: Feb. 7
La Langosta, 13571 Harbor Blvd., Garden Grove, Closed: Feb. 6, Reason: Cockroach infestation
Wahoo’s Fish Taco, 120 Main St., Huntington Beach, Closed: Feb. 7, Reason: Cockroach infestation, Reopened: Feb. 8
Tacos y Platillos de Mi Pueblo, 7032 Hazard St., Suite 2, Westminster, Closed: Feb. 5, Reason: Operating without a valid health permit
The Loft, 7862 Warner Ave., Suite B, Huntington Beach, Closed: Feb. 6, Reason: Cockroach infestation, Reopened: Feb. 7
Kitchen at Anaheim Convention Center, 800 W. Katella Ave., Anaheim, Closed: Feb. 5, Reason: Rodent infestation
Donut Star, 5365 Alton Parkway, Suite C3, Irvine, Closed: Feb. 5, Reason: Cockroach infestation
Dey’s Donuts & Croissants, 6494 Edinger Ave., Huntington Beach, Closed: Feb. 5, Reason: Cockroach infestation, Reopened: Feb. 7
El Ranchito Market at Anaheim Marketplace, 1440 S. Anaheim Blvd., Suite I-15, Anaheim, Closed: Feb. 4, Reason: Rodent infestation, Reopened: Feb. 4
Nutrition Solutions Juice Bar at LA Fitness, 3960 Barranca Parkway, Irvine, Closed: Feb. 4, Reason: Insufficient hot water and plumbing in disrepair; permit downgraded to prepackaged food only, Reopened: Feb. 6
Coffee Maru, 9760 Garden Grove Blvd., Garden Grove, Closed: Feb. 1, Reason: Insufficient hot water, Reopened: Feb. 4
Mozambique, 1740 S. Coast Highway, Laguna Beach, Closed: Feb. 1, Reasons: Cockroach infestation and operating without a valid health permit, Reopened: Feb. 1
Kitchen and bar at Old Ranch Country Club, 3901 Lampson Ave., Seal Beach, Closed: Jan. 31, Reason: Rodent infestation, Reopened: Jan. 31
Update: Half Time Restaurant, 13187 Brookhurst St., Garden Grove, closed Jan. 29 because of a cockroach infestation, reopened Feb. 1.

The SAPD is investigating a fatal head on traffic collision that occurred near Delhi Park early this morning

Posted on February 10, 2019 by Art Pedroza Posted in Accidents, Crime, Santa Ana, SAPD Leave a comment

Advisory: SAPD Investigating Fatal Head On Collision – Warner Avenue & Oak Street

On Sunday, February 10th, 2019 at approximately 5:30 am the Santa Ana Police Department (SAPD) responded to the area of Warner Avenue and Oak Street in regards to a reported traffic collision. Upon their arrival, SAPD Officers found two involved vehicles, a white Toyota van and gold Toyota pick-up truck. Orange County Fire Authority (OCFA) personnel responded and extricated the two involved drivers (and only occupants). Both drivers were briefly treated at the collision scene before being transported by CARE Ambulance to OC Global Medical Center for treatment. The unidentified female driver of the white van received major injuries and was taken into emergency surgery before she was pronounced deceased at the hospital. The driver of the pick-up truck is being treated for moderate injuries.

The preliminary investigation, based off witness statements a nd evidence, has revealed the pick-up truck was headed east on Warner Avenue when it struck by the white van which was headed west (wrong direction) in the eastbound lanes. The driver of the gold pick-up truck was identified as Male (62) Santa Ana. The deceased driver of the white van was unidentified and her identity will have to be confirmed by the Orange County Coroner’s Office. At this time, alcohol has been identified as being involved in this collision but further laboratory analysis will have to determine if drugs were as well.

The Santa Ana Police Department’s Collision Investigations Unit (CIU) responded to the collision scene and handled the investigation. Anyone having possible information about this collision are asked to contact the Santa Ana Police Department’s Traffic Division at ‪(714) 245-8200‬.

The Roman Reyna election scandal is even worse than we thought

Posted on February 7, 2019 by Art Pedroza Posted in 2018 elections, Phil Bacerra, Roman Reyna, Santa Ana, Vince Sarmiento 6 Comments

I spoke with former Santa Ana Planning Commissioner Phil Bacerra the other day, after we all found out that his Ward 4 City Council opponent Roman Reyna was going to resign from the City Council. What Bacerra had to say about the negotiations that led up to Reyna’s resignation was mind-blowing.

Turns out that Reyna’s legal team tried to get him off the hook, even as he was losing the lawsuit that Bacerra filed regarding Reyna’s horribly botched campaign paperwork. You might recall that Reyna carpetbagged in Ward 4 – and he did it so awfully that he put himself in major legal liability.

Reyna offered to patch things up with Bacerra by putting him back on the Santa Ana Planning Commission. And he offered to have Bacerra’s ex-girlfriend recant all the lies she uttered against Bacerra during the Ward 4 campaign – which amounted to perhaps the worst and most foul smear campaign ever conducted during a Santa Ana election.

The story gets even stranger. It appears that Reyna’s attorney, who usually handles bankruptcies, has been working with Santa Ana City Councilman Vince Sarmiento on a cannabis advisory project in the City of Cudahy.

One has to wonder if it was Sarmiento who was secretly advising Reyna all along?

The fact is Reyna should never have been allowed on the ballot in the first place. And Bacerra should be our Councilman in Ward 4.

I also hear that Reyna’s team had been trying to get the City of Santa Ana to pay his legal fees. Apparently however that is not going to happen after all.

Bacerra, who is half Filipino, would have been Santa Ana’s first Asian City Councilman. If the City Council is not going to appoint Bacerra to replace Reyna perhaps they should consider appointing a Vietnamese or Cambodian candidate to replace Reyna in Ward 4? And that candidate should preferably be a woman as currently we only have one woman on the City Council – Ceci Iglesias.

Santa Ana man arrested for allegedly attacking a cleaning woman in Irvine

Posted on February 7, 2019 by Art Pedroza Posted in Crime, irvine, Santa Ana, Tustin Leave a comment

Irvine, Calif. (Feb. 7, 2019) – The suspect in an attempted rape that occurred in the early morning hours Wednesday, February 6, is in custody. Irvine Police Department Detectives arrested Eduardo Godoy Gonzalez, 21, of Santa Ana at his workplace in Tustin on Thursday around 5 p.m. Gonzalez was in possession of a knife believed to be used in the attack at the time of his arrest. A replica Glock handgun was recovered at the scene.

Police were led to Gonzalez thanks to several tips from citizens who saw media coverage of the case.

On Wednesday around 1:20 a.m., the suspect entered an unlocked door of an office at 17877 Von Karman Ave. and approached a woman who was cleaning the facility. The suspect asked the victim in Spanish if she was the only one there. When she said yes, he made aggressive sexual comments to her and ordered her to have sex with him. When she refused and said she was going to call police, the suspect pulled out a handgun and pointed it at the victim, threatening her life.

He then pushed her into another room and forcefully tried to undress her. For four minutes, the victim is seen on video pleading for her life and fighting off the attacker.

Eventually, the victim was able to overpower the suspect and disarm him. The victim then ran for help in a nearby building.

The gun was found at the location and determined to be a replica Glock handgun. The victim also reported seeing a knife during the attack. She suffered injuries during the assault, including bruising to her arms, hands and breast and scratches to her face.

The investigation in the case is ongoing. Anyone with further information is asked to contact Irvine Police Department Detective Haldor Larum at 949-724-7194.

A man was caught on video attacking and trying to rape a cleaning woman in Irvine

Posted on February 7, 2019 by Art Pedroza Posted in Crime, irvine Leave a comment

The Irvine Police Department is looking for a male suspect who violently attacked and tried to rape a woman who was doing janitorial work at an office in Irvine, according to KTLA.

The attack happened early on Wednesday morning, February 6, 2019, at 1:20 a.m., at an office located at 17877 Von Karman Ave. The suspect entered the facility through an unlocked door.

The suspect was carrying a skateboard. He walked up to the victim and then he asked her in Spanish if she was alone. After she said yes, the man made sexually suggestive remarks and ordered the victim to have sex with him, according to the Irvine Police.

The woman refused and she then threatened to call the police. However the attacker then pulled out a gun and pointed it at her, as captured in surveillance video that was released by the Irvine police.

The attacker shoved his victim into another room and then tried by force to take off her clothing. The victim however first begged for her life then tried to fight off her attacker, according to unreleased video footage.

Fortunately the woman was in the end able to overpower her attacker, who was slight of frame and she even disarmed him. She then fled to a nearby building for help.

The man escaped before the police could arrive. The officers did find the weapon, which turned out to be a replica Glock.

The victim told the police that the suspect also had a knife.

The victim had bruises and scratches due to the assault but escaped serious injury.

The suspect is described as a male Hispanic, 20 to 25 years old, about 5 feet 4 inches tall, weighing 130 to 140 pounds, according to the Irvine police.

The suspect has black hair, brown eyes and he wore glasses during the attack. He was dressed in a gray hooded sweatshirt, black pants and a black knit cap with the letter “P” on the front.

Anyone who recognizes the suspect is asked to contact Detective Haldor Larum by calling 949-724-7194 or emailing him at hlarum@cityofirvine.org.

Orange County public safety agencies launch Text-to-911

Posted on February 6, 2019 by Art Pedroza Posted in Crime, Emergencies, OC Sheriff, Orange County, Santa Ana Leave a comment

https://youtu.be/qu5pQreGeFw

SANTA ANA, Ca. (February 6, 2019) – Orange County law enforcement and fire dispatch centers are now equipped with Text-to-911 to allow the hearing impaired, speech impaired or those in an emergency situation who are unable to make a phone call reach emergency services dispatchers by text message.

Text-to-911 was jointly launched by every Orange County public safety agency with a Public Safety Answering Point (PSAP) on February 6. In 2018, more than 1,243,092 calls were made to 911 in Orange County. Eighty percent of those calls came from mobile phones.

Remember to always call if you can, and text if you can’t. Calling provides a faster response, allowing information to be relayed to responding public safety personnel as quickly as possible. It also allows dispatchers to hear background noises or conversations and gather additional information.

“It’s important that every member of our community has a safe and effective way to access emergency services in Orange County, and Text-to-911 provides that,” said Sheriff Don Barnes.

When texting, residents should first provide their location and whether they need law enforcement, fire or medical aid services.

“It’s critical that those using Text-to-911 accurately share their location and offer as many clear details as possible,” said Orange County Fire Authority Chief Brian Fennessy. “Being precise means we can more quickly reach those who need help most.”

More about Text-to-9-1-1
• Ensure location services on your mobile phone are turned on and be prepared to provide your location in the text.
• To get started, type “911” in the “to” field of the text message and, in addition to your location, provide the type of emergency services you need (police, fire or medical).
• Use plain text and refrain from abbreviations.
• Dispatchers cannot accept pictures, videos or icons.
• Text-to-9-1-1 cannot be used in a group text.
• If your text does not go through, you should receive a message to make a voice call.
• Calling or texting 9-1-1 when it is not an emergency is a crime punishable by up to a year in County jail and a fine of up to $1,000.¬¬¬

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Who will replace Roman Reyna in the Santa Ana City Council’s Ward 4?

Posted on February 6, 2019 by Art Pedroza Posted in 2018 elections, Civic Affairs, Phil Bacerra, Roman Reyna, Santa Ana 3 Comments

Roman Reyna’s latest term on the Santa Ana City Council is already over, as we reported last night on our Facebook page.

Reyna was just elected in November, to Ward 4, after his allies conducted a horrific smear campaign against his opponent, former Santa Ana Planning Commissioner Phil Bacerra.

Bacerra however sued Reyna on the grounds that Reyna had not proven he was eligible to run for Ward 4. Reyna agreed to a settlement which will see him step down from the City Council by March 1. Reyna also agreed not to seek appointment or run in a special election for the Ward 4 seat.

The City Council can now appoint someone to replace Reyna in Ward 4. They could also call for a Special Election however that is most unlikely due the high cost of conducting such an election.

So who will replace Reyna in Ward 4? My sources tell me that there is no consensus candidate. One might argue that Bacerra should be appointed however the smear campaign against him cost him support on the City Council – and a few of the current City Council Members were allied with Reyna in the last election.

The City Council last night approved the MOU with the Santa Ana Police Officers Association. However they were unable to approve a means to fund that new contract as they lacked one vote – as Reyna blew off last night’s meeting.

While Reyna could return to the City Council in two weeks my sources tell me that the City Attorney has asked him not to vote on any other items as he could open the city up to lawsuits. So don’t be surprised if he continues to skip out on meetings while getting paid up to March 1.

The City Council also had to delay a decision on the apartment development project at 2525 Main St. Santa Ana Mayor Miguel Pulido had to continue the public hearing on that development when 150 public speakers showed up and the hearing dragged on until 11:30 p.m. That matter will be resolved at the next City Council meeting, in two weeks.

While the current City Council lacks a consistent majority they will have to muster at least four votes to replace Reyna. It will be very tough to find a decent candidate in Ward 4. If the replacement won’t be Bacerra my personal inclination would be to find a woman candidate to replace Reyna as the current City Council only features one woman – Ceci Iglesias.

Santa Ana College student arrested for stalking a woman and making threats to Century High School

Posted on February 6, 2019 by Art Pedroza Posted in Crime, Santa Ana, SAPD, SAUSD Leave a comment

A 20-year-old convicted stalker, Kevin Cacho, was charged Tuesday with making threats against Century High School as well as a woman he met while both were students at the Santa Ana campus and subsequently rejected his romantic advances, according to the O.C. Register.

Cacho pleaded not guilty to one count each of making criminal threats and violating a domestic violence order with a prior conviction for domestic violence, both felonies. He must return to the court on Feb. 14, which ironically is Valentine’s Day, for a pretrial hearing in the Central Justice Center in Santa Ana.

Cacho reportedly sent threats to the high school and the victim, who befriended him while they were both students at Century, according to the SAPD.

Cacho was apparently “infatuated” with the unnamed woman in high school, but when he told her this she indicated that she was not attracted to him. Things escalated at that point.

Cacho was already sentenced previously on Oct. 10, after he plead guilty to stalking the same woman. At the time he was sentenced to 364 days in jail.

However Cacho seemed not to have learned his lesson. On Jan. 8, the victim received a number of “intimidating” text messages, from an unknown phone number. from an unknown phone number.

The SAPD arrested Cacho, a Santa Ana College student, on Friday.

SAUSD employee arrested for offering drugs to two female minors

Posted on February 6, 2019 by Art Pedroza Posted in Cochino Alert, Crime, Garden Grove, Santa Ana, SAUSD Leave a comment

On January 25, 2019, two female minors were contacted in the parking lot of a business by the suspect, Julio Torres, who was driving a white Ford Explorer. He initially asked the victims for directions to where he could go to purchase drugs. Torres then attempted to coerce the victims into his vehicle by providing drugs to them. The victims declined and fled the location.

Prior to leaving the area, they were able to take a photo of the suspects’ vehicle and provided information that led to his arrest. Torres was booked in Orange County Jail.

During the investigation, #GardenGrovePD investigators learned that Torres is employed by the Santa Ana Unified School District. Investigators are asking any additional victims or witnesses to please come forward and contact Inv. Marchand at 714-741-5704.

The Santa Ana Macy’s shoplifting and assault suspect has been arrested

Posted on February 5, 2019 by Art Pedroza Posted in Santa Ana Leave a comment

Advisory: SUSPECT WANTED IN ROBBERY AND ASSAULT W/ DEADLY WEAPON: CASE HAS BEEN IDENTIFIED/ARRESTED

UPDATE –

Suspect: Ryan Quinten Hancock (43) Orange, CA

On Monday, February 4, 2019 at approximately 4:30 PM, Ryan Quinten Hancock (43) of Orange, was arrested by the Orange Police Department. He was booked at OCJ on a warrant for his arrest for the Macy’s robbery and assault with a deadly weapon incident.

He has been charged by the District Attorney’s Office for two counts of robbery and one count of assault with a deadly weapon. Detectives received several tips identifying suspect Hancock after we requested media and community assistance.

ORIGINAL MESSAGE –

Location: Macy’s – 2850 N. Main Street

On January 16, 2019 at approximately 7:01 PM, the above pictured suspect entered Macy’s and removed clothing from the racks. The suspect proceeded to exit the store when he was confronted by two loss prevention officers. The suspect produced a knife from his pants pocket and swung it towards one of the loss prevention officers. The suspect dropped the clothing and fled eastbound through the parking lot.

Any with information is asked to contact Detective D. Prewett at (714) 245-8323, dprewett@santa-ana.or or Orange County Crime Stoppers at 1-855-TIP-OCCS.

The Santa Ana City Council can still vote to open a public hearing regarding the 2525 Main St. apartment development this Tuesday

Posted on February 3, 2019 by Editor Posted in Civic Affairs, Development, Housing, Miguel Pulido, Planning, Santa Ana, Steven Mendoza 5 Comments

Are you wondering why the Santa Ana City Council meeting agenda for this Tuesday’s meeting was suddenly altered on Friday – to read that there should not be a public session regarding the proposed apartment development, The Addington, at 2525 Main St.?

It turns out that the acting City Manager, Steven Mendoza, got bamboozled by Mayor Miguel Pulido, who might be a lame duck in his last term but is still acting like his voice is the only one that matters on the City Council.

Mendoza indicated on Friday that the delay was due to issues with a traffic study, pertaining to the apartment development project. However Planning Director Minh Thai told the developer of the project that Mendoza was ordered by Pulido to pospone the meeting.

The Planning Agency has already finished the project’s EIR and they indicated that they approved of the project. While the Planning Commission later voted against the project they are an advisory body and the City Council can easily overrule them.

Here is the kicker – despite Pulido’s last-minute machinations the City Council, on Tuesday, can still vote to open the public session on 2525 Main St. They just need four votes – and that seems very likely to happen.

In fact there are only two City Council Members that, to my knowledge, oppose this project – and Pulido is one of them.

The City Council absolutely should vote to approve this project. The proposed project generates more funding for the City, provides for more affordable housing units, funds more park improvements and supports a series of benefits to the neighboring Park Santiago neighborhood that simply would not materialize if the site remained vacant or was developed into a new office building.

In its first year, the project will pay more than $16 million in permit fees, of this more than $5 million will go directly to the City’s general fund. The project’s net annual fiscal benefit to the City of Santa Ana will be more than $1.2 million annually or more than $1.1 million than the existing office structure. These funds can be used to fund much needed City programs and services including youth programs, education, city improvements, parks improvement and more.

The project will remit more than $3.5 million in property taxes annually, of that $1.5 million will go to the Santa Ana Unified School District. However, the project anticipates multi-family residents having far fewer children, so the cost to school children from the project will be less than $500k annually, resulting in a net benefit of more than $1 million to our school district.

The Addington proposal is consistent with all of the City’s General Plan goals and policies, and helps to support its Gateway Designation. This project helps to realize the goals for Main Street that previous City Councils established with the help of significant community input.

The plan for 2525 Main Street was the product of nearly a year of community input, and was sensitively designed to limit impacts to privacy, reduce car trips through surrounding neighborhoods, and eliminate the need for guests to park on nearby streets.

The City of Santa Ana is in dire financial straits. I cannot imagine that very many of our elected City Council members will vote to turn their backs on the vast tax revenues that will be created by The Addington. In fact given Pulido’s outrageous actions on Friday I suspect the vote to approve this project will now be 6-1 with Pulido casting the only “no” vote.

Pulido can vote no as he is terming out in two years so he won’t have to deal with the City’s financial problems much longer.

As for the Nimby’s who are opposing this project, one of them is now suggesting that residents of North Santa Ana should break away from the
City of Santa Ana and form their own city!

How insane is that? If anything this proves that the privileged, entitled Nimby’s in North Santa Ana don’t care about the rest of our city.

Ironically these Nimby’s are ignoring the real threat in the Santiago Park neighborhood – the lawless vagrants that live in Santiago Creek. The Addington project will include around the clock security not only in the apartment project but also in Santiago Park and in the adjacent neighborhood. This project will actually solve the vagrant problem and make us all safer in the process.

The public session on this project should be held on Feb. 5 at the City Council meeting. And the City Council should at last approve this project without further delays!

A few facts about the new proposed Santa Ana police contract

Posted on February 2, 2019 by Art Pedroza Posted in Civic Affairs, Santa Ana, SAPD 8 Comments

The next Santa Ana City Council meeting will be a contentious one as the big topic of debate will be a new contract with the Santa Ana Police Officers Association (POA) – the union that represents our police officers. The meeting is set for Tuesday, Feb. 5, at 5:45 p.m.. at the City Council Chamber, located at 22 Civic Center Plaza.

The Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) that has been negotiated by the Santa Ana City Council and the POA amounts to a 2.5% retroactive pay increase and a 4% pay increase this year, as well as a 4% pay increase next year. The total pay increase will come to 13%.

The response thus far from some in the community has been bordering on hysteria so let’s take a look at some facts that have perhaps been overlooked:

The POA has 456 POA employees not the 465 that are listed on the city’s staff report.
There are currently 111 vacancies in the Santa Ana Police Department (SAPD), as noted by the City on their midyear budget report on the agenda #65C – on page 31. That is approximately $12M dollars in budgeted surplus.
Agenda #65C – exhibit 3 shows an SAPD budget of $132M and “actual” expenditures of 62M YTD. That’s a $6.4M dollar projected surplus in SAPD budget alone.
The City’s own numbers show either a $12M surplus in the 61 funded vacancies or $6.4M surplus in “actuals” budgeting. At $750K per 1% the annual cost of raise is approx. $4M.
CPI is 3-4%. The $4M dollar per year contract is less than 3% of the SAPD’s budget & 1.5% of the City’s budget. 3-5% is usually the margin of error in any budgeting allotted.
If the SAPD is 49% of the City’s budget then in theory Measure X funds, 49% of which is $30M, should go to the SAPD. No Measure X funds are however actually needed for the SAPD as budgeted vacancies can absorb the added budget.
Staff compounds raises in a graph to a total of $25M (which is inaccurate) but does not compare the SAPD budgeted compounded for the same period, which would be $408M including a 3% annual increase.
In total for 2018 – 2019’s budget, City staff revised their estimated revenue from $254M to $262M thus passing a historic sales tax when there was actually about a $12M dollar surplus – misleading the voters as the projected expenditures are $255M and that includes the SAPD MOU.
The Santa Ana School PD received a 2 year contract with a 14% increase.
The LAPD received a 1 year 5% pay boost.
Many police departments are in negotiations right now but on average pay increases of 4-8% are common with 5% raises being the average.
The MOU with the POA is a 3 year contract with a 13% pay increase. Consider that the SAPD is not at the top or competitive part of the market and is the only City agency with astronomical vacancies.

Public safety is the number one issue in our city. Santa Ana is a lot more dangerous than surrounding cities. Many of our top police officers over the past few years have left for greener pastures in part due to the lower pay here and also because of our previous Police Chief, who was a total disaster. This is one of the reasons we continue to have so many vacancies in the SAPD.

If we want to keep our younger police officers here and attract good veteran officers to Santa Ana then we are going to have to pay these officers at minimum market rate and remain competitive. This is the only way to attract the best, which minimizes liabilities. Our community deserves and demands the best possible when it comes to public safety.

Over the past few years the City Council majority, led by now termed out City Councilman Sal Tinajero, handed out raises to the City’s top executives and bamboozled the voters into giving the City Council a raise too. Many who are now complaining about the POA increase were silent when those other raises were handed out!

The numbers clearly show that we can afford the POA increase. Don’t be fooled by the hysteria from some quarters. A safe Santa Ana is a city that can prosper.

This week’s Cochino List includes the Valencia Seafood Market

Posted on February 1, 2019 by Art Pedroza Posted in Disease, Food, Food & Health, Health and Medical, Insects, OC Health Care, Orange County, Restaurants, Santa Ana 1 Comment

The OC Health Care Agency has released a list of the eateries (including restaurants, caterers and even school kitchens) that they inspected and shut down for the week of Jan. 25 to Feb. 1, 2019 . Most of these eateries reopen pretty quickly after the health inspectors determine their issues have been resolved. Here is the list:

Valencia Seafood Market, 1128 S. Standard Ave., Suite A, Santa Ana, Closed: Jan. 25, Reason: Cockroach infestation, Reopened: Jan. 25
Pizza Hut, 2091 N. Tustin St., Orange, Closed: Jan. 28, Reason: Rodent infestation, Reopened: Jan. 29
Myung Dong Kal Guk Su, 1000 N. Euclid St., Anaheim, Closed: Jan. 30, Reason: Cockroach infestation, Reopened: Jan. 31
Paradise Market, 3111 W. Lincoln Ave., Anaheim, Closed: Jan. 30, Reason: Rodent infestation
ExtraMile at Chevron station, 3901 E. Riverdale Ave., Anaheim, Closed: Jan. 30, Reason: Rodent infestation, Reopened: Jan. 30
Half Time Restaurant, 13187 Brookhurst St., Garden Grove, Closed: Jan. 29, Reason: Cockroach infestation
Cafe International, 3198 Airport Loop Drive, Suite H2A, Costa Mesa, Closed: Jan. 28, Reason: Cockroach infestation, Reopened: Jan. 30
Zpizza, 32341 Camino Capistrano, Suite B, San Juan Capistrano, Closed: Jan. 28, Reason: Insufficient hot water, Reopened: Jan. 30
Update: Cafeteria at Kimberly-Clark, 2001 E. Orangethorpe Ave., Fullerton, closed Jan. 23 because of a cockroach infestation, reopened Jan. 25
Update: Kitchen at Salvation Army Residence, 1300 S. Lewis St., Anaheim, closed Jan. 23 because of a cockroach infestation, reopened Jan. 31.

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