Santa Ana's top news & views blog

Santa Ana's top news & views blog

Tag Archives: Republican Party

Palacio to blame for Amezcua’s loss in the SAUSD School Board race

Posted on by Posted in 2012 Elections, Cecilia Aguinaga, Cecilia Iglesias, David Benavides, Education, Estela Amezcua, John Palacio, Myriam Tinajero, Politics, Republican Party, Rob Richardson, Roman Reyna, Sal Tinajero, Santa Ana, SAUSD, Term Limits, Vince Sarmiento 15 Comments

Valerie Amezcua

Regardless of whether or not you are a supporter of Valerie Amezcua, the daughter of failed Santa Ana mayoral candidate Alfredo Amezcua, you have to feel bad for her.  She almost won a seat on the SAUSD School Board four years ago, barely losing to Roman Reyna, who vacated that seat this year and is now moving on to Ward 5 on the Santa Ana City Council.

Two years ago Amezcua had a chance to run again, and to build on her success in the 2008 election.  But SAUSD Trustee John Palacio, who now considers himself to be a political consultant, got in the way.  He prevented her from running out of fear that she might beat him.  There were only two seats up in 2010, Palacio’s and that of his fellow incumbent, Audrey Noji.  Palacio ended up keeping everyone out of that race, except for me.  I was sickened to see that no Latinos were challenging Noji so I ran and lost by only 1,400 votes, with no campaign budget.  Palacio ended up endorsing Noji. Continue reading→

How Latino candidates fared in the O.C. Nov. 6 general election

Posted on by Posted in 2012 Elections, Anaheim, Angelica Amezcua, Cecilia Iglesias, Claudia Alvarez, Democratic Party, Elections, Jose Hernandez, Jose Moreno, Jose Solorio, Latinos, Loretta Sanchez, Miguel Pulido, Nelida Mendoza-Yanez, Orange County, Politics, Republican Party, Roman Reyna, Santa Ana, Steve Chavez Lodge, Tom Daly 6 Comments

Two winners – U.S. Rep. Loretta Sanchez and Pres. Barack Obama

Fullerton residents are in shock today as they deal with the fact that Assemblyman Chris Norby now needs a job, having lost to Fullerton Mayor Sharon Quirk-Silva. She ran an aggressive campaign and made heavy use of social media. Norby, on the other hand, seemed to be trying to coast to victory.

While Quirk-Silva’s victory is a great one for Orange County’s Latino voters, I am saddened to see that the 69th Assembly District is now represented by Tom Daly. There is no way he will win re-election in two years, but for now we are stuck with him.

Here is a rundown of how the County’s other Latino candidates fared in the Nov. 6 general election: Continue reading→

How Mayoral candidate Benavides ended up honoring the Minutemen

Posted on by Posted in 2012 Elections, Civil Rights, David Benavides, Elections, George Collins, Glen Stroud, immigration, Latinos, Lupe Moreno, Politics, Racism, Republican Party, Rosie Avila, Santa Ana 6 Comments

Hatergate: How Council Member David Benavides ended up honoring the Minutemen in July, 2010

By: Art Pedroza

It started out innocently enough.  The City of Santa Ana didn’t have the budget to put on their own 4th of July event, back in July of 2010, so they allowed a group of residents to put on their own event – and the City’s Parks and Recreation Agency let them use the Santa Ana Public Library, over in the Civic Center, to stage the event.

It made sense I suppose to have a Library Commissioner run the show.  She was also at the time heading up the Friends of the Library.  But upon closer scrutiny, there was a major problem. The lady in question was Lupe Moreno, a notorious Minuteman. These are folks who absolutely hate immigrants and who have been accused of hate crimes.  When Moreno found herself needing more volunteers it was her Minutemen friends who got the call. Continue reading→

Mark McLoughlin tries to fool the Republican voters in the RSCCD’s Area 5

Posted on by Posted in 2012 Elections, Claudia Alvarez, Dave Chapel, Democratic Party, Education, Elections, Politics, Santa Ana 6 Comments

Nice try, but no cigar.  Mark McLoughlin, a candidate for Area 5 on the Rancho Santiago Community College District’s Board of Education, sent out a mailer today implying that he is a Republican.  But he is not.  He is, like the other two candidates for Area 5, a Democrat.

McLoughlin also has never met a tax increase he didn’t like.  He has supported every single bond measure in our area in the past ten years.  And he currently supports yet another one, Measure Q.  He also supports Prop. 30, another tax increase. Continue reading→

The O.C. Lincoln Club rejects most of the Santa Ana Republican candidates

Posted on by Posted in 2012 Elections, Cecilia Iglesias, Charles Hart, Elections, George Collins, Karina Onofre, Lupe Moreno, Orange County, Politics, Republican Party, Santa Ana 3 Comments

The Orange County Lincoln Club PAC has endorsed Tea Party Republican Charles Hart for the Santa Ana City Council, even though he is a government worker, but ignored small businessman George Collins, the OC GOP-endorsed candidate for Santa Ana Mayor, and Lupe Moreno, the Minuteman who is also running for Santa Ana Mayor. 

They also inexplicably blew off newly minted Republican Karina Onofre, who is running for Ward 5 against the DPOC-endorsed Roman Reyna, but they did endorse Cecilia Iglesias for the SAUSD School Board.  Continue reading→

The Republicans who are trying to take back Santa Ana

Posted on by Posted in 2012 Elections, Alfredo Amezcua, Brett Franklin, Carlos Bustamante, Cecilia Iglesias, Claudia Alvarez, David Benavides, Democratic Party, Elections, George Collins, Janet Nguyen, Jerry Hayden, Karina Onofre, Loretta Sanchez, Michele Martinez, Miguel Pulido, Nelida Mendoza-Yanez, Politics, Republican Party, Roman Reyna, Santa Ana, SAUSD, Thomas Gordon, Tom Daly, Tony Tapia, Valerie Amezcua Leave a comment

Robert Hammond, promoting the GOP

Orange County’s Democrats are generally clueless, but this past June they were particularly out of sorts.  They inexplicably gave Orange County Supervisor Janet Nguyen a free pass, allowing her to focus on electing her fellow Republican, and gay-basher, Robert Hammond as he won a seat on the O.C. Department of Education’s Board of Trustees.

And the Democrats managed to fumble away Orange County’s most Latino seat, allowing it to go to Orange County Clerk-Recorder Tom Daly, who has since been charged with sexual harassment in the workplace.  If they had gotten behind Santa Ana Council Member Michele Martinez she might have prevailed in June.  Instead organized labor put up their guy, Julio Perez, splitting the Latino vote and allowing Daly to prevail. Continue reading→

BBQ fundraiser for SAUSD Trustee candidate Cecilia Iglesias this Sunday

Posted on by Posted in 2012 Elections, Cecilia Iglesias, Education, Entertainment, Republican Party, Robert Hammond, Santa Ana, SAUSD Leave a comment

Cecilia “Ceci” Iglesias, a Republican candidate for the Santa Ana Unified School District’s Board of Education, is having a BBQ fundraiser this Sunday, Sep. 9, from 4:00pm until 6:00pm, at 2721 N Larchmont Ave, Santa Ana, at the home of Dawn and OC Board of Education Trustee Robert Hammond.

The BBQ will include: Continue reading→

The OC GOP Endorsement Committee backs several Santa Ana candidates

Posted on by Posted in 2012 Elections, Brett Franklin, Elections, George Collins, Karina Onofre, Miguel Pulido, Orange County, Politics, Republican Party, Santa Ana, Thomas Gordon 2 Comments

Council Candidate Karina Onofre and Congresswoman Loretta Sanchez

The Republican Party of Orange County’s Endorsement Committee met tonight to consider a number of endorsements of local candidates running this November in the General Election.  Several Santa Ana candidates came up for endorsement – setting off quite a conversation at times.  One additional candidate, SAUSD School Board candidate Cecilia Iglesias, will be discussed by the Endorsement Committee tomorrow night.

Karina Onofre, a Republican running for the Santa Ana City Council in Ward 5, was endorsed with no debate.  She is running against lifelong Democrat Roman Reyna, an SAUSD Trustee. Continue reading→

Lupe Moreno, Minuteman, running for Mayor of Santa Ana

Posted on by Posted in 2012 Elections, David Benavides, Lupe Moreno, Politics, Republican Party, Roman Reyna, Santa Ana 11 Comments


Lupe Moreno, perhaps the most notorious of Orange County’s Minutemen, has filed to run for Mayor of Santa Ana, according to the O.C. Register. 

Moreno has a long history of running for office in Santa Ana and in Orange County, as follows:

Why I won’t be voting for Benavides in November

Posted on by Posted in 2012 Elections, Carlos Bustamante, David Benavides, Democratic Party, Elections, Miguel Pulido, Politics, Santa Ana 36 Comments

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→

Bustamante was the one who advised Onofre to switch to the GOP

Posted on by Posted in 2012 Elections, Carlos Bustamante, Civic Affairs, Claudia Alvarez, Democratic Party, Elections, Karina Onofre, Politics, Republican Party, Roman Reyna, Sal Tinajero, Santa Ana, SAUSD, Women 21 Comments

Brainwashed by Carlos Bustamante?

When we revealed in an earlier post that Santa Ana City Council candidate Karina Onofre had switched parties and become a registered Republican, some folks in town started pointing fingers.  Liberal OC editor Dan Chmielewski, for example, wrote a post wondering “What led Onofre down this path?  Could it be a lunch with Santa Ana Council member Sal Tinajero several weeks ago?”

Well, Onofre did meet with Tinajero and he gave her very good advice.  He cautioned that she should run for the SAUSD School Board instead.  Let’s face it, Onofre is very young and she has no record of working in the community.  The voters don’t know her.  But they do know SAUSD Trustee Roman Reyna and Santa Ana Mayor Pro Tem Claudia Alvarez, the Ward 5 City Council candidates Onofre is hoping to beat. Continue reading→

P/T Colorado resident running for Rancho Board

Posted on by Posted in 2012 Elections, Education, Orange County, Republican Party, Santa Ana, Thomas Gordon 6 Comments

OC GOP Central Committee Member Thomas Gordon has pulled papers to run for Area Three of the Rancho Santiago Community College District.  He is thus far the only candidate for that office.

The RSCCD elections have changed this year – they will be area-specific.  This should make it easier for candidates to win.

Gordon has previously run for: Continue reading→

UPDATE: OCDA blocks release of Drakodaidis letter regarding county corruption

Posted on by Posted in Carlos Bustamante, Crime, Lawyers, Orange County, Politics, Republican Party, Santa Ana, Women 1 Comment

UPDATE:  District Attorney Tony Rackauckas Monday quashed the release of a politically explosive letter sent to the Orange County Board of Supervisors by an attorney representing Deputy CEO Alisa Drakodaidis, who abruptly went on a medical leave in the wake of sex crimes charges against former county Public Works executive Carlos Bustamante, according to the Voice of OC.

“Indications are that Orange County Deputy CEO Alisa Drakodaidis is the latest high-level official heading out the door in the wake of the Carlos Bustamante sex crimes scandal,” according to the Voice of OC. Continue reading→

Brett Franklin pulls papers for Ward 3 on the Santa Ana City Council

Posted on by Posted in 2012 Elections, Brett Franklin, Carlos Bustamante, Civic Affairs, Miguel Pulido, Republican Party, Santa Ana 4 Comments

Brett Franklin, a former Santa Ana Council Member, has apparently pulled nomination papers for Ward 3 on the Santa Ana City Council, according to a city insider.  Franklin previously represented Ward 3 for two terms.  He was replaced by current Council Member Carlos Bustamante, who was recently arrested and now faces a number of felony sex crime and public theft charges.  Both Franklin and Bustamante are Republicans, and Franklin is an elected member of the OC GOP’s Central Committee.

I am told that Santa Ana Mayor Miguel Pulido is backing Franklin.  The other declared candidates include Eric Alderete, a lawyer who serves on the Santa Ana Planning Commission, and Charles Hart, who ran for Mayor unsuccessfully against Pulido in 2010.  Alderete is a Democrat, and Hart is a Republican. Continue reading→

Santa Ana boxing club’s leader allegedly arrested for sexual abuse

Posted on by Posted in Charities, Charles Hart, Courts, Crime, Orange County, Politics, Republican Party, Rosie Avila, Santa Ana, Sports 8 Comments

Local sports legend Anthony Serrano, the head of the Santa Ana Boxing Club, has been arrested, according to the OC Weekly.  The official press release about this arrest has not yet been issued by the Orange County District Attorney’s office.  According to the Weekly, the “police arrested Serrano on charges that he sexually abused one of his boxers.”

Serrano has run the Santa Ana Boxing Club for the last ten years and is listed on their contact page.  The boxing club is part of the Orange County Youth Commission, which “was launched in 1997 by Rosemarie Avila and a group of concerned community members who recognized the needs of children in high-poverty areas of Orange County and wanted to make a difference in their lives,” according to their website. Continue reading→