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Santa Ana's top news & views blog

Tag Archives: Vincent Sarmiento

The Santa Ana City Council has again failed to renegotiate the city jail’s ICE contract

Posted on by Posted in immigration, Politics, Santa Ana 2 Comments

As time ticks away on U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s contract at Santa Ana Jail, a city councilman tried Tuesday to restart talks for a new agreement with the federal agency – and fell short again, according to the O.C. Register.

City Councilmen David Benavides, Sal Tinajero and Vincent Sarmiento all voted once again to oppose Councilman Jose Solorio’s agenda item to direct city staff to negotiate and execute a contract with ICE and Mayor Pro Tem Michele Martinez did not show up to the meeting because her brother passed away. Continue reading→

Councilman Sarmiento’s calendar shows that he keeps a very full schedule

Posted on by Posted in Civic Affairs, Santa Ana, Vince Sarmiento Leave a comment

Council Member Vincent Sarmiento

We have been looking this week at the publicly posted official calendars of our City Council Members, for the month of June, 2013.  So far we have determined that Council Members David Benavides and Angie Amezcua are barely present in their own Wards, while Council Member Michele Martinez is staying pretty active in her own Ward.  And we were disappointed by Mayor Pro Tem Sal Tinajero, who was only active on ten days in June, and by Roman Reyna, who was totally absent from his Ward in June.  Now we turn to the calendar of Council Member Vincent Sarmiento, who represents Ward 1.

  • On June 1, Sarmiento was at the SA Health & Fitness Fair, at Rosita Park, which lies on the boarder of Wards 3 and 5.
  • On June 3, he was at the Triada Court at The Station District Grand Opening, in Ward 2. Continue reading→

Council majority adds item to dismiss Walters to next week’s meeting agenda

Posted on by Posted in Angelica Amezcua, Civic Affairs, David Benavides, Michele Martinez, Paul Walters, Roman Reyna, Sal Tinajero, Santa Ana, Vince Sarmiento 37 Comments

Santa Ana City Manager Paul Walters

The Santa Ana Council Majority has placed an item, 1C, on the agenda for the next Council Meeting, on Jan. 22, that reads:

PUBLIC EMPLOYEE EVALUATION OF PERFORMANCE AND/OR

POTENTIAL DISMISSAL/RELEASE pursuant to Government Code Section

54957(b)(1)

Title: City Manager

This is it folks.  They are going to move to fire our City Manager, Paul Walters.  They apparently did not learn a thing from the last Council meeting, on Jan. 7, when dozens of local residents and business leaders, including OCTA Chairman Greg Winterbottom, SAUSD Trustee and Local Attorney Jose Hernandez, and Com Link Chair Evangeline Gawronski, ripped them a new one for threatening to fire Walters. Imagine how many folks will turn out for next week’s meeting? Continue reading→

Councilman Sarmiento to host a fundraiser for Martinez on 2/23, at his home

Posted on by Posted in 2012 Elections, Anaheim, Carlos Bustamante, David Benavides, Democratic Party, Elections, Entertainment, Jose Solorio, Latino Leaders, Michele Martinez, Miguel Pulido, Politics, Sal Tinajero, Santa Ana, Vince Sarmiento 10 Comments

Get ready for Santa Ana Council Member Michele Martinez‘ biggest fundraiser yet, on Thursday, February 23, 2012, from 6:00 P.M. to 8:00 P.M.  Martinez is the leading Democratic candidate for the 69th Assembly District.  She now has the support of Santa Ana’s leading elected officials, including Host Committee Members Assemblymember Jose Solorio, Mayor Miguel Pulido, Councilmember Vincent Sarmiento, Councilmember David Benavides, Councilmember Carlos Bustamante, and Councilmember Sal Tinajero.

The event will be at the Historic Borchard House, which is the home of Council Member Sarmiento and his wife Eva, at 1617 E. 4th Street, in Santa Ana.  There will be Hors d’oeuvres and Refreshments served. Continue reading→

UPDATE: Santa Ana Code of Ethics meeting tonight at 6 pm

Posted on by Posted in Carlos Bustamante, Civic Affairs, Claudia Alvarez, David Benavides, Politics, Sal Tinajero, Santa Ana, Vince Sarmiento 30 Comments

Unethical behavior is abundant in Santa Ana politics…

The Santa Ana City Council is holding a meeting on Dec. 6, at 5:30 pm, to review the “Code of Ethics,” which voters passed when they voted for Measure D, which extended Council term limits.  The Council appointed a committee of three Council Members, including Mayor Pro Tem Claudia Alvarez, Vince Sarmiento and Sal Tinajero, to conduct this review.

Alvarez has since backed out – in the wake of the Code being used by Council Members David Benavides and Carlos Bustamante to try to punish her after she made a bad Hitler analogy in referring to controversial Downtown Santa Ana landlord Irv Chase.

None of the other Council Members, including Benavides and Bustamante, want anything to do with the Review Committee.  I can’t blame them.  The Code of Ethics was designed to muzzle bloggers who were put on City Commissions.  Ironically it is now being used by the Usual Suspects to attack Santa Ana’s Council Member.  And that obsessed Long Beach blogger has written not one but two posts about the Santa Ana Code of Ethics Review Committee.  Good grief! Continue reading→

Vincent Sarmiento to host an early 4th of July reception on June 30

Posted on by Posted in 2012 Elections, Democratic Party, Elections, Entertainment, Jose Solorio, Latino Leaders, Miguel Pulido, Politics, Santa Ana, Vince Sarmiento Leave a comment

Santa Ana Councilman Vincent Sarmiento is hosting an an early 4th of July Reception on Thursday June 30, 2011, from 6:00 pm – 8:00 pm, along with Assemblyman Jose Solorio, Mayor Miguel Pulido and the entire Santa Ana City Council.

Enjoy delicious hors d’oeuvres and fine wine at one of Santa Ana’s premier restaurants – South Coast Winery Restaurant & Tasting Room, located at 3608 South Bristol, in Santa Ana.

RSVP’s can be made at VSarmiento4Council@gmail.com or by calling (714) 245-9999.  Click here to RSVP on Facebook.

Sarmiento is going to be running for Solorio’s 69th Assembly District seat in 2012.  Right now it looks like OC Labor political Director Julio Perez, a complete unknown, will be getting hammered by Sarmiento in the Democratic primary.

Vincent Sarmiento to run for the 69th Assembly District

Posted on by Posted in 2012 Elections, Carlos Bustamante, Civic Affairs, Claudia Alvarez, David Benavides, Democratic Party, Elections, Jose Solorio, Michele Martinez, Miguel Pulido, Politics, Sal Tinajero, Santa Ana, Vince Sarmiento 2 Comments

State Assemblyman Jose Solorio (D-69) has reportedly convinced Santa Ana City Councilman Vincent Sarmiento to run for the 69th Assembly District in 2012, when Solorio will term out.

Sarmiento was appointed to the Santa Ana City Council when Solorio resigned to go to Sacramento.  Now, I am told, Sarmiento will return the favor, as the Santa Ana City Council will appoint Solorio to replace Sarmiento, in Ward 1.

I am told Solorio will have a tough time getting four votes from the current Santa Ana City Council  – he can rely on David Benavides, Carlos Bustamante and Mayor Miguel Pulido, but Mayor Pro Tem Claudia Alvarez is no fan of his, nor is Council Member Sal Tinajero.  Council Member Michele Martinez will be the all-important swing vote.

Julio Perez, the political director of the OC Labor Federation, was considering running for the 69th, according to various sources, but that is now unlikely.  Sarmiento should be able to raise a lot of money, with Solorio’s support.

The 69th is a predominantly Democratic district.  That may change via redistricting but until that happens, Sarmiento will be the presumptive victor, should he win in the Democratic Party’s primary, as the OC GOP has not been able to challenge for the seat since the days of former Assemblyman Jim Morrissey, who infamously hired a Democrat to run his campaigns.

It could be a free-for-all for Solorio’s Assembly seat in 2012

Posted on by Posted in Anaheim, Claudia Alvarez, David Benavides, Elections, Jose Solorio, Michele Martinez, Miguel Pulido, Orange County, Politics, Sal Tinajero, Santa Ana, Vince Sarmiento 4 Comments

It is beginning to look like a free-for-all for Assemblyman Jose Solorio’s 69th Assembly District seat, which includes most of Santa Ana and parts of Anaheim, Garden Grove, Tustin and Orange, in 2012.

I am hearing that Santa Ana City Councilman Vincent Sarmiento is not going to run after all.  I cannot blame him.  Term limits would limit him to three two-year terms – and having to move to Sacramento would be tough on his family and his law practice. Plus Sarmiento could end up being our next Mayor if Mayor Pulido retires in the near future.

Looking at the rest of the Santa Ana City Council Members, it is tough to figure which one might run for Solorio’s seat.  Mayor Pro Tem Claudia Alvarez would likely win this time, after losing to Solorio a few years ago, but she has a good job as an Assistant O.C. District Attorney.  She will also be a top candidate for Santa Ana Mayor if Mayor Pulido retires.

Councilman Sal Tinajero has a good job as a Fullerton teacher and debate team coach.  He too has young kids and while he could move his family up to Sacramento, it would surely be a hardship for them.

That leaves Council Members Michele Martinez and David Benavides, as I don’t expect Mayor Pulido to run for anything other than re-election in 2012.

Of the two, I prefer Martinez.  She works for a non-profit involved with childhood obesity, and the move to Sacramento would mean a bigger salary for her.  More importantly, she works well with others and is fairly progressive.  She might we be more effective than Solorio, who has done a good job but he tends to be overly status quo.

Benavides works in the mortgage industry.  He seems like a good guy but his friendship with Minuteman Lupe Moreno is a problem for me.  He also has far too many Republican allies for my taste.

Solorio may not back any of these people.  He has hired O.C. Clerk-Recorder Tom Daly’s wife, who used to be a county lobbyist.  Daly, in turn, has hired AUHSD School Board Trustee Jordan Brandman.  Either Daly or Brandman could run, even though they would both be carpetbaggers, from what I am told.  They have ample time to move into the district.  Neither one has a solid record with regard to Latinos, in my opinion.

Anaheim City Councilwoman Lorri Galloway is terming out in 2012.  She too could run for Solorio’s seat.

What about the Republicans?  They have no shot at this seat.  Nor do they have any viable candidates.  The GOP is a non-sequitur in the 69th A.D.  Even after redistricting they are not likely to pick up this seat.

One guy who could really toss a monkey-wrench into the works is Alfredo Amezcua, who got blown out by Mayor Pulido last year.  Amezcua could win the 69th if he is willing to spend another quarter million of his own money.  He would have a better shot at the 69th, ironically enough, than he would running for Mayor again.

UPDATE:

A reader sent me a note today indicating that Julio Perez, the Political Director at the OC Labor Federation, is apparently thinking of running for Solorio’s seat.  He has no previous experience running for office, as far as I know.

The OC Labor Federation has an awful record of spending millions on failed candidates, such as Republican John Leos, who lost in a first-time bid for the Anaheim City Council last year.  Good luck Julio…

Santa Ana’s progressive City Council majority may not be in charge for long

Posted on by Posted in 2012 Elections, Carlos Bustamante, Civic Affairs, Claudia Alvarez, David Benavides, Elections, Michele Martinez, Miguel Pulido, Politics, Sal Tinajero, Santa Ana, Vince Sarmiento 21 Comments

A few folks in Santa Ana have been mighty perplexed about the current City Council majority.  I would definitely include failed Santa Ana Mayoral candidate Alfredo Amezcua in that number, along with former Mayoral candidate Thomas Gordon, and many former Santa Ana City Commissioners – who were give the boot by the current City Council majority.

You need four votes on the City Council in order to get anything done.  Currently the majority on the City Council is made up of Mayor Pro Tem Claudia Alvarez, along with Council Members Michele Martinez, Vincent Sarmiento and Sal Tinajero.  Mayor Miguel Pulido primarily goes along with the majority, although at times they differ.  Council Members David Benavides and Carlos Bustamante are sitting at the little kids’ table – utterly bereft of power and influence at City Hall.

But that could change in 2012.  Alvarez will be terming out.  I am not sure what she intends to do at that point.  She could run for Mayor, or for the SAUSD School Board.  Or she could walk away and concentrate on her job as a O.C. Deputy District Attorney.

Current SAUSD Trustee Romany Reyna is an ally of Benavides.  Reyna previously ran for the Council seat held by Alvarez and now all he has to do is wait for her to term out and run again.

I have however heard that Reyna is having second thoughts, as well he should.  If he runs for the Council in 2012, he will vacate his School Board seat.  If he loses his Council race he will be done in local politics.  I don’t know that he is willing to take that chance.  It depends on who ends up running against him for Alvarez’ seat on the City Council.

If Reyna does run for the Council, and he wins, and Bustamante is re-elected, they will surely team up with Benavides and likely with Mayor Pulido – and the new City Council majority will be quite different from the current majority.

Both Reyna and Benavides are religious conservatives.  Bustamante is a Republican.  Pulido is more moderate than that bunch, but he has been pulled to the left by the current Council majority.  There is no telling what this new right-leaning majority might do, once empowered.

Pulido will also face a few challengers in 2012, including the aforementioned Amezcua.  Past Republican Assembly candidate Otto Bade also told me recently that he intends to run for Mayor in 2012.  Bade lost his concession this year at the Santa Ana Zoo, where his La Perla restaurant will be replaced by a Knowlwood’s restaurant.

I think Amezcua and Bade would ally with the new, conservative faction if either one of them were to prevail against Pulido.

I also think that failed Mayoral candidate Charles Hart intends to run again in 2012.  Hart was recently appointed to the Republican Party of Orange County’s Central Committee, representing the  69th Assembly Caucus.  If he were to somehow win in 2012, perhaps as a result of a Latino vote split, I think he too would end up allying with the new, conservative faction.

To make matters worse for Alvarez and company, Councilman Sarmiento is likely to be running for Assemblyman Jose Solorio’s seat in the 69th Assembly District.  Sarmiento will be tough to beat.  As such, he will be vacating his City Council seat – and the Council majority will have to find someone to fill that spot.  That will happen after the November election, so if the new faction takes over, guess who will be appointing Sarmiento’s replacement?

And that’s not all.  I fully expect at least one or more of the other Council Members to run against O.C. Supervisor Janet Nguyen.  Either Sal Tinajero or Michele Martinez would have good odds of beating Nguyen, unless she redistricts her seat and adds more Vietnamese voters to it, while weakening the Latino vote, which she just might do.

So where does all this leave the people of Santa Ana?  It leaves us two years for our Council majority to get the job done, before they dissolve and/or get replaced.  That is a small window and it is closing fast.

If the majority fails to replace itself, the fact is that many of the ousted and bitter former City Commissioners will be back and business as usual will return to City Hall.  Imagine that – in two short years our progress might well be stopped and reversed.  That is a chilling thought.

Poll: would you support Brandman or Sarmiento to replace Assemblyman Solorio?

Posted on by Posted in 2012 Elections, Anaheim, Democratic Party, Elections, Jose Solorio, Politics, Santa Ana, Vince Sarmiento 10 Comments

[poll id=”4″]

It looks like there is going to be quite a battle for Assemblyman Jose Solorio’s seat in the 69th Assembly District, in 2012.  Rumor has it that Jordan Brandman, a Trustee at the Anaheim Union High School District, is going to run for the seat.  If so, he will likely face off against attorney Vincent Sarmiento, who replaced Solorio on the Santa Ana City Council a few years ago.

Brandman has steadily drifted to the Republican Party since he first got involved in politics.  He says he got involved in politics after taking a political science class at UCI, taught by recently termed out Anaheim Mayor Curt Pringle, who once was the Republican Leader in the State Assembly.

Here are a few of Brandman’s gaffes over the years:

  • I ran into him at the O.C. Labor Day event at the Santa Ana Zoo in 2009.  I walked up and asked if I could take his picture.  Sure, he said, but first he said he needed to take off his health care reform sticker.  As you can see in the picture above, that is precisely what he did.
  • Conservative Republican Chris Norby decided to run for O.C. Clerk-Recorder, in the Spring of 2009, and before he backed out of that race Brandman endorsed him, over moderate Republican Hugh Nguyen, who lives in Santa Ana.  Click here to read about that small fiasco.
  • This year, Brandman endorsed yet another Republican, John Leos, for the City Council, over two Democrats who were endorsed by their party – John Santoianni, who has been a leader in Orange County’s gay community; and businessman Bill Dalati.  Click here to read about the Leos endorsement.  It was all for naught as Leos lost.
  • In 2009, Brandman, voted to reject a $50,000 donation from Anaheim’s After School Fund, even though he served on their board of directors!  Click here to read about that.
  • Brandman appeared at a candidates forum on Sep. 29, that was run by the League of Women voters.  He was asked “Do you support State legislation that requires school textbooks to include history and contributions that gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender persons have specifically made towards California’s development?”  Brandman turned bright red when he heard the question.  Then he said ”this is a non-issue, there is no place for gay rights in our textbooks and schools”.  Click here to hear the audio recording of Brandman’s comments.
  • And to cap all of these fiascos, this year Brandman was endorsed by a slew of Republicans who were big supporters of Prop. 8 – the measure that banned gay marriage.  Click here to see that list of GOP haters.

According to his Facebook page, Brandman is the Director of External Affairs for Orange County Clerk-Recorder Tom Daly, who also supported Leos.  Daly also opposed the Gigante Supermarket that opened in Anaheim a few years ago and he had a reputation for cracking down on the poor people that live in Anaheim’s seedier hotels.

Brandman appears to be single and there is no mention of any girlfriends on his Facebook page.  He has no children.

So what about Sarmiento?  Here are a few excerpts from his bio:

Sarmiento’s family has lived in and around Santa Ana since 1965.  He attended John Muir Elementary, Sierra Elementary, and Willard Intermediate Schools, back when the landscape was still dominated by orange groves.

Sarmiento is socially progressive but he is a moderate on business and fiscal matters.  He has worked hard to attract new business to Santa Ana and to help develop jobs.

Sarmiento serves on several boards and committees. He is a member of the Santa Ana YMCA Board, which is constructing a brand new center on the south part of the City.  He also serves on the Annual Cesar Chavez Event Committee that commemorates Cesar Chavez Day every March 31st.  In addition, Councilmember Sarmiento is the City’s representative to the Orange County Transportation Authority’s Central Corridor Advisory Committee to evaluate transportation options within the Central Orange County region, which includes Santa Ana.  As a business advocate he continues to work closely with the Santa Ana Merchants Association to promote the needs of small businesses along Main Street.

Sarmiento previously served on the Community Redevelopment and Housing Commission and has previous experience on both the Historic Resources and Human Relations Commissions.  Vincent is also a member of the Hispanic Bar Association and is a Board Member of the Grain Project.

Sarmiento earned a Bachelor of Arts in Economics from UC Berkeley and a law degree from UCLA. He is a strong advocate of education and sees a great opportunity to cultivate a desire in our youth to succeed.  Prior to owning his own law firm, Sarmiento was an associate attorney at an Irvine based law firm and clerked for the Los Angeles County Superior Court and the Office of the District Attorney in Riverside.  Vincent was also a Legislative Fellow for the California Assembly, serving the Assembly Human Resources Committee.  He also just completed the Senior Executives in State and Local Government Certificate Program at the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University.

Sarmiento and his wife, Eva, operate a home office together in the 1920’s home they purchased several years ago and rehabilitated.  The home is now considered a historical property with landmark status.

Who will run for the Santa Ana City Council in 2012?

Posted on by Posted in Alfredo Amezcua, Carlos Bustamante, Civic Affairs, Claudia Alvarez, David Benavides, Democratic Party, Elections, Janet Nguyen, Jose Solorio, Michele Martinez, Miguel Pulido, Politics, Sal Tinajero, Santa Ana, Vince Sarmiento 7 Comments

This year’s Santa Ana City Council elections were a mixed bag.  On the one hand, mayoral challenger Alfredo Amezcua proved he could run a serious campaign – but he lost badly to Mayor Miguel Pulido, despite spending a quarter million, from what I hear.

The Council incumbents won handily.  Michele Martinez and David Benavides ran unopposed.  Sal Tinajero was challenged by Nam Pham and Helen Martinez.  They were not competitive.

But 2012 will be a different bag altogether.  Vice Mayor Claudia Alvarez is termed out.  Councilman Carlos Bustamante will be running for his third term – but this time he figures to draw heavy competition, after he was caught campaigning for Republican Assemblyman Van Tran, who challenged Congresswoman Loretta Sanchez.  And Councilman Vince Sarmiento might leave the Council and run for Assemblyman Jose Solorio’s seat in the 69th A.D., creating an open seat on the Council.

Amezcua could run for Mayor again, but he ought to consider challenging Bustamante, who has been in cruise control for a few years.  If Amezcua does that, he might pick up support from folks who support Pullido but want Bustamante, who is the last Republican on the Santa Ana City Council, off the Council.

Who else might challenge Bustamante?  Well, how about past Assembly candidate Armando de la Libertad, who lives in the new CityPlace center?  He is very popular and he is very well connected in the O.C. business community.

Guess who else lives in Bustamante’s ward?  Popular SAUSD Trustee John Palacio, an ally of Amezcua.  Palacio just won a new term on the SAUSD School Board.  He would have a free shot at Bustamante’s seat.

What about Alvarez’ Ward?  The obvious leading candidate would have to be SAUSD Trustee Roman Reyna, who ran for the City Council before.  He works at the new Santa Ana YMCA and previously worked at the Boys and Girls Club.  He knows a lot of families in town, and he is also popular in the faith community.  He would be a formidable challenger, if he could raise enough money.

But it is unlikely that Tinajero, Martinez and Councilman Vince Sarmiento would back Reyna.  The danger for the progressive Council majority would be that Reyna would team up with Benavides, Pulido and Bustamante (if Bustamante won reelection) and form a new conservative Council majority.

Then again, who knows?  It is still very early in the game.  Alvarez’ ward includes the Artesia-Pilar and Washington Square Neighborhood Associations.  Both are full of activists and community leaders, including past SAUSD candidates Gloria Alvarado, Cecilia Aguinaga, Oscar Garza and Irene Ibarra, and past Rancho Santiago CCD candidate Lynette Verino, as well as former Councilman Tom Lutz and his wife Nancy, who lost to Alvarez many years ago.  And I think that Amezcua’s daughter Valerie might live in this Ward too.  She also ran for the SAUSD Board a couple years ago.

If Sarmiento leaves the Council to run for Solorio’s seat he might well end up running against AUHSD Trustee Jordan Brandman – and Solorio may go with Brandman instead of backing Sarmiento.  Of course Solorio will have to be careful as he may end up running against Supervisor Janet Nguyen in 2012.

So who might run for Sarmiento’s seat?  Community leader Jim Walker did pretty well in 2008, when he challenged Sarmiento.  He might run again.  But most likely we will see a number of Commissioners and Neighborhood leaders run for this Ward.

What about Pulido?  He won handily, again, this year.  I doubt anyone will challenge him this time, except for perhaps Amezcua.  Oh, you might see a few underdog candidates arise, but no one is going to defeat Pulido.  And don’t forget that 2012 will be a presidential election year.  Pulido will be helping Obama – and that means Obama will be helping him.  Game over for anyone who wants to take on Pulido…

If Brown appoints Pulido to a state post, get ready for Mayor Alvarez

Posted on by Posted in 2010 Elections, Alfredo Amezcua, Carlos Bustamante, Claudia Alvarez, Elections, Miguel Pulido, Politics, Sal Tinajero, Santa Ana, Vince Sarmiento 1 Comment

When Jerry Brown came to Santa Ana, to speak at the O.C. Labor Day event, he first stopped to visit at Mayor Miguel Pulido’s home.  Now that both Brown and Pulido have won, the Voice of OC blog is speculating that Brown might appoint Pulido to a state position, possibly in energy or a cabinet-level position involving the environment.  Pulido confirmed this with the Voice of OC.

It is true.  This might happen.  Pulido might also get a call from President Barack Obama.

So what if this happens?  Well, for one thing, this does not mean that mayoral runner-up Alfredo Amezcua would be next in line.  The system doesn’t work that way.  Instead, the City Council majority would appoint the next Mayor.  That would likely be Mayor Pro Tem Claudia Alvarez, who has shown in the past that she is very capable of running the City Council meetings when Pulido has been away.

This would open up Alvarez’ Council seat, in Ward 5, for an appointment as well.  This is ideal as the Council majority will not give that position to SAUSD Trustee Roman Reyna, who many think will run for that seat in two years.  Who would it be?  I don’t know.  But Alvarez better get busy looking for someone right away.

Even if Pulido stays put, Alvarez is terming out in two years.  And it is very likely that Council Members Vincent Sarmiento and/or Sal Tinajero will run for the 69th Assembly District, as incumbent Assemblyman Jose Solorio will be termed out in 2012.  I would guess that Sarmiento will be the one as Tinajero really enjoys his job as a school teacher and debate team coach.

Council Member Carlos Bustamante has to run again in two years.  This time he is sure to be challenged by a well-funded Democrat.  Bustamante campaigned vigorously for Republican Assemblyman Van Tran this year, when Tran challenged Congresswoman Loretta Sanchez.  The Democrats won’t soon forget this.  Bustamante is toast.

So what about Amezcua?  He may run for Mayor again in two years, but he will get trashed again if he challenges either Pulido or Alvarez.  I think he is done in politics.  He may still face prosecution for running for the Rancho Santiago Community College District’s Board of Trustees while not living in the Area he ended up representing.

Who else might run for Mayor in two years?  Well, how about Solorio?  He is going to be termed out.  He could run for Mayor, and then serve for two years and run for State Senator Lou Correa’s seat, in the 34th Senate District, in 2014, when Correa is going to term out.

Solorio could also run for the Board of Supervisors, and challenge incumbent Janet Nguyen, in 2012.  I would love to see that come to pass.  I think he would wipe the floor with her.

One thing is for sure, a lot of change is coming to the Santa Ana City Council, whether we are ready for it or not.

UPDATE: According to the Santa Ana City Clerk, if Pulido leaves, then Mayor Pro Tem Claudia Alvarez will replace him and the City Council will have thirty days to appoint a replacement.

Exclusive video of this year’s Santa Ana’s Fiestas Patrias Parade

Posted on by Posted in 2010 Elections, Arts and Culture, Carlos Bustamante, Civic Affairs, Claudia Alvarez, David Benavides, Democratic Party, immigration, Independence, Janet Nguyen, Jose Solorio, Latinos, Loretta Sanchez, Lou Correa, mexico, Miguel Pulido, Santa Ana, Vince Sarmiento, Working Families Leave a comment

Yesterday’s Fiestas Patrias parade, in Santa Ana, was perhaps the best one yet.  A huge crowd lined Main St., many in folding chairs.  Kids blew on horns and waved Mexican flags.  You could feel the fervor in the air.  They were all there to celebrate two hundred years of Mexican independence.

Santa Ana Mayor Miguel Pulido rode in a stagecoach provided by Wells Fargo, along with his fellow Grand Marshal, Mexican Consul Alejandra García Williams.

Santa Ana Council Members Vincent Sarmiento, David Benavides and Carlos Bustamante were there, riding in cars in the parade, as was Mayor Pro Tem Claudia Alvarez.

Also in the parade were Congresswoman Loretta Sanchez, State Senator Lou Correa, Assemblyman Jose Solorio, and Supervisor Janet Nguyen.

The parade featured high school bands, the Santa Ana ROTC, caballeros on horseback, cultural organizations – displaying Ballet Folklorico and Native dances (in full costume) and representatives from many Mexican states.  It was quite a spectacle.

I had to take two separate videos.  Part one is above and part two is below.  You can see many of the politicians in part two, but the local electeds are in part one.  Click here to see more pictures I took at the event.

Pictures taken at the Santa Ana Fiestas Patrias Parade

Posted on by Posted in Arts and Culture, Carlos Bustamante, Civic Affairs, Claudia Alvarez, David Benavides, Janet Nguyen, Jose Solorio, Latinos, Loretta Sanchez, Lou Correa, mexico, Miguel Pulido, Santa Ana, Vince Sarmiento, Working Families Leave a comment

Click here to see our exclusive videos taken at the Santa Ana Fiestas Patrias Parade.

The Fiestas Patrias Parade in Santa Ana today was a huge success.  Massive crowds lined Main St. as a procession of politicians, high school bands, cultural organizations and representatives of many Mexican states marched by.  Included also were many participants on horseback.  It was quite a show!

Those in attendance showed a lot of appreciation for the participants.  They enthusiastically applauded when many of the politicians passed by.  Congresswoman Loretta Sanchez got the biggest ovation.  She literally ran by as she shook a lot of hands.  State Senator Lou Correa walked by as well, shaking hands and speaking to his many fans.

Other politicians who were warmly welcomed included Santa Ana Mayor Miguel Pulido, and Council Members Claudia Alvarez, Vincent Sarmiento, and David Benavides.  Carlos Bustamante was also in the parade.  Sal Tinajero could not be there as he had to fly to a high school debate tournament yesterday.

In contrast, Republican Supervisor Janet Nguyen was barely welcomed as she zipped by in a car that appeared to be driven by her husband, Garden Grove Planning Commissioner Tom Bonikowski.

I did shoot several videos.  They are uploading now.  I hope to have them up by tomorrow.

The Lighthouse Community Center hosts the Grand Opening of a Sports Field and Community Garden

Posted on by Posted in Cambodians, Charities, Churches and Religion, Civic Affairs, David Benavides, immigration, Latinos, Santa Ana, Vince Sarmiento, Working Families, Youth Activities Leave a comment

By Sophin Zoe Pruong-McCreery
July 31, 2010

Santa Ana, CA—Judging from the huge smile on Nubia’s face, one could not imagine that this 6 year-old girl once lacked a safe, nearby place to play outside of school grounds. Her family resides in the Cornerstone Village, a Santa Ana neighborhood historically known for crime, poverty and dense population. It is home to immigrants from Mexico, Central America, and Cambodia. Today, her wish of a new park came true.

Over 300 people gathered for the Grand Opening of the Lighthouse Community Center (L.C.C.) Sports Field and Community Garden at the northeast corner of Standard & McFadden Avenue on Saturday, July 31, 2010 from 10:00am-12:00pm. Lighthouse Community Center is an outreach of Mariners Church, Irvine, CA.


The new pocket park came to fruition because of the tremendous support and cooperation from city officials, non-profit agencies, and the private sector. This monumental project was the result of months of planning and close collaboration with Councilman Vincent Sarmiento, the City of Santa Ana, Carver Construction, The Grain Project, the private property owner and the local residents of Cornerstone Village.

Although L.C.C. has been offering the Minnie Street area with English classes, after school tutoring, youth groups, and parenting workshops for over 15 years, there was an important element missing: open space. The outdoor area will enable L.C.C. to expand their program to include outdoor activities in this under-served area.

According to the national Trust for Public Land, the City of Santa Ana has very limited open space, with less than an acre of park land for every thousand residents. Now the community can enjoy a beautiful, green sports field with over 9000 square feet of synthetic turf. The lawn is low-maintenance and does not require water so it is considered as an environmentally-friendly material. Presently, the new field is only a temporary solution to the problem; the land is leased to L.C.C. for only 2 years.

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