As the stumbling “Santa Ana Spring” movement continues to unimpress, it is becoming obvious that David Benavides, the bogus revolution’s candidate for Mayor of Santa Ana, is going to lose on Nov. 6. He is barely campaigning. He is using recycled signs and he has yet to send out any campaign mailers. His campaign appears to be centered on Facebook ads and ubiquitous blog comments by his number one supporter, Art Lomeli, a resident of Orange Park Acres.
Benavides, and his number one Council ally, Michele Martinez, were born here. Benavides hails from East Los Angeles, according to his bio. Martinez was raised here in Santa Ana, but apparently wasn’t born here as that information is absent from her own bio. But she most certainly was born somewhere in the U.S.
By contrast several of the current Council Members are Mexican immigrants – chief among them Mayor Miguel Pulido and Mayor Pro Tem Claudia Alvarez. This is one of the reasons they have so much support in Santa Ana – a city dominated by Mexican immigrants and their families. Many of these immigrants have, like Pulido and Alvarez, become citizens but they continue to value their culture and heritage.
Pulido and Alvarez speak excellent Spanish to this day. Benavides and Martinez, on the other hand, speak Pocho Spanish.
What about the other Council Members? Vince Sarmiento was born in Bolivia. His family came to Santa Ana in 1965, according to his bio. Why did they leave Bolivia? Well, the CIA was very active in Bolivia circa 1965, according to online reports, due to a leftist insurgency. Ironically Sarmiento is now part of Benavides’ leftist insurgency.
Leftist? You bet. Benavides, Sarmiento and the rest of their “Team” have all endorsed every single tax increase on the November ballot. Hang on to your wallets if these guys take over our City Council. You can bet that it won’t be long before they try to pass a citywide tax increase to pay for a new police contract, since the cop union endorsed Benavides. Payback will be a b*itch, but we the taxpayers will be paying the bill.
Sarmiento put up Benavides as a mayoral candidate this year knowing he would lose – with the thought that Benavides would be his trial balloon and that he would hopefully weaken Pulido so that Sarmiento can run for Mayor in 2014. That is not going to happen, instead Benavides is going to lose badly and his entire cartel is going to be tarred in the process.
As for the other Council Members and Council Candidates in the Benavides cabal, Sal Tinajero was born and raised in Santa Ana, according to his bio. And Council Candidate Eric Alderete was born in East Los Angeles, like Benavides. Council Candidate Roman Reyna lists Santa Ana as his hometown, on his Facebook page. I have not heard Alderete speak Spanish but I would imagine that Reyna, like Benavides and Martinez, is fluent in Pocho Spanish.
Alderete seems a bad fit for this motley crew. He is polished while Benavides, Reyna and Martinez are very rough around the edges. In fact we caught Reyna wearing what appears to be a clip on tie on his sole campaign mailer.
So how did Alderete end up on Team Benavides? Simple. He was blackmailed by Benavides’ political consultant, John Palacio, an SAUSD Trustee, since 1998, who now fashions himself to be a political guru.
Palacio threatened to run for Ward 3 unless the City Council majority got behind Benavides for Mayor – and Valerie Amezcua for the SAUSD School Board. Alderete should have called his bluff, but he wimped out. A deal was cut and just like that the Council majority was stuck in a leaky boat with Palacio and the Amezcuas. What a revolting development!
Are Benavides, Reyna and Amezcua the best that Santa Ana has to offer? Really? An unsuccessful realtor, a guy who has setup volleyball games throughout his adult life, and a probation officer whose father works to free the criminals she works with, as a defense lawyer? No thanks! We can do better.
We must reject the East Los Angeles style politics of Team Benavides. We have an opportunity to choose a different path on Nov. 6. I urge you to vote for Mayor Pulido, and for Karina Onofre – in Ward 5. And vote for anyone for the SAUSD School Board but please don’t vote for Amezcua.
Do you really want to see our city go in the direction of Vernon, Bell, Compton and Cudahay? Really? If yes then by all means vote for Team Benavides. You’ll get the local government you deserve.
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I am going to try and be respectful, as I had never heard of Dr. Art Lomeli a month ago, so I did some research, I asked some community members, my neighbors and friends.
Generally speaking, the answer was he's a harmless old man, who runs an aging dental practice in Downtown Santa Ana, his motives pure.
NOW, let's get real. Dr. Lomeli is a resident of Orange. he lives in the same affluent neighborhood taht Matt "Jubal" Cunninghams parents do.
This guy has about as much in common with the voters of Santa Ana as Donald Trump.
I have come to determine he is another puppeteer, in the Benavides campaign, assigned to congest the inevidable negative blog traffic surrounding Benavides campaign.
He has yet to address the now well publicized affair, pull a Stanley Fiala move and shut this agent down.
Why would a guy who doesn't live her be so interested?
This is a red herring.
The comments are more entertaining than the actual article, why have you guys stopped posting? Me now sad! :-(
I have learned a lot about Roman Reyna and his ilk recently.
Roman has a 12th grade education, barely a high school graduate, his transcripts show a 2.1 GPA.
He has little or no experience and was FIRED from the YMCA according to his co-workers.
WE NEED UCLA GRADUATES to come back and serve. We need technical school graduates who have built their future. Not losers like Roman.
But, he and David teamed up a long time ago, with the help of Jenifer Delson and the OCEA to put them in charge of the city's payroll.
Emily Benavides is close to talking, so is Benavide's latest mistress.
Halloween week will be exciting and disappointing for his supporters!
And Benavides and Reyna are being mentored by John Palacio, who got fired by the City of Santa Ana many years ago. He also helped Nativo Lopez to take over the SAUSD, where they doled out contracts like Halloween candy, to their pals.
These guys stink and we need to make sure they all lose on Nov. 6!
I work at the YMCA, I can testify that the above is false. Tss, sad when you have to start making up facts to make you sound like Sherlock Holmes.
Great so please set the record straight. Does Reyna still work there?
Somebody should ask Roman Retna for his high school transcripts.
He is not academicaly qualified to serve.
Roman can barely read, his math and analytical skills are nonexistent.
Scary, that he has fooled so many for so long.
East L.A. Politics is not what we need in Santa Ana. Voters know what an out of town take over looks and feels like and will reject them all.
Actually, the similarities between Benavides, Bustamonte and Reyna and the EAST LA boys is stunning.
Womanizing, misapropriation of funds, backroom politics, Gang affiliations, Homosexuality.
Antonio, Perez, Nunez, Throw an overwieght female probation officer in the mix and we have a Gloria Molina.
Why are you all hatin on our East L.A. Dream Team?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FXYg9wp-wSU
What's wrong with East L.A.?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LMfYNqJgO8Y&feature=related
Nice old school video.
Every campaign needs a song and I'm not sure why Sarmiento, Benavides and company have not used "Born in East L.A" as their campaign theme song?
Council majority has publicly stated they no not wish to work with Pulido. So they have supported their choices .
- Benavides
- Reyna
-Alderete
-tinajero
- Amezcua
This blog has the objective to as Pedroza says " rip " Benavides and supporters of Benavides.......the other candidates listed above .
These candidates purceive this as a directive from the Pulido campaign. Perception is a strong motivator.
The wish not to work with Pulido is now much more intense with this perception. This blog is severly affecting this perception and Pulido's ability to have a working relationship if he is elected.
This blog is in fact damaging Pulido if he gets elected. Imagine these candidates getting ripped now , elected in November, Benavides still a councilman and perceiving this ripping from New Santa Ana Blog is orchestrated by Pulido and then having Pulido ask them to see issues his way.
Pulido will be a lamb in a den of wolves.
Forgot Sarmiento in the list above.
You're getting talking points from your boys but they're not telling you what is really going on.
By the way why aren't these guys helping Sal's sister?
OK. So you claim I am the only Benavides defender and you label yourself as ripping Benavides at any opportunity and at the same time you claim you have their real campaign and lack of it and I have no idea because they confide in you and not in me????????
They are helping Sal's sister. .......see , you don't know the campaign.
Saying so and doing so are two different things. How many fundraisers have you hosted for Myriam?
Hasn't asked me for a fundraiser . Have recently donated to her campaign. She tells me her campaign is going strong and appreciates the majority council support.
She's too nice to say otherwise. When this is over I'll remember how they only promoted Amezcua.