New Santa Ana | Tag Archives: roman reyna

The Santa Ana City Council members make new commission appointments

Posted on February 17, 2015 by Art Pedroza Posted in Angelica Amezcua, Cecilia Aguinaga, Civic Affairs, David Benavides, Michele Martinez, Miguel Pulido, Roman Reyna, Sal Tinajero, Santa Ana, Vince Sarmiento, Water 1 Comment

The Santa Ana City Council members appointed themselves to various commissions at their meeting tonight.

There was a struggle behind the scenes in recent weeks as Councilman Roman Reyna, who has struggled to maintain a real job aside from his part-time City Council job, lobbied for commission appointments with fatter paychecks. He seems to have won as he did end up receiving two very plum appointments.

Here are the new commission appointments:

Roman Reyna – the OC Water Board and the OC Vector Control District Board
Angie Amezcua – the OC Fire Authority Board
David Benavides – The Toll Roads Agency Board (TCA)
Sal Tinajero – the OC Sanitation Board

Continue reading→

Car stolen a half mile from the SAPD HQ and the thieves got away

Posted on February 17, 2015 by Art Pedroza Posted in Crime, Roman Reyna, Santa Ana Leave a comment

Police were looking for two people who fled from a stolen gray 1999 Honda Civic after a short pursuit in Santa Ana on Tuesday afternoon. The car was reported stolen, at 1:41 p.m. near Tenth Street and Van Ness Avenue (in Ward 5), according to the O.C. Register.

The car was stolen about two blocks north of Santa Ana’s City Hall and half a mile from the Santa Ana Police Department’s headquarters, according to Google Maps. Continue reading→

Teen named Angel Arellano shot to death in Roman Reyna’s Ward 5

Posted on December 24, 2014 by Art Pedroza Posted in Crime, Gangs, Santa Ana 11 Comments

SAPD Homicide Detectives are currently investigating shooting death in the 500 block of South Sullivan, according to the SAPD’s Facebook page. The shooting appears to be gang related.

NBC News reported that a teenager was shot dead and that he was between 16 and 18-years-old.

He was hit at least once in the torso at the 500 block of South Sullivan Street before midnight, according to the Santa Ana Police Department said. Continue reading→

The new City Council majority won’t include Reyna and Benavides

Posted on December 13, 2014 by Art Pedroza Posted in 2014 Elections, Angelica Amezcua, David Benavides, David Cavazos, Michele Martinez, Miguel Pulido, Politics, Roman Reyna, Santa Ana, Vince Sarmiento Leave a comment

While none of the Santa Ana City Council incumbents lost in the November General Election there is still major change coming to our City Council. You might recall that former Mayor Pro Tem Sal Tinajero withdrew his support for Councilman David Benavides, prior to the General Election. Now Tinajero has joined forces with the new Mayor Pro Tem, Vince Sarmiento. In short, the adults are now running the Santa Ana City Council.

Tinajero and Sarmiento are working to form a new City Council majority with Council Members Angie Amezcua and Michele Martinez. The latter has at times joined with Reyna and Benavides. But if Martinez wants to survive in politics she will now dump them and work instead with Sarmiento and Tinajero.

If Martinez decides to be obstinate then Tinajero and Sarmiento have another option. They can form a Council majority with Amezcua and Mayor Miguel Pulido. Continue reading→

SAPD seeks help in identifying suspect who shot and killed 15-year-old Edgar Campos

Posted on November 13, 2014 by Art Pedroza Posted in Crime, Gangs, Roman Reyna, Santa Ana 1 Comment

Santa Ana Police Department

Advisory: SAPD Homicide Detectives Request Public Assistance in Shooting Death of 15 Year Old Victim

Victim: Edgar Jovany Campos (15) Santa Ana

Details: On Friday, 11-07-2014, at approximately 6:40 PM, officers responded to the area of 400 North Laurel (located in Councilman Roman Reyna’s Ward 5) reference a male who had been shot. When officers arrived, they located the 15-year old victim suffering from a gunshot wound to the upper torso. OCFA Paramedics responded to the scene and transported the victim to UCI Medical Center for treatment.

SAPD Homicide Detectives responded to the scene to take over the investigation. Their preliminary investigation revealed the victim was walking in the area of 400 North Laurel when suspect(s) in a vehicle fired an unknown type firearm at the victim striking him once in the upper torso. The suspect vehicle then fled in an unknown direction after the shooting. There is currently no description for the vehicle or any suspect(s) at this time. Continue reading→

15-year-old boy shot in Reyna’s Ward 5 is now on life support

Posted on November 12, 2014 by Art Pedroza Posted in Crime, Gangs, Politics, Public Safety, Santa Ana 3 Comments

Police say a 15-year-old boy was on life support at UCI Medical Center in Orange on Tuesday following a shooting in an alleyway last week, according to the O.C. Register.

The incident happened at about 6:40 p.m. Friday in the 400 block of North Laurel Street, which is in Santa Ana Councilman Roman Reyna’s Ward 5. Police say the shooting was gang related. Continue reading→

It’s time for a new City Council majority

Posted on November 10, 2014 by Art Pedroza Posted in 2014 Elections, Angelica Amezcua, David Benavides, Michele Martinez, Miguel Pulido, Phil Bacerra, Roman Reyna, Sal Tinajero, Santa Ana, Vince Sarmiento 3 Comments

Transparency really matters to Santa Ana Mayor Pro Tem Sal Tinajero. It is why he split from Councilman David Benavides’ “Team Santa Ana” in the recent City Council election. Benavides steadfastly refused to compel his Planning Commissioner Phil Bacerra to fill out the mandated Communication Disclosure forms until Tinajero threatened to remove Bacerra from his Commission.

Tinajero had the votes to dismiss Bacerra and Benavides knew it. Mayor Miguel Pulido and Council Members Vince Sarmiento and Angie Amezcua would have likely backed Tinajero.

Now that the election is over it is time for our City Council to get back to work trying to improve our city however Council Member Michele Martinez reacted in typical chola fashion after the election, when she told the Voice of OC that “When I was fighting the mayor before, the gloves were on, now the gloves are off — its bare knuckles.” Continue reading→

15-year-old boy shot in Roman Reyna’s Ward 5

Posted on November 9, 2014 by Art Pedroza Posted in Crime, Gangs, Roman Reyna, Santa Ana 7 Comments

Police say a 15-year-old boy was hospitalized in critical condition after he was shot in an alleyway Friday night at about 6:40 p.m. in the 400 block of North Laurel Street, according to Cpl. Anthony Bertagna of the Santa Ana Police Department, according to the OC Register.

The boy was shot in City Councilman Roman Reyna’s Ward 5. Reyna lost badly in this year’s Santa Ana Mayoral election after a picture of him with two hard core gang bangers emerged on Facebook. The picture cost Reyna every single law enforcement endorsement and he was hammered with campaign mailers that touted his alleged gang connections. Continue reading→

A look at the final Santa Ana voting results in the 2014 General Election

Posted on November 5, 2014 by Art Pedroza Posted in 2014 Elections, Alex Padilla, David Benavides, David Cavazos, Michele Martinez, Miguel Pulido, Politics, Roman Reyna, Sal Tinajero, Santa Ana, SAUSD 3 Comments

Mayor Pulido’s daughter kept tabs on the election results on Election Night

I met with Santa Ana Mayor Miguel Pulido last night at his Election Night Party. He was relieved that he was winning but was worried he wouldn’t garner more than 50% of the vote. His 11-year-old daughter was checking the election results on her IPad last night. She has quite an interest in politics – and perhaps she will be running for office after she finishes college.

Pulido ended up with 50.7% of the vote while his challenger Roman Reyna only mustered 6,778 votes, or 33.6% of the vote. The unknown third mayoral candidate, Mark I. Lopez, netted 15.8% of the vote – likely from those who couldn’t bear voting for the other two candidates.

The bad news for Pulido was that his team of City Council challengers – Alex Padilla, Mike Gonzalez and Mirna Velasquez, all lost. If there is any good news it is that the incumbent who did the worst was David Benavides. While his colleague Michele Martinez got less votes than Benavides she had three opponents while Benavides squared off against one challenger – Padilla. Continue reading→

Santa Ana’s incumbents leading in the 2014 General Election early returns

Posted on November 4, 2014 by Art Pedroza Posted in 2014 Elections, Adam Nick, Alex Padilla, David Benavides, Gilad Salmon, Janet Nguyen, John Palacio, Jose Solorio, Loretta Sanchez, Lou Correa, Michele Martinez, Miguel Pulido, Mike Gonzalez, Mirna Velasquez, Politics, Rene Gomez, Sal Tinajero, Santa Ana, SAUSD, Shuntele Andrews 6 Comments

The early returns are in with regard to today’s General Election. So far the incumbents are leading in all of the Santa Ana City Council races. It is early yet but in what should prove to be a low turnout election this first batch of votes can foreshadow the evening’s results. These are the early absentee votes – representing the most frequent voters.

Santa Ana Mayor Miguel Pulido is thoroughly trouncing Councilman Roman Reyna, with over 52% of the vote versus only 32% of the vote for Reyna. Clearly Reyna’s campaign was undone by his unwise decision to hang out with gang bangers.

In Ward 2 the incumbent, Michele Martinez, is leading with 53.8% of the vote in a crowded field. Shockingly Gilad Salmon is in second place with 21.3 % of the vote. Not surprisingly the sole Republican in the race, salsa dancer Rene Gomez, is in dead last with 9% of the vote. Continue reading→

Team Pulido is in a dead heat with the faltering Team Santa Ana

Posted on October 27, 2014 by Art Pedroza Posted in 2014 Elections, Alex Padilla, Crime, David Benavides, Education, Michele Martinez, Miguel Pulido, Mike Gonzalez, Mirna Velasquez, Politics, Sal Tinajero, Santa Ana 15 Comments

The election is almost upon us and the latest news is not good for the splintered Team Santa Ana. A major labor association has conducted secret polling that shows that Santa Ana Mayor Miguel Pulido’s team of City Council Candidates are in a dead heat with the splintered Team Santa Ana.

This is huge news as the Team Pulido slate, which includes Ward 2 candidate Mirna Velasquez, Ward 4 candidate Alex Padilla and Ward 6 candidate Miguel Gonzalez, has much less political experience than the longtime Council incumbents they are facing off against – Councilman David Benavides, Councilwoman Michele Martinez and Mayor Pro Tem Sal Tinajero. Continue reading→

Should we recall Reyna and bring Alvarez back to the City Council?

Posted on October 26, 2014 by Art Pedroza Posted in 2014 Elections, Claudia Alvarez, Education, Miguel Pulido, Politics, Roman Reyna, Santa Ana 14 Comments

This year’s General Election is coming up very quickly, on Nov. 4. Time is running out for Santa Ana Mayoral challenger Roman Reyna, who has been under fire for weeks over a picture that emerged on Facebook depicting Reyna with two of his “homies” who were identified by the Santa Ana Police as dangerous members of a criminal enterprise.

It is by now a forgone conclusion that Reyna is going to lose and lose big – unless his bizarre coalition of gang bangers and high density apartment developers can somehow steal the election.

The question now is when should those who want to restore order at Santa Ana’s City Hall start planning to recall Reyna from the City Council? And is former Mayor Pro Tem Claudia Alvarez eligible to return to Reyna’s Ward 5? Continue reading→

Reyna blows off the Santa Ana Police Officers Association and loses their support

Posted on October 22, 2014 by Art Pedroza Posted in 2014 Elections, Crime, Politics, Public Safety, Roman Reyna, Santa Ana 1 Comment

The OC Register and the Voice of OC continue to ignore the biggest story in the 2014 Santa Ana City Council races as the Santa Ana Police Officers Association (SAPOA) has asked Santa Ana Councilman Roman Reyna to explain why he was caught posing with hard core gang bangers in a picture that was circulated on Facebook.

Today SAPOA sent a second letter to Reyna, stating “In no way was this letter meant to be judge and jury of your active participation or association with known criminal enterprises however as supporters of your 2012 City Council campaign we felt strongly that a formal response was necessary.” Continue reading→

Benavides, Reyna and Martinez rejected by two more law enforcement associations

Posted on October 22, 2014 by Art Pedroza Posted in 2014 Elections, Alex Padilla, Civic Affairs, David Benavides, Michele Martinez, Miguel Pulido, Mirna Velasquez, Orange County, Paul Walters, Politics, Public Safety, Roman Reyna, Sal Tinajero, Santa Ana Leave a comment

Both the Anaheim Police Association and the Peace Officers Research Association of California have rejected Santa Ana Council Members David Benavides and Michele Martinez as well as their colleague Roman Reyna, who is in the midst of an ill-advised Mayoral campaign.

This comes on the heels of rejections of these candidates by the Association of Orange County Deputy Sheriffs. The Santa Ana Police Officers Association (SAPOA) also rejected Reyna and Martinez.

Reyna really stepped in it when SAPOA called him out after a picture of Reyna with two hard core gang bangers was posted on Facebook. He has since become toxic to the entire Santa Ana City Council majority, which recently splintered when Benavides attacked Mayor Pro Tem Sal Tinajero. Continue reading→

Santa Ana police officers want to know why Reyna is hanging out with gang bangers

Posted on October 15, 2014 by Art Pedroza Posted in 2014 Elections, Civic Affairs, Crime, Gangs, Politics, Public Safety, Santa Ana 103 Comments

Picture Courtesy of the Santa Ana Police Officers Association

October 14, 2014

COUNCILMAN ROMAN REYNA
SANTA ANA CITY COUNCIL
20 CIVIC CENTER PLAZA
P.O. BOX 1988, M31
SANTA ANA, CA 92701

Dear Councilman Reyna,

I write on behalf of the Santa Ana Police Officers’ Association, its Board of Directors and Political Action Committee.

It has come to our attention that you, along with two other men, recently posed for a photograph that was posted on Facebook. We find it very disturbing that you posed with these men. Both are known to Orange county law enforcement as being affiliated with Santa Ana criminal enterprises. Furthermore, the individual believed to have posted the photograph identified you in his post as the “the new Mayor of Santana old homie from the hood…”

We are aware many friends can be called a “homie” and people do identify themselves as living in or being from the “hood”. These words alone should not produce a negative opinion of another person. However, when coupled with a photograph of known members of a Santa Ana criminal enterprise, and posted on an Internet social media website, we feel that far exceeds mere poor judgment. As a city policymaker, this photograph and comments presents the appearance and perception of your lack of ability to be a trustworthy and effective community leader. Continue reading→