Perhaps the biggest knock on Santa Ana Mayoral challenger Benjamin Vazquez, besides his aggressively liberal politics, is the doubt that he can raise enough money to seriously contend against longtime Santa Ana Mayor Miguel Pulido. Vazquez is attempting to answer that doubt with a campaign fundraiser set for Oct. 5, 2016, from 6 to 8 p.m., at the Robbins Nest, located at 207 W. 2nd St., in DTSA.
The Vazquez fundraiser is hosted by SAUSD Trustee Valerie Amezcua and her dad, former Mayoral candidate Alfredo Amezcua, a criminal defense attorney who regularly defends Santa Ana gangbangers in court; as well as Dr. Arturo Lomeli, a Dentist; Eddie Quillares (a local insurance agent); Luis Mier (a local bail bondsman); and Santa Ana City Councilman Sal Tinajero.
Hilariously the Vazquez campaign event Facebook page notes a campaign URL, www.benjamin4mayor.com, that doesn’t work (see the graphic above). Apparently the Vazquez campaign can’t afford to pay someone to finish setting up their campaign website. So this fundraiser is aptly timed as the Vazquez campaign surely needs to get some cash flow going – and soon.
(Update – apparently the Vazquez campaign read this article. They have since fixed their broken campaign website)
As for the folks who are backing Vazquez, I am sure that Amezcua (daddy not daughter) is still mad at Pulido for not backing his failed Santa Ana Bank. But the fact that it failed is proof enough that Pulido was smart not to get behind what was a bad idea in the first place. And Lomeli is a Republican dentist who lives in wealthy Orange Park Acres, although he does maintain a dental practice in DTSA. Not sure what his issue with Pulido is, but he is consistently against Pulido as he backed Michele Martinez when she too ran against Pulido.
Honestly I can’t blame Amezcua (daddy) and Mier for backing Vazquez as he is on the record as being against hiring more cops. That will be good for Amezcua’s gangbanger criminal defense practice and Mier’s bail bond business. So backing Vazquez is good for their mutual bottom lines.
I realize that some in town are tired of Pulido, who has been in office forever. But it is hard for me to get excited about Vazquez, whose ideas are mostly nutty. How, for example, does he plan to pay for all that free housing for the poor?
Vazquez does not have a functional campaign website but you can learn more about him on his Campaign Facebook page.
It’s Mier not Meir, Art!
I consider myself an entrepreneur thanks
Oh I know you are very diversified my friend but it all starts with the bails. That leads to the houses and cars… Then you have to sell those. Good business model if you ask me! Makes sense to support Vazquez as he wants to hire even less cops. That should increase crime and result in more bail bonding!
Aside from the drama of Benjimin claiming he was “Principal” of Valley HS, pissing off the good guy Dave Richey, “Ben” appears to be a roommate of labor darling Julio Perez, hey maybe he’s Julio’s “darling” too.
With all of the qualified people able to run for office these clowns (Amezcua(s),Lomeli, the Bail Bond guy, choose a mediocre teacher who rents a bedroom and few if any community ties. Actually, it’s Julio Perez all over again!
What the heck are you talking about? He never claimed he was principal, Ben grew up in Santa Ana and graduated from Valley High School, where he currently teaches. He also owns a home in Heninger Park and helps run El Centro Cultural in Santa Ana. You have no idea what you’re talking about!
I heard him say it Shaw, and I know he got in trouble for it. As for where he lives, I just know Greg Diamond, a devout Julio toe sucker, announced we should all vote for Benjamin because he was Julio’s housemate. So maybe I was wrong, Ben is “Top” and Julio “Bottom” if their living in Ben’s house.
Then again, this makes more sense, given Julio’s terrible financial situation, so yeah, maybe that’s what the guy meant.
Still, to my point, until six months ago, when this faction recruited yet another straw man, nobody outside Valley High School ever heard of this guy.