Connect to Council is holding what they call a “Resource Event” on Wed., Sep. 28, at 6 pm., for the neighborhoods in Ward 6, which include: Continue reading
Tag Archives: Sal Tinajero
Impounding of cars on Santa Ana Public Safety Committee meeting agenda
The impounding of cars driven by immigrants, by the Santa Ana Police Department (SAPD), is on the agenda for the Santa Ana City Council’s Public Safety Committee meeting scheduled for today, August 10, at 6 pm.
SAPD Deputy Chief Carlos Rojas will be making a presentation about the car impounding to the Committee, which is comprised of Santa Ana Council Members David Benavides and Sal Tinajero and Mayor Pro Tem Claudia Alvarez.
The car impounding has taken place for years at the SAPD’s DUI checkpoints. Continue reading
Perez should drop out now that Martinez is running for the 69th A.D.
Santa Ana Councilwoman Michele Martinez made an interesting announcement this morning on her Facebook page, “Good Morning! I wanted to share some great news with all of you. In the next week or so I will officially declare my candidacy for the 69 Assembly District. Michele Martinez.”
I have been tracking this story for weeks. For awhile it looked like Councilman Vince Sarmiento was going to run but his wife put the kibosh on that. Then it looked like Councilman Sal Tinajero was going to run – but now it is Martinez who is going to run for Assemblyman Jose Solorio’s 69th Assembly District, when he terms out in 2012. Continue reading
Public Safety Committee to consider Velvet Lounge C.U.P. and bail bonds
The Santa Ana City Council’s Public Safety Committee is meeting on Tuesday, July 26, and the meeting promises to be an interesting one. The topics on the agenda, which is below, include discussion about a proposed C.U.P. (Conditional Use Permit) for the gay bar called the “Velvet Lounge,” which is supposed to open soon, and a Bail Bond Solicitation update (we wrote about that awhile ago – bail bondsmen are illegally soliciting for bails outside our jail, and most of these guys don’t even have businesses in town). Continue reading
Santa Ana “Neighborhood Hero” Gordon compares Latinos to ignorant kids
When Santa Ana “Neighborhood Hero” Thomas Gordon tried to run for the Santa Ana City Council, he claimed he would “wipe the floor” with incumbent Sal Tinajero, who is also a very successful public school teacher. But when the filing deadline came, Gordon failed to collect enough verified signatures – and even his own signature was thrown out by the City Clerk. We later caught Gordon texting answers to another Council candidate, Helen Martinez. She lost badly and hasn’t been seen since.
What is Gordon up to now, you ask? Well check out this comment – which he posted on a Voice of OC blog post about the proposed move of the Chivas USA soccer team to Santa Ana:
Regarding neighborhood impact and the loss of the golf course, Tinajero said he understands that some residents would be opposed to the move, but when compared to the number of residents in favor, opponents will seem a small minority.
The opposition “would be outnumbered, in my opinion, nine to one,” Tinajero said.
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Kids want candy or soda or junk food 9 times more than adults do, but as adults we are able to see the cost associated with these things, not just monetarily but the long term impacts such as tooth decay or diabetes.
Los Angeles Unified School Board just voted to ban chocolate and strawberry flavored milk in schools. I’ll bet the kids are against that 99 to 1 as well, but as adults the Board made a decision based on health and long term results.
Guess we elected children to the Santa Ana City Council……..
Not only did Gordon insult all the Latino residents of Santa Ana who would support a pro soccer team – he also insulted our Santa Ana City Council as well – comparing both the residents and the Council to ignorant schoolkids who don’t know what is good for them.
The irony is that Gordon has no college degree – but the Council Members include two attorneys, an engineer, an overpaid Orange County middle manager, a Realtor/Mortfafe banker, a non profit executive, a schoolteacher/award-winning debate team coach. They all have college degrees, unlike Gordon.
Maybe Gordon dislikes them because they are all Democrats – except for the overpaid County middle manager. Gordon is an elected member of the OC GOP Central Committee.
The double-irony is that Gordon works for the L.A. Unified School District, where he is an astoundingly overpaid asbestos inspector. He clearly looks down on the schoolkids whose parents pay his ridiculous union salary.
And this guy is getting a “Neighborhood Hero” award at the Com-Link meeting this week. He ought to be getting a Turkey award!
Santa Ana Com-Link meeting on May 26 to focus on gang enforcement
Dear Neighborhood Leader:
I would like to invite you to the next Com-link meeting scheduled for Thursday, May 26, at 7:00 pm in the Santa Ana Police Department Community Room.
The main topic at the meeting will be presented by SAPD Sergeant Lorenzo Carrillo on Gang Enforcement in the Santa Ana neighborhoods. Sergeant Carrillo will also be discussing the effect of the current injunction as well as the general level of gang activity.
Administrative Chief / Fire Marshal Lori Smith from the SAFD will talk about their plans to address fireworks in 2011. Will Hayes, Maintenance Service Manager, of the Public Works Agency will be discussing the new contractor for graffiti removal. Councilmember Sal Tinajero will be addressing the meeting as part of our “Meet a Councilmember Series” and we will be recognizing David Ream, Santa Ana’s long time retiring City Manager.
As you can see we have a full agenda and look forward to seeing you at the meeting. The general Com-link meeting is open to all neighbors in the City of Santa Ana. We would like see at least one representative for each Neighborhood Association (NA). Please feel free to email me at sum1@artnet.net or call me at 714-277-9762 if you have any questions or need directions.
Remember the purpose of Com-link is supply you with information to be given out to your neighborhood. This cannot be done if your NA is not represented.
With that, I hope to see you on Thursday May 26th.
Sincerely Yours,
Carl Benninger, Com-Link Chairperson 2010-2011
PS: At the June meeting we will be holding elections for four position on the Com-Link Board. Any one interesting in running for the board and meets the requirements can complete the Board nomination form that will be available at the May meeting or by contacting Margarita Macedonio of the City of Santa Ana at mmacedonio@santa-ana.org.
The Center OC celebrates 40 years of serving the Orange County LGBT community
Press Release
The Center OC Celebrates 40 Years of Serving the Orange County LGBT Community
The Gay & Lesbian Community Services Center of Orange County (The Center OC) commemorates 40 years advocating for the LGBT community on Saturday, June 4, at the Bowers Museum in Santa Ana. Special guest honoree is Estelle Harris, who voiced Mrs. Potato Head in Pixar/Disney’s Toy Story 2 & 3.
Santa Ana, CA, May 20, 2011 –(PR.com)– The Gay & Lesbian Community Services Center of Orange County (The Center OC) commemorates 40 years advocating for the LGBT community on Saturday, June 4, at the Bowers Museum in Santa Ana.
The elegant evening begins at 7 p.m. and includes dinner, auction items and dancing, all with the theme “Picture This: Imagine the Future.” A special VIP reception, hosted by Michael Niemeyer of Mickey’s in West Hollywood, will begin at 6 p.m. and will feature musical entertainment by acoustic duo Makena.
“Building on our rich history of 40 years of service, The Center OC is very excited about the future,” said Executive Director Ginger Hahn. “The Gala plays such an important role as we move forward, because it raises much-needed funds to help us create lasting solutions to help LGBT youth and adults in Orange County.”
The Center OC annually serves more than 10,000 LGBT adults, families, youth and allies who come for support, education, HIV testing and counseling, and mental health services.
Special guest Estelle Harris (Toy Story 3, Seinfeld), will receive the Torchbearer Award not only for her stellar real-life role as the mother of a gay son, but also for being an outspoken advocate for the LGBT community. The Outstanding Role Model Award will go to Mark Guillod and Alan Miller for their many years of visibly supporting the community as a couple.
Special thanks to the Gala Honorary Host Committee: Congresswoman Loretta Sanchez and Santa Ana City Council Member Sal Tinajero. Sponsors for the event include: The California Endowment; Wells Fargo; Collette’s Catering; OC Printing Services and Disneyland Resort PRIDE Diversity Resource Group. Sponsorships are still available.
The Gala is a well-attended event that sold out in advance last year. To purchase tickets, call (714) 953-5428. Tables of 10 start at $2,000 and individual tickets are $200. VIP tickets are $300. The Bowers Museum is located at 2002 North Main Street in Santa Ana. For more information, visit www.thecenteroc.org.
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Gay & Lesbian Community Services Center of Orange County
Thomas Soule
714-953-5428
thomas.soule@thecenteroc.org
thecenteroc.org
Vincent Sarmiento to run for the 69th Assembly District
State Assemblyman Jose Solorio (D-69) has reportedly convinced Santa Ana City Councilman Vincent Sarmiento to run for the 69th Assembly District in 2012, when Solorio will term out.
Sarmiento was appointed to the Santa Ana City Council when Solorio resigned to go to Sacramento. Now, I am told, Sarmiento will return the favor, as the Santa Ana City Council will appoint Solorio to replace Sarmiento, in Ward 1.
I am told Solorio will have a tough time getting four votes from the current Santa Ana City Council – he can rely on David Benavides, Carlos Bustamante and Mayor Miguel Pulido, but Mayor Pro Tem Claudia Alvarez is no fan of his, nor is Council Member Sal Tinajero. Council Member Michele Martinez will be the all-important swing vote.
Julio Perez, the political director of the OC Labor Federation, was considering running for the 69th, according to various sources, but that is now unlikely. Sarmiento should be able to raise a lot of money, with Solorio’s support.
The 69th is a predominantly Democratic district. That may change via redistricting but until that happens, Sarmiento will be the presumptive victor, should he win in the Democratic Party’s primary, as the OC GOP has not been able to challenge for the seat since the days of former Assemblyman Jim Morrissey, who infamously hired a Democrat to run his campaigns.
It could be a free-for-all for Solorio’s Assembly seat in 2012
It is beginning to look like a free-for-all for Assemblyman Jose Solorio’s 69th Assembly District seat, which includes most of Santa Ana and parts of Anaheim, Garden Grove, Tustin and Orange, in 2012.
I am hearing that Santa Ana City Councilman Vincent Sarmiento is not going to run after all. I cannot blame him. Term limits would limit him to three two-year terms – and having to move to Sacramento would be tough on his family and his law practice. Plus Sarmiento could end up being our next Mayor if Mayor Pulido retires in the near future.
Looking at the rest of the Santa Ana City Council Members, it is tough to figure which one might run for Solorio’s seat. Mayor Pro Tem Claudia Alvarez would likely win this time, after losing to Solorio a few years ago, but she has a good job as an Assistant O.C. District Attorney. She will also be a top candidate for Santa Ana Mayor if Mayor Pulido retires.
Councilman Sal Tinajero has a good job as a Fullerton teacher and debate team coach. He too has young kids and while he could move his family up to Sacramento, it would surely be a hardship for them.
That leaves Council Members Michele Martinez and David Benavides, as I don’t expect Mayor Pulido to run for anything other than re-election in 2012.
Of the two, I prefer Martinez. She works for a non-profit involved with childhood obesity, and the move to Sacramento would mean a bigger salary for her. More importantly, she works well with others and is fairly progressive. She might we be more effective than Solorio, who has done a good job but he tends to be overly status quo.
Benavides works in the mortgage industry. He seems like a good guy but his friendship with Minuteman Lupe Moreno is a problem for me. He also has far too many Republican allies for my taste.
Solorio may not back any of these people. He has hired O.C. Clerk-Recorder Tom Daly’s wife, who used to be a county lobbyist. Daly, in turn, has hired AUHSD School Board Trustee Jordan Brandman. Either Daly or Brandman could run, even though they would both be carpetbaggers, from what I am told. They have ample time to move into the district. Neither one has a solid record with regard to Latinos, in my opinion.
Anaheim City Councilwoman Lorri Galloway is terming out in 2012. She too could run for Solorio’s seat.
What about the Republicans? They have no shot at this seat. Nor do they have any viable candidates. The GOP is a non-sequitur in the 69th A.D. Even after redistricting they are not likely to pick up this seat.
One guy who could really toss a monkey-wrench into the works is Alfredo Amezcua, who got blown out by Mayor Pulido last year. Amezcua could win the 69th if he is willing to spend another quarter million of his own money. He would have a better shot at the 69th, ironically enough, than he would running for Mayor again.
UPDATE:
A reader sent me a note today indicating that Julio Perez, the Political Director at the OC Labor Federation, is apparently thinking of running for Solorio’s seat. He has no previous experience running for office, as far as I know.
The OC Labor Federation has an awful record of spending millions on failed candidates, such as Republican John Leos, who lost in a first-time bid for the Anaheim City Council last year. Good luck Julio…
Santa Ana’s progressive City Council majority may not be in charge for long
A few folks in Santa Ana have been mighty perplexed about the current City Council majority. I would definitely include failed Santa Ana Mayoral candidate Alfredo Amezcua in that number, along with former Mayoral candidate Thomas Gordon, and many former Santa Ana City Commissioners – who were give the boot by the current City Council majority.
You need four votes on the City Council in order to get anything done. Currently the majority on the City Council is made up of Mayor Pro Tem Claudia Alvarez, along with Council Members Michele Martinez, Vincent Sarmiento and Sal Tinajero. Mayor Miguel Pulido primarily goes along with the majority, although at times they differ. Council Members David Benavides and Carlos Bustamante are sitting at the little kids’ table – utterly bereft of power and influence at City Hall.
But that could change in 2012. Alvarez will be terming out. I am not sure what she intends to do at that point. She could run for Mayor, or for the SAUSD School Board. Or she could walk away and concentrate on her job as a O.C. Deputy District Attorney.
Current SAUSD Trustee Romany Reyna is an ally of Benavides. Reyna previously ran for the Council seat held by Alvarez and now all he has to do is wait for her to term out and run again.
I have however heard that Reyna is having second thoughts, as well he should. If he runs for the Council in 2012, he will vacate his School Board seat. If he loses his Council race he will be done in local politics. I don’t know that he is willing to take that chance. It depends on who ends up running against him for Alvarez’ seat on the City Council.
If Reyna does run for the Council, and he wins, and Bustamante is re-elected, they will surely team up with Benavides and likely with Mayor Pulido – and the new City Council majority will be quite different from the current majority.
Both Reyna and Benavides are religious conservatives. Bustamante is a Republican. Pulido is more moderate than that bunch, but he has been pulled to the left by the current Council majority. There is no telling what this new right-leaning majority might do, once empowered.
Pulido will also face a few challengers in 2012, including the aforementioned Amezcua. Past Republican Assembly candidate Otto Bade also told me recently that he intends to run for Mayor in 2012. Bade lost his concession this year at the Santa Ana Zoo, where his La Perla restaurant will be replaced by a Knowlwood’s restaurant.
I think Amezcua and Bade would ally with the new, conservative faction if either one of them were to prevail against Pulido.
I also think that failed Mayoral candidate Charles Hart intends to run again in 2012. Hart was recently appointed to the Republican Party of Orange County’s Central Committee, representing the 69th Assembly Caucus. If he were to somehow win in 2012, perhaps as a result of a Latino vote split, I think he too would end up allying with the new, conservative faction.
To make matters worse for Alvarez and company, Councilman Sarmiento is likely to be running for Assemblyman Jose Solorio’s seat in the 69th Assembly District. Sarmiento will be tough to beat. As such, he will be vacating his City Council seat – and the Council majority will have to find someone to fill that spot. That will happen after the November election, so if the new faction takes over, guess who will be appointing Sarmiento’s replacement?
And that’s not all. I fully expect at least one or more of the other Council Members to run against O.C. Supervisor Janet Nguyen. Either Sal Tinajero or Michele Martinez would have good odds of beating Nguyen, unless she redistricts her seat and adds more Vietnamese voters to it, while weakening the Latino vote, which she just might do.
So where does all this leave the people of Santa Ana? It leaves us two years for our Council majority to get the job done, before they dissolve and/or get replaced. That is a small window and it is closing fast.
If the majority fails to replace itself, the fact is that many of the ousted and bitter former City Commissioners will be back and business as usual will return to City Hall. Imagine that – in two short years our progress might well be stopped and reversed. That is a chilling thought.
Sean Mill appointed to the Santa Ana Planning Commission by a 5-2 Council vote
Sean Mill was appointed last night, at the Santa Ana City Council, to the Planning Commission. Mill was nominated by Councilman Sal Tinajero, who won re-election to a four year term in November of last year. Mill previously served about three years on the Planning Commission.
Only two residents spoke against Mill’s nomination. One of them, Mike Tardiff, opposed a proposed Buffalo Wild Wings restaurant that was slated to open at a food court on 17th St., near Tustin Ave., by Orchard Supply Hardware. Mill supported that venture, while he was on the Planning Commission. Tardiff and his allies sued to stop the project and the owners of the restaurant decided to open it elsewhere. That food court is now desperately trying to survive, without a main anchor tenant.
The Council asked Mill a few questions and his answers were found to be satisfactory. Mayor Pro Tem Claudia Alvarez grilled him on the question of whether or not he supports the Artists Village. Mill affirmed that he does, but he does not support public subsidies of the Artists Village.
In the end, Mill was appointed by a 5-2 vote. Only two Council Members opposed him – David Benavides and Carlos Bustamante.
Benavides had a score to settle with Mill, who exposed him this summer for supporting Minuteman Lupe Moreno, when she and her fellow Minutemen took over the 4th of July event that was held at the Santa Ana library. One of the Minutemen was caught on video calling a Santa Ana resident a “wetback,” but Benavides honored Moreno and her event committee nevertheless.
Bustamante’s vote was not a surprise since he is the Council’s lone Republican and he often votes in ways that make sense only to him – and his ally Benavides. Bustamante was caught this summer actively campaigning for Republican Van Tran, who went on to lose badly to Congresswoman Loretta Sanchez in November. Local Democrats are said to be targeting Bustamante, who is coming up for re-election in 2012.
A lot has changed in the last decade, in Santa Ana politics
We started a new decade this year – and a lot of political change came to Santa Ana in the previous ten years. We now have an all-Latino City Council. Candidates with names like Franklin, Bist and Christy are no longer electable in Santa Ana. But they were at the start of this decade. Let’s take a look at what happened in Santa Ana politics, starting in 2000.
In 2000, Brett Franklin got 20,370 votes as he won reelection to Ward 3 on the Santa Ana City Council with 43.7% of the vote. That would be his final term on the Santa Ana City Council. That same year, Claudia Alvarez defeated Nancy Lutz, in Ward 5, by just over four thousand votes. This would be Alvarez’ first term on the Santa Ana City Council.
In 2008, Alvarez backed the successful Measure D, which extended City Council term limits to three terms. She will term out in 2012. It is likely that SAUSD Trustee Roman Reyna will take her seat. By then, Alvarez might be appointed to a judicial bench, or she could end up running for the SAUSD School board, essentially trading places with Reyna.
Franklin termed out in 2004, and he ran that year for Area 1, on the Rancho Santiago Community College District’s Board of Education. He came in last place, with less than 18% of the vote. He got less votes than some unknown guy named Reuben Ross. Alfredo Amezcua won a seat on that board that year, with over 54,000 votes. He later had to resign from that seat, allegedly because he did not live in Area 1.
In 2002, Lisa Bist won reelection to Ward 2, handily, with over 65% of the vote. Alberta Christy won in Ward 4, and Mike Garcia won with over 42% of the vote, in a very crowded field, in Ward 6.
That same year, John Palacio and Audrey Yamagata-Noji won reelection to the SAUSD School Board. But Lupe Moreno, a known Minuteman, barely lost to Yamagata-Noji by about 500 votes. Moreno got more votes than Nadia Maria Davis, who lost but later married Bill Lockyer. Davis won a County Supervisorial race this year, in Alameda. Palacio and Yamagata-Noji were reelected again this November. Some things never change!
In 2004, Jose Solorio easily won reelection to Ward 1 on the Santa Ana City Council. He did not finish the term. Two years later he ran for the 69th State Assembly District, which had been held by Lou Correa. Solorio thoroughly beat an underfunded student Republican, Ryan Gene Williams, who later changed his name to Ryan Trabuco.
Another newcomer won a seat on the Santa Ana City Council in 2006. David Benavides won that year against Nelida Yanez, in Ward 4. Benavides replaced Christy, who termed out. He won reelection this year with no problem as he ran unchallenged.
In 2006, council outsiders Sal Tinajero and Michele Martinez also won, in tight races that saw them defeat better-funded insiders. Two years later, Martinez challenged Santa Ana Mayor Miguel Pulido. She lost but then joined Pulido’s team. She is now an integral part of the City Council majority, as is Tinajero.
Neighborhood activist Thomas Gordon entered the local political scene in 2006 as well. He ran, unsuccessfully, against Pulido, for Mayor of Santa Ana. He did win a seat on the OC GOP Central Committee in 2008, and he was reelected to that seat this year. He was supposed to run this year for Ward 6 on the Santa Ana City Council, but he did not collect enough nomination signatures. That is too bad as he would have made the race more interesting.
The last decade also saw the rise of Latino Democrats in our local legislative seats. Correa served in the 69th Assembly District from 1998-2004. He then won a seat on the Orange County Board of Supervisors, where he served from 2004-2006. He left the Board of Supervisors to run for the 34th State Senate District, which was vacated by Joe Dunn, who termed out.
Dunn served in the 34th State Senate District from 1998 to 2006. He went on to serve as the head of the California Medical Association. Last year he started the Voice of OC, a watchdog news blog. He still serves on their Board of Directors. He also started a law firm, in Sacramento, that also engages in lobbying. While he is mostly in the shadows today, he remains very influential in Orange County politics.
Correa was not the first Latino to win a legislative seat in Orange County. He was predated by Loretta Sanchez, who abandoned her married name, Brixey, after losing a race for an Anaheim City Council seat in 1994. Two years later she defeated Bob Dornan in the 46th Congressional District. She now serves in the 47th Congressional District.
Speaking of firsts, Janet Nguyen moved from the Garden Grove City Council to the Orange County Board of Supervisors, after Correa won in the 34th State Senate District. She is now the Chairman of the Board of Supervisors, and she just had her first baby. Her main competitor in the local Vietnamese Community, Van Tran, lost this year against Sanchez. He also termed out of the 68th Assembly District, where he was replaced by Allan Mansoor, the former Mayor of Costa Mesa.
Nguyen will likely redistrict her seat this year, moving to make it more Republican. She may end up running against one or more Santa Ana City Council Members. That will be most interesting!
One of the Santa Ana City Council Members, Vince Sarmiento, is likely to run for the 69th State Assembly District, where Solorio is terming out. Solorio is likely to have to wait two years for Correa to term out of the 34th Senate District.
The one constant in the past ten years has been Pulido, who easily won reelection as Santa Ana Mayor this year. That means he will start yet another decade in office. He wisely moved to the left last year, leaving his closest competitor, Alfredo Amezcua, in the dust. Pulido will leave office when he wants to.
What will the next decade bring? I suspect that we will see the first Vietnamese American elected to the Santa Ana City Council, perhaps as soon as 2012.
If Dianne Feinstein retires from the U.S. Senate in 2012, Sanchez will likely run for her seat. If Sanchez moves on, Correa will surely run for her seat. He will likely face Tran, or maybe even Nguyen? The congressional seat will be hotly contested to be sure.
I also believe that the last Republican on the Santa Ana City Council, Carlos Bustamante, is a marked man. He openly campaigned for Tran this year, against Sanchez. The local Democrats won’t take that lying down. He is surely toast. His seat comes open in 2012.
In 2012, SAUSD Trustee Rob Richardson will have to run for reelection. He won a seat on the SAUSD School Board in 2003, after Nativo Lopez was recalled that year. Will Richardson finally lose in 2012? It isn’t likely, but then again, it is a new decade. Who knows what is in store for Santa Ana in this decade?
Council installation ceremony quite upbeat
Last evenings city council installation ceremony was great success that had a very upbeat vibe about it. Mayor Miguel Pulido and Councilmembers Michele Martinez, David Benavides and Sal Tinajero all reaffirmed their oath’s of office and the 2010-2012 Santa Ana City Council was seated joining their colleagues Claudia Alvarez, Carlos Bustamante and Vince Sarmiento.
Despite a small gathering of protesters organized by the failed Amezcua campaign the evening went off without a hitch and each of the councilmembers and the mayor offered up encouraging words for our city’s future. It looks like all seven members of the council are committed to moving forward with an agenda that will help improve the quality of life for all of our residents and not let the naysayers and malcontents hold us back.
The highlights of the evening had to have been Councilmember Benavides daughter holding Benavides late father’s Bible during his swearing in and the moving tribute to Councilmember Martinez late mother. Benavides father passed away last year and Martinez mother died the day before the election this year.
It was great to see the families of all of our elected officials and many of our city staff. Sometimes in the brutal battles that take place in the political arena we lose sight of the fact that these folks are human like the rest of us and have families that love them very much. Last night allowed us all to see that very human side of our leaders. Mayor Pulido’s son Miguelito even helped entertain the crowd at the Bowers Museum reception by playing classical guitar along with his classmates from the Orange County High School of the Arts.
There was one matter of business before the council last night and that was the selection of Mayor Pro Tem. The council unanimously selected the current Mayor Pro Tem Claudia Alvarez to continue on in that position. The solid support from her colleagues is a testament to the leadership shown by Alvarez durin her tenure on the council.
Last night’s event left me feeling very good about the future of our city and I am excited to watch what our city leaders do to move our city forward over the next two years. Lets hope the malcontents and the naysayers will get on board and help make Santa Ana a better place.
Amezcua’s vigil of malcontents
On Saturday afternoon I received an email from a group calling itself “Santa Ana Coalition for Better Government” and they were announcing their plans for a protest at City Hall Tuesday. As Art Pedroza wrote on Saturday this group is just a front operation for failed Mayoral candidate Alfredo Amezcua. It is evident that Amezcua and his supporters have no plans on be gracious in defeat.
The protest, which they have labeled a “Vigil of Discontent”, is scheduled to take place prior to the inaugaration of three of our finest city leaders, Mayor Miguel Pulido, Councilmember Sal Tinajero and Councilmember Michele Martinez along with Councilmember David Benavides. Amezcua and his supporters want you to join the “community” in protest, doesn’t he realize that it was the community that overwhelmingly defeated him in November.
This event is nothing more than a side show created to make people think that the residents of Santa Ana are opposed to the great council majority that will lead our city for years to come. As we all saw from the election results the residents support our Mayor and council majority. This is sour grapes from the Amezcua camp and a demonstration that they lack any class whatsoever.
I find it laughable that Amezcua is now “discontented” with Mayor Pulido and company. It appears that Amezcua, a long time ally of Pulido and the “white” power structure here in Santa Ana, only started to express his discontent once Pulido refused to invest in Amezcua’s failed Santa Ana Business Bank and once Pulido turned his back on his old “angry white” voter base and began to allign himself with the more progressive Latino’s on the council.
The time for politics and campaign rally’s is over Al. It is time to help our elected officials and other city leaders move Santa Ana forward. Cheap publicity stunts like the one you have organized for Tuesday does nothing to bring the community together or help make Santa Ana a better place. You lost, move on. Stop with these silly vigil’s of malcontents.
Have critics of the Santa Ana City Council gone too far?
My colleague, Sean Mill, recently extended an invitation to the editor of a local news and entertainment publication to go on a ride-along with Mayor Miguel Pulido, to see some of the great positive things that are happening in Santa Ana. The editor’s response? No, he said, because Mayor Pulido has not yet visited the editor’s girlfriend’s local store. How petty can you get?
Orange Juice blogger Gabriel San Roman topped that yesterday in a truly ridiculous post wherein he slammed the entire Santa Ana City Council because they did not attend a fundraiser for the Breath of Fire theater ensemble. According to San Roman, the Council was invited, in person, to attend the event, but they did not.
Is this guy serious? The City of Santa Ana provides a community calendar, where such events receive free publicity. Events are also featured on the front page of the City’s website. The City of Santa Ana also sends out a regular email newsletter, called Celebrate Santa Ana, that touts such events.
Councilwoman Michele Martinez also promotes these events in her monthly newsletter and on her blog. So does Mayor Pulido, on his blog, and Councilman Sal Tinajero, on his blog.
The reality is that our Council Members and our Mayor are busy people. Most of them have kids. All of them have jobs to do and many of them already serve on numerous charitable boards and civic commissions. Must they attend every event that San Roman wants them to attend, or risk getting ripped?
Expecting our local elected officials to spend all of their free time attending meetings and events is unreasonable. These folks serve our City on a part-time basis. They should be allowed to spend their free time doing whatever they want to.
Latino activists used to complain because the Santa Ana City Council was full of non-Latinos. Now we have an all-Latino City Council and their critics are still unhappy. Nothing will ever please them…