Chisme has it that failed Santa Ana Mayoral candidate David Benavides is claiming to have the votes to fire City Manager Paul Walters, even though Walters’ contract stipulates that if that happens he gets to become the Santa Ana Police Chief once more.
In the past year Walters has recieved numerous awards including: the Orange County Bar Association’s Sammy Award; he made it onto OC Metro Magazine’s Hot 25 List; he was lauded with a cover feature in the Cal Chief’s “Behind the Badge” Magazine; he received the Media Champion Award from the Mental Health Association of Orange County; and Forbes ranked Santa Ana as the fourth safest large city in the U.S., under his watch.
Walters was recognized by the Orange County Gang Investigators Association for starting a special gang homicide unit. It’s the only one in the county, set up in 1988 when he became chief, according to ABC News. Even his critics at the union-funded Voice of OC had to admit that, under Walters, “For the first time in years, the Santa Ana City Council passed a balanced budget this week without having to tap reserves, thus officially ending a budget crisis that had some city leaders considering municipal bankruptcy.”
What Walters has done with our city budget has been a real miracle. He has yet to receive any thanks from Benavides and his troika – Michele Martinez, Roman Reyna and Vince Sarmiento. They did nothing to save this city. But they are reaping the rewards – appointing themselves recently to every key municipal commission appointment.
Word has it that Martinez is still ticked off that her step-brother, Pedro Franco, was arrested, back when she was running for Mayor, against Mayor Miguel Pulido. But her step-brother has a different last name and the cops had no idea who he was. It was just serendipity. But she has held a grudge against Walters ever since. Her response at the time was all about her…and so is her ongoing hate for Walters.
The problem for Benavides is that he needs five votes to fire Walters. I can’t see new Council Member Angelica Amezcua siding with Benavides. She was recruited as a candidate by former Santa Ana Mayor Pro Tem Claudia Alvarez, who is allied with Walters.
Benavides can count on Martinez, Reyna and Sarmiento. But he needs one more vote. It won’t be Amezcua. And it also won’t be Santa Ana Mayor Pro Tem Sal Tinajero, who has always appreciated Walters’ hard work on behalf of our city.
So Benavides is in a bit of a bind here. Will he find a way to sway Amezcua? I am told Tinajero and Mayor Pulido are going to side with Walters. Will anything go Benavides’ way this year? I would imagine he can’t wait for the New Year.
I must say that so far Benavides and company are acting a lot like the awful Council Members in East Los Angeles cities like Bell, Cudahy, Hawaiian Gardens, Compton, etc. Remember that Benavides is from East Los Angeles. And Martinez wasn’t born here. Nor was Sarmiento. Tinajero is a product of Santa Ana and he isn’t going to let these clowns ruin our city. I have faith in him – and in Walters. It is too bad that we now have a cancer cell on our Council. We’ll have to deal with them in the 2014 elections.
In the meantime rumor has it that the Benavides bunch is going to call for an emergency meeting this Friday. Good luck with that!
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You did not say why Benavides and other councilmembers would want to fire City Manager Walters.
You can write a better article than that Admin.
Why would they want to fire him?
Sorry Mateo. Try Michele's FB page. She has been prattling on all day about making hard decisions. She just can't keep secrets to herself.
But if you are looking for more reasons, I understand that Team Benavides wants to be able to hire and fire city staff. That is of course ridiculous. They are setting themselves up for large lawsuits if they do that. Walters won't play ball from what I hear so they want to hire a city manager to be their puppet.
And the Santa Ana Police Officers Association wants their guy Carlos Rojas to be the Chief - they are not willing to go through a national search. Walters isn't buying that but the cops paid off Team Benavides during the recent election.
So there you go.
maybe your third paragraph explains a little bit, but still leaves a lot unanswered.
What do the Police Officers Assoc. and Chief Walters not see eye to eye about?
Who is asking for Santa Ana to be a more obvious "Police State"?
Walters or the S.A.P.O.A?
I would ask more, I but I fear the hammer of power falling over my poor head.
Won't some other courageous Santanistas ask what this is really all about?
You're in denial. Accept the fact that Team Benavides is motivated by greedand a thirst for power and you'll feel much better.
They probably want a city manger who lives in the city ! He don't live here because he knows how bad it is......
Perhaps you'd like to quantify that? Crime is going down, not up. A lot of us like living here. Perhaps you should consider moving of living here is so intolerable for you.
Memo to Benavides and company: The Chief knows where the bodies are buried and the skeletons hidden. Tread lightly and be very careful.
I sure hope Sarmiento doesn't have anything in his past that could come back to bite him. Those dirty little secrets can only stay secret for so long.
Been here 40 years Artie ......sht you move..I once believed in you..but not no more
Your name should be art pulido .....
Your bitterness is blinding you. Our city has made a lot of progress.
But it sounds like you're waiting for politicians to save the day. Ask not what politicians can do for you but rather what can you do for yourself?
You're a fool to think that a group made up of Benavides, Reyna and Martinez can put in place a more intelligent leadership team than one run by Paul Walters. This city still has major challenges in the coming days and needs a strong and smart leader at the controls.
What is the plan if they get rid of Walters? Do they even have one?
Walters saved this city from collapse and bankruptcy, not Benavides and his dopey band of followers.
Here's are city in action.....
http://m.youtube.com/#/watch?v=lONBoO3m0tQ
Walters lived until recently in S.A. and still owns a home here. He's a great man and a great leader.
It is true.
Politicians will never save us.
That is why I am going to campaign for
"Benevolent Strongman"
Arturo Pulido Amescua 2014.
You can call him "Artie", Cruz.
Admin forgot to tell his readers he wasn't born in SantaAna either. Like that matters
It matters when Benavides is trying to bring East LA style corruption to Santa Ana!
That is a libelous statement admin. Benavides is not corrupt.
Political speech is protected. And Benavides clearly sold his votes during his failed campaign. That is the epitome of corruption.
Is it not corrup when he allows the campaign mail attack our Mayors family? Is it not corrupt campaigning?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QK8mJJJvaes
And those mailers were paid for by out of town apartment developers...
You mean the Low-income housing developers that you are now fighting to protect?
I'm fighting to protect the developments, which will be a huge benefit to many of the most needy people in our city. And at least 17 million dollars will have to come out of our general budget. Our city can't afford that.
Is that, or was that bad planning?
Didn't any of those high paid top of the line employees think this could happen and include in the reports to the council prior to them voting?
This goes back to the Ream administration. Kudos to Claudia Alvarez for moving him along.