Santa Ana Council Member Sal Tinajero has dropped out of the Santa Ana Mayor’s race. The remaining candidates include:
- Mayor Miguel Pulido
- Council Member David Benavides
- Analyst/Production Manager George Collins Continue reading
Tag Archives: Elections
Updated: Estela and Angelica Amezcua to run for Wards 1 and 3
Estela and Angelica Amezcua pulled papers today to run for the Santa Ana City Council, in Wards 1 and 3. It initially appeared that they were running for each other’s wards, based on addresses I found online, however the Santa Ana City Clerk emailed me today to advise that someone on her staff had inadvertently transposed their names on the candidate status report that was posted yesterday. That report has since been corrected.
Angelica is running for the Ward 3 seat that is currently held by and Estela is running for Ward 1. Angelica is challenging disgraced Council Member Carlos Bustamante, who is facing serious sex crime and public theft charges, and Estela is running for the ward represented by Council Member Vince Sarmiento. Continue reading
Alvarez to run against Chapel and McLoughlin for the Rancho Board’s Area 5
As I have been predicting for some time, Santa Ana Mayor Pro Tem Claudia Alvarez is running for the Rancho Santiago Community College District’s Area 5, which includes (as per the OC Political blog):
- Fountain Valley north of Edinger Avenue
- Garden Grove south of Garden Grove Boulevard between Harbor Boulevard and Euclid Street
- Santa Ana north of 17th Street and west of Santiago Street
- Santa Ana between Euclid Street and the Santa Ana River
- Santa Ana north of Civic Center Drive between Bristol Street and Flower Street
McLoughlin and Chapel are of course toast. Area 5’s voters break down like this – 33% are Latino, 27% are Asian and presumably the balance are white (41%.) But Chapel and McLoughlin are going to split the white vote. That should put Alvarez in the catbird seat. Continue reading
Updated: Santa Ana Voter Poll – Who Should be our Next Mayor?
The Santa Ana Mayor’s race is quickly growing crowded. Mayor Miguel A. Pulido will be facing off against two Council Members, David Benavides and Sal Tinajero, but there are others in the race as well, including retired engineer Roy Alvarado, CSUF student Miguel Angel Briseno, and possibly videographer George Collins as well.
You already know who Benavides and Tinajero are. Here is a rundown of the other candidates: Continue reading
Will SAUSD Trustee John Palacio run for Santa Ana’s Ward 3?
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
Tinajero running for Mayor, making Benavides an afterthought
Popular Santa Ana Council Member Sal Tinajero pulled papers today to run for Mayor of Santa Ana. Tinajero served on the SAUSD School Board before getting elected to the Santa Ana City Council in 2006, when he beat a candidate backed by Santa Ana Mayor Miguel Pulido. Tinajero won by just under a thousand votes against Jennifer Villasenor, according to Smart Voter.
Tinajero just missed being the top vote-getter when he won a seat on the SAUSD School Board in 2004. He was the top vote-getter when he first won a school board seat in 2000. Continue reading
Benavides announces campaign for Mayor of Santa Ana
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: July 30, 2012
Contact: Benavides for Santa Ana Mayor, 714.475.1630, david@davidbenavides.com
Santa Ana Councilmember David Benavides announces candidacy for Mayor; thanks incumbent Mayor for over 25 years at City Hall.
Santa Ana, CA (July 30, 2012) – “Santa Ana is ready to once again be the thriving urban center and heart of Orange County. I am ready to be the Mayor with the vision and commitment to help our city realize its potential,” Benavides said. “As Mayor I will engage our residents and businesses and bring our community together around the common goals of safe neighborhoods, strong businesses, and building our city into a cultural destination – a city in which we can all take pride.” Continue reading
Why I won’t be voting for Benavides in November
Is it any surprise to anyone that Santa Ana Council Member David Benavides chose to break the news that he is running against Santa Ana Mayor Miguel Pulido on the Republican OC Political blog? That is exactly what I have come to expect from Benavides.
When Benavides was first elected, back in 2006, he had a great story to offer. He had come to Santa Ana as part of a ministry and he decided to stay here and put down roots. But he very quickly was compromised by Santa Ana’s racist old guard – the Usual Suspects. Mostly old and angry Republicans they brought him up through the Neighborhood Association movement – which pretends to represent the people of Santa Ana but realistically represents at most 1% of our community – and is heavily subsidized by our tax dollars. He declared on his Smart Voter page that he was the winner of the “Neighborhood Hero Award,” the penultimate badge of honor for these metiches. Continue reading
Why they can’t beat Miguel Pulido – and he will win again this year
UPDATE: Council Member Sal Tinajero has pulled papers to run against Mayor Pulido this November. Chisme has it that Benavides will be pressured to get out of the race ASAP.
UPDATE: Council Member David Benavides has announced that he is running for Mayor. Pulido has nothing to worry about.
Santa Ana Mayor Miguel Pulido’s detractors are befuddled about how exactly he keeps on winning, every two years. What they don’t understand is that their views don’t reflect the views of the residents at large in our city.
Santa Ana is a huge city. The “inside baseball” and chismoso/gadfly set is fairly small, perhaps a hundred people at most. In 2010, mayoral challenger Alfredo Amezcua lined up a lot of these folks – and combined them with the dwindling “Usual Suspects.” Amezcua spent a quarter million dollars and he thought he had victory in the bag. But you see what he was listening to was an echo chamber – and he failed to reach the majority of voters in Santa Ana. Continue reading
Updated: Verino and Amezcua to run for the SAUSD School Board
Valerie and Al Amezcua
UPDATE: Valerie Amezcua has pulled papers to run for the SAUSD Board of Education. She last ran for the SAUSD School Board in 2008, when she lost by less than a hundred votes to Roman Reyna. Reyna is running for the Santa Ana City Council in November and is walking away from the SAUSD School Board. Amezcua had a chance to run for the SAUSD School Board in 2010, but she declined to do so.
Amezcua is the daughter of local attorney Al Amezcua, who challenged Santa Ana Mayor Miguel Pulido in 2010, losing badly. Al and Valerie both served on the Measure G Campaign Committee – helping to pass a bond measure that raised our taxes for dubious purposes (the SAUSD School District remodeled their district offices after Measure G passed). Both of the Amezcuas also supported liberal union hack candidate Julio Perez in the Open Primary, for the 69th Assembly District. Perez spent a small fortune on that race, as did his labor allies, but he lost to a Republican, Jose Moreno, who spent almost nothing on his campaign. Continue reading
SAUSD Trustee Roman Reyna will run for the Santa Ana City Council
Pictured: Roman Reyna and Carlos Bustamante
SAUSD Trustee Roman Reyna has confirmed on this Facebook page that he is running for the Santa Ana City Council, again, this November. Reyna will be a candidate for Ward 5, which is currently held by Santa Ana Mayor Pro Tem Claudia Alvarez. She is termed out however a lawsuit filed by Santa Ana Parks and Rec Commissioner Max Madrid is seeking to compel the Santa Ana City Clerk to issue nomination papers to Alvarez, on the grounds that Measure D, which extended Council terms, reset the term limit clock for Alvarez. If Madrid’s lawsuit prevails Reyna will have to face off against Alvarez – again. She already beat him once, back in 2004. In that race Alvarez got over 26,500 votes while Reyna got only 10,720 votes, according to Smart Voter. Continue reading
Northeast Santa Ana Little League seeking 2013 Board Members
Seeking Candidates for the 2013 Northeast Santa Ana (NESALL) Board of Directors
Have you ever thought you’d like to make a difference in children’s lives? Would you like to help shape the future of Northeast Santa Ana Little League? This is your opportunity! We are seeking motivated individuals who want to commit to being active team members of the 2013 NESALL Board of Directors. We are seeking candidates with: Continue reading
Newcomer to Santa Ana politics announces campaign for Ward 5
Karina Onofre has announced that she is running for Ward 5 on the Santa Ana City Council, which is currently represented by Santa Ana Mayor Pro Tem Claudia Alvarez, who has apparently termed out after serving for three four year terms. Alvarez reportedly is going to sue to get on to the ballot.
Onofre works for a fellow named Mike Dalati, at Santa Ana Property Management, a company that manages rental properties. She is also apparently the publisher of Mundo Latino Magazine, but their website appears to be defunct. You can however learn a bit about this publication at this link. Onofre states on that website that “Our goal with MUNDO LATINO WORLD magazine is to Strengthen Latinos & the Whole WORLD in unison with tips on healthcare, eating, excercising, love poem.” I have never seen nor heard of this magazine but apparently Congresswoman Loretta Sanchez gave her an award for publishing it. Sanchez must have dug those love poems! Continue reading
Sources report that Santa Ana Mayor Pro Tem Alvarez is running again
UPDATE: Sources report that Santa Ana Mayor Pro Tem Claudia Alvarez is going to run for reelection this November. There has been some debate about whether or not Measure D, which allowed her to run for a third term, would allow her to run for two more. Alvarez is essentially challenging her detractors to sue her if they want to remove her from the ballot. There is precedent for similar measures to grant incumbents a new set of terms – which means that Alvarez could run twice more. She has been on the City Council for three terms – twelve years. Only Mayor Miguel Pulido has been there longer. Go Claudia!
“The city of Santa Ana has sought an outside legal opinion on whether Councilwoman Claudia Alvarez — who is thought to be termed out of office next year — can run for a fourth term on City Council, Santa Ana’s interim City Manager Paul Walters confirmed this week,” according to the Voice of OC. Continue reading
New Santa Ana City Council ward map will redraw wards four and six
The proposed new Santa Ana City Council Ward Map
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Jose Gonzalez, City Manager’s Office, 714-647-5200 – Office, 714-822-4415 – Cell
CITY OF SANTA ANA IS SET TO CONSIDER CHANGING WARD BOUNDARIES
SANTA ANA, CA (November 15, 2011) – The City of Santa Ana is proposing to change the City’s Ward boundaries. A public hearing has been set for December 5, 2011, at 6:00 p.m. in the Council Chamber, located at 22 Civic Center Plaza, in which testimony will be received and considered by the City Council. Continue reading