BIRTHDAY FUNDRAISER AT ANTONELLO’S
Santa Ana City Council Ward 3 candidate Jose Solorio is hosting his annual birthday fundraiser at Antonello Ristorante on Wednesday, September 28, 2016, from 5:30 to 7:30 pm. Antonello Ristorante is located at 3800 South Plaza Drive, in Santa Ana.
Solorio is a former Santa Ana City Councilman and a former State Assemblyman. He currently works as a lobbyist at a law firm in Irvine. He is endorsed by the Santa Ana Police Officers Association. Continue reading
Santa Ana Ward 5 City Council candidate Juan Villegas, a law enforcement officer with 25 years of experience fighting crime, is hosting the kick-off to his campaign on Wednesday, Sep. 7, 2016, from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m., at the Santa Ana Police Officer Association Hall, located at 1607 N. Sycamore, in Santa Ana.
Villegas is running against an incumbent, Councilman Roman Reyna, who recently voted against hiring more police officers despite the huge increase in violent crime over the past three years. Reyna’s brother reportedly died in prison and Reyna himself has admitted to being shot and wounded at a park when he was younger. When Reyna ran for Mayor of Santa Ana he was caught posing with members of the Mexican Mafia, in a picture that was widely circulated on social media. He refused to explain why he was hanging out with these individuals. Continue reading
There are now six (and possibly seven) candidates running for The Santa Ana City Council’s Ward 3, which incumbent City Council Member Angie Amezcua is vacating. You might recall that she was accidentally elected four years ago when her name and her ballot title (she is a teacher) propelled her to victory even though she did not spend any campaign money or actively campaign.
The candidates who have qualified for the ballot include: Continue reading
The Santa Ana City Council, at their meeting last night, considered a proposal by Mayor Miguel Pulido to vie a 5% pay increase to experienced SAPD police officers who have been with the SAPD for more than 15 years. (Agenda item 85A).
Morale has been a real problem at the SAPD, due to their low staffing numbers and a lack of leadership from their inexperienced Police Chief, Carlos Rojas, as crime has spiraled out of control in our city. I would imagine that Pulido’s proposal is meant to keep our veteran police officers as many of them have been leaving the city for other police agencies – something that NEVER happened under former SAPD Police Chief Paul Walters. Continue reading
Did you know that the awful Santa Ana City Council is asking you to give them a huge raise via a measure on the November Primary Election ballot? It is hard to believe that our part-time Council Members, who have done nothing while crime has soared out of control in our city, think we are so stupid that we will vote to give them an ill-deserved raise.
Here is the official Argument Against Measure PP that was written by Steven Nguyen (a resident who is an O.C. employee/college student, a member of the OC GOP Central Committee and a candidate for the RSCCD College Board), Mike Tardif (a resident and local business owner) and Thomas Gordon (an elected member of the OC GOP Central Committee, resident and employee of the LAUSD):
When was the last time you received a 700% raise in your pay? Continue reading
City of Santa Ana
NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that the General Municipal Election is to be held in the City of Santa Ana on November 8, 2016 at which there will be submitted to the voters the following measure:
Council Compensation Charter Reform
Continue reading
Former Santa Ana City Councilman Jose Solorio, who currently serves on the Rancho Santiago Community College District’s Board of Trustees, has announced that he will be moving into Ward 3 and running once more for the Santa Ana City Council, this November.
Solorio, who previously served in the State Assembly (from 2006 to 2012) , currently works for a law firm in Irvine. He was known in Sacramento for his prowess in raising campaign funds for himself and his fellow Democrats. He worked for the OCTA, in public affairs, when he first served on the Santa Ana City Council, from 2000-2006. Continue reading
Santa Ana City Manager David Cavazos has finally paid a price for his sordid behavior at city hall. He was publicly censured by the International City/County Management Association, an international association of government leaders that Cavazos belongs to, for being in a relationship with a subordinate Santa Ana employee, according to the O.C. Register.
You might recall that Cavazos dumped his wife when he left the City of Phoenix for a bigger paycheck here in Santa Ana, where he is the highest paid City Manager in Orange County. Continue reading
Did you know that the Santa Ana City Council, like the City Councils in Anaheim and in Garden Grove, has committed to giving thousands of taxpayer dollars to luxury hotel developers as an incentive for them to build four or five star hotels here in Santa Ana
The Santa Ana City Council approved this scheme unanimously this Tuesday night. The proposal offers “high-rated hotel developer 50 percent of the new incremental hotel visitors’ tax the property generates, for up to 15 years.”
Santa Ana currently imposes an 11 percent hotel visitors’ tax on hotel and motel guests, which is projected to yield $9 million by the end of fiscal year 2015-16. Continue reading
The City of Santa Ana has spent a fortune over the years accommodating the requests of Mater Dei High School, a private Catholic school. Now Mater Dei is asking for more city funding, to the tune of $2.5 million dollars, to come out of our city’s beleaguered General Fund, to help them as they go about building a new parking structure and a 30K sq. ft. academic building. They are asking the City to pay for construction and engineering work associated with the removal/realignment of several streets where homes have been acquired by Mater Dei High School, to expand their campus.
Is this an appropriate expenditure for our City? Consider that Mater Dei is a private, not public school. While they do give out scholarships to low income students, the reality is that many of Mater Dei’s students don’t live in our city and quite a few of them come from high income families. Continue reading
City of Santa Ana, Downtown Orange County
The City of Santa Ana will recognize Grammy Award-winning recording artists LOS LOBOS with a proclamation declaring May 6, 2016 as “Los Lobos Day” during their performance at The Observatory in Santa Ana.
The honor is in recognition of the band recording their latest album, Gates of Gold, at the Blue Velvet Recording Studio in Santa Ana. The album, which has received critical acclaim, is described as an American saga in the rich literary tradition of legendary authors John Steinbeck and William Faulkner. Continue reading
The Santa Ana City Manager, David Cavazos, is going to ask the Santa Ana City Council not only to affirm his unwarranted bonus tomorrow night but also to hand him a contract extension – even though Cavazos remains under investigation for romancing a subordinate city employee.
Cavazos’ contract will be extended to Feb. 19, 2019, if the City Council votes to approve Cavazos’ bonus and contract extenion. Currently his contract is slated to end on Oct. 21, 2017. Continue reading
ORANGE COUNTY DISTRICT ATTORNEY PRESS RELEASE
Case # 12CF1964
Date: January 22, 2016
SANTA ANA, Calif. – A former Santa Ana City Councilman and high-ranking executive for the County of Orange was sentenced today for sexually assaulting his subordinates and committing grand theft of public funds. Carlos Bustamante,50, Santa Ana, pleaded guilty Dec. 18, 2015, to one felony count of stalking, one felony count of attempted sexual battery by restraint, one felony count of grand theft by false pretense, two misdemeanor counts of false imprisonment, one misdemeanor count of assault, and one misdemeanor count of attempted sexual battery. Bustamante was sentenced to 364 days in jail, five years of formal probation, ordered to pay restitution, and mandatory lifetime sex offender registration. Bustamante is required to surrender himself to custody Feb. 26, 2016, the time and location are to be determined and reported to the court at a hearing scheduled on Feb. 19, 2016, at 9:00 a.m. in Department C-30, Central Justice Center, Santa Ana.
“I want to thank all victims and witnesses that bravely came forward in the face of fear and retaliation from a well-connected politician,” said District Attorney Tony Rackauckas. “No one is above the law, especially those who abuse their power of authority over their subordinates to sexually assault and harass them.” Continue reading
Santa Ana City Council members Angie Amezcua, Roman Reyna, Vince Sarmiento and Sal Tinajero voted on Tuesday evening this week to approv a 2.5 percent salary increase this fiscal year for their executive management staff, as well as another 2.5 percent increase in July 2016, according to the Voice of OC.
Mayor Miguel Pulido and Councilwoman Michele Martinez rejected the pay raise for the top city executives while City Councilman David Benavides was absent – as he is on his honeymoon having just married his Parks and Rec Commissioner, Erika Carranza, this weekend. Continue reading
Santa Ana Mayor Pro Tem Vincent Sarmiento was selected today as one of the fourteen politicians to join something called the NewDEAL, which is “a national network that is committed to highlighting innovative ideas from state and local elected leaders who are progrowth progressives.”
Governor Jack Markell of Delaware and U.S. Senator Mark Warner of Virginia, Honorary Chairs of the NewDEAL, recognized City Councilor Sarmiento’s efforts to expand opportunity by providing affordable housing options in areas where it can have the most impact.
That is pretty ironic given that the Santa Ana City Council recently “amended a housing ordinance to no longer require developers to set aside a percentage of converted residential units for affordable housing, which is sold or rented below the market rate,” according to KPCC. Continue reading