Santa Ana's top news & views blog

Santa Ana's top news & views blog

Tag Archives: Santa Ana

Is it time to make Santa Ana a Sanctuary City?

Posted on by Posted in Civic Affairs, immigration, Latinos, Michele Martinez, Miguel Pulido, Santa Ana 3 Comments

A new Facebook group has formed in support of making Santa Ana a Sanctuary City. The group’s page states that “In Santa Ana we have the numbers to make Santa Ana a Sanctuary city but we act like a minority . We must fight back!”

An effort to do this died in 2008, after Council Member Michele Martinez’ motion was defeated by Santa Ana Mayor Miguel Pulido and the rest of the Santa Ana City Council.  Ironically, she is now part of Pulido’s team and is in a good position to reintroduce this idea to the rest of the Council.

Recently Pulido and his Council passed a motion voicing their displeasure with the racial profiling bill in Arizona, SB 1070.  Will they now revisit the idea of making Santa Ana a Sanctuary City?

We have an all-Latino City Council in Santa Ana, but the police keep cracking down on our people.  They did so brutally this week on Cinco de Mayo and are conducting another DUI checkpoint tonight.  The purpose?  To take cars away from immigrants and raise money for our bankrupt city by charging ridiculous impound fees. Continue reading→

SAPD DUI checkpoint tonight at 2000 E. 17th St.

Posted on by Posted in immigration, Latinos, Public Safety, Santa Ana 3 Comments

 The Santa Ana Police Department will conduct a DUI/driver license checkpoint from 7:30 p.m., to 1 a.m., tonight through Saturday, near 2000 E. 17th St., according to the O.C. Register.

The City of Santa Ana uses these checkpoints to take cars away from immigrants.  Warn your friends to stay away from this area tonight!

Geisha House celebrates Cinco de Mayo with half price drinks

Posted on by Posted in Business, Civic Affairs, Culture, Latinos, mexico, music, Restaurants, Santa Ana Leave a comment

OK, this is going to sound weird, but Geisha House is celebrating Cinco de Mayo too.  No, not with Mexican Sushi.  Instead the are offering all their alcoholic drinks for half off, all night!  Be sure to take a designated driver with you…

Location: The CityPlace, at 2773 North Main Street, in Santa Ana.  Phone: 714-564-0350.

Try Cinco de Mayo at Memphis!

Posted on by Posted in Business, Culture, Latinos, mexico, music, Restaurants, Santa Ana Leave a comment

Looking for something to do tonight?  Try Cinco de Memphis!

Join the folks at Memphis at the Santora for Dinner Specials featuring Traditional Mexican fare with a Southern twist.  Plus Beer, Margarita & Tequila specials!

Memphis is located at 201 North Broadway, in the Artists Village, in Santa Ana. Phone 714.564.1064.

Celebrate Cinco de Mayo at McCormick & Schmick’s!

Posted on by Posted in Business, Entertainment, Latinos, mexico, Restaurants, Santa Ana Leave a comment

 Next Wednesday, May 5th, you can enjoy some tasty specials at McCormick & Schmick’s, in honor of Cinco de Mayor.

Happy Hour specials include baja-style fish tacos for $1 each, oysters on the half shell for $1 each, peel and eat shrimp for only $3.95, and many other popular items for only $1.95.

There will also be Mexican beer and Tequila specials!

And there will be live music and entertainment, as well as prizes and giveaways. Continue reading→

Help Gloria get to Harvard’s Graduate School

Posted on by Posted in Dream Act, Education, immigration, Latinos, mexico, Santa Ana, Working Families, Youth Activities 6 Comments

The haters will tell you that Mexicans cannot amount to anything – the truth is that our young people are just as capable as anyone else.

In the video above, you will meet Gloria Montiel, a graduate of Santa Ana High School.  She was accepted into Harvard – and she finished an undergraduate degree.  Now she wants to go to Harvard’s graduate university, to get a Master’s degree in education, but the cost is $50,000.  Because Gloria is undocumented, she cannot avail herself of the student loans that the rest of us take for granted.

But Gloria isn’t giving up!  Her friends are helping her raise $39,000 so she can finish school and get her Master’s degree.  You can help out by clicking here and printing out the event flier, and going to La Casa Garcia tomorrow, Wednesday, May 5, anytime from 10 am to 10 pm, to enjoy a $10 plate of Turkey Mole, with the works, including rice, beans and tortillas.  La Casa Garcia is located at 531 W. Chapman Ave., in Anaheim. Continue reading→

Santa Ana City Council to recognize Harvey Milk Day at tonight’s meeting

Posted on by Posted in Civic Affairs, Civil Rights, Housing, LGBT, Redevelopment, Sal Tinajero, Santa Ana, Vince Sarmiento Leave a comment

The Santa Ana City Council meeting tonight should be a lively one.  In addition to a measure opposing the Arizona racial profiling bill, and calling for immigration reform, the Council will also be considering a motion to recognize May 22nd as Harvey Milk Day.  The proclamation was crafted by Council Members Vince Sarmiento and Sal Tinajero.

Harvey Milk Day is a day of recognition that occurs every May 22, starting 2010, in the state of California for gay-rights activist Harvey Milk, who was assassinated in 1978. Milk is only the second person in state history, in addition to conservationist John Muir, to gain such a designation.  He is also the only openly gay person in the country to be honored with this designation.

The City Council will also be voting to approve the Consolidated Five-Year Plan for 2010-2014 and the Annual Action Plan and authorize its submittal to the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development. Continue reading→

Santa Ana area lags in job growth, behind Cleveland, Yuma and Las Vegas

Posted on by Posted in Business, Civic Affairs, Jobs, Santa Ana, Water, Working Families Leave a comment

A new national study has revealed that the Santa Ana area is lagging in jobs growth, compared to many other cities.

We have explored this  issue before.  A previous study found that Santa Ana is one of the most expensive cities to do business in, here in Orange County.  And we have the highest water rates in Orange County, as well as the highest property taxes, due to an abundance of municipal bonds.

If our city leaders want to help create more jobs, they need to lower the cost of doing business in this city, and make it easier for new businesses to open up. 

Someimes our own residents are the ones who kill jobs.  A Buffalo Wild Wings restaurant tried to open up here last year, only to face a lawsuit filed by a number of Santa Ana’s “Usual Suspects.”  The restaurant owners went elsewhere and now the food court that lost this franchise is struggling to survive.  This is typical of what goes on in Santa Ana. Continue reading→

Pictures taken at Santa Ana’s Cinco de Mayo Fiesta this weekend

Posted on by Posted in Business, Civic Affairs, Culture, Latinos, mexico, Santa Ana Leave a comment

I visited Santa Ana’s Cinco de Mayo Fiesta on Saturday, May 1, and took the pictures embedded above.   The event was held on Santa Ana’s historic Calle Cuatro, or 4th Street.

The event was typically commercialized.  I did not see much in the way of historical exhibits, with the exception of a tent with exhibits about the Mexican State of Michoacan.

And as we reported earlier, the biggest story was Santa Ana Mayor Miguel Pulido forcing his opponent’s supporters to take down their “Al Amezcua for Mayor” banners off the booth they paid for.  Read about that by clicking here.

Cecilia Iglesias joins the Freshmen 50 and promises to support fiscal responsibility

Posted on by Posted in Elections, Latinos, Politics, Santa Ana, Taxes Leave a comment

THE FRESHMEN 50
PO Box 15023
Tucson, AZ 85708-5023
www.thefreshmen50.com

Cecilia Iglesias, Candidate for California’s 47th Congressional district is proud to announce that she is a candidate in the “Bullpen” of The Freshmen 50, a coalition of candidates around the country dedicated to fiscal and legislative responsibility. This non-partisan PAC is a simple platform of six reforms – reforms that Americans are demanding.

– Apply the Law Equally: All laws that apply to all citizens also apply to Congress

– Term Limits: Limit terms in Congress to no more than 12 years in the House and Senate, respectively

– Enforce Congressional Ethics: Yearly tax and expense audits, former Congressmen and their staff cannot be lobbyists, allow the ethics committee to do their job Continue reading→

LULAC May Day 2010 rally and march

Posted on by Posted in Civic Affairs, Culture, immigration, Latinos, Santa Ana 2 Comments

Today’s LULAC May Day Rally and March was a big success. While the event started slowly, more and more people arrived and the march turned out to be huge.

Assemblyman Jose Solorio was there, as was the sister of Mexican President Felipe Calderon, Luisa María de Guadalupe Calderón Hinojosa.  She was accompanied by several Mayors from various cities in Mexico.  She is said to be considering a campaign for Governor, I believe in the Mexican State of Oaxaca.  The rally was highlighted by dozens of American flags and cute little kids. (Picture Slideshow after the flip). Continue reading→

Pulido orders Amezcua supporters to take down banners at Cinco de Mayo event

Posted on by Posted in Civic Affairs, Elections, Politics, Santa Ana 10 Comments

 I just received a phone call from Dr. Arturo Lomeli, who is at the City of Santa Ana’s Cinco de Mayo event. The Santa Ana Police Department just asked the supporters of Alfredo Amezcua, who purchased a booth to promote his mayoral campaign, to take down their banners.

According to Dr. Lomeli, who is pictured in the booth in the picture above, the police department was ordered to do this by Santa Ana Mayor Miguel Pulido. 

Lomeli was told that the event is supposed to be non-political.  Amezcua’s supporters were allowed to keep their campaign t-shirts on, and to give out campaign literature, but they had to take the banners down or they were going to get kicked out of the event, by the police. Continue reading→

Santa Ana to celebrate Cinco de Mayo this weekend

Posted on by Posted in Arts and Culture, Civic Affairs, Culture, Entertainment, Latinos, mexico, music, Santa Ana, Youth Activities 1 Comment

Mars Media Family “Cinco de Mayo” event celebration in Santa Ana 

Orange County’s largest Cinco de Mayo celebration will be on 5/1 & 5/2 from 11am – 11pm on historic 4th Street in downtown Santa Ana.

Featuring free, family oriented festivities, live entertainment and music, carnival rides and games, authentic Mexican food and several vendor booths. 150,000+ in attendance. Continue reading→

Free relationship workshop this Saturday, in Santa Ana

Posted on by Posted in Charities, Santa Ana, Women Leave a comment

Amor de California is hosting a relationship workshop this Saturday, May 1, from 4 to 7 pm, at 309 N. Main St., in Santa Ana.  Call 714-720-4276, if you have any questions, or click here to send an email.

Topics that will be covered at this free workship include:

  • How to deepen love in a relationship
  • How to communicate, even when you are not getting along
  • How to discuss problems without interrupting each other
  • And how to understand each other better Continue reading→