New Santa Ana | Tag Archives: Sal Tinajero

Benavides Council faction hides in the shadows as they plot against Walters

Posted on December 26, 2012 by Editor Posted in Angelica Amezcua, Civic Affairs, David Benavides, Gerardo Mouet, Paul Walters, Politics, Sal Tinajero, Santa Ana 52 Comments

Is Gerardo Mouet the Chosen One?

Do you remember when Santa Ana Council Member David Benavides and his allies were screaming about transparency during his failed campaign for Mayor? Well that sure went out the window since Benavides lost.

Benavides and company have put a City Council meeting on calendar for this Thursday, at 1:15 pm. Now think about that for a minute. It is Christmas week. Many folks are off on vacation. The rest of us are working and can’t attend or watch this meeting online. What is at stake? Only the future well-being of our city. Continue reading→

Update: When will the Benavides Council dump Griset from the MWD Board?

Posted on December 18, 2012 by Art Pedroza Posted in 2012 Elections, Alfredo Amezcua, Civic Affairs, Dan Griset, David Benavides, Democratic Party, Elections, John Palacio, Michele Martinez, Miguel Pulido, Politics, Sal Tinajero, Santa Ana, Vince Sarmiento, Water 52 Comments

Update: So now that the Benavides cartel is running the Santa Ana City Council, are they really going to be all about change? If so when are they dumping Dan Griset from the Metropolitan Water District’s Board of Directors? Don’t hold your breath – they already cut a deal with him. Here is what we had to say on the subject back on Sep. 21, of this year:

Do you remember Dan Griset? His father Lorin was the Mayor of Santa Ana from 1969 – 1973. Dan followed suit, serving on the Santa Ana City Council from 1979-1992. He was our Mayor for a time too.

Why am I bringing him up? Well he can’t get elected to anything in Santa Ana anymore, but for many years he has been our city’s appointed representative to the Metropolitan Water District’s Board of Directors. Griset was appointed years ago by Mayor Miguel Pulido back in February of 2005, and even though some of our current Council Members have groused about it, he has stayed put for some time. Continue reading→

The Benavides Council cabal snaps up all the choice commission appointments

Posted on December 18, 2012 by Art Pedroza Posted in Angelica Amezcua, Civic Affairs, David Benavides, Michele Martinez, Miguel Pulido, Politics, Roman Reyna, Sal Tinajero, Santa Ana, Vince Sarmiento, Water 9 Comments

The David Benavides cabal on the Santa Ana City Council didn’t wait long to show their true colors. Their pals at the union-funded Voice of OC wrote that they “took another step Monday toward making good on their vow to strip Mayor Miguel Pulido of some of his power by taking away the mayor’s authority to make council subcommittee appointments.” But what they really did was appoint themselves to all of the choice municipal commissions, thereby padding their paychecks.

Appointments included, courtesy of the Voice of OC: Continue reading→

Angelica Amezcua will pick the next Santa Ana Mayor Pro Tem

Posted on December 10, 2012 by Art Pedroza Posted in 2012 Elections, Angelica Amezcua, Claudia Alvarez, David Benavides, Elections, Michele Martinez, Miguel Pulido, Politics, Sal Tinajero, Santa Ana, Vince Sarmiento 7 Comments

Angelica Amezcua – or Angie Oliver, courtesy of the OC Register

Can you believe it? Newly elected Council Member Angelica Amezcua is now in a position to be the key vote that will determine who our next Santa Ana Mayor Pro Tem will be. How this happened is an interesting tale.

The “Santa Ana Spring” failed miserably this November, particularly when Amezcua beat her Team Benavides opponent, Eric Alderete. She spent not a dime and he raised and spent a small fortune, for naught. Now the Benavides cabal is down to three votes – David Benavides, Michele Martinez and newly elected Roman Reyna. Continue reading→

Pulido opposes the Downtown Santa Ana PBID tax!

Posted on December 6, 2012 by Art Pedroza Posted in Carlos Bustamante, Civic Affairs, Claudia Alvarez, David Benavides, Estela Amezcua, Michele Martinez, Miguel Pulido, Politics, Sal Tinajero, Santa Ana, Taxes, Vince Sarmiento 14 Comments

“Santa Ana Mayor Miguel Pulido said Monday he opposed allowing a controversial downtown property tax to continue, the mayor’s first declaration on the issue since he was given the OK by the city attorney to vote on the tax district,” according to the Voice of OC.

Even worse for the corrupt PBID crew at Downtown, Inc., Pulido is now part of a 4-2 Council majority that opposes the PBID. The only PBID supporters that I am aware of are Council Members David Benavides and his longtime pal Carlos Bustamante. Mayor Pro Tem Claudia Alvarez has been a solid leader against the PBID for some time, as has been Council Member Sal Tinajero. Council Members Michele Martinez can’t vote on the PBID, as I understand it. But if they could I think that if she could she would support it. Continue reading→

What issues should our new Santa Ana City Council focus on?

Posted on November 13, 2012 by Art Pedroza Posted in 2012 Elections, Angelica Amezcua, Civic Affairs, Politics, Roman Reyna, Sal Tinajero, Santa Ana 36 Comments

The new Santa Ana City Council Members – Angelica Amezcua and Roman Reyna, won’t be sworn in yet for a few weeks. Once they are sworn in they are facing quite a few issues – and will have to get up to speed quickly. Here is a rundown of some of the issues I think will need prompt attention:

Who will be the new Mayor Pro Tem? I think it should be Sal Tinajero. Readers – what do you think?
Negotiate a new contract with the Santa Ana Police Officers Association – and no I am not open to a citywide tax increase, or assessment, to pay for this. I would rather explore outsourcing our police department to the SH
Finish the Santiago Creek bike trail. This is an embarrassment. The City of Orange finished their side of the trail. Why the hold-up in Santa Ana? Continue reading→

Who will defeat Tom Daly in 2014?

Posted on September 27, 2012 by Art Pedroza Posted in 2014 Elections, David Benavides, Democratic Party, Elections, Julio Perez, Michele Martinez, Politics, Sal Tinajero, Santa Ana, Tom Daly, Vince Sarmiento 6 Comments

It looks like we are going to be stuck with Tom Daly as our Assemblyman in the 69th Assembly District, with the news we broke today that his opponent, Jose Moreno, has withdrawn from the contest after being threatened with the loss of his job, via the federal Hatch Act.

But Daly is going to be toast in two years – and there will be no shortage of viable candidates available to take him out.

So who will defeat Daly in two years? Here are the top contenders: Continue reading→

Benavides finally holding a fundraiser for his mayoral campaign

Posted on September 17, 2012 by Art Pedroza Posted in 2012 Elections, David Benavides, Elections, Entertainment, Michele Martinez, Politics, Sal Tinajero, Santa Ana, Vince Sarmiento 12 Comments

Santa Ana Council Member David Benavides is finally holding a fundraiser for his fading Mayoral campaign, on Thursday, September 20, 2012, from 5:30pm – 7:30pm, at Chapter One Restaurant, located at 227 N. Broadway, in Downtown Santa Ana.

The event’s host committee includes Council Members Sal Tinajero, Michele Martinez and Vince Sarmiento. No other politicians or community leaders were referenced on the email blast sent out by the Benavides campaign. Continue reading→

The new Santa Ana Council majority will crumble after the election

Posted on September 12, 2012 by Art Pedroza Posted in 2012 Elections, Charles Hart, David Benavides, Elections, Michele Martinez, Miguel Pulido, Politics, Roman Reyna, Sal Tinajero, Santa Ana, Vince Sarmiento 16 Comments

If there is one thing I can guarantee going into the November elections, it is that the current Santa Ana City Council is destined to crumble. Already the coalition that is backing Council Member David Benavides is showing signs of cracking.

We exposed this week one of Benavides’ supporters after she reached out to the Charles Hart Ward 3 campaign – a slap to the face of Eric Alderete, the Ward 3 candidate who has sided with the crumbling majority. Alderete has already distanced himself from Team Benavides. Continue reading→

Benavides’ supporters caught betraying his ally, Alderete

Posted on September 10, 2012 by Art Pedroza Posted in 2012 Elections, Alfredo Amezcua, Charles Hart, David Benavides, Democratic Party, Elections, Eric Alderete, John Palacio, Miguel Pulido, Myriam Tinajero, Politics, Republican Party, Sal Tinajero, Santa Ana, Valerie Amezcua, Vince Sarmiento 32 Comments

Valerie Amezua, David Benavides and company – but no Eric Alderete

Santa Ana mayoral candidate David Benavides and his supporters would like us to think that he represents some kind of revolution, but in truth he is working with Santa Ana’s Usual Suspects – the mostly Republican, angry, older anti-Latino busy bodies that ran City Hall for far too long.

The Usual Suspects are the folks who passed laws against drying your laundry in the backyard; who limited garage sales to four per year; who worked to get rid of jobs – targeting those who deliver printed marketing materials to homes and those who stand on street corners twirling signs to build up local businesses. These are the gentrifiers who bemoan the fact that Santa Ana became a Latino majority city and who put bear locks on their trash cans to keep the homeless from collecting their bottles and cans. Continue reading→

Bustamante returns to join Benavides in supporting the PBID tax

Posted on September 4, 2012 by Art Pedroza Posted in 2012 Elections, Arts and Culture, Carlos Bustamante, Civic Affairs, Claudia Alvarez, David Benavides, Sal Tinajero, Santa Ana, Taxes 11 Comments

Benavides tried to evade the PBID issue, but failed

A clearly chastened Santa Ana Council Member Carlos Bustamante returned to work tonight, showing up to the City Council meeting so that he could join his longtime friend and Council ally David Benavides in supporting the unethical PBID tax. Benavides is also a mayoral candidate this year.

Bustamante’s presence allowed the City Council to discuss the PBID. Only two other Council Members could participate in that discussion – Mayor Pro Tem Claudia Alvarez, who capably presided, and Council Member Sal Tinajero. Continue reading→

Palacio and Amezcua are driving the so-called “Santa Ana Spring”

Posted on August 30, 2012 by Art Pedroza Posted in 2012 Elections, Alfredo Amezcua, David Benavides, Democratic Party, Elections, Eric Alderete, John Palacio, Miguel Pulido, Myriam Tinajero, Politics, Roman Reyna, Sal Tinajero, Santa Ana, SAUSD, Valerie Amezcua, Vince Sarmiento 17 Comments

It has become increasingly obvious that the so-called “Santa Ana Spring” is actually a collection of Santa Ana politicians with different axes to grind, who have come together as their mutual petty hatreds have temporarily converged. This alliance is a shaky one at best.

The drivers of this movement are failed Santa Ana mayoral candidate Al Amezcua, who resigned from the Rancho Santiago Community College District’s Board of Education a few years ago, after he got caught living outside of the area he was elected to represent; Santa Ana Unified School District John Palacio, who survived the recall of his close friend and ally Nativo Lopez; Santa Ana Councilman Vince Sarmiento – who is bitter because he didn’t run for the 69th Assembly District and who has designs on the Santa Ana Mayor’s office; Santa Ana Council Member Michele Martinez, who was soundly defeated by Santa Ana Mayor Miguel Pulido back in 2008 – and who did poorly again this June as a candidate for the 69th Assembly District; and Council Member David Benavides, who is embroiled in a controversy regarding allegations of infidelity and divorce. Continue reading→

Santa Ana announces addition of 22 new park acres!

Posted on August 20, 2012 by Art Pedroza Posted in Civic Affairs, Michele Martinez, Miguel Pulido, Parks and Recreation, Sal Tinajero, Santa Ana, SAUSD, Vince Sarmiento 1 Comment

City of Santa Ana, Downtown Orange County

Community: Santa Ana City Council Announces Improvement in Acres of Recreational Space

SANTA ANA, CA (August 20, 2012) – For the last twenty years, Santa Ana has had .9-acres of recreational open space for every 1,000 residents. In the last five years, the City has made great strides in planning and building new recreational open space opportunities, which are projected to add 22 new acres to the City’s park system. At the August 20th Council meeting, the City Council announced that the new open space ratio will be 1.48-acres per 1,000 residents. Continue reading→

Update: Tinajero drops out of the Santa Ana Mayor’s race

Posted on August 11, 2012 by Editor Posted in 2012 Elections, Civic Affairs, David Benavides, Elections, George Collins, Lupe Moreno, Miguel Angel Briseno, Miguel Pulido, Politics, Roy Alvarado, Sal Tinajero, Santa Ana 14 Comments

Santa Ana Council Member Sal Tinajero has dropped out of the Santa Ana Mayor’s race. The remaining candidates include:

Mayor Miguel Pulido
Council Member David Benavides
Analyst/Production Manager George Collins Continue reading→

UPDATE: Tony Tapia to run for Rancho Board’s Area 3

Posted on August 11, 2012 by Art Pedroza Posted in Education, Ken Nguyen, Myriam Tinajero, Nelida Mendoza-Yanez, Orange County, Politics, Republican Party, Sal Tinajero, Santa Ana, Thomas Gordon, Tony Tapia 18 Comments

Tony Tapia and State Senator Lou Correa

UPDATE: Santa Ana Council Member Sal Tinajero’s sister, Myriam Tinajero, has pulled out of the race for the Rancho Santiago Community College District’s Area 3. The remaining candidates include Santa Ana Redevelopment and Housing Commissioner Nelida Mendoza-Yanez, LAUSD asbestos inspector Thomas Gordon and Construction Laborer Tony Tapia, for Area 3 of the Rancho Santiago Community College District’s Board of Education. Mendoza-Yanez ran for the Santa Ana City Council in 2006, losing to David Benavides. She got over 10,000 votes in that election, according to Smart Voter. Continue reading→