New Santa Ana | Tag Archives: Santa Ana

Santa Ana man charged with human trafficking, pimping and selling pot

Posted on July 21, 2014 by Art Pedroza Posted in Crime, Drugs, Marijuana, OCDA, Santa Ana 10 Comments

Ronald Preston Spurlock, 36, of Santa Ana was charged today and is expected to be arraigned this afternoon on one felony count of human trafficking, five felony counts of pimping, five felony counts of pandering a victim over 18, two felony counts of sale or transportation of marijuana, one felony count of possession of marijuana for sale, and one felony count of possession of a firearm by a felon for a 2008 prior conviction in San Bernardino, according to the Orange County District Attorney. Continue reading→

The June Primary Election’s turnout data bodes ill for Solorio and Quirk-Silva

Posted on July 20, 2014 by Art Pedroza Posted in 2014 Elections, Asians, Democratic Party, Fullerton, Janet Nguyen, Jose Solorio, Latinos, Politics, Republican Party, Santa Ana 3 Comments

Lou Correa and Sharon Quirk-Silva

The O.C. Register asked four experts to analyze the results of this year’s June Primary election, to sort out who did and didn’t vote. The experts included our friend Scott Lay, the publisher of aroundthecapital.com.

What they concluded was:

Rich, educated people vote more.
Independent voters are less likely to vote in primaries.
Seniors vote more.
Ethnicity can influence turnout. (ie. Latinos don’t vote but Asians do)

Continue reading→

Gustavo Arellano married Delilah Snell in Downtown Santa Ana on July 19

Posted on July 20, 2014 by Art Pedroza Posted in Delilah Snell, Gustavo Arellano, Santa Ana 3 Comments

Gustavo Arellano dancing with Delilah Snell

Gustavo Arellano and Delilah Snell dancing to “La Marcha de Zacatecas” at their wedding. Picture from Facebook.

The OC Weekly’s Editor, Gustavo Arellano, got married to local business owner Delilah Snell yesterday in Downtown Santa Ana.

As one might imagine Gustavo’s friends were there for him and Delilah including culinary all-stars Roland Rubalcava, who provided tortas ahogadas/fideo seco, Carlos Salgado, who served aguachile, and Bricia Lopez and Fernando Marcos Lopez who brought a Michelada VW bus to the wedding. And famous DJ Richard Blade was their spinning New Wave music along with DJ Yellow Blackbird who played cumbias.

Snell owns the Road Less Traveled store located at 125 North Broadway in DTSA. Continue reading→

OC Pride’s inaugural Closet Ball is set for July 31 at Diego’s Downtown SA

Posted on July 20, 2014 by Art Pedroza Posted in Entertainment, Food, LGBT, Santa Ana Leave a comment

OC Pride’s Inaugural Closet Ball is set for Thursday, July 31, 2014, at 7 pm, at Diego’s Downtown located at 224 E. 3rd St., in Downtown Santa Ana. Tickets are $10 at the door.

This event will be an entertaining mash-up of Dancing with the Stars and RuPaul’s Drag Race. Watch as contestants come out of the “drag closet,” transforming right before your eyes and performing in drag for the very first time. Continue reading→

DTSA East End Block Party and Vintage Sample Sale set for July 26

Posted on July 20, 2014 by Art Pedroza Posted in Entertainment, Fashion, music, Santa Ana Leave a comment

Downtown Santa Ana’s East End is hosting their first annual Block Party on July 26, 2014, from 12 noon to 8 pm. The event will be hosted by Can U Not Vintage, the spot for rad vintage finds and unique contemporary clothing & accessories at 206 E Fourth St, in Santa Ana.

They will have an all vintage on sale for $5-$10. They will also have live bands, vendors and choppers. They’re also offering FREE motorcycle parking.

Music by Mystic Braves, Canyons, Cosmonauts, The Rooms, Creatures Choir, La Poli, Flying Hand, Sail Hatin, Dragon Soundz, and Deep Field. Vendors include R.X. by D.R., Vanner Babes, American Bones Vintage, JT Closet Sale and more.

Continue reading→

Santa Ana residents are using an average of 107 gallons of water a day per person

Posted on July 17, 2014 by Art Pedroza Posted in Santa Ana, Water Leave a comment

City of Santa Ana

Community: CITY HAS ONE OF THE LOWEST PER PERSON WATER USE LEVELS IN STATE & SEEKS CORRECTION FROM ASSOCIATED PRESS REPORT

A July 16, 2014 Associated Press report erroneously stated that the City of Santa Ana increased its water consumption by 65% from May 2013 to May 2014. The report claimed that data received from the State showed a major increase in consumption by the City’s water consumers and appeared wasteful given the current drought conditions. The City’s water resources manager, Nabil Saba has spoken with the Associated Press reporter and has corrected that claim.

The fact is that the City’s water consumption increased by only 7% during that time frame. The City’s Public Works Agency attributes that minor increase primarily to the improved economic conditions within the city, the reduction of housing vacancies and a general increase in population. The amount of water consumed in the City for May 2014 is very close to our 10 year average for May. Continue reading→

Updated: Martinez now facing two opponents in Ward 2 this November

Posted on July 17, 2014 by Art Pedroza Posted in 2014 Elections, Gilad Salmon, Michele Martinez, Mirna Velasquez, Politics, Santa Ana 2 Comments

Santa Ana Councilwoman Michele Martinez has drawn another competitor for her Council seat, in Ward 2. A fellow named Gilad Salmon has pulled papers to run for her seat. You can check out his Facebook page here.

Salmon contacted me with additional information about him and his campaign. He says he lives south of First St. but he values Downtown Santa Ana and considers it a great asset as he feels it helps to bring more revenue to the city’s coffers. He also said that he is not a friend of Martinez and that he is not running in order to dilute the opposition vote. As such I would expect him to pull away male votes and votes from disaffected residents of the Artists Village who aren’t overly happy with her leadership. Continue reading→

Mayor Pulido pulls papers to run for office again this November

Posted on July 17, 2014 by Art Pedroza Posted in 2014 Elections, Civic Affairs, Lou Correa, Mark I. Lopez, Miguel Pulido, Politics, Roman Reyna, Santa Ana 7 Comments

Miguel Pulido, mayor of Santa Ana for the past 20 years, this week moved a step closer to ending speculation about his political future when he picked up the paperwork to run for another term, according to city records, according to the Voice of OC.

I verified this by requesting a list of candidates who have pulled papers, from City Clerk Maria Huizar.

State Senator Lou Correa has been hotly rumored to be running but he has not yet filed any papers with Huizar. Continue reading→

Mike Gonzalez announces his campaign for Ward 6 on the Santa Ana City Council

Posted on July 17, 2014 by Art Pedroza Posted in 2014 Elections, Democratic Party, Mike Gonzalez, Politics, Sal Tinajero, Santa Ana 2 Comments

Miguel “Mike” Gonzalez has announced his campaign for Ward 6 on the Santa Ana City Council. That seat is currently held by Santa Ana Mayor Pro Tem Sal Tinajero, who works as a public school teacher and debate team coach in Fullerton.

Gonzalez’s campaign website states:

Born in California and raised with one sibling, Miguel Gonzalez, learned early on the value of hard work, teamwork, and perseverance. He graduated at the top of his high school class and led his football team to a state championship victory, all while working a part-time job as a security guard.
Continue reading→

Fundraiser for Ward 2 candidate Mirna Velasquez set for July 17

Posted on July 16, 2014 by Art Pedroza Posted in 2014 Elections, Entertainment, Mirna Velasquez, Politics, Santa Ana Leave a comment

Mirna Velasquez, a candidate for Ward 2 on the Santa Ana City Council, is having a fundraiser on Thursday, July 17, 2014, at 7 pm, at Super Antojitos Mexican Grill, located at 1702 E. 17th St., Suite A, in Santa Ana.

The event his hosted by Tony Tejeda. Suggested contributions range from $100 to $500. Please RSVP ASAP to Monica Leyva at 714-276-7050 or electvelasquez2014@gmail.com. Continue reading→

Man charged with negotiating bail bonds without a bail bonds license

Posted on July 16, 2014 by Art Pedroza Posted in Crime, OCDA, Orange County, Santa Ana Leave a comment

Orange County District Attorney Press Release

For Immediate Release: July 16, 2014

Case # 14CF2042

MAN TO BE ARRAIGNED FOR NEGOTIATING BAIL BONDS WITHOUT HAVING BAIL BONDS LICENSE

SANTA ANA – A 30-year-old man will be arraigned tomorrow for negotiating bail bonds without being licensed. Derek Leslie O’Lear, San Bernardino, is charged with four felony counts of undertaking bail without a license. If convicted on all counts, he faces a maximum sentence of five years in Orange County jail. The defendant received an arraignment letter and is scheduled to be arraigned tomorrow, July 17, 2014, at 8:30 a.m. in Department C-55, Central Justice Center, Santa Ana.

In 2011, O’Lear is accused of working at Bail Hotline Bail Bonds in Santa Ana without having a bail bonds license. California Law prohibits any person from negotiating the execution or delivery of bail unless they are a bail bonds licensee. While employed at Bail Hotline Bail Bonds, the defendant is accused of being tasked with answering the phones when individuals called about bail. Continue reading→

OC Supervisors approve plan to build a year-round homeless shelter in Santa Ana

Posted on July 16, 2014 by Art Pedroza Posted in homeless, Housing, Orange County, Santa Ana 1 Comment

The Orange County Board of Supervisors unanimously approved a plan Tuesday to spend $3.6 million for a Santa Ana warehouse that will be converted into a year-round shelter, according to the OC Weekly.

The 23,000-square-foot, 200-bed emergency center is planned to include a multi-service center for homeless families and individuals. The county will operate the shelter through a provider and offer services to assist individuals to assimilate into the workforce. Services will include mental and public health services, assistance for veterans and housing needs. The county will work with local resource groups to provide help, according to the O.C. Register. Continue reading→

The Santa Ana City Council runs for cover as they reject their own raise proposal

Posted on July 15, 2014 by Art Pedroza Posted in Ballot Measures, Civic Affairs, David Benavides, Lou Correa, Marijuana, Michele Martinez, Politics, Sal Tinajero, Santa Ana, Vince Sarmiento 8 Comments

The Santa Ana City Council unanimously rejected their own ballot measure proposal, which was Agenda Item # 65A, to give themselves what amounted to a 700% pay raise. We have been hammering them on this issue for weeks – even posting an article about how much this Council really makes. I surmise that they finally realized this was going to kill their re-election campaigns. Council Members Michele Martinez and David Benavides as well as Mayor Pro Tem Sal Tinajero are all up for re-election this November.

The ballot measure proposal they killed included revisions to the Code of Ethics and to their own campaign finance rules. Remarkably the Council was proposing to accept campaign contributions from residents and business owners who were asking for licenses or permits.

I think the gorilla in the room tonight was the possibility that State Senator Lou Correa will be running for Mayor of Santa Ana. This rumor has now been confirmed by multiple sources and I believe he will be running regardless of what Mayor Miguel Pulido decides to do. You can bet that Correa will win and I am certain that he will find candidates to oppose the Council Members who are up for re-election if they don’t start getting in line. Continue reading→

Morale at the understaffed Santa Ana Police Department at an all time low

Posted on July 14, 2014 by Art Pedroza Posted in Carlos Rojas, Crime, Public Safety, Santa Ana 26 Comments

SAPD Police Chief Carlos Rojas

There has been a drop in police officers on the streets in Santa Ana since the last city budget was adopted. Reports from the department are that there are only a handful officers on the street at any given time. If you go to the page 2-78 of the budget, and look under field operations, which are the patrol officers, they have dropped thirty police officer positions – this is the most important division in the department!

On page 2-78 of the adopted budget you can see that there are thirty less officers in patrol now. There were 231 total officers in all ranks the previous and only 198 this year. If you look on page 2-62 you can see the number of authorized officers last year and the number under the new budget.

In 1985, almost 30 years ago, there were 385 authorized police officers (all ranks Chief on down). Today there are only 316 police officers (add the total of officers, sergeants, lieutenants, captains and the chief) accounted for in the general fund. The population was about 100,000 people less back then. It has grown tremendously since 1985. Continue reading→

Upgrades headed to Orange County’s busiest bus stops

Posted on July 14, 2014 by Art Pedroza Posted in OCTA, Orange County, Santa Ana, Transportation Leave a comment

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: July 14, 2014

FOR MORE INFORMATION: Joel Zlotnik (714) 560-5713; Eric Carpenter (714) 560-5697

Upgrades Headed to Busiest Bus Stops in Orange County
OCTA Board approves funding to improve passenger experience and provide real-time bus scheduling information

ORANGE – More than $1.2 million is headed to upgrades at 51 of the busiest bus stops in the county, after the Orange County Transportation Authority voted Monday to award funding through Measure M.

The upgrades are part of the Measure M Safe Transit Stops program. The program provides funding for passenger amenities at the 100 busiest bus stops in Orange County, which is determined by average daily weekday passenger boardings. Continue reading→