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Santa Ana's top news & views blog

Tag Archives: Santa Ana

John Wayne Airport invites O.C. art students to enter their 27th annual art contest

Posted on by Posted in Arts and Culture, John Wayne Airport, Santa Ana Leave a comment

john-wayne-airport-student-art-contest

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: October 4, 2016

Contact: Deanne Thompson, (949) 252-5182, dthompson@ocair.com

JOHN WAYNE AIRPORT INVITES ORANGE COUNTY STUDENTS TO ENTER 27TH ANNUAL STUDENT ART CONTEST

SANTA ANA, Calif. – John Wayne Airport’s (JWA) 27th annual Student Art Contest is underway. All Orange County public and private school students, including home-schooled students, in grades kindergarten through 12 are encouraged to submit artwork inspired by this year’s theme, “Beyond the Clouds.” Entries should be submitted to the Orange County Department of Education, any Orange County Public Library Branch or participating city libraries, no later than 4 p.m., Thursday, November 3, 2016.

“John Wayne Airport has a vibrant arts program, displaying museum quality exhibitions in the Thomas F. Riley Terminal throughout the year,” said Board of Supervisors Chairwoman Lisa Bartlett. “The Student Art Contest Exhibition is one of the most popular, showcasing the talents of our community’s young artists.” Continue reading→

Man charged with attacking and trying to murder an SAUSD School Police Officer

Posted on by Posted in Crime, Santa Ana, SAUSD Leave a comment

ORANGE COUNTY DISTRICT ATTORNEY PRESS RELEASE

Case # 16CF2553

Date: October 4, 2016

MAN ARRAIGNED FOR ASSAULTING AND ATTEMPTING TO MURDER SCHOOL POLICE OFFICER BY GOUGING HIS EYE AND CHOKING HIM

SANTA ANA, Calif. – A man was charged and arraigned yesterday for assaulting and attempting to murder a school police officer by gouging his eye and choking him. Enrique Martinez, 28, Santa Ana, is charged with one felony count of attempted murder on a peace officer, one felony count of attempted mayhem, one felony count of resisting an executive officer, one felony count of assault on a school police officer, one felony count of battery on a peace officer, one felony count of reckless driving while evading a peace officer, and one felony count of burglary. If convicted, he faces a maximum sentence of life in state prison. Martinez is scheduled for a pre-trial hearing on Oct. 13, 2016, at 8:30 a.m. in Department C-55, Central Justice Center, Santa Ana. Continue reading→

The SAPD receives a federal grant to hire more police officers

Posted on by Posted in Crime, Federal Government, Public Safety, Santa Ana Leave a comment

cops

City of Santa Ana

Community: Santa Ana Police Department Receives Third Consecutive COPS Grant Award of $1.25M

SANTA ANA – For the third year in a row, the Santa Ana Police Department was awarded $1,250,000 in grant funding for the addition of 10 police officers by the U.S. Department of Justice Office of Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS). This brings the total amount awarded to $3.75 million for the addition of 30 police officers over the past three years.

Mayor Pulido attested, “One of our top priorities is the safety of our community and we are committed to hiring more police officers.” Continue reading→

Applications are now being accepted for the O.C. Grand Jury

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Superior Court of California County of Orange

News Release: October 3, 2016

Contact: Gwen Vieau, 657-622-7097, PIO@occourts.org

Apply Now to Be a Grand Juror!

Santa Ana, CA – The Superior Court of Orange County seeks qualified individuals to serve on the next Orange County Grand Jury. Assistant Presiding Judge Kirk Nakamura, who chairs the Grand Jury Recruitment/Selection Committee, said, “I encourage Orange County residents to take advantage of this exciting opportunity to work behind-the-scenes to improve Orange County.” He added, “I especially encourage residents of Anaheim, Brea, Buena Park, Fountain Valley, Fullerton, Garden Grove, La Habra, Placentia, Santa Ana, and Westminster to apply as these cities, located in Orange County Supervisorial Districts One and Four, historically provide fewer applicants.”

What Does the Grand Jury Do? Continue reading→

Sarmiento praised Measure PP and voted to place the Council pay raise measure on the ballot

Posted on by Posted in 2016 Elections, Civic Affairs, David Benavides, Politics, Roman Reyna, Santa Ana, Vince Sarmiento 2 Comments
Vincent Sarmiento

Vincent Sarmiento

Santa Ana Mayor Pro Tem Vince Sarmiento, in typical fashion, now wants us to believe that he is opposed to the ridiculous Measure PP – the lame ballot measure that is designed to give the Santa Ana City Council Members a 700% raise. The measure was born out of a desire by the Council majority to help Council Member Roman Reyna pay his bills, as he can’t hold a steady job. And as a high school dropout with no discernible skills, Reyna can’t find a good job to begin with.

The problem with Sarmiento’s flip-flopping is that we have a public record to turn to – the minutes of the July 5, 2016 City Council meeting where Sarmiento not only voted to place Measure PP on the ballot – he also praised the measure.

Here is the city’s transcript of what Sarmiento said and did at the July 5 meeting: Continue reading→

The SAUSD will host a novice classic speech and debate tournament on Oct. 7

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Santa Ana Unified School District Intermediate Students Fall Novice Class Speech and Debate Tournament

Producing Our Leaders of Tomorrow through the Art of Speech and Debate

SANTA ANA, CA (October 3, 2016) – More than 300 intermediate students in the Santa Ana Unified School District will demonstrate their leadership and oratorical skills during the district’s Fall Novice Classic Speech and Debate tournament to be held October 7, 2016, from 8:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m. at McFadden Intermediate School, located at 2701 South Raitt Street in Santa Ana. “This is a great opportunity for our students to learn, be mentored, and to be supported by members of the community that have a keen interest in our students, leaders of tomorrow, succeeding,” said, Stefanie P. Phillips, Ed.D., Superintendent. Supported with the help of the Kiwanis Club of Santa Ana, students will have the opportunity to write and memorize speeches and perform them in front of an audience to bolster their confidence and academic success while creating a path toward college. Continue reading→

Firefighters quickly knocked out a Santa Ana apartment building fire today

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firemen-at-1400-block-of-south-sycamore-street-in-santa-ana

Picture courtesy of the OCFA

A fire at an apartment in the 1400 block of South Sycamore Street began at around 12:20 a.m. today, but was quickly knocked down by O.C. Fire Authority firefighters, according to the OC Register.

The fire reportedly began in a second floor apartment. It was knocked down in about 15 minutes and did not spread to the rest of the building, according to the OCFA. Continue reading→

A man crashed his car into a wall and died at East Edinger and Cedar this morning

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Pheach Phath, a 66-year-old man died in a one-car collision on Sunday morning, after hitting a brick wall at the corner of East Edinger Avenue and Cedar Street, in Santa Ana, according to the O.C. Register.

The SAPD heard about the crash early on Sunday morning, at 5:54 a.m. They reported that no other car was involved in this incident. Continue reading→

Over 800 crimes were reported in Santa Ana this week

Posted on by Posted in 2016 Elections, Crime, Jessica Byulnim Cha, Juan Villegas, Roman Reyna, Santa Ana, Vince Sarmiento Leave a comment
crimes-in-santa-ana-for-the-week-of-9-25-16

Santa Ana crime summary for the week of 9/25/16, courtesy of Crimemapping.com

The elections are upon us and the Santa Ana City Council incumbents who are up for re-election – Vince Sarmiento and Roman Reyna, want you to believe that crime is going down in our city. However even though the SAPD does not report their crime log (unlike many other cities including Anaheim, Irvine and Fountain Valley), we can take a look at the crimes occurring in our city on Crimemapping.com.

Crimemapping.com reports that there were over 800 crimes committed in Santa Ana during the past week, from last Sunday through yesterday. These crimes included: Continue reading→

SAUSD School Board candidates forum set for Oct. 6 at Latino Health Access

Posted on by Posted in 2016 Elections, Education, Politics, Santa Ana, SAUSD 4 Comments

sausd-school-board-candidates-forum

The  Santa Ana Unified School District Board of Education candidates will be appearing at a candidates forum on Oct. 6, 2016, from 6:30 p.m. to 8 p.m. at Latino Health Access, located at 450 W 4th St., in Santa Ana.

Learn how they will:

– Invest in youth
– Use local control and accountability plan (LCAP) funds
– Improve school climate
– Support restorative justice Continue reading→

Peace and Unity food distribution and rally set for Oct. 15 in Santa Ana

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peace-and-unity-in-santa-ana

Local community organizers are hosting a Peace and Unity event in Santa Ana on Oct. 15, 2016, with the theme “Stop the Violence.” This event is taking place on S. Shelton St. between Bishop and Richland.

The event organizers ask that volunteers come at 8 a.m. for packaging of food at 928 S. Cypress Ave., in Santa Ana. The rally will begin at 1 p.m. Continue reading→

The SAUSD’s 2016 Walk to School Day is set for Oct. 5

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sausd-walk-to-school-day

Fitness and Safety Promoted at Walk-to-School Day – October 5, 2016

Kennedy Elementary School

Join the Santa Ana Unified School District, the Orange County Health Care Agency, the Santa Ana School Police and Santa Ana Police Department as they participate in the Annual International Walk to School Day. Students, parents, and community members will take part in this global event to bring awareness to the importance of practicing safe walking, biking, traffic skills, and physical activity on October 5, 2016. Continue reading→

A man tried to murder an SAUSD school police officer today after invading a home

Posted on by Posted in Crime, Drugs, Roman Reyna, Santa Ana, SAUSD, Vince Sarmiento 6 Comments

We have written quite a bit this year about the massive increase in violent crime in Santa Ana – and how shorthanded our police department is. What we don’t often talk about is how much our SAUSD School Police do to keep our community safe.

Today, for example, there was an outrageous episode that started just before 3 p.m., when the SAUSD School Police Dispatch got a call from SAUSD employees who were accosted by a male suspect while they were in a parked vehicle in the parking lot between one of our local elementary schools and one of our city parks. I am withholding their identity to protect my source – but I can tell you that this happened in Councilman Roman Reyna’s Ward. Continue reading→

Orange County older adult profile released by the O.C. Healthy Aging Initiative

Posted on by Posted in Orange County, Santa Ana, Seniors Leave a comment

For Immediate Release: September 29, 2016

Contact: Jessica Good, Public Information Officer, Media Line: (714) 834-2178, Email: JGood@ochca.com

Orange County Healthy Aging Initiative Releases Orange County Older Adult Profile

(Santa Ana, CA) – This week, the Orange County Healthy Aging Initiative (OCHAI) released the Orange County Older Adult Profile, 2016. The report was funded by the Orange County Health Care Agency and highlights key health, social and economic indicators impacting the health and well-being of Orange County older adults.

“This is the first comprehensive look at seniors that the County has led in collaboration with public, private and nonprofit partners who serve this population, in nearly 15 years,” said Dr. Helene Calvet, Deputy County Health Officer and OCHAI Co-Chair. “We hope this report raises awareness in the community of the needs of this growing population, so that we can work together to provide better resources and services to meet their needs.” Continue reading→

Memory Lane Park Ribbon Cutting Ceremony set for Oct. 4

Posted on by Posted in Bicycles, Parks and Recreation, Santa Ana 1 Comment

City of Santa Ana

Community: Memory Lane Park Ribbon Cutting Ceremony/ Ceremonia de Inauguración del Parque Memory Lane

SANTA ANA, CA – The City of Santa Ana invites you to the Memory Lane Park Ribbon Cutting Ceremony on Tuesday, October 4, 2016 at 3:30 p.m.  Located along the Santa Ana River Bike trail and Memory Lane, this new half-acre park was created to offer recreational opportunities to the community and provide a charming rest stop for joggers, bicyclists and equestrian riders along the Santa Ana River.

Influenced by native landscaping including a river rock bio-swale basin to mimic the local river, Memory Lane Park is sure to become the little hidden gem in the center of the City.  This modern recreational area includes hitching posts and watering units for horses; bike racks and fix-it equipment for bicyclists; as well as fully equipped play and fitness areas for general users. Along with these amenities, this enchanting park also includes picnic tables, drinking fountains, river rock shade structure, and a curving granite trail along native succulents and plants. Continue reading→