Investigators seeking help identifying human remains found near Casper’s Park

Posted on June 27, 2014 by Art Pedroza Posted in Crime, Orange County Leave a comment

NEWS, FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contacts: Lt. Jeff Hallock, 714.904.7042, JHallock@ocsd.org; Emily Osterberg, 714.647.1840, EOsterberg@ocsd.org

Investigators Seeking Public’s Assistance Identifying Human Remains Found Near Casper’s Park

SANTA ANA, Calif. – (June 27, 2014) – On January 6, 2014, unidentified female remains were found in Casper’s Wilderness Park (Rural South East area of Orange County). Based on the preliminary investigation it is estimated that the remains may have been exposed to the elements for a period of at least six months. After preliminary testing, it has been determined that the remains are of a petite female, at least thirty years of age, shoulder length wavy dark brown hair with light colored highlights. Using these characteristics, the below sketches are an artist’s rendition of what she may have resembled. The decedent had a very distinct gold colored dental bridge on her left lower jaw and possibly had a broken nose at some point in her life.

The attached photographs are of clothing recovered with the remains and consisted of the following: Continue reading→

New summertime weekend Metrolink service begins on July 5

Posted on June 24, 2014 by Art Pedroza Posted in Metrolink, OCTA, Santa Ana, Transportation Leave a comment

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: June 24, 2014

FOR MORE INFORMATION: Joel Zlotnik (714) 560-5713; Eric Carpenter (714) 560-5697

Summer Kicks Off with Added Metrolink Weekend Service, Chance to Win Prizes with New Promotion

91 Line will add two round trips on Saturdays and Sundays starting July 5; Seven Summer Treasures promotion runs through Sept. 1

ORANGE – Summer is upon us and the Orange County Transportation Authority and Metrolink are offering two reasons to hop aboard a Metrolink train this season with added service and a new promotion.

New weekend Metrolink service between Riverside, Orange County and Los Angeles begins July 5. Continue reading→

Will Bustamante’s new lawyers expose the corruption at the County of Orange?

Posted on June 15, 2014 by Art Pedroza Posted in Carlos Bustamante, Crime, OCDA, Orange County, Politics, Republican Party, Santa Ana, Todd Spitzer 1 Comment

Carlos Bustamante dragged off in handcuffs

When Costa Mesa attorney Steve Young last ran for office, in 2012, he said that “Democrats can’t simply run against the culture of corruption in Washington.”

Perhaps he was serious. Young is now one of Carlos Bustamante’s lawyers. You remember Bustamante? A former Santa Ana Councilman who was brought into the halls of the County of Orange and turned into a darling of the OC GOP? Only to find himself arrested and charged with multiple felonies and misdemeanors stemming from sexual harassment charges?

Here’s the deal. Bustamante now admits that he had sex with all sorts of women at the County of Orange but he says it was consensual. He has paid bitterly for his misbehavior – losing his job and his wife. But his lawyers, Young and another lawyer named Gina L. Kershaw, say that he was set up. So was he? Continue reading→

Need Help? Dial 2-1-1

Posted on June 14, 2014 by Art Pedroza Posted in Orange County Leave a comment

2-1-1 Orange County

By Orange County Supervisor Pat Bates

When Orange County residents need help and it’s not a 911 emergency, it can be confounding knowing who to call. That’s where 2-1-1 Orange County comes in.

Dialing three numbers (211) connects callers with staff who are expert in assessing each person’s situation and referring them to the best avenues for help. The organization fields some 70,000 calls a year, and connects callers with assistance from a database of more than 2,000 agencies. Many of the most-referred agencies are within the County of Orange.

The organization has previously been cautious in promoting itself so that the volume of calls they handle doesn’t degrade the quality of the service they’re able to give callers. Newly acquired technology and the merger with another OC nonprofit, OC Partnership, puts them in a better position to serve more callers. Continue reading→

2014 OC NAACP Juneteenth Celebration set for June 21 in Garden Grove

Posted on June 8, 2014 by Art Pedroza Posted in African Americans, Entertainment, Garden Grove, Orange County 1 Comment

The 2014 Orange County NAACP Juneteenth Celebration will be hosted on Saturday, June 21, 2014, from 11 am to 6 pm, at the Elks Lodge located at 11551 Trask Ave, in Garden Grove.

This is the African American Independence Day. The event will feature “Lakeside” Captain Mark Wood Jr.

Free Fun for the Whole Family
Vendors, Games, Good People
Food and Beverages

The event includes: Continue reading→

Poor Latino voter turnout a key factor in the 2014 Open Primary results

Posted on June 4, 2014 by Art Pedroza Posted in 2014 Elections, Latinos, Santa Ana 1 Comment

Lake Forest carpetbaggers Sherry Walker and Adam Nick

The 2014 Open Primary Election is over and the reality is that Latino voters didn’t vote – again – and the results were devastating. Exit polls showed that Latinos voted Tuesday at a rate of just 6 percent, while Asians turned out at a rate of about 23 percent, according to the Voice of OC.

SAUSD Trustee Cecilia Iglesias dominated the 2012 SAUSD School Board election, garnering more votes than two longtime incumbents, but this time she was undone by the poor turnout by Latino voters. To make matters worse a carpetbagger from Lake Forest, Sherry Walker, took advantage of the Open Primary and she went after the absentee voters with several full color mailers. Iglesias’ consultants, Chris Emami and Chris Nguyen, who run the OC Political blog, did not direct any campaign mailers from her campaign. The result? The unknown carpetbagger advanced to the November General Election where she will lose badly to the Democratic incumbent, Tom Daly. Continue reading→

OCTA Annual Youth Buss Pass now available – ride for 65 cents a day!

Posted on May 31, 2014 by Art Pedroza Posted in OCTA, Santa Ana, Transportation, Youth Activities Leave a comment

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: May 30, 2014

FOR MORE INFORMATION: Joel Zlotnik (714) 560-5713; Eric Carpenter (714) 560-5697

OCTA Says ‘Hello, Summer’ With Return of Annual Youth Buss Pass

Pass holders can enjoy endless summer fun for just 65 cents per day

ORANGE – The Orange County Transportation Authority is ready to get summer started with the return of the perfect ride for youth 18 and under.

The $60 Summer Bus Pass provides residents with the opportunity to experience unlimited countywide bus riding on OCTA transit for a reduced rate from June 1 to Aug. 31.

In addition to unlimited service on fixed-route buses, pass holders will also enjoy discounts on more than 20 entertainment destinations throughout the county, including Boomers, Medieval Times and the Discovery Science Center. Continue reading→

UPDATED: Orange County Open Primary Election, June 3, 2014 Voter Guide

Posted on May 26, 2014 by Art Pedroza Posted in 2014 Elections, Orange County, Politics, Santa Ana 2 Comments

From: The OC Politics Blog

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

Open Primary Election, June, 2014:

State Elections

Attorney General:

OC Politics Blog Endorsement: Jonathan Jaech

Other candidates include: Phil Wyman, Kamala Harris

Editor’s Note: There is no way anyone should vote to re-elect Kamala Harris, the Democratic incumbent. She is far too cozy with the police establishment and the police unions. Our endorsed candidate, Jonathan Jaech, is a Libertarian who says that he “will strive to eliminate the exercise of police power against any person charged with a crime that cannot harm another.” Continue reading→

Who are Walker and Nick and why are they carpetbagging in Santa Ana?

Posted on May 25, 2014 by Art Pedroza Posted in 2014 Elections, Adam Nick, Carlos Vazquez, Cecilia Iglesias, Democratic Party, Loretta Sanchez, Republican Party, Santa Ana, Sherry Walker, Tom Daly 4 Comments

Lake Forest couple Sherry Walker and Adam Nick

Who in the world are Sherry Walker and Adam Nick? They are Orange County political candidates with minute social media profiles. Nick was elected to the Lake Forest City Council in 2012. He is pictured with his wife Sherry on his Facebook page. But Sherry is running for the 69th Assembly District, which includes parts of Santa Ana and Anaheim, while Nick is running for the 46th Congressional District, which includes the same areas. These are carpetbaggers – the question is who are they and what are the up to?

My sources tell me that Walker and Nick are reportedly Iranians who changed their names. Nick owns a gas station and actually sued his own city in a fit because the city granted an alcohol license to a 7-11 but Nick wanted to monopolize alcohol sales in his area. What sort of Councilman sues his own city – forcing taxpayers to waste money in the legal defense process? Continue reading→

OC beaches get a clean bill of health for the summer

Posted on May 22, 2014 by Art Pedroza Posted in Beaches, Orange County Leave a comment

OC Beaches Get Clean Bill of Health for Summer

(Santa Ana, CA) —Orange County residents aren’t the only ones who’ve been working to get fit for the summer season—the coastline has been watching its waste-line too.

Today, the environmental non-profit Heal the Bay released its annual “Beach Bummer List” ranking California’s most polluted shorelines – without a single Orange County beach listed. This year marks the first time in six years that stubborn list-dweller Poche Beach in South Orange County hasn’t appeared on the list.

Poche Beach’s clean bill of health is thanks to the combined efforts of the County’s OC Watersheds agency, city of San Clemente, OC Parks, OC Waste & Recycling, the South Coast Water District and the city of Dana Point. The beach is located where Dana Point and San Clemente meet, near a flood-control channel plagued by high bacteria levels. Continue reading→

Click It or Ticket campaign to start in Orange County on Monday

Posted on May 18, 2014 by Art Pedroza Posted in Crime, Orange County, Public Safety Leave a comment

Orange County Sheriff’s Department

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: Lt. Jeff Hallock (714) 647.7042, JHallock@ocsd.org; Emily Osterberg (714) 647.1840, EOsterberg@ocsd.org

Life Saving Click It or Ticket Mobilization Begins

SANTA ANA, Calif. (May 16, 2014) – The Orange County Sheriff’s Department wants to remind motorists to Click It or Ticket. In order to enforce this reminder, beginning Monday, May 19, 2014, deputies will be joining the 2014 National Seat Belt Enforcement Mobilization in cracking down on motorists who are not seat belted in.

Even with a seatbelt usage rate of 97.4 percent, California still has 800,000 or more motorists who fail to buckle up. In a crash, they stand a 50 percent greater chance of being killed than those who have taken the two seconds to buckle up. In an on-going effort to reach those remaining safety hold-outs, police and sheriff departments across the state, as well as the California Highway Patrol (CHP), will be taking part in Click It or Ticket from May 19th through June 1st. Continue reading→

The County of Orange warns employees that the Bustamante hearings are starting

Posted on May 16, 2014 by Art Pedroza Posted in Carlos Bustamante, Crime, Santa Ana 4 Comments

May 16, 2014

To: Orange County Employees
From: Chairman Shawn Nelson, Supervisor, 4th District
Michael B. Giancola, County Executive Officer

Subject: Bustamante Case

On Monday, a preliminary hearing will begin in the criminal case against former OC Public Works executive Carlos Bustamante. Mr. Bustamante is charged with 12 felony counts for alleged conduct between 2003 and 2011 when he worked for the County, including sexual assault, false imprisonment and stalking.

Preliminary hearings are held in criminal cases to determine if there is enough evidence to justify taking the defendant to trial on the charges. You will very likely be reading and hearing reports about the hearing, including comments and opinions about the County, its policies and procedures, and specific County employees, either past or current. We expect that all of the victims will be testifying. Continue reading→

The OC Firefighter’s union appears to have paid off Janet Nguyen

Posted on May 12, 2014 by Art Pedroza Posted in 2014 Elections, Janet Nguyen, Jose Solorio, OCFA, Orange County, Politics Leave a comment

The county firefighters union had donated $4,000 to county Supervisor Janet Nguyen’s state Senate campaign, according to the OC Register.

That didn’t please OC GOP Chairman Scott Baugh, who has a policy of not issuing party endorsements to candidates who accept union money. But apparently there is a loophole as the Baugh edict applies only to local,non-partisan offices. Continue reading→

Orange County residents need to be wildfire aware

Posted on May 12, 2014 by Art Pedroza Posted in Fires, Orange County, Todd Spitzer Leave a comment

OCFA firefighters performing a demonstration for the assembled media at Wednesday’s press conference. Photo courtesy of the OCFA.

OC Residents Need to Be Wildfire Aware

By: Orange County Supervisor Todd Spitzer

On Wednesday, the Orange County Fire Authority (OCFA), Orange County Sheriff’s Department, OC Parks, and several other agencies and organizations held a press conference urging Orange County residents to be fire aware.

“Our recent drought has caused California to enter a state of emergency, due to the risk of wildfire,” said Supervisor Todd Spitzer, also an OCFA Director. “We’ve had a number of dry months with a miniscule amount of rain, so as we enter our hotter months, Orange County is at great risk from the severe wildfire conditions.” Continue reading→

Supervisor Spitzer to hold community meeting on JWA flight expansion

Posted on May 12, 2014 by Art Pedroza Posted in Entertainment, Orange County, Todd Spitzer Leave a comment

Supervisor Spitzer to Hold Community Meeting on Flight Expansion

By Orange County Supervisor Todd Spitzer

On Wednesday, May 28, Supervisor Todd Spitzer and John Wayne Airport (JWA) will be sponsoring a community meeting explaining the process related to the draft environmental impact report (EIR) that examines proposed changes in the latest version of the Settlement Agreement on JWA. The Settlement Agreement determines what facility and operational improvements are permissible at JWA.

“The airport is one of the most visible County agencies, and it is a vital part of Orange County’s economic engine,” Supervisor Spitzer said. “Much of the Third District lies within the flight path for arriving planes, so any changes to the airport’s capacity must balance the need for economic growth and the quality of life for residents under the flight path.” Continue reading→

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