In a blog post, titled: ‘These Are the 7 Biggest Fears That You Need To Avoid Having In Your Twenties’ on the website Elite Daily, Kim Pham called on people her age to stop being fearful, according to the Daily Mail, a newspaper in London.
But that was written before she was beaten into a coma while the 23-year old graduate of Chapman University was waiting to enter the hipster bar/restaurant called The Crosby, last Friday night. Continue reading
On 1-18-14, at approximately 0023 Hours, patrol officers responded to a report of an altercation at 400 N. Broadway (The Crosby). Upon arrival, they found a 23-year-old woman on the sidewalk who appeared unconscious. Orange County Fire Authority and paramedics responded to the scene and transported the victim to a local hospital where she is currently listed in extremely serious condition. It appears the injuries sustained by the victim were the result of a physical altercation. Continue reading
Former Santa Ana mayoral candidate Thomas Gordon really hates graffiti but can graffiti also be a form of artwork? Gordon is upset because artists are using the Blue Lot, in Downtown Santa Ana, to practice graffiti style art. Here is an email he sent to the folks at the Santa Ana Citizens Yahoogroup on the subject:
Have any of you seen the Blue Lot located at the corner of First & Bush?
It’s a spot for fans of graffiti to practice their “art” that eventually winds up costing Santa Ana taxpayers millions a year to clean up city wide.
A recent OC Register story stated “Santa Ana budgets nearly $2.4 million for graffiti abatement – twice as much as it spends to improve parks where children play.” That’s shameful. Continue reading
Santa Ana Community Alert
Plaza Navidena: First Annual City Sponsored Holiday Celebration
SANTA ANA, CA (December 10, 2013) – The City of Santa Ana is producing the First Annual Plaza Navidena celebration for the community to enjoy. In the spirit of the Holiday Season, the City is inviting the general public to enjoy each other’s company, delicious food, and talented local performances. The event will take place this Saturday, December 14 from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. at Plaza Santa Ana, which is in Downtown Santa Ana on the corner of French and Fourth Street. Continue reading
Picture Courtesy of the Santa Ana Sentinel
In its 11th year, Noche de Altares (Night of the Altars), was expected to draw tens of thousands over nine hours with its entertainment stages, community-based vendors and more than 100 ofrendas (altars) dedicated to the memory of the deceased, according to the O.C. Register.
The event, which was held yesterday, “has become more commercialized, it is now a combination of an art exhibit and street fair,” according to the Santa Ana Sentinel, which also reported that “El día de los muertos was very much the theme of the night at the Santora where just about all of the galleries displayed artwork, photography, even clothing influenced by the day of the dead theme.”
But friends tell me that while they enjoyed the event, they also started to see major signs that hipsters are trying to turn this special cultural event into yet another Mexican drinking holiday, like Cinco de Mayo. The OC Weekly saw this coming, running a Do’s and Don’ts article before the Noche de Altares event. Here are a few excerpts from that article: Continue reading
A friend of mine runs a small business in Downtown Santa Ana, over at what they now call the East End Promenade. The other day he saw a drug dealer working nearby so my friend called the Downtown security guards and they came over and rousted the guy. Before long the drug dealer was back so this time my friend called the police. They knew nothing about any of this. And the truth dawned on my friend – the security guards in the Downtown are not passing their reports along to the Santa Ana Police Department.
Why should they? They report directly to Ryan Chase, the son of Downtown Santa Ana landlord Irv Chase. So of course they don’t give their reports to the police – but what this means is that the Santa Ana Police Department’s crime statistics are way off. Most of the incidents going on in Downtown Santa Ana, at night, are not being reported to the cops. The Downtown Inc. crowd is essentially cooking the crime books. Continue reading
Updated on 7/11/13– so far the Kickstart fundraising effort, as of Thursday, July 11, 2013, for the proposed Frida Cinema has only raised $4,305, despite a massive marketing effort on the Facebook pages of those associated with Downtown Inc and the Artists Village. With 18 days to go these folks are not much closer to raising the $65k they say they need in order to open for business.
Frida Cinema, the new arthouse theater that has displaced the Fiesta Teatro in Downtown Santa Ana has thirty days to raise $65,000, to buy a new digital projector, according to their Kickstart page. So far they have only raised $1,810. These same owners currently operate the Long Beach Cinematheque. Continue reading
Santa Ana Councilman David Benavides (seen above getting a piggyback ride from Councilman Roman Reyna) is going to be honored by the United Artists of Santa Ana this Saturday, July 6, 2013. It is hard to believe given that just a year ago Benavides was involved in trying to sell the historic Santora Arts building to his church, Newsong, which is based in Irvine.
Just how involved was Benavides in what turned out to be a complete fiasco? Here are a few excerpts from local media – note the negative comments from the artists themselves: Continue reading
**** PRESS RELEASE ****
For Immediate Release July 4, 2013
Press Contact: info@unitedartistsofsantaana.org
2ND ANNUAL SANTORA CELEBRATION HONORS LOCAL ART HEROES
United Artists of Santa Ana (UASA), the galvanizing group that successfully challenged the sale of the Santora to a religious group last year, reboots their annual spotlight on the historic art building with a 1920’s theme ArtWalk and an Architectural lecture & Award Ceremony starting at 7pm in the Santora Lobby, 207 N. Broadway, 92701. The event’s architectural lecture will be given by Tim Rush, President of the Santa Ana Historical Preservation Society. Continue reading
The Santa Ana City Council Monday night approved a new downtown business tax, replacing a controversial special property tax that had divided downtown businesses and brought the issue of gentrification to the fore, according to the Voice of OC.
Under a settlement agreement, the city will for three years provide $400,000 annually for Downtown Inc.’s cleaning and security services. The proceeds of the new district will be equally split between two groups: Downtown Inc. and the Santa Ana Business Council, a group composed of business owners who opposed the special property tax and are likely to conduct more Latino-oriented promotions. The revenue from the new tax district, approximately $250,000 annually, is far less than the revenue generated by the previous property tax district.
So as I understand it we are going to have a split marketing effort in Downtown Santa Ana with one group promoting the area to hipsters and the gay community and the other to paisas. Continue reading
A musical and cultural festival in honor of the 4th of July will be held in Downtown Santa Ana, on 4th Street (La Plaza) on the 4th of July, from 12 pm to 8 pm. The event will include local artist and community leaders that continue being the voice of the voiceless plus free fireworks for the kids – and live music! Continue reading
The Orange County Equality Coalition (OCEC) is once again hosting the Orange County Pride Festival in Santa Ana, on August 10, 2013, from 12 noon to 10 pm, on Fourth Street, between Broadway and Ross in Santa Ana, CA.
The free festival will be a full day event from 12pm to 10pm in order to accommodate time for festival goers to enjoy all that the event has to offer. There will be hours of high energy performances on the main stage, over a dozen DJ’s playing various music selections in two dance areas, hundreds of exhibitor tents, a beer and wine garden, a family friendly Kids Club, interesting and educational workshops at our Rainbow Symposium and delicious food from local vendors. Continue reading
Omar Ávalos Gallegos asks a very good question in his latest post over at the Santa Ana Sentinel – How is Downtown Santa Ana doing?
Here are a few excerpts from his post followed by my own comments:
What’s good about Downtown Santa Ana? Original brands. This is one area where the downtown sets itself apart from others. First of a kind restaurants and store brands make the area unique and that is a strength. Some city dwellers don’t want the downtown to lose that uniqueness by coupling more recognizable franchised brands with those newer, unique ones. Continue reading
The Superbowl is not until tomorrow – so tonight you can revel in the arts, in Downtown Santa Ana, where the First Saturday Art Walk is set to kick off at 7 pm, on Feb. 2.
The Art Walk features arts, crafts and live entertainment centrally located at: the Artists Village – Second Street Promenade (2nd & Broadway) & the Santiago Arts Colony (Santa Ana Blvd. & Poinsettia).
Highlights of tonight’s Art Walk include: Continue reading
The Circus Kids will be playing at this Saturday’s Downtown Santa Ana First Saturday Art Walk
Don’t miss the Downtown Santa Ana First Saturday Art Walk, set for this Saturday, January 5, from 7 pm to 11 pm, in the Artists Village, in Downtown Santa Ana.
Highlights this month include: Continue reading