New Santa Ana | Tag Archives: pat bates

Will Governor Brown allow criminals to vote on crime reform this November?

Posted on September 12, 2016 by Art Pedroza Posted in california, Crime, Democratic Party, Politics 1 Comment

Criminals Voting On Crime Reform

Do we really want tightly fought Orange County election races and propositions decided by criminals who have made serious transgressions against our society or deciding on what is the definition of a crime?

On August 28, 2016, the Orange County Register printed, Imprisoned felons could determine outcome of local elections that was authored by Senator Patricia Bates. Senator Bates lamented that, with little fanfare, AB 2466 went to the Governor’s desk for signature. The measure would allow convicted felons to vote while they are still in jail or still under post-release supervision. She reminded us of recent very close election results in Orange County, with the specter of undecided races, recounts and contested elections. Do the residents of the Santa Ana Unified School District, the City of Santa Ana and the First Supervisorial District want to allow criminals from all other cities and Districts, to be able to vote on Santa Ana school board, Santa Ana municipal issues and for the closely-contested Supervisor’s race, merely because their address is in the County Jail in Santa Ana? Continue reading→

Has First District candidate Andrew Do hooked up with Brian Probolsky?

Posted on January 1, 2015 by Art Pedroza Posted in 2015 Elections, Andrew Do, Brian Probolsky, Janet Nguyen, Orange County, Politics, Republican Party Leave a comment

By the OC Politics Blog

I am hearing that Orange County administrator Brian Probolsky has taken a one month leave of absence from his job at the O.C. Community Resources (after being on loan for awhile to Pat Bates, who like Janet Nguyen has left the O.C. Board of Supervisors) to help the campaign of Andrew Do, the former Chief of Staff to Nguyen. I am told that Do will retain Probolsky as his Chief of Staff if the First District Special Election goes his way.

Probolsky, moved to a position that was created for him, as Business Practices Manager at OC Community Resources, after working as a Bates staffer, in February of 2013. His new job came with an 81 percent raise, from $31 an hour to $56 an hour, according to the O.C. Register. Continue reading→

Drought severity increasing

Posted on June 21, 2014 by Art Pedroza Posted in Santa Ana, Water Leave a comment

Drought Severity Increasing

By Orange County Supervisor Pat Bates

May was Water Awareness month, and as you probably noticed, water was in the news. Not because it was May, but because the severity of the California drought is increasing. Farmers are pumping more and more water from underground aquifers that can’t support the demand. Communities throughout the state are literally going dry.

So why is the message not as grim or dire in Southern California? It’s because we have invested in water storage, water use efficiency, and new supply sources; we have prepared for dry times like the present. However, a long, hot summer could put us into water allocations or even water rationing if we don’t do our best to be more water efficient now.

It is important to note there is a state mandate from the Governor to do the following: Continue reading→

OC measles update

Posted on April 4, 2014 by Art Pedroza Posted in Disease, Orange County, Santa Ana Leave a comment

OC Measles Update

By OC Supervisor Pat Bates

As reported in my newsletter last week, Orange County has 21 confirmed cases of measles in 2014, the most reported by any county in California. The Orange County Health Care Agency (HCA) expects the measles outbreak will continue to spread and reminds the public that the best way to prevent the measles is by getting vaccinated.

Five of the 21 cases have been children, none of them immunized. Five have been healthcare workers who became ill after exposure to measles cases.

HCA will take every precaution to prevent outbreaks in health care facilities, schools and daycare facilities. Unimmunized children, school/daycare staff, and healthcare workers who are exposed to the measles will be instructed to stay home for up to 21 days after exposure. Continue reading→

Santa Ana based contractor wins a $72.7 million Orange County contract

Posted on December 13, 2013 by Art Pedroza Posted in Business, Orange County, Santa Ana, Traffic, Transportation Leave a comment

La Pata Avenue Gap Closure Project

By: Orange County Supervisor Pat Bates

The Board selected Sukut Construction, Inc. of Santa Ana in the amount of $72.7 million to construct the La Pata Avenue Gap Closure Project, which is more than $5 million below the engineer’s estimate.

The Project consists of three components, identified in the Project Plans & Specifications as Schedule A, Schedule B and Schedule C. Continue reading→

I-405 improvement project update

Posted on September 27, 2013 by Art Pedroza Posted in OCTA, Orange County, Santa Ana, Transportation Leave a comment

I-405 Improvement Project Update

By Orange County Supervisor Pat Bates

Project development and environmental documentation are underway for improvements to the Interstate 405, between State Route 55 and Interstate 605. On October 22, 2012, the Orange County Transportation Authority (OCTA) Board of Directors considered three different build alternatives and selected Alternative 1, which adds one general purpose lane in each direction, as the Locally Preferred Alternative.

Alternative 2 would add two general purpose lanes in each direction but would have a $100 million funding shortfall; and Alternative 3 would add one general purpose lane in each direction, as well as a toll lane in each direction, which would be added to the existing HOV lane to create a two-lane High-Occupancy Toll (HOT) Lane facility (similar to the 91 Express Lanes). The approximate $700 million shortfall for Alterative 3 would be funded through toll revenue bonds. Continue reading→

Time for the Supervisors to vote for letter grade restaurant health ratings?

Posted on February 19, 2013 by Art Pedroza Posted in Food, Health and Medical, Janet Nguyen, Orange County, Politics, Public Safety, Safety, Santa Ana, Todd Spitzer 15 Comments

c grade restaurant.jpg

From the OC Politics Blog

UPDATE: Supervisor Todd Spitzer now says that he is going to ask the Supervisors to reconsider restaurant letter grade health ratings! Thank you Supervisor Spitzer!

Despite a warning from the county grand jury, the Orange County Board of Supervisors declined, back in December of 2008, to impose a letter grading system designed to inform would-be diners about the health safety record of restaurants, according to the L.A. Times.

Supervisor Janet Nguyen cast the key vote against the letter grading system for restaurants. I broke the news afterwards that O.C. Supervisor Janet Nguyen’s husband, Tom Bonikowski, owned a Lee’s Sandwiches franchise in Stanton that had been fined many times by the O.C. HCA. She never reported that when she voted against the letter grade ratings – and it blew up in the press. Bonikowski has since sold the restaurant. Continue reading→

Will Ackerman be picked to be the O.C. Clerk-Recorder?

Posted on February 5, 2013 by Art Pedroza Posted in Hugh Nguyen, Orange County, Politics, Santa Ana Leave a comment

Photo of Dick Ackerman courtesy of the FFFF Blog

By the OC Politics Blog

Reportedly over 800 Orange County residents have sent in applications to become the next Orange County Clerk-Recorder. But will any of them really have a chance – or will the seat go to a political appointment?

Former State Senator Dick Ackerman and former State Assemblyman Chris Norby, both Republicans from Fullerton, could be the leaders of the pack. (Ackerman now lives in Irvine).

I am told that Ackerman will likely hire Laura Cunningham, who served as former Supervisor Bill Campbell’s Chief of Staff, if he gets selected to serve as Clerk-Recorder. Continue reading→

Supervisors Bates and Campbell vote for Nguyen’s takeover of CalOptima

Posted on December 7, 2011 by Art Pedroza Posted in Health and Medical, Janet Nguyen, Orange County, Politics, Santa Ana, Shawn Nelson 5 Comments

“In a 3-2 vote, with supervisors Shawn Nelson and John Moorlach dissenting, the board not only approved changes that increase health care industry representation on the board but also extended a supervisor’s term on the board from one to two years. Nguyen is the supervisors’ current representative,” according to the Voice of OC.

Nelson and Moorlach ripped Nguyen and her dumb proposal to take over the CalOptima board – be sure to read the Voice of OC article for details, but Supervisors Pat Bates and Bill Campbell went along with Nguyen.

Here is what Moorlach had to say about his lame colleagues in his latest email newsletter: Continue reading→

Is Supervisor Janet Nguyen planning to get rid of Latinos in her district?

Posted on July 24, 2010 by Art Pedroza Posted in Democratic Party, Elections, Janet Nguyen, Jose Solorio, Latinos, Politics, Santa Ana, Vietnamese Leave a comment

Is Supervisor Janet Nguyen trying to get rid of Latinos in her district – before Solorio challengers her in 2012?

Supervisor Janet Nguyen’s imperious ways have finally done her in. Just like that she has lost her majority on the Orange County Board of Supervisors.

“Janet Nguyen recently informed her colleagues that in preparation for the upcoming release of new Census data, she has formed a redistricting committee that includes her and Supervisor Bill Campbell. The three other supervisors, according to Nguyen’s plans, would have staffers serve on the committee,” according to the Voice of OC blog.

As one might imagine, this did not go down well with the other Supervisors. John Moorlach and Pat Bates, in particular, were not too keen on Nguyen’s plan to essentially ride herd on the proposed Redistricting Committee.

Bates pointed out the fact that this committee, as proposed by Nguyen, could end up violating the Brown Act. Moorlach stated that Nguyen’s domination of the committee would discourage the staffers on the committee from challenging her.

Why is Nguyen doing this? Simple. Supervisor Nguyen is “running for re-election in 2012 and the idea of her manipulating this process to shed unwanted Latino votes from her district must have occurred to just about everybody,” according to the Friends for Fullerton’s Future blog.

Now we know why Nguyen directed her stooge Thomas Gordon to support Anaheim Councilman Harry Sidhu for this year’s 4th Supervisorial District race, in which Sidhu was a carpetbagger. Shawn Nelson won that race and now he has joined with Moorlach and Bates in a new Supervisorial majority.

Even worse for Nguyen, now her Latino constituents in the First Supervisorial District know that she wants to remove as many of them from the District as she can, before her reelection campaign in 2012.

Clearly Nguyen is worried that popular Assemblyman Jose Solorio, who terms out in 2012, will be running against her. Unfortunately for Nguyen she no longer rules the roost at the O.C. Board of Supervisors. It is a new day in Orange County and Nguyen and lame duck Supervisor Bill Campbell, who terms out in two years, are now seated at the little kids’ table…