Sun. Nov 24th, 2024

Actions Speak Louder Than Words: Councilmen Benavides & Sarmiento Are Bad for Labor and for Business!

I wrote previously about how Council Members Benavides and Sarmiento didn’t share with the Orange County Labor leaders that they did a ton of contracting out to private companies this year, like street sweeping, parking enforcement, and emergency medical transportation – killing hundreds of union jobs. But they were given the labor endorsement by the failed political labor staff over at the OC Labor Federation, Teferi Gebre and Julio Perez, who didn’t review their anti-labor voting records.

Now we see large signs by Benavides and Sarmiento all over town that were paid for by their campaigns, but not printed by Union printers! See the photo examples above this post and above this paragraph. No union bugs, that’s a no-no for many reasons for labor endorsed candidates and is a condition of their endorsement. (Taking a lead from his mentor Benavides, the Reyna sign seen atop the Benavides sign has no union bug either.)

On the business side, both Council Members said, at the council debates and forums at the Rancho Santiago building and Delhi Center, that they think the council needs to be more business friendly and that Mayor Pulido pushes businesses away. Well, at the Council meeting this week they had the chance to show they were business friendly and instead they sent a very bad message to the business community and developers.

Benavides, Sarmiento, Michele and Tinajero voted for the “red tape” ordinance as Mayor Pulido appropriately calls it. They call it a “sunshine” ordinance, but in reality all it is a requirement for more city regulations, more required meetings and reports by businesses and developers, and more costs before they are even approved to build in town.

It should be noted that Mayor Pulido did vote for the transparency part of the Sunshine ordinance, but he wisely opposed the red tape element of it, while Team Benavides opted to kill developments and jobs.

The more days that pass, the more we know that many of the current Santa Ana City Councilmembers like Benavides and Sarmiento are not really that interested in what labor or business thinks. They just want to be elected and will say whatever it takes to win.

author avatar
Art Pedroza Editor
Our Editor, Art Pedroza, worked at the O.C. Register and the OC Weekly and studied journalism at CSUF and UCI. He has lived in Santa Ana for over 30 years and has served on several city and county commissions. When he is not writing or editing Pedroza specializes in risk control and occupational safety. He also teaches part time at Cerritos College and CSUF. Pedroza has an MBA from Keller University.

By Art Pedroza

Our Editor, Art Pedroza, worked at the O.C. Register and the OC Weekly and studied journalism at CSUF and UCI. He has lived in Santa Ana for over 30 years and has served on several city and county commissions. When he is not writing or editing Pedroza specializes in risk control and occupational safety. He also teaches part time at Cerritos College and CSUF. Pedroza has an MBA from Keller University.

4 thoughts on “Benavides and Sarmiento are bad for labor and for business”
  1. Great points Art. These two speak out both sides of their mouths when it comes to Labor issues. They have been so unfriendly to organized labor AND to local businesses. They only serve themselves and their political desires.

  2. David seems extremely comfortable, no one in the OC Media is going to question him on his infidelity and lies. That’s scary.

    He had the balls to publish this misdirection on his website today:

    “crazy hair day at school today…I dropped off one with a 3.5″ mohawk and another with bright orange hair in a ponytail…crazy kids – fun times”

    Is he tryig to say his kids live with him?

    I feel sorry for those kids. A desperate, disgraced Mother and an EGO MANIAC Father, who appears to have lost all sense of reality.

    Why doesn’t this guy focus on his kids? There is something wrong with this picture.

    1. What an a**hole carpetbagger! You didn’t even comment about the banner of David I put up and the Roman sign above that! It takes skill to put it up so nicely you know! Such an ignorant mofo!

  3. Gotta love this nugget:

    “Walking neighborhoods this evening, older lady walks down the block after I past her house “Are you David? I didn’t open the door in time. I saw you at the debates. Just wanted to let you know I voted for you and I’m telling all my friends to vote for you.”- – love it!! We can do this people!”

    First of all, this is COMPLETE BUL$S@!T. No Old Lady Said that. Period.

    But , look at David’s poor Roman Reyna style grammar:

    It’s passed, not past moron. Time for David to head back to Biola.

    With guys like Lomeli advising him, I am glad I have PPO dental!

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