Santa Ana's top news & views blog

Santa Ana's top news & views blog

Tag Archives: santa ana coalition for better government

Amezcua’s PAC to protest Alvarez and the PBID at the Council meeting on 9/6

Posted on by Posted in Alfredo Amezcua, Business, Claudia Alvarez, Hate, immigration, Latinos, mexico, Santa Ana 19 Comments

Failed Santa Ana mayoral candidate Alfredo Amezcua’s Political Action Committee, which he calls the “Santa Ana Coalition for Better Government,” (SACBG) has sent out a bizarre email asking its members to show up to Tuesday night’s Santa Ana City Council meeting in protest of Santa Ana Mayor Pro Tem Claudia Alvarez while at the same time advocating against the PBID – the assessment charged to property owners in part of Downtown Santa Ana.

Do these self-serving yahoos realize that Alvarez is the ONLY Santa Ana Council Member who agrees with them regarding PBID?  Why would they turn on her when she is advocating their position?  How ridiculous are these people? Continue reading→

The Santa Ana Coalition for Better Government reveals their Board members

Posted on by Posted in Alfredo Amezcua, Civic Affairs, Politics, Santa Ana 9 Comments

The Santa Ana Coalition for Better Government, a Political Action Committee, finally posted the members of their Board of  Directors tonight, on their website, after we prodded them to do so.  Here they are:

CURRENT BOARD OF DIRECTORS

  • President Arturo Lomeli – Downtown property owner: He is a dentist.  He also owns property in Downtown Santa Ana and leases out office space.  He is a Republican and he lives in wealthy Orange Park Acres.
  • John Acosta – Former Santa Ana mayor pro tem: Like Lomeli, Acosta is a Republican.  He served on the Santa Ana City Council many years ago.  He no longer lives in Santa Ana.
  • Jeff Dickman – Friends of Lacy neighborhood: Dickman was booted off the City of Santa Ana’s Historical Resources Commission.  He led a lawsuit against the City of Santa Ana which cost taxpayers thousands of dollars and stuck us with dilapidated buildings that the City cannot even give away.
  • Albert Castillo – Chicano Unidos member: He used to be a staunch supporter of Mayor Miguel Pulido, back in the day.
  • Debbie McEwen – French Park resident: I believe she is a Republican, but am not sure.  That is her picture atop this post, flipping me the one finger salute, at a Santa Ana City Council meeting.  She is notorious for complaining about her Latino neighbors to the Santa Ana Code Enforcement Agency.  She led the charge to install illegal traffic barriers in her neighborhood, but was defeated by the ACLU.  They correctly surmised that the barriers were racist and illegal.
  • Valerie Amezcua – Morrison Park resident: She is the daughter of failed Mayoral candidate Alfredo Amezcua.  She lost a close race for the SAUSD School Board, to Roman Reyna, a couple years ago.
  • Luis Ortiz Franco – Los Amigos of Orange County
  • Gabriela Gonzalez – Community Volunteer
  • Raquel Lomeli – Downtown property owner: She is married to Art Lomeli.
  • Francisco Barragan – Business and community leader: He is a former Marine.  He belongs to quite a few community organizations.  He is also a CPA.  He used to write for this blog.  He drank the Amezcua Kool Aid unfortunately.
  • Alfredo Amezcua – Attorney/Business Property Owner: He got caught when he got elected to the Rancho Santiago Community College District – but was living in a different ward.  He resigned and later ran for Mayor of Santa Ana, last year, losing badly to Mayor Miguel Pulido, despite spending a quarter million dollars on his campaign.  He is a criminal defense attorney who has defended some of the worst drug dealers and gang bangers in Orange County, over the years.  It should be noted that he has also supported every major tax increase (via bond measures) that we have been stuck with here in Santa Ana, over the past decade.

There you go.  This organization appears to be a mixture of Republicans, malcontents, questionable politicians and litigious residents.  I have yet to see any concrete good ideas from these folks, but predictably they are making Code Enforcement a focus, which comes as no surprise given the involvement of McEwen on their Board.  Any organization that includes the likes of McEwen is not to be trusted by the people of Santa Ana, IMHO.

Is the Santa Ana Coalition for Better Government a GOP ploy?

Posted on by Posted in 2012 Elections, Alfredo Amezcua, Miguel Pulido, Politics, Republican Party, Santa Ana 3 Comments

The Republicans still rule in Orange County – except for the City of Santa Ana, where only one Republican sits on our City Council.

The Democrats control the 69th Assembly District, the 34th State Senate District and the 47th Congressional District.  All the Republicans have is Supervisor Janet Nguyen.  She might be able to redistrict her way to victory in 2012 – or she might not.

Given that background it is very surprising that two Republicans have started the so-called “Santa Ana Coalition for Better Government,” which is really a state registered Political Action Committee.  Why should Democrats in Santa Ana give them the time of day?

I spoke to the publicist for this coalition a few month ago.  She said they had others on their Board, besides the two Republicans – Art Lomeli and John Acosta – but so far they have not posted any other names on their website.

To make matters worse, Lomeli and Acosta don’t even live in Santa Ana!  Does anyone on their board live in Santa Ana?  Who knows – they won’t post their names!

What exactly do these people advocate?  Again, who knows?  Their website does not cite any original ideas for change – just a laundry list of empty complaints.

You have to wonder if the OC GOP is using this sad bunch to try to regain territory in Santa Ana.  Sorry – that won’t work.

It certainly did not work last year when several of the most bitter Republicans in town lined up behind Amezcua.  He still got blown out of the water by Mayor Miguel Pulido.

Too bad these people are so set on complaining instead of trying to foster real change in Santa Ana.  In the end their effort will amount to nothing – no one at City Hall will give these people any credence.  And in 2012, their favored son, Alfredo Amezcua, is going to lose again to Pulido.  The reality is that Pulido won’t stop being Mayor until he decides to leave.

Amezcua blew a quarter million last year in his failed attempt to beat Pulido.  There is no telling how much more money will be wasted by his “Coalition of Republicans who don’t live in Santa Ana.”

Santa Ana Coalition for Better Government’s attack on Paul Walters misfires

Posted on by Posted in Alfredo Amezcua, Crime, Politics, Public Safety, Santa Ana 50 Comments

The so-called “Santa Ana Coalition for Better Government” ripped the Santa Ana City Council and Santa Ana Police Department Chief Paul Walters today, in a mass email that questioned how much Walters will get paid as interim Santa Ana City Manager (see the graphic above or click here).

The Santa Ana Coalition for Better Government is registered as a Political Action Committee.  It is run by two Republicans, John Acosta and Art Lomeli, who do not live in Santa Ana.

Walters’ team responded to the mass email thusly:

Double-dipping: Paul is not double-dipping. About 6 years ago, he actually did retire and the city asked him to come back temporarily on a contract basis to groom one of the deputy chiefs to take over his position. During the process, the deputy chief, Dan McCoy, was diagnosed with a brain tumor and subsequently died. The next in line was Bruce Carlson, who was eventually diagnosed with and succumbed to liver cancer. Since there was no one else the city felt comfortable with as chief, they asked Paul to un-retire, which he did.

Actually, it will cost the City of Santa Ana less money for Walters to serve as both Interim City Manager and Chief of the SAPD.  It would cost quite a bit more to pay two people to do those jobs.

The truth is that the Santa Ana Coalition for Better Government is just a mouthpiece for failed Santa Ana Mayoral candidate Al Amezcua.  He dislikes Walters because Amezcua makes a living defending drug dealers and gang bangers in court – while Walters and his department do their best to arrest these people.

I also found it interesting that the Santa Ana Coalition for Better Government’s latest email also focused on Code Enforcement – a tool often used in the past by Santa Ana’s dwindling white minority to make life tough for their Latino neighbors.

Alfredo Amezcua and his Santa Ana PAC to host a community forum on April 20

Posted on by Posted in Alfredo Amezcua, Entertainment, Politics, Santa Ana 5 Comments

The Santa Ana Coalition for Better Government, which is a Political Action Committee, is holding a “Community Forum,” on April 20, at the Rancho Santiago Community College District’s headquarters.  Here is their invitation to the meeting:

Dear Friends & Colleagues,

As you probably know, my commitment to our beautiful City of Santa Ana continues… Quite a few community leaders and stakeholders have requested me to take a role in the creation and development of the SANTA ANA COALITION FOR BETTER GOVERNMENT (SACBG). For those of you who are not yet familiar with this new entity, the SACGB is a community organization comprised of residents and business owners encouraging civic participation, while promoting and advocating for efficient, transparent, accountable and ethical governance by the elected and administrative officials of the City of Santa Ana.

Please join us at our first Community Forum on Wednesday, April 20, 2011, from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m. at Rancho Santiago Community College District Conference Room 107. See the attached Invitation Flier and feel free to distribute this e-mail to your personal e-mail contacts, lists, friends and neighbors. If you have any questions about this new community coalition, please contact me.

I look forward to seeing you on April 20th!

Alfredo Amezcua
Attorney at Law

Law Offices of Alfredo Amezcua & Associates
1319 N. Broadway
Santa Ana, CA 92706
Ofc.: (714) 835-3538
Fax: (714) 835-0906
e-mail: amezcualglsrvcs@aol.com

###

Note that the invitation is from Alfredo Amezcua, one of several mayoral challengers last year who lost badly to incumbent Mayor Miguel Pulido.

The Santa Ana Coalition for Better Government is run by two men who do not live here in Santa Ana – Dr. Art Lomeli, who lives in wealthy Orange Park Acres and is a registered Republican, and John Acosta, who lives in Orange and is likewise a registered Republican.

Amezcua’s coalition tries to take credit for the changes at Santa Ana’s City Hall

Posted on by Posted in 2010 Elections, 2012 Elections, Alfredo Amezcua, Civic Affairs, Elections, Miguel Pulido, Politics, Santa Ana 1 Comment

Failed Santa Ana Mayoral candidate Alfredo Amezcua’s coalition of people who don’t live in Santa Ana, the so-called Santa Ana Coalition for Better Government, today tried to take credit for the changes that are happening at Santa Ana’s City Hall, in a bizarre newsletter you can read by clicking here.

As my readers will recall, I attended the ridiculous press conference that Amezcua’s allies at the Los Amigos of Anaheim held, a few weeks ago, where they demanded that the Orange County Grand Jury investigate the Santa Ana City Council.  It was a joke – the Los Amigos had no answers for my questions.  Their unfounded charges were complete innuendo and slander.  And both the L.A. Times and the OC Weekly ignored that event, as we disclosed in an earlier post.

More importantly, the Orange County Grand Jury blew off Amezcua too.

And now suddenly these people are taking credit for the fact that the Santa Ana City Council is cleaning house?  Unbelievable!  The credit for the changes in our local government goes to our City Council majority, period.  Amezcua and his cult-like following had nothing to do with it – and they didn’t even see the changes coming.

I am not sure I can take two more years of this silliness.  But apparently Amezcua intends to embarrass himself daily until the 2012 elections.

Here is a graphic rendition of the latest Amezcua cult newsletter, in case these guys come to their senses and delete it from the Internet:

The Leaders of the Santa Ana Coalition for Better Government PAC don’t live here

Posted on by Posted in 2010 Elections, Alfredo Amezcua, Miguel Pulido, Politics, Santa Ana 4 Comments

Have you heard of the Santa Ana Coalition for Better Government?  They are one of the organizations behind this week’s ridiculous Anaheim Los Amigos press conference that consisted of unfounded innuendo and slanderous attacks against Santa Ana Mayor Miguel Pulido, the Santa Ana City Council and Santa Ana Chief of Police Paul Walters.

I took a look today at the  website today and found these stated goals:

  • Identify viable candidates for mayor and city council who are pro-business and encourage the development and growth of small businesses.
  • Support identified candidates with finances, volunteers and in-kind resources.
  • Create a pool of viable candidates by providing training and workshops to educate and enhance their capability for conducting successful campaigns.
  • Support nonprofit groups that promote the city’s progress by continuously incrementing the profile of three sectors: business, arts and education.

It turns out this organization is not a community-based organization.  It is a political action committee.  It is headed up by Dr. Art Lomeli, a resident of wealthy Orange Park Acres, and John Acosta, a resident of Anaheim.  They are both allies of failed Santa Ana Mayoral candidate Alfredo Amezcua.

Now let’s dissect those goals.  The first one is silly.  Santa Ana Mayor Miguel Pulido and every single Council member is pro-business.  They all support development – it is ironic that this coalition even mentions development as Amezcua and his allies have repeatedly sued the City of Santa Ana to STOP developments, some of which have included affordable housing.

As for training political candidates, why would a candidate want to take advice from this bunch?  Amezcua spent a quarter million dollars last year and he lost badly to Pulido.  Lomeli got blown out of the water a few years ago when he ran for the Rancho Santiago Community College District.  Acosta has not won an election since before most residents of Santa Ana were born.  Please!  How silly.

What have any of these people done to support the arts, business or education?  I have yet to see any concrete proposals from ANY of them to that end.  In fact their website has NOTHING to contribute – no ideas, no proposals, nada.  In that, it reflects Amezcua’s campaign, which also failed to propose even one good idea.

So who are these non-residents of Santa Ana?

Lomeli owns a dental practice in Downtown Santa Ana.  He is also one of 35 business owners in the Downtown who has signed a petition to stop the Santa Ana PBID – an assessment that has done wonders to clean up, market and improve our Downtown area.  Lomeli is also a landlord as he rents space out in his building.

Acosta served on the Santa Ana City Council many years ago.  He retired recently, but worked in construction his whole life.

I think this coalition needs to change its name if its leaders are going to be non-residents of Santa Ana.  And residents of our city should think twice before contributing to them.  They have no ideas and are simply mad that their candidate, Amezcua, got blown out last November.