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Santa Ana's top news & views blog

Tag Archives: Brett Franklin

Who will run for Santa Ana Mayor if Pulido opts to retire in November?

Posted on by Posted in 2014 Elections, Civic Affairs, Claudia Alvarez, Miguel Pulido, Politics, Roman Reyna, Santa Ana 2 Comments

Claudia Alvarez in action

I am hearing from several sources that Santa Ana Mayor Miguel Pulido is quite serious about defending himself as he is investigated for various issues stemming from campaign finances and real estate shenanigans.  He is telling friends that his priority is his legal defense – so what if he ends up retiring from politics and not running again in November?  Who will run?

First term Santa Ana Councilman Roman Reyna is in but no one is taking him very seriously.  If Pulido pulls out you can expect much bigger names to jump in.

I am told that former Santa Ana Mayor Pro Tem Claudia Alvarez, an Assistant Orange County District Attorney who currently serves on the Rancho Santiago Community College District’s Board of Trustees, is already planning to run. Continue reading→

Isn’t it time to diversify our City Council via ward-specific elections?

Posted on by Posted in 2014 Elections, Angelica Amezcua, Brett Franklin, Elections, Santa Ana, Vince Sarmiento 17 Comments

Santa Ana City Council

Diverse? No!

The last time someone tried to change our City Council elections from at large to ward specific the effort failed, primarily because white voters were told that the infamous Nativo Lopez was behind the scheme.  And he was.  At the time the only way anyone ever figured that we would have more Latinos on the City Council would be via ward-specific elections.

Well now we have an all-Latino City Council and they’re an embarrassment.  As the city reels in yet another budget crisis they wasted weeks firing our City Manager, Paul Walters, so they could hire a temp, Kevin O’Rourke, who is costing us over $22K a month.  In Santa Ana that passes for progress.

If we had a ward-specific election system it is likely that former Council Member Brett Franklin would have won in Ward 3 last year.  Instead a total unknown, Angelica Amezcua, who did not even campaign, won.  She of course joined the other Council Members in firing Walters, proving she too is worthless. Continue reading→

Can two Latinas in Santa Ana save the OC GOP from itself?

Posted on by Posted in 2012 Elections, Brett Franklin, Cecilia Iglesias, Charles Hart, Democratic Party, Latino Leaders, Latinos, Lupe Moreno, Myriam Tinajero, Orange County, Politics, Santa Ana 11 Comments

Now OC GOP Chairman Scott Baugh is singing a different tune – in the wake of the overwhelming defeat of the Republican Presidential nominee, Mitt Romney, by President Barack Obama. I saw Baugh on Rick Reiff’s post-election TV show and he admitted that the GOP better figure out immigration. That is the message that both Iglesias and Onofre are now espousing as well.

Iglesias was victorious in her campaign for the SAUSD School Board. In fact she defeated two Democrats – Valerie Amezcua and Myriam Tinajero, who were supported by liberal SAUSD Trustee John Palacio and by the unions. Continue reading→

The Santa Ana City Clerk announces the 2012 Nov. 6 election results

Posted on by Posted in 2012 Elections, Angelica Amezcua, Brett Franklin, Charles Hart, David Benavides, Elections, Eric Alderete, Estela Amezcua, George Collins, Karina Onofre, Lupe Moreno, Measure GG, Miguel Angel Briseno, Miguel Pulido, Politics, Roman Reyna, Santa Ana, Shane Barrows, Shane Ramon Barrows, Vince Sarmiento 10 Comments

City of Santa Ana, Downtown Orange County

Community Alert: 2012 UNOFFICIAL LOCAL SANTA ANA ELECTION RESULTS

SANTA ANA, CA (November 7, 2012) – In an effort to keep Santa Ana residents informed about the local election, the following information is provided. As of 11/07/2012 at 8 am, the Orange County Registrar of Voters Office has released the following results. Please note that this information is UNOFFICIAL until certified on December 11, 2012. For complete election information, please go to http://www.ocvote.com/results.

Santa Ana Mayor, Vote Count Percentage: Continue reading→

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

Posted on by 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 by 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→

A look at the Santa Ana Council candidates campaign finance reports

Posted on by Posted in 2012 Elections, Brett Franklin, Charles Hart, David Benavides, Elections, Eric Alderete, Karina Onofre, Miguel Pulido, Politics, Roman Reyna, Santa Ana, Vince Sarmiento 12 Comments

The Santa Ana City Clerk, Mary Huizar, sent me the Santa Ana Council and Mayoral candidates’ new campaign finance reports today.  You can read them all by clicking here.   The reports are a heck of a read – for one thing it looks like Ward 3 candidate Eric Alderete raised more money than all of the other candidates.

Here is a rundown of the reports’ highlights: Continue reading→

Santa Ana City Council candidate Brett Franklin polling ahead in Ward 3

Posted on by Posted in 2012 Elections, Brett Franklin, Carlos Bustamante, Charles Hart, Elections, Eric Alderete, Politics, Republican Party, Santa Ana 1 Comment

The inside baseball set has assumed that Santa Ana Planning Commissioner Eric Alderete is going to win in Ward 3, in November’s election.  However an unpublished poll shows former Santa Ana City Councilman Brett Franklin in the lead.  How could this be?

Well, consider that there is no incumbent, as the current Council Member, the disgraced Carlos Bustamante, is not running for re-election.  Franklin was the previous Council Member and as such he is the defacto incumbent.  He has name I.D. and Alderete is seriously lacking in that area.  And Franklin was born and raised here in Santa Ana, while Alderete was born and raised in East Los Angles, and he has been living here perhaps six years at most. Continue reading→

The OC GOP Endorsement Committee backs several Santa Ana candidates

Posted on by Posted in 2012 Elections, Brett Franklin, Elections, George Collins, Karina Onofre, Miguel Pulido, Orange County, Politics, Republican Party, Santa Ana, Thomas Gordon 2 Comments

Council Candidate Karina Onofre and Congresswoman Loretta Sanchez

The Republican Party of Orange County’s Endorsement Committee met tonight to consider a number of endorsements of local candidates running this November in the General Election.  Several Santa Ana candidates came up for endorsement – setting off quite a conversation at times.  One additional candidate, SAUSD School Board candidate Cecilia Iglesias, will be discussed by the Endorsement Committee tomorrow night.

Karina Onofre, a Republican running for the Santa Ana City Council in Ward 5, was endorsed with no debate.  She is running against lifelong Democrat Roman Reyna, an SAUSD Trustee. Continue reading→

Eric Alderete to hold another fundraiser, but this time in Los Angeles

Posted on by Posted in 2012 Elections, Brett Franklin, Charles Hart, Democratic Party, Elections, Eric Alderete, Lawyers, Politics, Santa Ana, Shane Barrows, Shane Ramon Barrows 12 Comments

Santa Ana Ward 3 candidate Eric Alderete is hosting another fundraiser – but this time it is going to be held in Los Angeles, not in Santa Ana, at the offices of mega-corporate law firm DLA Piper.

Here are the event details, courtesy of Facebook: Continue reading→

Will SAUSD Trustee John Palacio run for Santa Ana’s Ward 3?

Posted on by Posted in 2012 Elections, Brett Franklin, Carlos Bustamante, Charles Hart, Democratic Party, Elections, Eric Alderete, Politics, Republican Party, Santa Ana, Shane Ramon Barrows 9 Comments

Editor’s Note: This picture is not doctored. This is John Palacio.

I am hearing from multiple sources today that SAUSD Trustee John Palacio is inexplicably considering running for our City Council’s Ward 3.  There are already several candidates including Planning Commissioner Eric Alderete, who has the support of almost the entire City Council (Mayor Pro Tem Claudia Alvarez has not endorsed anyone yet); O.C. middle manager Charles Hart, a Republican; former Santa Ana City Council Member Brett Franklin, who has Mayor Miguel Pulido’s endorsement; Park Santiago resident Shane Ramon Barrows, a cop in Irvine; former Orange School Board Member Steve Rocco, and Ana Rebecca Valencia-Verdin, a friend of current Ward 3 Councilman Carlos Bustamante, who lives in Floral Park.

Palacio was first elected to the SAUSD School Board in 1998 and re-elected in 2002, 2006 and 2010. He was appointed Board President in 1998, re-appointed in 1999 and served again in 2001.  He is involved in the Hispanic Education Endowment Fund, but I am not sure in what capacity as his name does not show up on their financial reports.   Continue reading→

Steve Rocco becomes fifth candidate to announce for Ward 3

Posted on by Posted in 2012 Elections, Carlos Bustamante, Charles Hart, Civic Affairs, Democratic Party, Eric Alderete, Politics, Republican Party, Santa Ana, Shane Barrows, Shane Ramon Barrows, Steve Rocco 10 Comments

It looks like Steve Rocco is back.  According to Santa Ana neighborhood leader Connie Hamilton, Rocco has pulled papers to run for Ward 3 on the Santa Ana City Council.  He previously ran for Ward 3 back in 2008.

Here is a rundown of the many races Rocco has been involved in over the years:

  • Nov 7, 2000 – Ran against Santa Ana Mayor Miguel Pulido.  Got 5,733 votes according to Smart Voter.
  • Nov. 5, 2002 – Ran against Rancho Santiago Community College District Trustee John Hanna.  Got 19,247 votes according to Smart Voter.
  • Nov. 2, 2004 – Ran against Phil Martinez for the Orange Unified School District’s Board of Education.  Rocco won this race with 33,503 votes according to Smart Voter.  Red County blogger Matt Cunningham admitted afterwards that he voted for Rocco rather than vote for his Latino Democrat opponent. Continue reading→

Pulido scrambling to stop a mayoral term limit ballot measure

Posted on by Posted in 2012 Elections, Charles Hart, Civic Affairs, David Benavides, Eric Alderete, Michele Martinez, Miguel Pulido, Santa Ana, Shane Barrows, Term Limits, Vince Sarmiento 8 Comments

Sources at City Hall are telling me that Mayor Miguel Pulido is working overtime to stop an attempt by the Santa Ana City Council to draft a term limit measure that will eventually end his career as Mayor of Santa Ana.

The City Council appointed an Ad Hoc committee to consider term limits.  The term limit committee includes Council Members Michele Martinez, David Benavides and Vince Sarmiento. That committee will present their findings to their colleagues at the next Santa Ana City Council meeting.  It is thought that the committee will show up with a prepared ballot measure that the voters will be able to consider in the November general election. Continue reading→

Brett Franklin pulls papers for Ward 3 on the Santa Ana City Council

Posted on by Posted in 2012 Elections, Brett Franklin, Carlos Bustamante, Civic Affairs, Miguel Pulido, Republican Party, Santa Ana 4 Comments

Brett Franklin, a former Santa Ana Council Member, has apparently pulled nomination papers for Ward 3 on the Santa Ana City Council, according to a city insider.  Franklin previously represented Ward 3 for two terms.  He was replaced by current Council Member Carlos Bustamante, who was recently arrested and now faces a number of felony sex crime and public theft charges.  Both Franklin and Bustamante are Republicans, and Franklin is an elected member of the OC GOP’s Central Committee.

I am told that Santa Ana Mayor Miguel Pulido is backing Franklin.  The other declared candidates include Eric Alderete, a lawyer who serves on the Santa Ana Planning Commission, and Charles Hart, who ran for Mayor unsuccessfully against Pulido in 2010.  Alderete is a Democrat, and Hart is a Republican. Continue reading→

Updated: Only one Latino running for the 69th A.D. OC GOP Central Committee

Posted on by Posted in 2012 Elections, Racism, Republican Party, Santa Ana 4 Comments

How pathetic is the Republican Party of Orange County?  Well, they have only one Hispanic candidate running for the Central Committee, in the 69th Assembly District, which is an overwhelmingly Latino district.  And that Hispanic candidate is a Minuteman who loathes her own people.  Here are the candidates: Continue reading→