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'd like to see Chicano studies required in all Santa Ana schools, like at Cal State L.A. and other colleges.
Whene we get our East L.A. Team voted on to the council and Tinajero's sister on the school board we can make sure our community voice is heard and our history known.
How can there be an overall "Majority", when each vote is independently conducted.
Who is behind this supposed "majority" have the canidates colluded to vote a certain way???
What if they want to allow open gay sex on the streets?
Would Benavides be forced to go along?
What if Martinez decided crack sales were good for her ward, would vince support that as part of the "majority"?
Suppose David wanted to rename Main Street "JESUS CHRIST" Blvd?
Would Vince, Michelle and Carlos' replacement be forced to support it because they are part of the majority?
What kind of talk is this?
Who is Lomeli? is he part of this majority.
Fact is they ........the council majority is already in office ........and they have not done what you fear.
They've endorsed every tax increase on the November ballot. And passed an anti development ordinance. Just what you might expect... In East Los Angeles!
It is what their constituents asked them to do. They were elected to act in the best interests of their constituents.
THIS HAPPENS ONLY IN EAST LA???
That is a lie. It is what a handful of whack jobs asked them to do. Most people in town don't want higher taxes and certainly don't want to stop development a d kill jobs.
And this most definitely doesn't happen elsewhere in Orange County.
OK so all the groups attending council meetings on these issues are whack jobs??
Where were most of these residents you mention that apposed these issues ? They were not at the council meetings addressing their issues to the council.
Surely you must be kidding. You really think the SaCRED mob represents the people at large in our city? LOL! You are delusional as usual.
"Pulido will be a lamb in a den of wolves."
Art, Check out the East L.A. style threats. Pulido is not afraid of these thugs and their threats. We are in Orange County, not East L.A.
Yes, sadly Dr. Lomeli has gone full ghetto.
You are a funny guy.
There is nothing funny about higher taxes and job killing ordinances...
This kind of government ONLY helps people like Lomeli, who strive to take advantage of the underclass, while sitting in his mansion in Orange.
While his daughters attend Homecoming dances in $1,000 dresses, in limos at Villa Park High School, he overcharges people with bad teeth.
It's disgusting the way this 1% manipulator takes advantage of families in Santa Ana.
Of course he wants Benavides and Renya to win, there are 450,000 impoverished patients.
GO AHEAD DOC, Continue to rip off the poor.
This is great entertainment. Better than the comedy channel.
Hey Lomeli,
I just heard that the kid who killed a guy in South Santa Ana last night was coming from Benavides event:
http://www.ocregister.com/news/police-375256-juvenile-unlicensed.html
So we know that in a ddition to GREEDY Orange Doctors, Stupid kids support him.
Why no word from Benavides on this "Loyal" supporter?
Why hasn't a single civic booster stood up for these losers. Instead we get "DREAMER KIDS" who are drinking the kool-aid.
If Roman Renya is an example, were in big trouble doc.
Thanks for joining in the fun . You added more comedy. Not as good as Ghetto Dentist.
Lomeli,
Did you attend the Reyna fundraiser in Anaheim Friday night?
I heard there were 2 donors, 23 kids.
I wonder what kind of man would allow his CHILDREN to attend an event with the likes of Roman and David given their history. These predatory animals have no place around young women.......unless you are OLD SCHOOL MEXICAN looking for your daughter to find a good man, like a Mayor.
The picture is being painted. it all makes sense now.
Once again Sherlock Holmes, get your facts straight. I was at that event and was in charge of check in. Other than the kids who lived in the house who were somewhere isolated from the event, it was attended by supporters and donors......adult supporters and donors just to clarify before you try to piece things together and determine that one of the "kids" at the event started the war in Afghan.
What's wrong with a group of Chicano Activists(Benavides/Sarmiento and friends) taking control of a city council that has lost or never had it's own Chicano roots? East L.A. gets a bad rap in the news but it's actually a really nice place to live and work. Santa Ana could do a lot worse than becoming more like East L.A. Some of your posters disrespected Nativo Lopez but he too understood the good that comes from East Los Angeles.
No Reply. El Photo No Bueno. El Culturo neccesite Arte mas Bellas.