New Santa Ana | Tag Archives: city council

Updated: Martinez now facing two opponents in Ward 2 this November

Posted on July 17, 2014 by Art Pedroza Posted in 2014 Elections, Gilad Salmon, Michele Martinez, Mirna Velasquez, Politics, Santa Ana 2 Comments

Santa Ana Councilwoman Michele Martinez has drawn another competitor for her Council seat, in Ward 2. A fellow named Gilad Salmon has pulled papers to run for her seat. You can check out his Facebook page here.

Salmon contacted me with additional information about him and his campaign. He says he lives south of First St. but he values Downtown Santa Ana and considers it a great asset as he feels it helps to bring more revenue to the city’s coffers. He also said that he is not a friend of Martinez and that he is not running in order to dilute the opposition vote. As such I would expect him to pull away male votes and votes from disaffected residents of the Artists Village who aren’t overly happy with her leadership. Continue reading→

Mike Gonzalez announces his campaign for Ward 6 on the Santa Ana City Council

Posted on July 17, 2014 by Art Pedroza Posted in 2014 Elections, Democratic Party, Mike Gonzalez, Politics, Sal Tinajero, Santa Ana 2 Comments

Miguel “Mike” Gonzalez has announced his campaign for Ward 6 on the Santa Ana City Council. That seat is currently held by Santa Ana Mayor Pro Tem Sal Tinajero, who works as a public school teacher and debate team coach in Fullerton.

Gonzalez’s campaign website states:

Born in California and raised with one sibling, Miguel Gonzalez, learned early on the value of hard work, teamwork, and perseverance. He graduated at the top of his high school class and led his football team to a state championship victory, all while working a part-time job as a security guard.
Continue reading→

Fundraiser for Ward 2 candidate Mirna Velasquez set for July 17

Posted on July 16, 2014 by Art Pedroza Posted in 2014 Elections, Entertainment, Mirna Velasquez, Politics, Santa Ana Leave a comment

Mirna Velasquez, a candidate for Ward 2 on the Santa Ana City Council, is having a fundraiser on Thursday, July 17, 2014, at 7 pm, at Super Antojitos Mexican Grill, located at 1702 E. 17th St., Suite A, in Santa Ana.

The event his hosted by Tony Tejeda. Suggested contributions range from $100 to $500. Please RSVP ASAP to Monica Leyva at 714-276-7050 or electvelasquez2014@gmail.com. Continue reading→

The Santa Ana City Council runs for cover as they reject their own raise proposal

Posted on July 15, 2014 by Art Pedroza Posted in Ballot Measures, Civic Affairs, David Benavides, Lou Correa, Marijuana, Michele Martinez, Politics, Sal Tinajero, Santa Ana, Vince Sarmiento 8 Comments

The Santa Ana City Council unanimously rejected their own ballot measure proposal, which was Agenda Item # 65A, to give themselves what amounted to a 700% pay raise. We have been hammering them on this issue for weeks – even posting an article about how much this Council really makes. I surmise that they finally realized this was going to kill their re-election campaigns. Council Members Michele Martinez and David Benavides as well as Mayor Pro Tem Sal Tinajero are all up for re-election this November.

The ballot measure proposal they killed included revisions to the Code of Ethics and to their own campaign finance rules. Remarkably the Council was proposing to accept campaign contributions from residents and business owners who were asking for licenses or permits.

I think the gorilla in the room tonight was the possibility that State Senator Lou Correa will be running for Mayor of Santa Ana. This rumor has now been confirmed by multiple sources and I believe he will be running regardless of what Mayor Miguel Pulido decides to do. You can bet that Correa will win and I am certain that he will find candidates to oppose the Council Members who are up for re-election if they don’t start getting in line. Continue reading→

Mayor and City Council to honor Mike Harrah at Tuesday’s Council meeting

Posted on July 14, 2014 by Art Pedroza Posted in Civic Affairs, Miguel Pulido, Mike Harrah, Santa Ana 5 Comments

Mike Harrah

City of Santa Ana

Community: The Mayor and City Council will honor Mike Harrah, an exemplary citizen, at Tuesday’s City Council meeting

SANTA ANA, CA (June 16, 2014) – The Mayor and City Council will recognize Mike Harrah for being an exemplary citizen and pioneer in the City of Santa Ana.

Mike Harrah is a developer, restaurateur, entertainer, historical preservationist and visionary who strives to “look beyond the ordinary and transform the impossible into reality”.

Since 1989, Mike has been the president of Caribou Industries, a company that has restored and operated more than 4 million square feet of commercial office space and historical homes in Santa Ana. Continue reading→

How much does the Santa Ana City Council really earn?

Posted on July 14, 2014 by Art Pedroza Posted in Civic Affairs, David Benavides, Miguel Pulido, Roman Reyna, Sal Tinajero, Santa Ana 7 Comments

The Santa Ana City Clerk has re-posted the Council Members’ total compensation and benefits today however a key piece of the puzzle is missing. The Santa Ana Open Government website does not include how much the City Council Members are paid to serve on various County Commissions.

I emailed the City Clerk, Maria Huizar, about this discrepancy and she pointed me to a different page – the Mayor and City Council page, where this information is found when you click on “Form 806.” Who in the public would know what the heck that is? The good news is that Huizar said she will look into my recommendation to put this information with the Council’s pay, on the Open Government page. We need to make it easier, not harder, for the voters to find out how much the City Council members really are earning.

As we posted this weekend, the Santa Ana Council Members are going to try to place a measure on the November General Election ballot that will result in a huge increase in their pay. But shouldn’t the City of Santa Ana be more transparent about how much the Council Members really earn when you factor in the pay and benefits that stem from their service on various County Boards?

Here is what the Council Members make by serving on various Boards: Continue reading→

The City Council wants you to give them a gigantic raise!

Posted on July 12, 2014 by Art Pedroza Posted in 2014 Elections, Ballot Measures, Civic Affairs, Politics, Santa Ana 10 Comments

The Santa Ana City Council has cobbled together a real Frankenstein’s Monster of a ballot measure that has one main goal – to give the City Council Members a huge raise! They are going to be considering this measure at the City Council meeting on Tuesday, this week.

What the City Council Members are proposing comes from California Government Code Section 36516, which states in part:

A city council may enact an ordinance providing that each member of the city council shall receive a salary based on the population of the city as set forth in paragraph (2).
(2) The salaries approved by ordinance under paragraph (1) shall be as follows:
(F) In cities over 250,000 population, up to and including one thousand dollars ($1,000) per month.

Continue reading→

Susan Andersen and Michael ray to be honored at tonight’s City Council meeting

Posted on June 30, 2014 by Art Pedroza Posted in Civic Affairs, Santa Ana Leave a comment

City of Santa Ana

Community Alert: The Mayor & City Council will honor exemplary citizens Susan Andersen & Michael Ray at Tuesday’s City Council meeting

SANTA ANA, CA (June 30, 2014) – The Santa Ana Mayor and City Council will recognize Susan Andersen & Michael Ray for their exemplary service to the Santa Ana community.

Susan Andersen has been touching the lives of Santa Ana’s residents for over fifty years. She moved to Santa Ana and opened Andersen Dental Lab on Main Street with her husband in 1946. Yesterday, Susan celebrated her 100th birthday. She is the last remaining of her siblings. Continue reading→

Goodwill’s Frank Talarico to be honored at tonight’s City Council meeting

Posted on June 18, 2014 by Art Pedroza Posted in Charities, Civic Affairs, Santa Ana Leave a comment

Frank Talarico Jr. and State Senator Lou Correa

City of Santa Ana

Community Alert: The Mayor & City Council will honor Frank Talarico, an exemplary citizen, at Tuesday’s City Council meeting

SANTA ANA, CA (June 16, 2014) – The Santa Ana Mayor and City Council will recognize Frank Talarico, Jr. for his exemplary citizen participation and services to the Santa Ana community.

Frank Talarico, Jr. is the president and CEO of Goodwill of Orange County since 2012. Talarico aggressively embraced the Goodwill mission to “help people who are facing barriers to finding employment” as his own. He is creating unique entrepreneurial programs and services that better reach existing and emerging target audiences. Continue reading→

Pulido lawyers up – should the Council Members do so as well?

Posted on May 29, 2014 by Art Pedroza Posted in Civic Affairs, Crime, David Benavides, Jose Solorio, Michele Martinez, Miguel Pulido, Politics, Sal Tinajero, Santa Ana 9 Comments

Mayor Miguel Pulido

Santa Ana Mayor Miguel Pulido has received at least $25,000 in contributions toward a legal defense fund that he established in January as he is being investigated by the state’s political watchdog agency, according to the OC Register.

The “Miguel Pulido Legal Defense Fund” was set up in January, shortly after City Attorney Sonia Carvalho began investigating a real estate swap involving Pulido that ethics experts say looks like a bribe and could have violated state conflict of interest laws, according to the Voice of OC.

My sources tell he that a few of the Santa Ana Council Members may want to set up legal defense funds of their own. One pajarito in particular told me last week that the FBI is looking at conflict of interest by the Council Members with regard to real estate development on Bristol and Seventeenth and at the property formerly known as the Honer Plaza which is now called the Bristol Marketplace. Continue reading→

Council to cavort with a Telemundo host on 5/21 despite citywide crime wave

Posted on May 19, 2014 by Art Pedroza Posted in Civic Affairs, Entertainment, Santa Ana 3 Comments

City of Santa Ana, Downtown Orange County

Community: PUBLIC INVITED TO LIVE TELECAST OF TELEMUNDO’S NATIONAL NEWS WITH JOSÉ DÍAZ-BALART ON WED. IN DOWNTOWN SANTA ANA

SANTA ANA (May 19,2014) – The public is invited to join the City Manager, Mayor and members of City Council for a special live telecast of Telemundo’s National News Program “Noticiero Telemundo” with host José Díaz-Balart, one of the most respected voices in Hispanic journalism in the United States. The live taping will occur on Wednesday, May 21 at 3:30pm in Downtown Santa Ana’s Second Street Promenade near Lola Gaspar and the Gypsy Den. The public is encouraged to come out early by 3:00pm, before the 3:30pm live newscast, for a chance to appear live on-camera during the background & crowd shots, receive a Telemundo goodie bag and also enjoy Downtown Santa Ana’s restaurants and food specials.

About José Díaz-Balart: Continue reading→

Crime is increasing but our City Council Members say it’s an anomaly

Posted on May 19, 2014 by Art Pedroza Posted in Crime, David Benavides, Michele Martinez, Sal Tinajero, Santa Ana 10 Comments

Santa Ana’s City Council Members are finally reacting to the increasing violence and crime in our city – but their reaction is not what anyone might have expected. In a city where the Council Members have in the past led marches against violence and conducted town hall meetings to discuss the issue, our elected officials are now ducking and covering.

Consider what several of the Council Members told the O.C. Register after five shootings and three fatalities in the past month: Continue reading→

Meet the Mayor, City Council and City Commissioners on April 10

Posted on April 1, 2014 by Art Pedroza Posted in Civic Affairs, Entertainment, Santa Ana 2 Comments

City of Santa Ana

Advisory: SPECIAL EVENT: Community Invited to Attend Meet & Greet with Mayor & City Council as well as their appointees to city boards & commissions

On behalf of the Santa Ana Mayor & City Council, you are cordially invited to attend a “Meet & Greet.”

This is a great opportunity to meet council members & their Appointees to boards and commissions of the City. Participating appointees include: Continue reading→

The Mayor and City Council will honor Rev. Louis V. Carlson Jr. tonight

Posted on April 1, 2014 by Art Pedroza Posted in Churches and Religion, Civic Affairs, Santa Ana Leave a comment

City of Santa Ana

Advisory: Mayor and City Council Will Honor a Community Member as an Exceptional Citizen at Tonight’s City Council Meeting

SANTA ANA, CA (April 1, 2014) – The Santa Ana Mayor and City Council will recognize Rev. Louis Victor Carlson, Jr. at tonight’s city council meeting for his distinguished service and accomplishments within the Santa Ana community.

Rev. Louis Victor Carlson, Jr. moved to Southern California in 1985 and currently lives in Santa Ana. He began ministering at the Santa Ana First Assembly of God Church where he taught adult Bible classes for 28 years and continues to perform weddings, memorial services throughout Southern California. Continue reading→

City Council gets good news about Santa Ana’s finances as revenues increase

Posted on February 3, 2014 by Art Pedroza Posted in Santa Ana 5 Comments

City of Santa Ana, Downtown Orange County

Community Alert: Mayor and City Council React to Financial Forecast At Upcoming City Council Meeting

SANTA ANA, CA (February 3, 2014) – At Tuesday’s City Council meeting, the Mayor and City Council will receive a mid-year update and revised financial forecast for their review and approval. The revised forecast reflects positive changes in our local economy. Major revenues such as sales and property tax are increasing at a higher rate than previously forecasted which will provide the City with additional funds to serve our community. General economic activity is increasing with general retail sales up 3.4%, building permits have increased by 3.8% and unemployment has now dropped to 8.5%. Continue reading→