I saw mayoral candidate Sal Tinajero speak at several campaign events leading up to the Nov. 6 General Election. Every time I heard him he was incredibly nasty – and his diatribes were at best filled with half-truths. The voters, needless to say, didn’t buy his act and Santa Ana Mayor Miguel Pulido beat him convincingly.
But Pulido is going to term out in two years. What will happen then? Continue reading
Bathroom at Jerome Park
I was disappointed by the results of my school board campaign however when one door closes another one opens up. My good friend Ceci Iglesias was elected to the Santa Ana City Council, after withstanding withering attacks and she is going to appoint me as her representative on the Board of Santa Ana Parks and Recreation.
As my readers know I have been very frustrated by the conditions of our parks here in Santa Ana. They are not safe for our kids and families any more. Drugged out vagrants have taken over, the park bathrooms are disgusting, the lights often don’t work, etc. Continue reading
While voter turnout in yesterday’s General Election, here in Santa Ana, was very low the results worked out in favor of Santa Ana Mayor Miguel Pulido, who was easily reelected to what will be his last two-year term after he trounced his opponent, termed out City Councilman Sal Tinajero.
The successful City Council candidates, including Ceci Iglesias in Ward 6 and David Penaloza in Ward 2, are likely to ally with Pulido. Current City Council member Juan Villegas can be counted on as well. With Pulido that makes a four member City Council majority. Continue reading
As voters we sometimes fail to recognize that electing someone to represent us on any elective body, such as the Santa Ana City Council or the Santa Ana Unified School District’s Board of Education, is similar to hiring someone to work for us. We are entrusting these candidates to do right by the community.
But if you were hiring someone to work for you, would you consider the folks who are running for local office in Santa Ana this year? In that case what factors would you weigh in trying to determine who to support for local offices? Continue reading
Two campaign mailers arrived in Santa Ana mailboxes today – in a direct hit on the SAUSD’s Measure I – the district’s third property tax increase in 19 years.
One of the mailers addressed the unfairness of Measure I, which will have a huge negative impact on Santa Ana senior citizens and others on fixed incomes, such as the disabled and those who are combating serious illnesses. Continue reading
Santa Ana’s local politicians on the Santa Ana City Council and the SAUSD School Board are trying to raise our taxes again with ballot measures in the upcoming November General Election. But their desire to raise our taxes will only hurt our residents and businesses at a time when the public is increasingly opposed to heavy taxation at all levels.
The largest age group in Santa Ana is the 25 to 44 group, making up over 31% of the population while those over 65 make up about 7% of the population. Over 30% are under the age of 18. The median household income in our city is $54,521, according to the City of Santa Ana. The median household income in Orange County is $78,145 according to the U.S. Census. Continue reading
When I spoke with Santa Ana Mayor Miguel Pulido earlier this week he was not yet sure if he was going to run for what will be his last two-year term. Since them Pulido has indeed pulled papers and he will be on the November 6 ballot. He will face off against termed-out Santa Ana City Councilman Sal Tinajero, who has been garnering a lot of media attention of late due to his leadership of the SAUSD Debate Team. The path for Tinajero was cleared when his colleague, Mayor Pro Tem Michele Martinez, opted to not run for Mayor after all. She too is terming out from the Santa Ana City Council.
No question about it – the Tinajero versus Pulido race will be the big contest in the General Election. But the race for Santa Ana’s Ward 2 will also be sure to garner a lot of attention as no less than six candidates have pulled papers. Here are the Ward 2 candidates: Continue reading
By: SAUSD Trustee Cecilia Iglesias
Why is the Santa Ana Unified School District Intentionally misleading community members and parents on the true academic achievement of the District?
At Friday’s Superintendent Breakfast, Dr. Stefanie Phillips reported to a full house of over 400 community members that 69% of the students are reading (ELA) proficient. Where did she get those numbers from? According to the new results reported by the California Department of Education, Santa Ana Unified School District is 28% proficient in ELA and 22% proficient in Math. Continue reading
Recalling the status quo in education
By ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER EDITORIAL BOARD
Teachers, administrators and parents were naturally upset when they took to the lectern at the Santa Ana Unified School District board meeting last Tuesday to address the issuing of pink slips to 287 employees.
Most of those pink slips went to educators, and a number of teachers who received the notices, or knew a teacher who received a notice, spoke of the good work they and their fellow educators are doing, and how harmful the cuts would be to their schools. But, somehow, the only board member who voted against issuing the pink slips also seemed to be receiving most of the blame. Continue reading
c/o The Orange County Register
The news from the Santa Ana Unified School District board meeting should raise red flags for anyone with children in the district’s struggling school system. The board voted, 4-1, to hand out pink slips — i.e., layoff notices — to 287 teachers and other educators. The dissenting board member raised real fears of kids being herded into larger classrooms.
The notices are a state requirement. If there’s any possibility the district will lay off teachers this year, it must notify them now. There’s a good chance a smaller number — or none at all — will get the boot. Nevertheless, the vote says a lot about the way public-school systems are designed and about the priorities of the unions that help elect board members. Continue reading
Confronting a financial disaster they helped create, Santa Ana teachers union leaders did Tuesday what they’ve done for years: They blamed someone else.
In a newsletter they sent to all Santa Ana teachers, union leaders blamed me for the declining enrollment in the district’s schools. Continue reading
The teacher’s union blames a Trustee for the mess they created!
By: SAUSD Trustee Cecilia Iglesias
Just want to share on what is happening in SAUSD as I was rudely stopped from sharing during today’s Board meeting.
Confronting a financial DISASTER they helped create, teachers union leaders did today what they’ve done for years: They blamed someone else. And of course they blamed me. Continue reading
2nd Annual Orange County School Choice Fair, January 28
Local charter schools, community leaders and education partners will participate in the National School Choice Week celebration
SANTA ANA, Calif. – In celebration of National School Choice Week, California Policy Center along with local charter schools will host the 2nd Annual Orange County Public Charter School Choice Information and Enrollment Fair on January 28 at NOVA Academy Early College High School.
Representatives from Orange County public charter schools, ranging from K-12 will be available to help families understand the enrollment process to public charter schools for their children. Continue reading
The Santa Ana Educator’s Association – the union that represents local public school teachers at the SAUSD, spent months attacking SAUSD Trustee Ceci Iglesias and her fellow conservative Republican, Angie Cano, while promoting their own slate of SAUSD School Board candidates – Rigo Rodriguez, Mark McLoughlin and Alfonso Alvarez. But in the end Iglesias emerged as the top vote-getter in the 2016 General Election while Cano barely lost by only 183 votes.
As for the teacher’s slate, only Rodriguez and Alvarez emerged victorious (assuming that Cano doesn’t edge out the latter when the final vote tally is announced this week).
Continue reading
You are probably as sick of this year’s general election as I am. The last few weeks have given us all plenty to dislike about the top two presidential nominees – Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump. And here in Santa Ana several candidates aligned with the Democratic Party have tried to use Trump against Republicans running for non-partisan offices, in one of the most underhanded schemes I have ever seen in my over 20 years of covering Orange County politics.
These candidates, including Rancho Santiago Community College District Trustee Claudia Alvarez and the slate of SAUSD School Board candidates sponsored by the Santa Ana Educators’ Association (the teachers’ union) – including Rigo Rodriguez, Mark McLoughlin and Alfonso Alvarez, have forgotten that Santa Ana is not quite as Democratic as they think it is. Continue reading