New Santa Ana | Tag Archives: David Benavides

It’s time for a new City Council majority

Posted on November 10, 2014 by Art Pedroza Posted in 2014 Elections, Angelica Amezcua, David Benavides, Michele Martinez, Miguel Pulido, Phil Bacerra, Roman Reyna, Sal Tinajero, Santa Ana, Vince Sarmiento 3 Comments

Transparency really matters to Santa Ana Mayor Pro Tem Sal Tinajero. It is why he split from Councilman David Benavides’ “Team Santa Ana” in the recent City Council election. Benavides steadfastly refused to compel his Planning Commissioner Phil Bacerra to fill out the mandated Communication Disclosure forms until Tinajero threatened to remove Bacerra from his Commission.

Tinajero had the votes to dismiss Bacerra and Benavides knew it. Mayor Miguel Pulido and Council Members Vince Sarmiento and Angie Amezcua would have likely backed Tinajero.

Now that the election is over it is time for our City Council to get back to work trying to improve our city however Council Member Michele Martinez reacted in typical chola fashion after the election, when she told the Voice of OC that “When I was fighting the mayor before, the gloves were on, now the gloves are off — its bare knuckles.” Continue reading→

A look at the final Santa Ana voting results in the 2014 General Election

Posted on November 5, 2014 by Art Pedroza Posted in 2014 Elections, Alex Padilla, David Benavides, David Cavazos, Michele Martinez, Miguel Pulido, Politics, Roman Reyna, Sal Tinajero, Santa Ana, SAUSD 3 Comments

Mayor Pulido’s daughter kept tabs on the election results on Election Night

I met with Santa Ana Mayor Miguel Pulido last night at his Election Night Party. He was relieved that he was winning but was worried he wouldn’t garner more than 50% of the vote. His 11-year-old daughter was checking the election results on her IPad last night. She has quite an interest in politics – and perhaps she will be running for office after she finishes college.

Pulido ended up with 50.7% of the vote while his challenger Roman Reyna only mustered 6,778 votes, or 33.6% of the vote. The unknown third mayoral candidate, Mark I. Lopez, netted 15.8% of the vote – likely from those who couldn’t bear voting for the other two candidates.

The bad news for Pulido was that his team of City Council challengers – Alex Padilla, Mike Gonzalez and Mirna Velasquez, all lost. If there is any good news it is that the incumbent who did the worst was David Benavides. While his colleague Michele Martinez got less votes than Benavides she had three opponents while Benavides squared off against one challenger – Padilla. Continue reading→

Santa Ana’s incumbents leading in the 2014 General Election early returns

Posted on November 4, 2014 by Art Pedroza Posted in 2014 Elections, Adam Nick, Alex Padilla, David Benavides, Gilad Salmon, Janet Nguyen, John Palacio, Jose Solorio, Loretta Sanchez, Lou Correa, Michele Martinez, Miguel Pulido, Mike Gonzalez, Mirna Velasquez, Politics, Rene Gomez, Sal Tinajero, Santa Ana, SAUSD, Shuntele Andrews 6 Comments

The early returns are in with regard to today’s General Election. So far the incumbents are leading in all of the Santa Ana City Council races. It is early yet but in what should prove to be a low turnout election this first batch of votes can foreshadow the evening’s results. These are the early absentee votes – representing the most frequent voters.

Santa Ana Mayor Miguel Pulido is thoroughly trouncing Councilman Roman Reyna, with over 52% of the vote versus only 32% of the vote for Reyna. Clearly Reyna’s campaign was undone by his unwise decision to hang out with gang bangers.

In Ward 2 the incumbent, Michele Martinez, is leading with 53.8% of the vote in a crowded field. Shockingly Gilad Salmon is in second place with 21.3 % of the vote. Not surprisingly the sole Republican in the race, salsa dancer Rene Gomez, is in dead last with 9% of the vote. Continue reading→

Team Pulido is in a dead heat with the faltering Team Santa Ana

Posted on October 27, 2014 by Art Pedroza Posted in 2014 Elections, Alex Padilla, Crime, David Benavides, Education, Michele Martinez, Miguel Pulido, Mike Gonzalez, Mirna Velasquez, Politics, Sal Tinajero, Santa Ana 15 Comments

The election is almost upon us and the latest news is not good for the splintered Team Santa Ana. A major labor association has conducted secret polling that shows that Santa Ana Mayor Miguel Pulido’s team of City Council Candidates are in a dead heat with the splintered Team Santa Ana.

This is huge news as the Team Pulido slate, which includes Ward 2 candidate Mirna Velasquez, Ward 4 candidate Alex Padilla and Ward 6 candidate Miguel Gonzalez, has much less political experience than the longtime Council incumbents they are facing off against – Councilman David Benavides, Councilwoman Michele Martinez and Mayor Pro Tem Sal Tinajero. Continue reading→

Benavides, Reyna and Martinez rejected by two more law enforcement associations

Posted on October 22, 2014 by Art Pedroza Posted in 2014 Elections, Alex Padilla, Civic Affairs, David Benavides, Michele Martinez, Miguel Pulido, Mirna Velasquez, Orange County, Paul Walters, Politics, Public Safety, Roman Reyna, Sal Tinajero, Santa Ana Leave a comment

Both the Anaheim Police Association and the Peace Officers Research Association of California have rejected Santa Ana Council Members David Benavides and Michele Martinez as well as their colleague Roman Reyna, who is in the midst of an ill-advised Mayoral campaign.

This comes on the heels of rejections of these candidates by the Association of Orange County Deputy Sheriffs. The Santa Ana Police Officers Association (SAPOA) also rejected Reyna and Martinez.

Reyna really stepped in it when SAPOA called him out after a picture of Reyna with two hard core gang bangers was posted on Facebook. He has since become toxic to the entire Santa Ana City Council majority, which recently splintered when Benavides attacked Mayor Pro Tem Sal Tinajero. Continue reading→

2014 General Election voter guide for Santa Ana voters

Posted on October 15, 2014 by Art Pedroza Posted in 2014 Elections, Alex Padilla, Angie Rosario Cano, Ballot Measures, Cecilia Aguinaga, David Benavides, Elections, Everlena Oliver, Gilad Salmon, Janet Nguyen, John Palacio, Jose Solorio, Marijuana, Mark I. Lopez, Michele Martinez, Miguel Pulido, Mike Dalati, Mirna Velasquez, OC Assessor, Politics, Rene Gomez, Rigo Rodriguez, Roman Reyna, Sal Tinajero, Santa Ana, SAUSD, Sherry Walker, Shuntele Andrews, Tom Daly, Valerie Amezcua 11 Comments

This voter guide addresses the Orange County local and legislative races as well as the State and Local ballot measures.

General Election, November, 2014:

Local Elections

Santa Ana City Council

Mayor:

Endorsed Candidate: Mayor Miguel Pulido

Other Candidates: Roman Reyna, Mark I. Lopez

Note: Even Reyna’s friends and allies admit that he is not a capable candidate for Mayor of Santa Ana. This will be Pulido’s final term and in the next two years we need to recruit better candidates than the likes of Reyna, who has only served two years on the Santa Ana City Council. Continue reading→

Benavides fundraiser now to be held at the cochinero that is the Yost Theatre

Posted on October 14, 2014 by Art Pedroza Posted in 2014 Elections, Alcohol, Bars, David Benavides, Health and Medical, Politics, Public Safety, Restaurants, Santa Ana 6 Comments

Poor Santa Ana Councilman David Benavides had to switch the location of his upcoming fundraising reception from Ketri Cafe to the Yost Theatre after we let the people of Santa Ana know about Ketri’s unfortunate record of health violations. However perhaps Benavides should have checked out the Yost Theatre’s health record before he selected them as the new location of his fundraiser, which is set for Oct 16, 2014, from 5:30 to 7:30 pm. It turns out the Yost is a real cochinero!

On July 10, 2014, the Yost received these health violations after a health inspection by the OC Health Care Agency:

Uncleanliness of Premises/Trash Storage
Facility not Fully Enclosed/Open Door/Air Curtain
Inoperable/Lack of Food Thermometer
Water Temp (100F-119F)/Wash Temp <100F/Cross Con
Unsanitary Equipment/Utensil/Linen/Plumbing
Lack of/Unsanitary/Condition Walls/Floors/Ceilings
Improper Food Storage/Receiving
Change Room Improper Use/Lack of

Continue reading→

Mayor Pro Tem Tinajero drops his endorsement of Councilman David Benavides

Posted on October 12, 2014 by Art Pedroza Posted in 2014 Elections, Alex Padilla, David Benavides, Politics, Sal Tinajero, Santa Ana 11 Comments

Santa Ana Mayor Pro Tem Sal Tinajero Press Release

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: October 12, 2014

Contact: Santa Ana Mayor Pro Tem Sal Tinajero, 714-913-3515

Mayor Pro-Tem Sal Tinajero drops his endorsement of Santa Ana Council Member David Benavides

Santa Ana – It has been a tumultuous relationship for Santa Ana Mayor Pro-Tem Sal Tinajero and Ward 4 Santa Ana City Council member David Benavides. Tinajero begged Benavides, in 2010, not to give an award to Minuteman Lupe Moreno and her racist colleagues, but Benavides held on to his stubborn position and did it anyway.

In 2010, Benavides was caught working with OC GOP Central Committee member Thomas Gordon and Helen Martinez in a vote-splitting scheme to oust Tinajero from Ward 6. The scheme backfired when Gordon did not get enough signatures to qualify to be a candidate for the 2010 election. The OC Weekly ran a story that produced emails to prove that Benavides was a part of the plan. Continue reading→

The Association of OC Deputy Sheriffs rejects Benavides, Reyna and Martinez

Posted on October 11, 2014 by Art Pedroza Posted in 2014 Elections, Crime, David Benavides, Gangs, Michele Martinez, Miguel Pulido, Mirna Velasquez, Politics, Public Safety, Santa Ana 9 Comments

The Association of Orange County Deputy Sheriffs PAC has rejected Santa Ana Council Members David Benavides and Michele Martinez as well as their colleague Roman Reyna, who is running an ill-advised campaign against Mayor Miguel Pulido.

All three of these candidates are thought to have connections to Santa Ana’s gangs. They were all involved in firing our former Chief of Police, Paul Walters, and they voted to get rid of the SAPD’s Strike Force. All three of them were also caught ignoring several SAPD officers who were being honored a few weeks ago at a Santa Ana City Council meeting. Continue reading→

Free chorro at Benavides campaign event on Oct. 16 at Ketri Cafe in DTSA

Posted on October 9, 2014 by Art Pedroza Posted in 2014 Elections, Chorro, David Benavides, Entertainment, Food, Health and Medical, Politics, Restaurants, Santa Ana 6 Comments

Santa Ana Councilman David Benavides is once again holding a fundraiser outside of his Ward, in Downtown Santa Ana, at Ketri Cafe, on Oct. 16, 2014, from 5:30 to 7:30 pm.

Benavides bills Ketri Cafe as “A Local Hidden Gem,” but I guess he hasn’t looked at their record of health violations.

They were inspected by the OC Health Care Agency on August 7, 2014, after a complaint, and the inspection resulted in a bevy of violations: Continue reading→

Have Reyna and Benavides sold their votes to high density apartment developers?

Posted on October 9, 2014 by Art Pedroza Posted in 2014 Elections, Civic Affairs, David Benavides, Development, Phil Bacerra, Planning, Politics, Santa Ana, Tustin 3 Comments

Have you wondered how in the world Santa Ana Councilman David Benavides and his sidekick, Roman Reyna, who is an ill-advised Mayoral candidate this year, are funding their respective political campaigns? As we saw in 2012, the high density apartment developers are backing these guys – often in the form of secretive Independent Expenditures – and this time they have a distinct objective in mind. Put simply, the developers are trying to buy their votes.

At stake is the property at 2001 East Dyer Road, which is on Santa Ana’s East side, on the border of Tustin. This land is currently zoned for industrial use but the developers who recently bought this land are requesting that the City of Santa Ana re-zone their (approximately) 18 acre property from industrial to residential development (high density apartments). Continue reading→

Was Santa Ana’s sad Ciclovia an attempt to promote Reyna and Benavides at public expense?

Posted on October 6, 2014 by Art Pedroza Posted in 2014 Elections, Bicycles, David Benavides, Politics, Roman Reyna, Santa Ana 11 Comments

Benavides and Reyna Ciclovia

Did Santa Ana’s taxpayers pay for Team Santa Ana’s jerseys too?

Isn’t it interesting that the City of Santa Ana scheduled their Ciclovia event a month before the General Election? And sure enough Councilman David Benavides and his pal Roman Reyna, who is running for Mayor, were there in full force, promoting themselves at the City’s expense.

A friend of mine figures the City had to have spent a small fortune on City employees including perhaps 30 police officers and public safety personnel. And who knows how much they spent on marketing the event? I hear that the turnout was not great. A reader estimated total turnout at under a thousand with perhaps half of them comprised of staff and volunteers. Continue reading→

Team Santa Ana falls apart as Benavides declares war on Tinajero

Posted on October 5, 2014 by Art Pedroza Posted in 2014 Elections, Alex Padilla, Angelica Amezcua, Gangs, John Palacio, Michele Martinez, Miguel Pulido, Mirna Velasquez, Planning, Roman Reyna, Santa Ana, Valerie Amezcua 21 Comments

Team Santa Ana Broken

Team Santa Ana appears to be finished as Santa Ana Councilman David Benavides posted a snarky picture of the Team Santa Ana walk piece with Mayor Pro Tem Sal Tinajero’s face covered up. The picture was posted on Benavides’ Facebook page, Twitter account and Instragam account before he came to his senses and deleted the entries. The damage however was already done. The Santa Ana Spring is over.

What happened? This all goes back to the ongoing ruckus on the Santa Ana Planning Commission where Commissioner Phil Bacerra has dug in his heels and steadfastly refused to turn in his communication disclosure forms. All of the other Planning Commissioners have done so but Bacerra had to be threatened by the Santa Ana City Council’s Ethics Committee, which consists of Tinajero and Councilwoman Angie Amezcua, before he finally turned in what I am told are heavily redacted disclosure forms that may not in fact be all that accurate.

Why do these forms matter? It all comes down to transparency. The public deserves to know who the Planning Commissioners are talking to about city business. Why did Bacerra drag his feet for so long before finally turning in the forms, after being threatened with removal from the Planning Commission? That is the crux of the matter. Has Bacerra been shaking down those who have business with the Planning Commission for donations to the Benavides reelection campaign? Is this why Benavides has been running interference for Bacerra? Continue reading→

Pulido and Velasquez endorsed by the Santa Ana Police Officers Association

Posted on September 30, 2014 by Art Pedroza Posted in 2014 Elections, David Benavides, Michele Martinez, Miguel Pulido, Mirna Velasquez, Politics, Public Safety, Santa Ana 12 Comments

Mirna Velasquez and Carlos Rojas

The Santa Ana Police Officers Association has announced their endorsements with regard to the upcoming November City Council election. While it was not surprising to see them endorse incumbents David Benavides and Sal Tinajero, in Wards 4 and 6, it was refreshing to see them back a challenger, Mirna Velasquez, in Ward 2.

SAPOA also is backing Mayor Miguel Pulido instead of Roman Reyna. Continue reading→

Republican who once promoted Prop. 187 is now backing Roman Reyna for Mayor

Posted on September 16, 2014 by Art Pedroza Posted in 2014 Elections, David Benavides, irvine, Lupe Moreno, Miguel Pulido, Politics, Republican Party, Roman Reyna, Santa Ana 18 Comments

Rosario Marin and her GOP pals

Rosario Marin, who worked for Gov. Wilson during the Prop. 187 campaign, is now promoting Roman Reyna

Gov. Jerry Brown signed legislation Monday that repeals unenforceable provisions of Proposition 187, the two-decade-old measure that sought to withhold public services from immigrants in the country illegally, according to the L.A. Times.

Ironically Santa Ana Councilman Roman Reyna announced today that Rosario Marin, a Republican who served as President George W. Bush’s U.S. Treasurer, would be the keynote speaker at a Reyna for Mayor campaign reception on Sep. 23. Marin worked as Governor Pete Wilson’s chief of Legislative Affairs for the Department of Developmental Services starting in 1996 and in 1997, she was named deputy director of Govern Wilson’s Office of Community Relations. In that position Marin had to defend the administration’s support for Prop. 187, according to Wikipedia. Continue reading→