This might the most horrific story we have ever reported. A little boy, only 2 years of age, somehow wandered off and left the safety of his home, at the 800 block of South Newhope Street, at about 10 p.m. on Saturday night. Sadly this story has a most unhappy ending.
The little boy was struck by a Toyota Camry, according to the O.C. Register.
The toddler was taken to a local hospital, where his parents joined him at his bedside, but he did not survive. Continue reading
The historic Northeast Santa Ana Little League (NESALL) hosted their Opening Day celebration on Saturday with help from Santa Ana Mayor Pro Tem Vince Sarmiento.
The ceremony included a CHP officer and the Santa Ana High School ROTC Honor Guard as well as a SAHS choir singer who performed the National Anthem. Continue reading
Santa Ana Police Department
Advisory: Santa Ana Police Department & OCDA Investigating Officer Involved Shooting and Stabbing
Suspect: Francisco Alvarez (50) Santa Ana – In Custody (2) Counts of Attempt Murder
Victim: Female (21) Santa Ana
At approximately 12:20 p.m., the Santa Ana Police Department received multiple 911 calls of a stabbing in progress in the area of 1900 South Susan Street.
As officers were responding to the location, callers continued to state the male suspect was repeatedly stabbing the female victim. Witnesses intervened to assist the victim and followed the suspect who fled on foot southbound on Susan then eastbound on Harvard. Continue reading
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:
Santa Ana Police Department
Victim: Mansour Alhazawbar (21) Irvine
Location: 500 S Maxine, Santa Ana
Summary: On 1/19/15, at 12:10 AM, Mansour Alhazawbar a 21 year old male called the Santa Ana Police Department from his cell phone stating he had been shot. He was located by officers in the 500 block of South Maxine sitting in the driver seat of his vehicle. He had sustained a single gunshot wound to the upper torso. The victim was treated at the scene by the OCFA Paramedics and transported to UCI Medical Center for treatment. Continue reading
Santa Ana leaders are once against considering options to regulate the catering and produce vending trucks that dot city streets and offer everything from heads of lettuce to tacos and gummy worms, according to the Voice of OC.
Apparently state and federal courts in the past ruled that previous city laws went too far and unfairly restricted the businesses.
Why is the Santa Ana City Council so upset with these food trucks? “City officials say they are prime targets for graffiti, produce a glut of trash and litter, are known to sell cigarettes, and block views at crosswalks and intersections.” Continue reading
We thought that Santa Ana Councilman David Benavides was going to seek the Mayor Pro Tem nomination at tonight’s City Council meeting. However none of his colleagues on the City Council nominated him.
In the end it was Councilman Vince Sarmiento who was nominated and then selected as the new Mayor Pro Tem. This became possible after the previous Mayor Pro Tem, Sal Tinajero, opted not to retain the title.
As Mayor Pro Tem, Sarmiento will run the Santa Ana City Council meetings when Mayor Miguel Pulido is late to a meeting, leaves a meeting early, or is absent altogether.
This was an early Christmas gift for Sarmiento, who is going to be running for reelection in 2016. Continue reading
Kandice Hawes, of OC Norml, told the Voice of OC that the group that campaigned for Measure CC is now considering legal options including suing the city, and starting a re-call of council member Vince Sarmiento and Mayor Pro Tem Sal Tinajero.
Hawes feels both “mislead the public” as they pushed voters towards measure BB (which regulates local medical marijuana dispensaries). Continue reading
Is Councilman Benavides capable of running a Santa Ana City Council meeting?
Apparently our current Mayor Pro Tem, Sal Tinajero, is going to vacate the position and allow one of the other Santa Ana Council Members to become our new Mayor Pro Tem, at the next City Council meeting coming up on Tuesday.
Mayor Pro Tem is largely a ceremonial title but in the event that our Mayor, Miguel Pulido, is absent from a City Council meeting, or he either arrives late or has to leave early, the Pro Tem would step up and run the meeting. Continue reading
The City of Santa Ana is hosting an Installation and Reception for the City Council Members who were reelected in the November General Election as well as Mayor Miguel Pulido, on Tuesday, December 9, 2014, at 6:00 p.m., at the City Council Chambers, located at 22 Civic Center Plaza, in Santa Ana.
There will be a reception immediately following at the Bowers Museum, located at 2002 North Main Street, in Santa Ana. Continue reading
City of Santa Ana
SANTA ANA, CA (November 14, 2014) – On November 4, 2014, City of Santa Ana voters approved Measure BB, a City proposed measure to regulate the establishment of medical marijuana collectives and cooperatives. The City has a legal duty to enforce a voter approved ballot measure and has begun developing the implementation plan.
“This is going to be an administrative process. The Council has given direction on the policy surrounding the selection process. City staff, with the assistance of an independent audit firm, will carry out the actual selection process,” said Councilman Vincent Sarmiento. Continue reading
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
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
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
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