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Santa Ana's top news & views blog

Tag Archives: haters

The gentrifiers take hateful aim at the Santa Ana Wellness District proposal

Posted on by Posted in Civic Affairs, Development, Latinos, Racism, Santa Ana, Tim Rush 24 Comments

Gentrifier hate

Downtown Santa Ana’s gentrification mob wants you to believe that they are not racist but the reality is that they have hated Mexicans forever and gentrifying the Downtown simply provided them with a means to an end.

One of them admitted as much when they sent a hate package to O.C. Register reporter Alejandra Molina.  They scribbled over an article she wrote about the gentrification of our Downtown, scribbling this hateful message, “We made it over the border, whoopee…or our parents did.”

Now Santa Ana’s haters are riled up about the Santa Ana Wellness District.  One of our readers forwarded us a particularly vitriolic message from a fellow named Tim Rush.  Rush was one of many neighborhood activists who supported the illegal street barricades that were installed in Santa Ana’s French Park – to keep Mexicans out.  The barricades had to be taken down after the ACLU beat the haters in court.  Continue reading→

Protest against Deborah Pauly at the next CCIR meeting, on May 25

Posted on by Posted in Entertainment, Garden Grove, immigration, Latinos, Politics, Republican Party, Santa Ana Leave a comment

Time: Wednesday, May 25 · 6:30pm – 9:30pm
Location: Women’s Club
9501 Chapman Avenue at Gilbert
Garden Grove, California
Facebook Event Page

Villa Park City Councilmember Deborah Pauly recently threatened violence against Muslims at a Rally outside a fundraiser. Let’s attend the next meeting of the CCIR, where she is going to speak and let her know that she doesn’t speak for the people of Villa Park, or Orange County (and that her comments help empower the same extremists that threaten all of us). For a short video of the event click here.

BRING SIGNS, FRIENDS, NOISE MAKERS, AND SHARE THE INFO . PEACEFUL RALLY ! OBEY ALL TRAFFIC LAWS WHEN PROTESTING .

CCIR – The California Coalition for Immigration Reform (CCIR) is a Huntington Beach, California-based political advocacy group devoted to MEXICAN migration reduction. According to the organization’s website, its objectives are to “promote and expand citizen and legal resident awareness by a practical, effective communication network” and to “mobilize citizens and legal residents to support elected representatives and legislation” who favor migration reduction.

The CCIR was founded in 1994 by Barbara Coe who has served as chairwoman of the organization ever since. She is a former police clerk who was reportedly fired for using department camera to photograph what she thought were illegal aliens. Coe is also a member of the Council of Conservative Citizens, an organization which condemns racial integration, immigration by non-Europeans, homosexuality, and interracial marriage.

The CCIR was a co-sponsor of California Proposition 187 (1994), which would have denied public services such as education to illegal immigrants.  The proposition was approved by the electorate but overturned by a federal court.

CCIR has sponsored billboards along the Arizona-California border that read, “Welcome to California, the Illegal Immigration State. Don’t Let This Happen to Your State.”

The group was investigated by the FBI in 1996 and 1998 because it had placed signs near polling places stating that non-citizens may not vote.

In 2006, a letter connected to Republican congressional nominee Tan D. Nguyen which warned immigrants that they may be deported if they vote was issued on what appeared to be CCIR letterhead.  However, Coe said the letterhead was fraudulent.

Los Angeles Times reporter Per Hong accused Coe of telling him to “Go home, chink” in an angry letter.

In April 2010, Coe advised her supporters to “lock and load” and prepare for “the time of reckoning”.

In a July 29, 2010 email, Coe questioned whether Muslim Americans could become assimilated into U.S. society, “However, since MUSLIMS subscribe to the teachings of the Koran – which is to torture/kill all non-believers – how do you suggest we ‘Americanize’ those who want us beheaded?” Coe further stated, ““My efforts will be to share the TRUTH about these cold-blooded terrorists, urge others to strongly OPPOSE the building of mosques [terrorist training camps], and urge SUPPORT of all efforts to get them DEPORTED to their country of origin where they can commit their barbaric Satanic acts at will.”

The CCIR is listed as a hate group by the Southern Poverty Law Center, which quotes Coe as referring to Mexican immigrants as “savages.”

Benavides Hatergate: Records request shows councilman privately honored haters

Posted on by Posted in Civic Affairs, Civil Rights, David Benavides, Racism, Republican Party, Santa Ana Leave a comment

Councilman Benavides chats with hate group member Lupe Moreno

As I reported back on August 3rd the Orange Juice made an official records request from the City of Santa Ana to get all the names of those issued certificates of recognition for their participation on the American Independence Day planning committee.  Earlier this week I received an email from Mark Lawrence, Executive Assistant to the City Manager, with that list of names.

Not surprisingly those who privately recieved the certificates from Councilman David Benavides were in stark contrast to those he publicly honored with the exception of Anne Menaldo.  Publicly Benavides tried to paint a picture of a group made up of kindly, concerned and considerate members of the community who had no political agenda.  At that council meeting Benavides brought forward folks like Melanie Cole-Gomez, Stan and Marva Zubas and the aforementioned Menaldo, who is a documented Moreno supporter.

However those privately honored by Benavides demonstrate a much uglier side to this group.   Those getting the award in this fashion include known hate group member Lupe Moreno, right-wing extremist Rosie Avila, Moreno supporter Thomas Gordon and Minuteman member/immigrant basher Anita Hynds.  It was Hynds husband Gary that referred to Santa Ana residents as “fu*king wetbacks”.

Obviously Benavides did not want to publicly embrace these extremists and haters, so why honor them at all?  Clearly this is a picture into Benavides and how he operates.  Publicly he puts on a face of a man who stands side by side with our immigrant and LGBT community but privately he rubs elbows with the very folks that hate them.  Talk about two-faced hypocrisy.

Benavides and his supporters have been making the argument that he was simply honoring Moreno and the other extremists for their involvement in the Independence Day event and this is in no way tied to their political agenda.  The fact of the matter is that you cannot seperate Moreno’s membership in a hate group or the others extremism from anything.  This is who they are.  This is what they are all about.

Everytime you look the other way and recognize or honor folks like Moreno, Avila, Gordon and Hynds you are helping justify their extremist and hateful agenda.  Would Councilman Benavides honor David Duke if he held an event in Santa Ana?  What if the Mexican Mafia wanted to donate money to buy books for the library would he be in favor of accepting it?

I think we all know the answer to both questions.  So ask yourself why does he continue to act as an enabler for Lupe Moreno and the rest of the “usual suspects” in town?

Unfortunately Benavides is running unopposed for the Ward 4 City Council seat this November so there is not much we can do to prevent another four years of this reprehensible behavior.  We can however insure that Ward 4 will be his political graveyard and that his dreams for higher office are dead and buried.

Benavides goes after Mayor Pro Tem Alvarez while defending Moreno and the Minutemen again

Posted on by Posted in Carlos Bustamante, Civic Affairs, Civil Rights, Claudia Alvarez, David Benavides, Democratic Party, Elections, immigration, Latinos, Michele Martinez, Miguel Pulido, Politics, Racism, Republican Party, Sal Tinajero, Santa Ana, Vince Sarmiento 3 Comments

Tonight’s Santa Ana City Council meeting blew up again as a few of the haters that Councilman David Benavides honored at the last meeting showed up to cry about the fact that the City Council ripped Benavides for doing that.

One of the speakers, Ann Menaldo, claimed tonight that she did not sign Lupe Moreno’s nomination papers, according to a friend of mine who was at the meeting.  She lied.  She did indeed sign the papers, when Moreno ran for the OC GOP Central Committee this year.  Here is the form with her signature:

During the Council Members’ comments, Benavides once again ripped into his colleagues and he even went after Mayor Pro Tem Claudia Alvarez.  He commented that she seconded the motion, a few years ago, that put Moreno on the Santa Ana Public Library Board.  He did not mention that Mayor Miguel Pulido submitted that motion.  Why did Benavides only go after Alvarez?

Alvarez spoke next – and she let Benavides have it.  She said that the Council gave Moreno a chance but she proved to be a hater and they had to get rid of her.  That is true.  Pulido and company deserve much credit for dumping Moreno.

Alvarez was rudely interrupted by some of Benavides’ supporters, who you can see in the picture above.

Pulido said he wants to plan the event next year with Council members on the event committee, and they need to raise significant money so they can hold the event at Centennial Park with music, fireworks, etc.  He suggested we do old-fashioned thinks like sack races, tug of war, bobbing for apples, etc.  He said that everyone will know that we are united and we love and respect both this country and our city.

Bustamante said he wanted to spearhead the 2011 Santa Ana Independence Day event.  He specifically said that “all citizens are welcome to participate.”  His comments appeared to exclude those who are not citizens but do reside in our city.  That is typical of Bustamante, who is a Republican and who is backed by the same people Benavides is involved with.

Benavides spoke again at the end and said he wanted to make some corrections.  He said he did not lie to the City Staff by saying that the Council backed his recognition of the haters.  He said the names of the Committee members were removed.  However what he did not admit to was that certificates were presented to each of the Committee members including the Minutemen and their leader Moreno.  Sure, they were not individually noted on the Agenda but all of them, including Thomas Gordon – who wasn’t even at the event, got their awards.

Pulido finally had to shut Benavides down as he was way over his three minutes.

Alvarez then asked Chief of Police Paul Walters to talk about tomorrow night’s National Night Out, at Davis Elementary, at 4 pm, to 7 pm.  Click here to read about that event.

I am hearing now that the City Council has had it with Benavides.  They have until this Friday to recruit a new candidate to replace him.  It is very likely that by tomorrow they will all be renouncing him, withdrawing their support, and casting him to the dogs.

Stay tuned as my colleague, Sean Mill, has received information revealing that Benavides’ campaign committee is made up entirely of Usual Suspects.  That post should be up by tomorrow afternoon.

Benavides Hatergate: Santa Ana Councilman publicly rebuked by colleagues for honoring Moreno & co.

Posted on by Posted in Civic Affairs, Civil Rights, David Benavides, Democratic Party, immigration, Latinos, Santa Ana Leave a comment
Lupe Moreno supporter Anne Menaldo(center) and David Benavides(right)

Councilman David Benavides chose to ignore common sense and the advice of his fellow elected officials and honored a group of folks that included a member of a hate group and her supporters at last night’s Santa Ana city council meeting.  The councilman from Ward 4 presented a certificate of recognition to the members of the American Independence Day Planning Committee whose members include hate group member Lupe Moreno and her supporters Thomas Gordon, Rosemarie Avila, Anita Hynds and Anne Menaldo.

The certificate was scheduled to be awarded at the July 6th council meeting but it was abrubtly pulled from the agenda after myself and others contacted city hall and questioned the reasoning behind the awarding of such an honor to a known hate mongor and her supporters.  After council members saw a videotape of the event in which Gary Hynds, husband of one of the people Benavides was honoring, refers to Latino residents of Santa Ana as “fu*king wetbacks” they told Benavides they would not support him proceeding with the honor.

An angry Benavides stormed from the council chambers before the business portion of the meeting began and thus ignored the duties he was elected to carry out.  At that point the rest of the council thought the issue was put to bed but last week Benavides informed them that he was going to proceed with the honor for Moreno and company.  Despite getting numerous calls from his fellow council members urging him not to go through with it Benavides forged ahead and presented the certificates to the group.

Obviously Benavides convinced Moreno and Gordon to stay away, though he did provide certificates for them, but Moreno supporter Anne Menaldo was there to accept the certificates on the groups behalf.  Benavides did make a brief mention of the unfortunate incident involving Mr. Hynds but otherwise he tried to deflect criticism and attention away from the fact that he was honoring those involved with hate groups.

As Benavides began his presentation to Menaldo Mayor Miguel Pulido and Mayor Pro Tem Claudia Alvarez got up and left them room not wanting to sanction the event.  Councilmen Sal Tinajero and Vince Sarmiento remained but once the presentation was over both men spoke and made it clear that they were not in support of the award of the certificate or honoring hate group members and their supporters on behalf of the city council.

When Mayor Pulido and Mayor Pro Tem Alvarez returned they too expressed their disappointment and disdain for Benavides awarding of this certificate to Moreno and the others that support her.  They both wanted the public to know that they stepped down from the dais and left the room because they in no way wanted to be associated with this presentation.

There were also members of the public, including myself, that expressed our disgust for Benavides decision to honor folks involved in hate group activities.  I think we all believe that many good folks were involved in planning this event but the whole thing was tainted by Moreno and her supporters.

I have been attending Santa Ana council meetings for more than twenty-five years and in that time I have never seen a sitting councilmember rebuked by his colleagues the way Councilman Benavides was last night.  Every member of the council that was there stated their strong opposition to Benavides giving this award and that was simply unprecedented.

Councilmembers Carlos Bustamante and Michele Martinez were out of town on city business and were not in attendance last night.  I do not know where Bustamante stands on the issue but I did speak with Martinez on the phone prior to the meeting and she assured me that if she were there that she too would have rebuked Benavides for giving out this honor.

Word on the street is that Benavides has his eyes on the 69th Assembly District seat help by Jose Solorio when Solorio is termed out.  His terrible miscalculation last night will not help him in his quest.  Surely Democratic leaders statewide will be made aware of his decision to honor Lupe Moreno and others if they haven’t been already.  I have been told by a reliable source that some well connected labor officials were watching quite closely and that could be a fund raising disaster for Benavides.

I am not sure why Benavides feels like he needs to kiss up to the “usual suspects” and other right wing operatives.  His continual support for these folks and their agenda cannot be endearing Benavides to his colleagues.  I hope he will use last night as a learning experience, if not his time on the council could get much more difficult going forward.

Benavides Hatergate: Will the Santa Ana City Council honor the Minutemen on Monday?

Posted on by Posted in Civic Affairs, Civil Rights, David Benavides, Democratic Party, Elections, Politics, Racism, Republican Party, Santa Ana 2 Comments

Santa Ana City Councilman David Benavides has chosen to give common sense and decency, not to mention his fellow councilmembers and the residents of the city, the middle finger.  The Ward 4 councilman has made the singleminded decision to go forward with the honoring of a group of people including at least one person who belongs to a recognized “hate group” and her supporters.

My sources inside city hall tell me that Benavides was contacted by at least three councilmembers and Mayor Miguel Pulido urging him not to go forward with the presentation of a certificate of recognition to the American Independence Day Planning Committee which includes Lupe Moreno, a member of CCIR which has been identified as a hate group by the Southern Poverty Law Center, and her supporters Rosie Avila, Thomas Gordon, Anne Menaldo and Anita Hynds.  Hynds husband was videotaped at the event referring to Latino residents as “f*cking wetbacks”.

While not all of those being honored have direct ties to Moreno they all must surely be aware of her anti-immigrant activities and ties to racist individuals and organizations.  They could have chosen to not participate as long as Moreno was involved but they did not.  Their complicity with Moreno helps her try and legitimize her political activities and thus helps further her agenda.

Avila, Gordon and Menaldo’s signatures all appear on Moreno’s nomination papers for the 69th Assembly District Republican Central Committee (see below).  This shows that they are not only guilty of associating with a known hater like Moreno but they also endorse and support her.  I am quite sure that the overwhelming majority of Santa Ana residents would be disgusted and outraged to find out that Councilman Benavides is honoring folks like this.

If Councilman Benavides wants to honor these folks that is his right, but he should not drag the entire council into this madness.  He could simply award this certificate on his behalf at one of his townhall meetings.  By choosing the route he has he is putting a stain on the council as a whole.  You see the award being presented on Monday night will be done on behalf of the Mayor and the entire City Council and that is what the record will reflect.

Should opponents of Mayor Pulido or any of the councilmembers want to make an issue of this and state that they honored a member of a hate group and her supporters they would be correct in that assertion.  I can see the mailers come this election season tarring and feathering them for Benavides boneheaded move.  They must act now to save their own reputation.

I would encourage the rational thinking members of this council to refuse to go along with the awarding of these certificates Monday night.  As a result of my conversations with a number of those councilmembers it is clear to me that they are steadfastly opposed to this and have assured me Mayor Pulido is as well.  With that being the case they need to publicly rebuke Councilman Benavides and cancel this honor.

This council had no problem kicking Michele Martinez in the rear when they were upset with some of the things she was doing well perhaps it is about time Benavides gets a little taste of the same.  Benavides has his eyes on Jose Solorio’s assembly seat, well I certainly hope when it comes time to elect Jose’s successor people will remember how Benavides chose the bigots over his colleagues and the community.

Benavides Hatergate: Santa Ana Councilman claims he did not know who he was honoring

Posted on by Posted in Civic Affairs, Democratic Party, Elections, Politics, Racism, Republican Party, Santa Ana 2 Comments

The fallout from Councilman David Benavides ill-fated attempt to honor folks associated with known hate groups at Monday evenings city council meeting continues.  According to my sources within city hall when Benavides was confronted by felow councilmembers angry about his decision to honor individuals with ties to anti-immigrant groups and the “birther” movement he claimed that he was not aware that those people were being honored.

I am told the Benavides said he was only planning on honoring Anne Menaldo with a certificate of recognition at Monday’s meeting and that city staff was to blame for the others being included.  So does that mean that Benavides had plan to snub neighborhood activists like Steve McGuigan, Ann Coil and Fred Bella who were involved in the planning of the event? 

Like a petulant child taking his ball and going home, Benavides left the council meeting before the business calendar began because he was angry that the rest of the council would not go along with his honoring of folks like known “hater” Lupe Moreno and “birther” Anita Hynds who on her Facebook page calls President Barack Obama an “illegal alien”.

All of this raises questions as to Benavides competence to serve the residents of this city.  If he cannot get things in order in regards to the awarding of a simple certificate of recognition can we really trust him to be prepared to make the important decisions facing the city council?  And if he is going to sulk and walk out of meetings when he doesn’t get his way and thus leave the residents of Ward 4 without any representation does he deserve to be there at all?

It is rumored that Benavides wants to run for the 69th Assembly District seat when Jose Solorio is termed out in two years however this latest misstep surely will not help him in that bid.  The residents of the 69th need a leader in Sacramento that we can count on to be informed and who is willing to take responsibility for their mistakes.  This week Councilman Benavides has shown us that he is not that person.