Three unidentified men were caught by the SAPD today after they tried to get away in a stolen car.
Police first tried to pull the men over at Sullivan St. and McFadden Ave., in Santa Ana’s Ward 4, which is represented by Councilman David Benavides, according to the O.C Register. Continue reading
A 78-year-old Santa Ana man, Lamberto Mejia, was hit and killed by two vehicles this early this morning at 5:30 a.m. after he tried to cross outside of a crosswalk at the 1700 block of West McFadden Avenue, which is near Jerome Park and MLK Elementary School, according to the O.C. Register. The incident happened in Santa Ana’s Ward 4, which is represented on the City Council by Councilman David Benavides.
Keep in mind the fact that it is still dark at 5:30 a.m. – and the two drivers who hit Mejia stayed at the scene and spoke to the police, who closed McFadden Ave. between S. Raitt St. and S. Pacific Ave. until 11 am today.
Ironically a few hours later the City of Santa Ana sent out a press release asking residents to fill out an online survey to “help make our streets safer for biking, walking, and driving.” Continue reading
Poor Santa Ana Councilman David Benavides had to switch the location of his upcoming fundraising reception from Ketri Cafe to the Yost Theatre after we let the people of Santa Ana know about Ketri’s unfortunate record of health violations. However perhaps Benavides should have checked out the Yost Theatre’s health record before he selected them as the new location of his fundraiser, which is set for Oct 16, 2014, from 5:30 to 7:30 pm. It turns out the Yost is a real cochinero!
On July 10, 2014, the Yost received these health violations after a health inspection by the OC Health Care Agency:
Santa Ana Mayor Pro Tem Sal Tinajero Press Release
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: October 12, 2014
Contact: Santa Ana Mayor Pro Tem Sal Tinajero, 714-913-3515
Mayor Pro-Tem Sal Tinajero drops his endorsement of Santa Ana Council Member David Benavides
Santa Ana – It has been a tumultuous relationship for Santa Ana Mayor Pro-Tem Sal Tinajero and Ward 4 Santa Ana City Council member David Benavides. Tinajero begged Benavides, in 2010, not to give an award to Minuteman Lupe Moreno and her racist colleagues, but Benavides held on to his stubborn position and did it anyway.
In 2010, Benavides was caught working with OC GOP Central Committee member Thomas Gordon and Helen Martinez in a vote-splitting scheme to oust Tinajero from Ward 6. The scheme backfired when Gordon did not get enough signatures to qualify to be a candidate for the 2010 election. The OC Weekly ran a story that produced emails to prove that Benavides was a part of the plan. Continue reading
Santa Ana Councilman David Benavides is once again holding a fundraiser outside of his Ward, in Downtown Santa Ana, at Ketri Cafe, on Oct. 16, 2014, from 5:30 to 7:30 pm.
Benavides bills Ketri Cafe as “A Local Hidden Gem,” but I guess he hasn’t looked at their record of health violations.
They were inspected by the OC Health Care Agency on August 7, 2014, after a complaint, and the inspection resulted in a bevy of violations: Continue reading
Alex Padilla Urges Santa Ana Residents To Support His Bid For City Council
Candidate will work to attract investment and jobs, tackle education and crime
September 26, 2014 (Santa Ana, CA) – With only 39 days left before Election Day, city council candidate Alex Padilla is urging Santa Ana residents to support his bid to represent the community. Padilla, who was born and raised in Santa Ana and has a degree in paralegal studies, says the city council needs fresh eyes who will seek solutions that are outside the box, and will attract investment and create jobs for residents.
“I’m running for city council because I love this city and its residents. I was born and raised in Santa Ana and have seen it grow, but we need more. I want to help reduce crime in our city, bring transparency to city hall, increase neighborhood safety, push for youth programs and protect services that our citizens rely on,” Padilla says, adding that the city can no longer afford council members who are single issue leaders. Continue reading
Alex Padilla, our endorsed candidate for Ward 4 on the Santa Ana City Council, is hosting a campaign reception on Thursday, Sep. 18, 2014, from 6 to 8 pm, at his family’s home, at 2542 S. Rene Dr., in Santa Ana. Santa Ana Mayor Miguel Pulido will be speaking at this event.
Tacos and refreshments will be provided courtesy of Mexicanisimo Restaurant, which his owned by another of our endorsed Council candidates, Mike Gonzalez, who is running for Ward 6. RSVP here or call 714-724-6114.
Santa Ana Councilman David Benavides represents Ward 4, which stretches from Willits on the North to Sunflower on the South and from Fairview on the West to Flower on the East. There are plenty of restaurants in Ward 4 but for whatever reason Benavides is hosting a fundraiser on Wednesday, September 10, 2014 at the Little Sparrow, located at 300 N. Main St., in Downtown Santa Ana – that is in Ward 2, which is represented by Councilwoman Michele Martinez.
Why is Benavides holding a major campaign fundraiser outside of his Ward? This is a major snub to the businesses and residents of Ward 4. Continue reading
Santa Ana Councilman David Benavides got a free ride when he ran for reelection in 2010. No one ran against him. He got just over 34,000 votes according to Smart Voter. There were about 43,000 votes cast in that year’s Santa Ana Mayoral contest, according to Smart Voter. That means that over 9,000 voters chose not to vote for Benavides in 2010, even though his was the only name on the ballot in Ward 4.
Benavides ran for Santa Ana Mayor in 2012. His campaign was very ill-advised. He ended up with 14,995 votes, according to Smart Voter. The incumbent, Mayor Miguel Pulido, got 27,092 votes. The rest of the vote was split among three gadfly candidates. Benavides raised a ton of money in that campaign but it was for naught.
Perhaps Benavides was distracted as his marriage was reportedly falling apart during his mayoral campaign. He is supposedly divorced now. Ironically he came to town with his wife years ago and took advantage of a program that allowed his wife, a teacher, to buy a home in Santa Ana at a low interest rate. I believe that Benavides is still living in that home. He has since scrubbed his official city bio of any mention of his wife and kids. Continue reading
It would appear that Santa Ana Councilman P. David Benavides has forgotten which Ward he was elected to serve. He is supposed to be representing Ward 4 – but let’s take a look at his official June calendar and see what he was really up to last month:
The proposed new Santa Ana City Council Ward Map
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Jose Gonzalez, City Manager’s Office, 714-647-5200 – Office, 714-822-4415 – Cell
CITY OF SANTA ANA IS SET TO CONSIDER CHANGING WARD BOUNDARIES
SANTA ANA, CA (November 15, 2011) – The City of Santa Ana is proposing to change the City’s Ward boundaries. A public hearing has been set for December 5, 2011, at 6:00 p.m. in the Council Chamber, located at 22 Civic Center Plaza, in which testimony will be received and considered by the City Council. Continue reading
You are invited to join Guest Host Committee:
in supporting Santa Ana Councilmember David Benavides for his upcoming Re-Election Campaign Kickoff
Thursday, June 24, 2010, from 5:30pm – 7:30pm
South Coast Winery Restaurant, located at 3608 S. Bristol St., in Santa Ana
Suggested Contribution Levels:
Co-Host: $1,000
Sponsor: $500
Supporter: $249
Guest: $99
Student/Senior: $35
Please make checks payable to:
David Benavides for City Council 2010 – FPPC ID# 1327405
P.O. Box 3787
Santa Ana, CA 92703
Click here to contribute online
Note: Contributions are not deductible for income tax purposes and may not exceed $1,000.
Please RSVP for this event:
Email: Friends@DavidBenavides.com
Phone: (714) 475-1630
________________________________________
To learn more about David or to volunteer, visit www.davidbenavides.com
Find David on Facebook @ facebook.com/councilmanbenavides
Find David on Twitter @ twitter.com/pdavidbenavides
Half of Councilman David Benavides’ Commission appointees live in Ward 3. He represents Ward 4.
David Benavides is one of three Santa Ana Council members up for re-election this November. He represents Ward 4, which is highlighted in red in the Ward Map shown above. I found it shocking that he appointed Julie Stroud to the Santa Ana Parks and Recreation Commission, given her longstanding animus for immigrants, so I thought I would review who else he has appointed to our City Commissions.