Santa Ana Mayor Pro Tem Claudia Alvarez has faced a withering attack this week, even though she has already apologized for her ill-chosen analogy, comparing developer and landlord Irv Chase, who it turns out is Jewish, to Adolf Hitler. She might have made it through this mini-storm if her colleagues had stuck by her but I don’t think any of them are willing to take a stand for her. It has as such become increasingly likely that she may step down as Mayor Pro Tem, although I suspect that she will remain on the Santa Ana City Council.
This could happen at the next Santa Ana City Council meeting on Sep. 6. Council Member David Benavides and his Republican amigo, Carlos Bustamante, have placed an 85A item on the Council Agenda, targeting Alvarez.
How soon they forget. Bustamante already had a whack at this and he was so awful that his peers took away the title and handed it back to the far more capable Alvarez. And the sad fact is that Alvarez totally supported Bustamante in 2006, when he ran for reelection. Now he has turned on her. You just cannot work with Santa Ana’s Republicans.
We learned that last year when Bustamante held a fundraiser at his home for Mexican-bashing Republican Van Tran, who was running against Congresswoman Loretta Sanchez. That backfired on Bustamante when Sanchez trashed Van Tran.
I think Bustamante is using Alvarez as a scapegoat to distract us from the fact that he is being investigated for ripping off the O.C. taxpayers by accepting unmerited and possibly illegal raises, as an overpaid Orange County middle manager.
As for Benavides, this is payback for the Council going after him when he honored Lupe Moreno and her Minuteman pals last year, after they took over the Santa Ana 4th of July event, where one of them referred to Santa Ana residents as “wetbacks.”
We also caught Benavides partying with Al Amezcua on Election Night last November. That backfired when Mayor Miguel Pulido utterly trashed Amezcua on Election Night.
Bustamante and Benavides go way back. They flew together and roomed together a few years ago when President Bush invited them to a GOP Cinco de Mayo event. Benavides has more Republican friends than Democrats. He attended Biola University and is close with one of their Trustees, former SAUSD Trustee Rosie Avila – another immigrant bashing Republican.
I suspect that the next Mayor Pro Tem will be either Sal Tinajero, Michele Martinez or Vince Sarmiento. They are all very capable.
Will Alvarez step down as Mayor Pro Tem? If she does it will be a testament to her dedication to the people who voted for her. She realizes that this is all becoming a major distraction. By stepping down as Mayor Pro Tem she will ensure that the Council can get back to work – and she will renew her investigation of Chase and his dealings. That said, I hope she remains firm and continues to fight.
Alvarez has by the way tried to apologize to the Chase family. She asked Rusty Kennedy to facilitate a meeting. The Chase family won’t respond. They obviously are enjoying going after her.
Here is the 85A agenda item:
CITY COUNCIL AGENDA ITEM
Pursuant to Santa Ana Charter Section 411, any member of the City Council may place items on the City Council Agenda to be considered by the City Council.
85A CONSIDER POTENTIAL VIOLATION OF THE SANTA ANA CODE OF ETHICS AND CONDUCT BY COUNCILMEMBER AND TAKE REMEDIAL ACTIONS RELATED THERETO (COUNCILMEMBERS BENAVIDES AND BUSTAMANTE)
The following actions may be considered on the floor and include:
1. Ask for resignation from the City Council.
2. Remove from the Mayor Pro Tem position.
3. Remove from the Public Safety Committee.
4. Remove from the Orange County Water Board.
5. Condemnation of comment made by Councilmember
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Claudia should not be further punished nor should she be rewarded. Santa Ana needs to change the discussion to - The role of Big Money in civic government decisions and the impact that it has on existing communities. This is what the "Liberals" at the liberal O.C. and the "Coalition for better Government" are supposed to be concerned about.
We all new that Bustamante was a coconut, but Benevides is the vendido of the year.
He kisses the ass of minutemen and even honors them at a city council meeting. No wonder he married a white woman, he hates his own.
Claudia defended the Latino businessmen downtown, I hope they remember that and remember what Carlos and David did too.
Carlos is just pissed because his salary is about to get chopped and he won't be able to afford to chase the girls while his wife takes care of the kids.
Yay David and Carlos!
Barbara Coe is very proud of the both of you.
She said with Mexicans like you, she doesn't need coloreds like Ted Hayes around anymore.
Well, I was planing on going because I have lot to say about this imbroglio but my daughter has a university class till nine so I have no car.
Unless some liberal socialist from this forum will offer me a carpool seat in his Yugo, I can’t be there.
I find it rather ironic - and fitting - that the SA Code of Ethics which was ushered in with "Measure D" which was a total fraud and designed for the purpose of giving Claudia an additional 4 year term - will be the means of causing her great trouble. Karma is a bitch and so is .... - well we won't go there.
The council is trying to save their jobs with this sacrifice.
If the resident voters do not feel an effective rebuke has then place with the appropriate lost of titles and appointed commissions and board seats.
Then the resident voters will react and take the matter into their own hands. And if the resident voters have to do the job of the council, more than one member to all seven can be recalled.
So the question is: Risk a full turnover in a city wide recall, or sacrifice the mayor pro tem?
Cook,
Exactly who would be supporting a recall other than those that already hate the council?
You could never get the signatures to put it on the ballot and if you did they would all win, even Claudia.
I hope they try and waste their money. Don't be such a fool as to believe that a majority of voters oppose the council.
"If the resident voters do not feel an effective rebuke has then place with the appropriate lost of titles and appointed commissions and board seats."...... Hmmmm
Why should resident voters feel any effective rebuke?
If the residents will do as you suggest cook then we have no longer USA, nor we have constitution....... which may be the case after Latinos, ACLU and ADL destroyed it.
Stanley, recall is in the constitution.
anon says: September 2, 2011 at 10:10 am
(You could never get the signatures to put it on the ballot) (Don’t be such a fool as to believe that a majority of voters oppose the council. )
Well anon here is something to think about Recall is not about majority, it is a tool of the minority.
Ward 5 received 40,261 votes in her last election, but only 3,125 voters are needed to recall her. The loser in that election got 10,930, 3 1/2 times the number needed to recall.
List of the rest
Ward 1 / 3,077
Ward 2 / 2,333
Ward 3 / 5,091
Ward 4 / 2,680
Ward 6 / 5,176
Mayor / 10,885 citywide
"Stanley, recall is in the constitution"..... Hmmmm
I know that but a reason for recall is.
If you uphold the constitution you can't participate in recall.
Back to Hitler. He was legally elected in democratic process. So how that helped?.... Huh?
The mob hysteria is not exactly recall.