New Santa Ana | Tag Archives: santa ana city council

The Council’s chismosos are wrong about Walters resigning

Posted on January 10, 2013 by Art Pedroza Posted in Civic Affairs, Michele Martinez, Miguel Pulido, Paul Walters, Sal Tinajero, Santa Ana 10 Comments

“Amid swirling rumors that members of the Santa Ana City Council majority have asked City Manager Paul Walters to resign by Friday, the city’s chief bureaucrat declared Thursday that he plans to remain in the top slot for five to six years,” according to Adam Elmahrek, over at the Voice of OC.

Now you might be wondering about those rumors – who exactly is spreading this B.S.? Could it be the SAME Council Members who recently had a cow because Mayor Miguel Pulido allegedly acted as a community organizer by calling a few folks and asked them to show up at the last Santa Ana Council Meeting, in support of Walters? Continue reading→

City Council to hold a special meeting about State’s demand for $56 million

Posted on December 20, 2012 by Art Pedroza Posted in california, Civic Affairs, David Benavides, Democratic Party, Entertainment, Governor Jerry Brown, Politics, Santa Ana, Tom Daly 12 Comments

Does Benavides have a clue how to fix this mess?

The Santa Ana City Council is holding a Special Meeting on Friday, December 21, from 11 am – 2 pm, to consider how they are going to respond to the demand by Governor Jerry Brown’s administration that the city pay back $56 million dollars of what used to be redevelopment funds pegged to affordable housing.

The meeting will be held at the City Council Chambers, located at 22 Civic Center Plaza, in Downtown Santa Ana.

Click here to read the meeting agenda. Continue reading→

City Council and the SAUSD to host event to remember CT victims today at 3 pm

Posted on December 17, 2012 by Art Pedroza Posted in Civic Affairs, Education, Entertainment, Public Safety, Santa Ana, SAUSD 2 Comments

City of Santa Ana, Downtown Orange County Community Alert:

SANTA ANA CITY COUNCIL AND SANTA ANA UNIFIED SCHOOL DISTRICT GATHER IN REMEMBERANCE OF THE VICTIMS AND FAMILIES OF NEWTOWN, CONN.

SANTA ANA, CA (December 17, 2012) – Please join the Santa Ana City Council and the Santa Ana Unified School District as they gather in memory of the victims and the families of the recent school shooting that occurred at an elementary school in Newtown, Connecticut this past Friday. The event will include a prayer, a moment of silence, and a discussion on the preventative measures that are in place to protect our schoolchildren. Officials representing the Santa Ana Unified School District and the City of Santa Ana will lead the discussion. Continue reading→

Santa Ana City Council Installation and Reception set for 12/11

Posted on December 10, 2012 by Art Pedroza Posted in 2012 Elections, Civic Affairs 5 Comments

The Santa Ana City Council Installation and Reception has been set for Tuesday, December 11, 2012, at 6 pm, at the City of Santa Ana’s Council Chambers, located at 22 Civic Center Plaza, in downtown Santa Ana.

Immediately following the installation will be a reception hosted by the Bowers Museum’s Board of Directors, at the Bowers Museum, located at 2002 North Main Street, in Santa Ana.

The Santa Ana City Council will consider the alcohol ordinance in February

Posted on November 28, 2012 by Art Pedroza Posted in Alcohol, Bars, Public Safety, Santa Ana Leave a comment

City of Santa Ana, Downtown Orange County Advisory: UPDATE: Alcohol Ordinance Schedule

SANTA ANA, CA (November 28, 2012) – Planning Commissioners, Business Owners, Residents and All Other Interested Stakeholders:

The city of Santa Ana wanted to let you know about schedule changes for the proposed alcohol ordinance. The Planning Commission completed its review Monday, November 26, 2012 and has forwarded its recommendation to the City Council. The next step will involve review of the ordinance by the Public Safety Committee, a three-member sub-committee of the City Council that has been discussing the alcohol policies throughout the process. The committee had been scheduled to meet last night but a problem with the public notice for the meeting caused it to be cancelled. Continue reading→

Will the new City Council support finishing the Santiago Creek bike trail?

Posted on November 21, 2012 by Art Pedroza Posted in Angelica Amezcua, Bicycles, Carlos Bustamante, Civic Affairs, Claudia Alvarez, David Benavides, Health and Medical, Mark McLoughlin, Michele Martinez, Miguel Pulido, Parks and Recreation, Politics, Sal Tinajero, Santa Ana, Vince Sarmiento 16 Comments

How will the new Santa Ana City Council deal with the uncompleted Santiago Creek Bike Trail? The trail is complete right now – except for a “missing link” – a 1/4-mile gap located in the Santiago Creek, between the 5 Freeway underpass and Flower Street. The City of Santa Ana does not currently have a bike trail proposed in the missing link.

A grass-roots neighborhood organization, Neighbors for the Santiago Creek Bike Trail, was formed to further the goal of a bike path in the “missing link” along Santiago Creek. Once the bike trail is completed, our neighborhoods will have ready access to adjoining trails. The Neighbors for the Santiago Creek Bike Trail want open space and the ability to connect to these outlying bike trails, shopping centers and communities either by biking, jogging or hiking. 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→

A look at the Santa Ana Council candidates campaign finance reports

Posted on October 8, 2012 by Art Pedroza Posted in 2012 Elections, Brett Franklin, Charles Hart, David Benavides, Elections, Eric Alderete, Karina Onofre, Miguel Pulido, Politics, Roman Reyna, Santa Ana, Vince Sarmiento 12 Comments

The Santa Ana City Clerk, Mary Huizar, sent me the Santa Ana Council and Mayoral candidates’ new campaign finance reports today. You can read them all by clicking here. The reports are a heck of a read – for one thing it looks like Ward 3 candidate Eric Alderete raised more money than all of the other candidates.

Here is a rundown of the reports’ highlights: Continue reading→

No sunshine for Reyna as he blows off Santa Ana business owners

Posted on October 4, 2012 by Art Pedroza Posted in 2010 Elections, 2012 Elections, Elections, Karina Onofre, Politics, Roman Reyna, Santa Ana 40 Comments

It’s bad enough that Santa Ana City Council Ward 5 candidate Roman Reyna is supporting every single tax increase measure on the November ballot. But yesterday he actually was the only City Council candidate to blow off and skip the Candidates Forum hosted by the Santa Ana Chamber of Commerce, at the Delhi Center. And to make matters worse, I am told that he was a no show because he feels he has the election in the bag and he doesn’t need to “waste his time” showing up to meet business owners and voters.

Wow. This from a guy who has never held a job in the private sector, as far as I can tell. His last job was at the Santa Ana YMCA and before that he worked at the Santa Ana Boys and Girls Club. Both are non-profits. Continue reading→

The Santa Ana PBID tax may finally go away after next year

Posted on August 7, 2012 by Art Pedroza Posted in Business, Carlos Bustamante, Civic Affairs, Claudia Alvarez, Sal Tinajero, Santa Ana, Taxes 5 Comments

In the end the Santa Ana PBID tax may finally die – but it won’t be because our City Council had the guts to get rid of it. Instead it is on its last legs because some Council Members are on vacation, others cannot vote on PBID matters due to conflicts of interest, and Council Member Carlos Bustamante is refusing to attend public sessions of the City Council, according to the O.C. Register.

It is too bad our City Council did not have the guts to get rid of the PBID outright. And it is sad that the Downtown businesses are going to get stuck paying this tax again for another year. But I do hope that this will prove to be the end of the PBID. Continue reading→

SAUSD Trustee Roman Reyna will run for the Santa Ana City Council

Posted on July 18, 2012 by Editor Posted in 2012 Elections, Civic Affairs, Claudia Alvarez, David Benavides, Education, Politics, Roman Reyna, Santa Ana 19 Comments

Pictured: Roman Reyna and Carlos Bustamante

SAUSD Trustee Roman Reyna has confirmed on this Facebook page that he is running for the Santa Ana City Council, again, this November. Reyna will be a candidate for Ward 5, which is currently held by Santa Ana Mayor Pro Tem Claudia Alvarez. She is termed out however a lawsuit filed by Santa Ana Parks and Rec Commissioner Max Madrid is seeking to compel the Santa Ana City Clerk to issue nomination papers to Alvarez, on the grounds that Measure D, which extended Council terms, reset the term limit clock for Alvarez. If Madrid’s lawsuit prevails Reyna will have to face off against Alvarez – again. She already beat him once, back in 2004. In that race Alvarez got over 26,500 votes while Reyna got only 10,720 votes, according to Smart Voter. Continue reading→

Santa Ana City Council to consider ordinance banning molesters from parks

Posted on May 18, 2012 by Editor Posted in Civic Affairs, Crime, Entertainment, Orange County, Parks and Recreation, Santa Ana, Youth Activities 13 Comments

Men lurking at Santiago Park

Orange County District Attorney Media Advisory
For Immediate Release: May 18, 2012
Contacts:
Susan Kang Schroeder, Chief of Staff, Office: 714-347-8408, Cell: 714-292-2718
Farrah Emami, Spokesperson, Office: 714-347-8405, Cell: 714-323-4486

WHO: Orange County District Attorney Tony Rackauckas and Chief of Staff Susan Kang Schroeder

WHAT: Will attend the Santa Ana City Council meeting Monday in support of enacting a City ordinance to create a child safety zone in city parks to further protect children from registered sex offenders. This will be the first reading of the ordinance. The Council will discuss whether Santa Ana should enact a City Ordinance similar to the County Ordinance proposed by Orange County District Attorney Tony Rackauckas and Supervisor Shawn Nelson (Fourth District) and passed unanimously by the Orange County Board of Supervisors on April 5, 2011. Continue reading→

Santa Ana City Council should vote to change racist chicken ordinance

Posted on April 29, 2012 by Art Pedroza Posted in Civic Affairs, Claudia Alvarez, David Benavides, Latinos, Nature, Pets, Sal Tinajero, Santa Ana 5 Comments

I was pleased to read in the O.C. Register that Santa Ana Council Members Sal Tinajero, Claudia Alvarez and David Benavides voted, as the Public Safety Committee, to change a city ordinance so that residents may keep chickens in their backyard, provided they are at least thirty feet from any neighbor’s property.

Deputy Santa Ana Police Chief Carlos Rojas, who oversees field operations as well as animal control, said his staff looked at a variety of issues, and contacted both Orange County officials and the Centers for Disease Control. Like other city officials, he said he wasn’t sure why the 100-foot standard was adopted, according to the O.C. Register.

Well, the law was ridiculous and it was designed to keep chickens entirely out of our backyards. It was passed years ago when white City Council members regularly used city ordinances to punish Mexican American residents, who often kept chickens in their backyards, having come from rural traditions in their home country. Some of our residents are still clinging to the old racist ideals. Just look at Tim Rush’s comments at this link. Continue reading→

Is it time for ward-specific City Council elections in Santa Ana?

Posted on July 12, 2011 by Art Pedroza Posted in Civic Affairs, Elections, Politics, Santa Ana 4 Comments

Ward Map-Color2

Did you know that Santa Ana City Council elections are conducted on a citywide basis, but you have to live in the ward that you are running for? That’s odd, isn’t it?

In most cities, local elections are conducted on a ward-specific basis. That means you vote for yoiur council member – not those who represent other wards. That makes sense, doesn’t it? Continue reading→

How will the City of Santa Ana slash their next annual budget?

Posted on April 25, 2011 by Art Pedroza Posted in Civic Affairs, Labor, Parks and Recreation, Public Safety, Santa Ana Leave a comment

Regardless of who ends up serving as the Interim or permanent Santa Ana City Manager, the most pressing issue is going to be the next city annual budget.

The City of Santa Ana’s administration has already cut to the bone. They have outsourced as much as could be expected – and they have renegotiated contracts with all of their employee unions. They have had a hiring freeze in place for some time as well.

Where to cut next?

Over 70% of the current budget is spent on police and fire services. Of that, 48.8% funds the police department. (See the graphic above).

The SAPD is already understaffed. How can we cut their budget further when public safety is a priority for most voters? I do think that the City often misallocated its police resources. For example, the SAPD again targeted cruising this Easter weekend. Why not make that a City event, put up grandstands and make money instead, as the City of Long Beach does every year with their Grand Prix?

Can we use more security cameras to monitor hot spots in the City? Internet cameras have become an inexpensive option.

What about non-police security? Downtown Inc. has been paying security guards to help keep the downtown Artists Village safe. Results have been somewhat mixed, as one man was killed while being robbed, but overall the downtown area does feel safer.

The City of Brea found a way to slash their fire department’s budget by using apprentices to fill out crews, instead of paying hundreds of thousands in unnecessary overtime. This could be an option for the City of Santa Ana as well.

For some reason the City gives the Bowers Museum over one and a half million a year. That is hard to justify given that we have had to cut our Parks and Recreation budget to the bone. The money spent on the Bowers is equivalent to almost ten percent of our Parks and Recreation budget! Clearly the Bowers needs to stand on its own.
The Santa Ana Zoo also sucks up a lot of the Parks and Recreation budget. At some point you have to believe it would make sense for the City to spin off the Zoo as a free-standing entity and let it sink or swim on its own as well.

Here are a few links to information about the current City budget:

Inside covers: City Council and Executive Management Team
City Manager’s Letter
Section 1: Budget Summary
Section 2a: General Fund Summary
Section 2b: General Fund Detailed
Section 3: Internal Services Fund
Section 4: Community Development Agency
Section 5: Special Revenue Fund
Section 6: Enterprise Fund
Section 7: Capital Funds