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Santa Ana's top news & views blog

Tag Archives: free speech

The politicians were all over the “non-political” Fiestas Patrias fiesta and parade

Posted on by Posted in Ballot Measures, Civic Affairs, Civil Rights, Free Speech, Politics, Santa Ana 4 Comments

Loretta Sanchez at the Fiestas Patrias Parade

U.S. Rep. Loretta Sanchez playing politics at the 2014 Fiestas Patrias Parade

As we reported in earlier posts, the City of Santa Ana forbade the Measure CC medical marijuana initiative campaign from reaching out to the voters at this weekend’s Fiestas Patrias fiesta and parade in Downtown Santa Ana.  But lo and behold there were politicians all over DTSA this weekend!  Thanks to our friends from OC Norml for the pictures.

Most of the politicians pictured below are going to be on the November General Election ballot.  But because they are incumbents the City of Santa Ana gives them more free speech rights than their opponents, who are outright banned from participating with booths at the fiesta or riding in the parade.  I expect that the ACLU will be filing a lawsuit against the City of Santa Ana soon as this is a blatantly unconstitutional abridgment of free speech by our city leaders. Continue reading→

Outrageous free speech hypocrisy on display at the DTSA Fiestas Patrias event

Posted on by Posted in 2014 Elections, Ballot Measures, Civic Affairs, Civil Rights, Democratic Party, Gerardo Mouet, Latinos, Loretta Sanchez, Politics, Santa Ana 12 Comments

Congresswoman Sanchez' booth at the Fiestas Patrias

The City of Santa Ana says U.S. Rep. Sanchez “isn’t political”

Santa Ana Parks and Recreation Agency Director Gerardo Mouet called me today to assure me that all is on the up and up over at the Fiestas Patrias event that is taking place this weekend in Downtown Santa Ana.

Mouet explained that it is okay to let local elected officials participate in the Fiestas Patrias because, well, they’re elected.  But it is not okay for other candidates and campaigns to have booths at the Fiestas Patrias or participate in the parade on Sunday because, well, they’re not elected.

Huh?  Did I miss something? Does becoming an elected official automatically bestow extra Constitutional powers to our incumbent politicians?  Because that is what Mouet is saying.  Free speech is apparently available in Santa Ana but only if you were fortunate enough to win an election.  Free speech is not extended to anyone else!  Is this what we expected from our all-Democrat Santa Ana City Council?  Does this mean the “Santa Ana Spring” is dead? Continue reading→

The City of Santa Ana shuts down free speech at the Fiestas Patrias event

Posted on by Posted in Civic Affairs, Civil Rights, Marijuana, Politics, Santa Ana 16 Comments

SAPD talk to protesters at the Fiestas Patrias

The Measure CC campaign (Santa Ana Medical Marijuana Initiative) were all set to run a booth at this weekend’s Fiestas Patrias event in Downtown Santa Ana when they got a call from Santa Ana Parks and Recreation Director Gerardo Mouet.

Mouet cancelled their booth.  He said that it was not his policy to allow any political booths.  The Measure CC campaign director had previously been told by another City of Santa Ana employee that he got an internal email that stated that the Measure CC booth would be a “public safety risk.”

The Measure CC campaign was previously told that it would be okay for them to participate in the Fiestas Patrias event as their goal was to register and educate voters. Continue reading→

Free speech open mic night at Malone’s, in Santa Ana, on March 3

Posted on by Posted in Arts and Culture, Bars, Civic Affairs, Entertainment, Poetry, Politics Leave a comment

Santa Ana artist Theo Hirsch is hosting a free speech open mic night at Malone’s bar, on Thursday, March 3, from 7:00pm – March 4 at 2 am.  Malone’s is located at 604 E. Dyer Rd., in Santa Ana.

Feb 3rd was a blast, according to Hirsch, who also said that “we went until 2am and had two different crowds!”  Hirsch says that “this time will be even better and I will promote it just as much, and I am counting on everyone else to do the same, POST THIS AS AN EVENT ON YOUR PAGE, post it as your status as often as possible, tell your friends, email list, text!! Help promote this open mic!”

Last time there were about 25 performers so get there early for sign ups, at 7:30 p.m.

Click here to RSVP on Facebook.

Governor signs new bill extending free speech rights to charter school students

Posted on by Posted in california, Civil Rights, Education, Santa Ana, Youth Activities Leave a comment

Advocates for free speech notched another victory this week when Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger signed a bill that will give students at charter schools the same free speech protection that their counterparts in regular public schools enjoy.

What happened, in a nutshell, is that a State Assemblyman, Leland Yee, had to step in with new legislation when a local charter school, the Orange County High School of the Arts (OCHSA), here in the Santa Ana Unified School District, stopped a press run of their student newspaper, in an obvious attempt to abridge the free speech rights of a student reporter.  The same school later fired their journalism advisor because she stood up for that student’s rights.

Yee was so mad after that happened that he asked the SAUSD to cancel OCHSA’s charter, but the SAUSD School Board ignored his request.  That was no surprise given that SAUSD School Board President Audrey Yamagata-Noji is no defender of the First Amendment herself.  She recently suspended a college student at Mt. San Antonio College, where she is the Vice President of Student Services, for daring to Tweet about a teacher – without even mentioning said teacher’s name!

Here are all the details, courtesy of the California Chronicle:

Click here to read the rest of this post.

Santa Ana resident accosted for speaking in Spanish at Council meeting

Posted on by Posted in Civic Affairs, Elections, Latinos, Politics, Santa Ana 9 Comments

What language did Ben use when he approached these very young ladies, at a No Doubt concert?

The Amezcua campaign was out in full force at last night’s Santa Ana City Council meeting.  We have already chronicled how they resorted to lame miming and then refused to take the podium, as they had nothing to say.

I wonder if Amezcua will now step up to the defense of Alex Vega, a Santa Ana resident who commented last night, in Spanish.  When Vega was leaving he was accosted by Ben Grabiel, a member of the Apartment Owners Association of Orange County.  Grabiel cursed at Vega and demanded to know why he did not speak in English.

Alex Vega with Assemblyman Jose Solorio and Ruben Martinez

For the record, our residents have the express right to speak in whatever language they want to!

I wonder if Grabiel forces his renters to speak in English only as well?

Amezcua, by the way, is still harping about last night’s meeting, on Facebook – even though his acolyte, Albert Castillo, was silent, and his supporter, Rueben Alvarez, was miming.  No one abridged their rights to speak, except for themselves!

So will Amezcua and Castillo speak up for Vega’s rights?  We truly doubt it…

Amezcua campaign mimes, then retreats, at the Yost Theater

Posted on by Posted in Carlos Bustamante, Civic Affairs, Claudia Alvarez, David Benavides, Michele Martinez, Miguel Pulido, Politics, Santa Ana, Vince Sarmiento 5 Comments

Debbie McEwen practices her free speech, at tonight’s Council meeting

The Alfredo Amezcua campaign spent a week screaming on Facebook about free speech, but at tonight’s Santa Ana City Council meeting, which was held at the historic Yost Theater, they sent a mime to the podium, then waved the white flag.  I was embarrassed for them.

Ruben Alvarez, who serves as Amezcua’s photographer, turned in a speaker card.  I asked him where his censorship sticker was and he blanched.  He must have thought I read his mind.  Moments later, when he took the podium, he put a piece of white tape over his mouth, then proceeded to hold up sheets of paper with words on them.  It was all so lame I couldn’t even follow what the heck he was trying to say.

Amezcua’s lame mime…

Councilman David Benavides whined and pleaded for forgiveness, apparently forgetting that he had voted to silence Amezcua’s disciple, Alberto Castillo.

The rest of the Council would have none of that.  Councilman Vince Sarmiento, who is an attorney, said he took the initiative and looked into the law, and he spoke to Castillo and offered to give him the podium.  Mayor Pro Tem Claudia Alvarez took it further and invited Castillo to come up and finish his statement.  He didn’t as he, predictably, had nothing to say.  I guess Amezcua forgot to write a speech for him.

Amezcua was there, but despite all his public whining and chest-beating he sat stone-faced in his seat and did not speak, even as the Council voted to toss his supporter, Tish Leon, off the Parks and Recreation Commision.

Benavides voted against that motion, after pulling it off the consent calendar.  He bleated about how it was a political move.  Then he sat there red-faced as the entire Council whacked him.  Mayor Miguel Pulido put it best when he said that the Council Members serve at the pleasure of the voters, and the Commissioners serve at the pleasure of the Council Members.  The Council Members can toss any Commissioner they want to, any time, for any reason.

Council Member Michele Martinez mentioned in her comments that she wasn’t playing politics when she appointed Leon, who ran against her in 2006, to a City Commission.  Then she revealed that Leon did not have a good rapport with her.  Mayor Pro Tem Alvarez then chimed in that Leon had once been her commissioner, and they had not worked well either.  Leon, for whatever reason, shunned the Council Members who appointed her to two City Commissions.  That was not a great strategy, as it turned out.

Councilman Carlos Bustamante, who is allied with Benavides, bit his tongue and voted to remove Leon.  I don’t think he wanted to get scorned like Benavides, who is now on the outs with the entire City Council.

That guy in the striped shirt lives in Long Beach – he must have gotten lost on the way home!

Leon did not show up, nor did her fellow bully Commissioner Julie Stroud.  But all the other Usual Suspects were there in full force.  It was funny to see Debbie McEwen sitting with mayoral candidate Charles Hart.  As you can see in the picture atop this post, she was her usual surly self.

All of the Usual Suspects beat a hasty retreat at the end, as their latest scheme to embarrass the City Council failed.  Even worse, now they have a mime in their midst!  Good grief…

Pulido orders Amezcua supporters to take down banners at Cinco de Mayo event

Posted on by Posted in Civic Affairs, Elections, Politics, Santa Ana 10 Comments

 I just received a phone call from Dr. Arturo Lomeli, who is at the City of Santa Ana’s Cinco de Mayo event. The Santa Ana Police Department just asked the supporters of Alfredo Amezcua, who purchased a booth to promote his mayoral campaign, to take down their banners.

According to Dr. Lomeli, who is pictured in the booth in the picture above, the police department was ordered to do this by Santa Ana Mayor Miguel Pulido. 

Lomeli was told that the event is supposed to be non-political.  Amezcua’s supporters were allowed to keep their campaign t-shirts on, and to give out campaign literature, but they had to take the banners down or they were going to get kicked out of the event, by the police. Continue reading→

New law to close loophole that allowed OCHSA to censor a student reporter

Posted on by Posted in Arts and Culture, california, Civil Rights, Education, Literature, Orange County, Santa Ana, Youth Activities Leave a comment

State Senator Leland Yee

Remember the mini-scandal that surfaced when Sue Vaughn, the Principal at the Orange County High School of the Arts (OCHSA), interfered with the publishing of the school paper because she didn’t like something that a student reporter wrote about a school vendor?  That happened in September of last year.  You can read all about it by clicking here.

Vaughn picked on the wrong student.  The reporter’s mom turned out to be a media bigwig.  Now it appears that her mom had major political pull too.

On Tuesday, State Senator Leland Yee (D-San Francisco) introduced “SB 438 in response to Orange County High School of the Arts’ insistence that administrators broke no laws when they halted printing of the student newspaper in September over objections to its content, according to an Orange County Register report, because the laws apply to public schools, not charter schools,” according to the OC Weekly. Continue reading→