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Category Archives: Elections

Who might run against Vince Sarmiento in 2022?

Posted on by Posted in 2020 Elections, 2022 Elections, Civic Affairs, Elections, Politics, Santa Ana, Vince Sarmiento Leave a comment

Vince Sarmiento is Santa Ana’s new Mayor but he won’t be able to get comfortable as he will have to run for reelection in just two years, in 2022. It is quite likely that the City of Santa Ana will be near bankrupt by then due to the COVID-19 crisis; the ridiculous police raise that Sarmiento himself voted for and the massive public employee pension and health benefit debt that is ballooning every year.

With the City of Santa Ana headed for troubled times it will be very difficult for Sarmiento to establish himself or accomplish much in two short years, which means there will be a cattle call to replace him.

Candidates who might throw their hats in the ring include:

  • Former Santa Ana City Councilman Sal Tinajero – Sal crafitly ran for the Rancho Santiago Community College District’s Board of Trustees this November, seizing the seat that was vacated by Nelida Mendoza. Tinajero, a public school teacher, can now spend the next two years trying to improve the services and education at Santa Ana College. That will give him a solid platform to run on as our residents, young and mature, all need to enhance their skills and education at SAC. Tinajero barely lost the Mayor’s race to Pulido a couple years ago. The big negative for Tinajero is that he was the main force behind Measure X, the poorly-timed Santa Ana sales tax increase that resulted in our residents paying the highest sales tax in Orange County, despite our poverty levels.
  • Former Santa Ana City Councilwoman Michele Martinez. She is now a California State Commissioner and she could end up with a Federal appointment in the Biden administration. She is older and wiser now and will surely be emboldened by the success or our U.S. Senator, Kamala Harris. But will our residents remember her, several years after she left the City Council?
  • Current City Councilman Phil Bacerra. Phil got elected a couple years ago and must run for reelection in 2022, but hold the presses. He and current City Councilwoman Nelida Mendoza both live in the same ward now, due to redistricting. Mendoza is finishing the term started by Ceci Iglesias, who was recalled. The City Council will have to redraw the Wards once again, and they will also have to account for the new information coming from the latest U.S. Census. If Bacerra has to face off against Mendoza it may prove difficult as his Ward is majority Hispanic and Bacerra is not a Latino. He is half-Filipino. Bacerra could just skip reelection and run for Mayor instead. He is popular in north Santa Ana and has good name recognition throughout the city. He would be an intriguing candidate as he knows how to get campaign donations from the developers.
  • Juan Villegas was defeated in the November election, in Ward 5, but not by much. In two years you have to figure crime will be an even bigger problem in our city as Sarmiento and our new Millennial-heavy City Council will no doubt weaken law enforcement. Villegas, a longtime member of the O.C. Sheriff’s Department, could return to the political stage as a tough on crime candidate who is not beholden to the Santa Ana police union, the SAPOA.

I don’t think we will see former City Council Members Claudia Alvarez or Jose Solorio try for Mayor again, after both lost in this year’s mayoral race. Nor do I expect Ceci Iglesias to return. The same goes for Miguel Pulido. He could end up with a Federal appointment in the Biden administration, as could Solorio. They will have bigger fish to fry in 2022.

Could others run against Sarmiento in 2022? Absolutely! It is early yet. But rest assured Sarmiento will face stiff competition and could end up being a one-term Mayor.

Get out the vote, Santa Ana!

Posted on by Posted in 2020 Elections, Elections, OC Voter Registrar, Santa Ana Leave a comment

Whether you’re heading out with your little ones or driving around town running errands, there are many ways to vote now in the Nov. 3, 2020, election.

You can vote in-person, by mail or by putting your vote-by-mail ballot in a drop box. Get more information at www.ocvote.com/.

Only use official drop boxes like the ones in these photos.

Watch this video to learn more about voting at home: www.youtube.com/watch?v=abQUmvFOFZ8

For information on Santa Ana city elections, go to www.santa-ana.org/cc/city-elections

¡Que Vayan a Votar, Santa Ana!

Ya sea que salga con sus pequeños o maneje por la ciudad haciendo mandados, hay muchas formas de votar ahora en las elecciones del 3 de noviembre de 2020.

Puede votar en persona, por correo o colocando su boleta de voto por correo en una caja electoral. Obtenga más información en www.ocvote.com/.

Solo use cajas oficiales como las de estas fotos.

Vea este video para obtener más información sobre cómo votar en casa: www.youtube.com/watch?v=abQUmvFOFZ8

Para obtener información sobre las elecciones de la ciudad de Santa Ana, visite www.santa-ana.org/cc/city-elections.

A Berniecrat could win in Santa Ana’s Ward 3

Posted on by Posted in 2020 Elections, Civic Affairs, Crime, Elections, Jeffrey Katz, Mark McLoughlin, Politics, Santa Ana Leave a comment

A surprising poll leaked to us by a city insider shows that the top two Santa Ana City Council candidates in Ward 3 do not in fact include Mark McLoughlin, the candidate annointed by outgoing mayor Miguel Pulido.

As we expected, one of the top candidates is Jeffrey Katz, an attorney and a neighborhood leader in the Floral Park Neighborhood. The other? Jessie Lopez, the most liberal candidate in the Ward 3 mix. Lopez is also quite possibly the youngest candidate vying for Ward 3.

The poll is not what we expected as Ward 3 includes many older residents but over the past few years quite a few of our older residents have either passed away or moved away. Could the Ward now be on the verge of electing a Berniecrat?

This is bad news for Ward 3 as crime is out of control in this area, which is in North Santa Ana and includes the Floral Park and Park Santiago Neighborhoods. Lopez does not even mention crime on the Priorities page of her campaign website!

This blog has endorsed Katz for Ward 3. We encourage the voters in Ward 3 to support him rather than waste their vote on the low-energy empty suit McLoughlin. Read about the Katz plan to reduce crime in our city here.

Mayoral candidate Mark Lopez’ candidate statement

Posted on by Posted in 2020 Elections, Elections, Mark I. Lopez, Santa Ana Leave a comment

Santa Ana Mayoral candidate Mark Lopez could not afford to buy a candidate’s statement so he asked us to post it here. Those statements can cost over two thousand dollars. If you are running for office in Santa Ana and could not afford to buy a statement send it to us and we will post it here.

Born at the old Santa Ana hospital on Washington Street. Son of ‘Eddie and Isabel Lopez, longtime Santa Ana residents who worked hard to instill pride in self, and traditional family values. Mark Lopez went to St. Anne’s catholic school, and Mater Dei high school. Pop Warner football, Southeast Little League; and junior league basketball at the old YMCA were part of his childhood experience. He served his country for over 25 years in the US Army and US Coast Guard. He is now committed to serving Santa Ana.

Lopez is running to inspire residents to be engaged in civic action. Unity of effort is one of the main ideas he wants to promote. He promises that if elected he will put the residents of Santa Ana first and foremost and not be passive in decision making due to concerns of re-election, or political career image.

Task and Benchmarks to undertake:

  • Propose to change city charter to make full time the mayor, and city council position.
  • Solve the huge disconnect between the Santa Ana Police Department and the residents of our city with a white paper study of contracting out our police force.
  • Promote the major revitalization project going on our downtown 4th Street. This could be a major windfall financially to boost up our local economy, jobs and tax revenue.
  • “America Cannot Be Strong Without Secure and Prosperous Cities.” This is what Lopez wants for Santa Ana.

PRIDE POISE COURAGE —MARK FOR MAYOR

Tango1mikemike@aol.com. Cell 714-371-3505.

The Santa Ana City Council and Mayoral candidates the police union wants you to vote for

Posted on by Posted in 2020 Elections, Elections, Politics, Santa Ana, SAPOA 1 Comment

Santa Ana residents are already filling out their ballots and voting in the current 2020 City Council and Mayoral election. One question often posed to us is which candidates are getting support from the Santa Ana Police Officers Association?

While most of us support law enforcement the Santa Ana Police Officers Association (SAPOA) is a union and their only interest is in packing the City Council with their handpicked candidates. That is how they got their huge raise and how they hope to keep raking in more pay and benefits.

The City of Santa Ana’s budget is already overwhelmingly committed to the police department so it is a terrible idea to elect Council Members who will serve SAPOA, not the people of Santa Ana.

In Ward 5 SAPOA has recruited Vic Mendez, a car salesman. He has no record of doing much in our city but will reliably do whatever SAPOA wants him to do.

Our pick in Ward 5 is the incumbent, Juan Villegas. He was one of two City Council Members who voted against the massive SAPD pay raise, but as a longtime member of law enforcement we know he is a crime fighter. He just doesn’t like to waste taxpayer money and we appreciate that. He has our full endorsement. Bonus – Villegas opened Santa Ana’s first Family Justice Center, for victims of domestic violence, child abuse, elder abuse, sexual assault and human trafficking. He has a big heart and we need to keep him on the City Council!

In Ward 1 it appears that SAPOA is running with Thai Viet Phan, who is featured in the Santa Ana Republic website which is run by a guy named Emiliano Kotler. He claims that his website has no connection to SAPOA. However his website does not list any of the contributors or owners and their URL is privately registered. Thus any connection to SAPOA cannot be verified.

Our pick in Ward 1 is Cynthia Contreras. She is an Orange County Probation Coordinator and a mom. We feel Contreras will be an independent City Council Member, which is what Santa Ana needs.

In Ward 3 SAPOA is backing Mark McLoughlin, who has been Mayor Miguel Pulido’s top sidekick in north Santa Ana over the past 20 years.

Our pick in Ward 3 is attorney and neighborhood leader Jeffrey Katz. Katz has spent years working on the local homeless problem. He is the most likely to actually have good ideas on what is perhaps the biggest issue facing our city.

For Mayor SAPOA is mostly invested in Jose Solorio but they also like Claudia Alvarez.

We have been fans of Mayoral candidate Ceci Iglesias for years because she always opposes wasting taxpayer money and she stands up against Special Interests. She opposed the huge SAPOA pay raise and in return they recalled her. Well now she will get the last laugh as she is currently leading in the Mayor’s race and we expect her to win.

Whatever you do please vote! But remember your vote matters and you should not waste it on candidates who will serve only SAPOA, not you.

Use of official Orange County ballot drop boxes

Posted on by Posted in 2020 Elections, Elections, OC Voter Registrar, Orange County, Politics 1 Comment

SANTA ANA – There have been recent reports of groups promoting unofficial ballot drop boxes that are not affiliated with Orange County, CA Elections. In some instances, they are promoting these ballot drop boxes as “official” or “secure.” The use of unauthorized, non-official ballot drop boxes is prohibited by state law. 

Voters who want to return their ballot at a drop box should only use official county drop boxes. Official ballot drop boxes are clearly recognizable, designed to meet state standards for security, and bear the official Orange County Elections logo and Orange County seal.                               

Quote by Registrar of Voters Neal Kelley:

“One of my important roles as the chief election official for Orange County is to provide options for voters – in fact tens of thousands of voters have utilized our official ballot drop boxes in recent days.” He continued, “It’s important for groups, or individuals, to understand that attempting to post or install unofficial ballot drop boxes is in violation of state law.  Voters can contact my office at 714-567-7600 to report any concerns.”

Locations of Orange County’s official ballot drop boxes can be found at ocvote.com/options.

Tips for Voters:

To view an image of an official Orange County ballot drop box click here.

The OCDA is investigating unauthorized ballot boxes in at least two O.C. cities

Posted on by Posted in 2020 Elections, Crime, Elections, OCDA Leave a comment

SANTA ANA, Calif. – Yesterday the Orange County District Attorney’s Office received a report that several unauthorized ballot boxes had been placed in Orange County cities. District Attorney investigators assigned to the Office’s Election Team immediately launched an investigation and that investigation is currently underway.

Once that investigation is complete, a comprehensive legal review will be done to determine whether criminal charges are warranted.

“Your vote is your voice,” said Orange County District Attorney Todd Spitzer. “The right to vote is one of our most sacred rights, and I will not tolerate anyone interfering with someone’s ability to have their voice heard in our democratic process. The residents of Orange County can rest assured that the District Attorney’s Office and the Registrar of Voters have assembled an elite team dedicated to protecting your right to vote. Anyone who chooses to violate any section of the election code in Orange County and interfere with the sanctity of the election will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.”

The Orange County District Attorney’s Office has a dedicated team of prosecutors and investigators who are specifically trained in election law violations, including election fraud. That team has conducted training for the Registrar of Voters staff as well as Orange County law enforcement on how to recognize potential election fraud. OCDA prosecutors are available 24/7 to provide assistance to the Registrar of Voters and local law enforcement regarding election law violations.

The Orange County Registrar of Voters has a list of official ballot drop boxes. If a ballot drop box is not on the list, it is not an official government drop box.

Residents who suspect election fraud are encouraged to call the Orange County District Attorney Election Fraud Hotline at 714-501-4593. Residents can also report suspected election fraud by emailing 2020.election@da.ocgov.com

Senator Umberg calls on CA District Attorneys to protect the election from fake ballot boxes

Posted on by Posted in 2020 Elections, Crime, Elections, OC Voter Registrar, Orange County, Politics, Santa Ana, Tom Umberg Leave a comment

(Sacramento, CA) – Today, Senator Thomas J. Umberg (D – Orange County), Chair of the Senate Committee on Elections and Constitutional Amendments, condemned the recent reports of unauthorized ballot drop boxes throughout California. Metal containers marked “Official ballot drop-off box” have been popping up in gyms, gun stores, campaign headquarters, and even churches across California in recent weeks, with Republicans urging voters to drop their ballots inside. Senator Umberg is calling on District Attorneys in California to prosecute these violations of state law in order to curb any further criminal acts of voter fraud.

“Local prosecuting agencies will have the full support of the state when pursuing and prosecuting the criminal activity of committing voter fraud, such as the setting up of these unofficial and unauthorized ballot boxes,” said Senator Umberg. “Those setting up these boxes in an attempt to misrepresent themselves as election officials and subvert our Democracy must be punished.”

Under the California Elections Code, only elections officials can establish ballot drop-off boxes. Any occurrence of people fraudulently acting as election officials by establishing illegal drop boxes can face criminal charges. Those that promote or also help facilitate the illegal activity would also face potential criminal charges.

Californians should only use official ballot drop boxes that have been deployed and secured by their county elections office. Any registered voter can find a drop-off location for their ballot by visiting: https://caearlyvoting.sos.ca.gov/. 

Follow Senator Umberg on Facebook and Twitter.

Senator Thomas Umberg represents the 34th Senate District, which includes the cities of Anaheim, Fountain Valley, Huntington Beach, Garden Grove, Long Beach, Los Alamitos, Midway City, Orange, Santa Ana, Seal Beach, and Westminster. Umberg is a retired U.S. Army Colonel, and former federal prosecutor. He and his wife, Brigadier General Robin Umberg, USA (ret.), live in Orange County.

Vote-by-mail voting to begin on Oct. 5 for the Nov. 3 Election

Posted on by Posted in 2020 Elections, Elections, Politics Leave a comment

Drop boxes for vote-by-mail ballots will be opened on Monday, Oct. 5, 2020, for the Nov. 3 Presidential Election. Vote-by-mail ballots will be mailed to all Orange County registered voters on Oct. 5, according to the Orange County Registrar of Voters.

Find the locations of drop boxes and vote centers at www.ocvote.com/voting/voting-and-dropoff-locations-by-election.

The Final Close of Registration for new voters is Oct. 19, 2020. Conditional Voter Registration is from Oct. 20, 2020, through Nov. 3, 2020.

Orange County Vote Centers will be open between 8 a.m. and 8 p.m. from Oct. 30 through Nov. 2.

On Election Day, Nov. 3, Vote Centers will be open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m.

For more information on Santa Ana elections, go to www.santa-ana.org/cc/city-elections.

Editor’s Note: check out our Santa Ana Nov. 3, 2020 Election Voter Guide for info an all the local races.

Santa Ana Nov. 3, 2020 Election Voter Guide

Posted on by Posted in 2020 Elections, Cecilia Iglesias, Cynthia Contreras, Elections, Jose Solorio, Juan Villegas, Politics, Santa Ana Leave a comment

The ballots for the upcoming Nov. 3 General Election should be arriving soon, perhaps by Oct. 5. It is time to start thinking about how we are going to vote in what is a historic City Council and Mayoral Election here in Santa Ana.

This is the first time we will be voting for the City Council on a Ward Specific basis. And this is the first time in over 20 years that Mayor Miguel Pulido won’t be on the ballot as he has finally termed out.

Santa Ana City Council

Ward 1 Candidates

Our Ward 1 pick – We really like both Thai Viet Phan and Cynthia Contreras. They are both registered Democrats but Phan leans more to the left while Contreras is more of a moderate. Contreras gets bonus points for being a mom so we’re going with her.

Ward 3 Candidates

Our Ward 3 Pick – Jeffrey Katz is the most impressive Ward 3 candidate, and it’s not close. He is an attorney and a longtime neighborhood leader. Pulido’s machine is backing Mark McLoughlin, but we prefer new leadership on our City Council, not retreaded City Commissioners. Bonus – Katz has spent years working on the local homeless problem. He is the most likely to actually have good ideas on what is perhaps the biggest issue facing our city.

Ward 5 Candidates

Our Ward 5 Pick – Councilman Juan Villegas was one of two City Council Members who voted against the massive SAPD pay raise, but as a longtime member of law enforcement we know he is a crime fighter. He just doesn’t like to waste taxpayer money and we appreciate that. He has our full endorsement. Bonus – Villegas opened Santa Ana’s first Family Justice Center, for victims of domestic violence, child abuse, elder abuse, sexual assault and human trafficking. He has a big heart and we need to keep him on the City Council!

Mayoral Candidates

Our Pick for Mayor – We have been fans of Ceci Iglesias for years because she always opposes wasting taxpayer money and she stands up against Special Interests. If you prefer to vote for a Democrat we like Jose Solorio. He has an even-keeled temperament and major connections in D.C. and in Sacramento that will help our residents.

SAUSD School Board

We are supporting the three challengers who are running against the teacher-union supported incumbents. The challengers include Cecilia Aguinaga; Judith Carillo and Oscar Reyes. We do not feel that the SAUSD School Board should be run by teacher union puppets.

Legislative Seats

  • 69th Assembly District – We are not fans of the incumbent, Tom Daly, going back to his time as Anaheim Mayor when he was firmly anti-Latino. Unfortunately this year’s Republican candidate, Jon Paul White, is a major Trumper and is also anto-Latino. We cannot support either candidate.
  • 72nd Assembly District – We mightily dislike the Republican candidate, Janet Nguyen. She is corrupt and will only work for the Special Interests, not the residents. We are supporting Diedre Nguyen, the Democratic challenger.
  • 46th Congressional District – We are supporting the incumbent, Lou Correa.

County Seats

  • We are supporting the incumbent in the First District, Supervisor Andrew Do. His opponent, Sergio Contreras, has helped to put the City he serves as a Council Member, Westminster, in dire financial straits and he will likely do the same to the County of Orange. Contreras is far too beholden to the labor unions.

Rancho Santiago Community College District Board of Trustees

  • Area 3 – Local businessman Mike Gonzalez has our support. The other challenge, Sal Tinajero, was the main architect of the Santa Ana Measure X Sales Tax increase that resulted in Santa Ana residents paying the highest sales tax in orange County.
  • Area 5 – Former Santa Ana City Councilman Brett Franklin is our pick. Brett is the only candidate for Area 5 who will oppose new taxes and fight the waste of taxpayer money at Santa Ana College and the Rancho Santiago Community College District.

Here are the posts we have written in the past few weeks about the candidates running in the November election:

Statewide Ballot Measures

Prop 14: NO

  • Bonds for Government Subsidized Stem Cell Research 

Allows politicians to borrow $5.5 billion at a cost of $7.8 billion to taxpayers to give away funds to so-called research studies on stem cells.  Previous government funding for this was riddled with mismanagement and waste.   

Prop 15: NO

  • Statewide Property Tax Increase (Caution: Ballot Has Deceptive Title)

Deceptive title on your actual ballot will claim it “Increases funding sources for public schools…” when this is REALLY a massive $12-15 billion tax increase that will destroy jobs.  This measure guts Prop 13 from 1978 (Howard Jarvis’ Initiative) for commercial, retail, industrial, and other properties and also allows state politicians to impose new taxes on home-based businesses.  Prop 15 will increase your cost-of-living at a time when working families are already struggling to survive. Worse, if this flawed and costly tax hike measure passes, expect a companion measure in next election to repeal Prop 13 from 1978 and increase property taxes on homeowners.  For more information and to join the fight against Prop 15, go to www.StopPropertyTaxHikes.org

Prop 16: NO

  • Authorizes Discrimination on the Basis of Race in Government Decisions and Hiring (Caution: Ballot Has Deceptive Title)

Deceptive title on your actual ballot will claim it “Allows Diversity as a Factor in Public Employment…” when this would reverse a voter-approved Constitutional Amendment from the 1990s that banned any discrimination on the basis of race in any government decision. If this measure passes, race-based preferences such as quotas and affirmative action would be allowed and merit-based criteria will be disregarded.  Prop 16 fans the flames of racial division and is a step back in the fight for equal protection under the law. 

Prop 17: NO

  • Gives Parolees the Right to Vote 

Biased title on your actual ballot will claim it “Restores right to vote after completing prison term” but fails to note that parolees have NOT yet completed their sentence for their crimes and parole is still considered part of the sentence. Prop 17 would restore early voting rights to violent criminals and is offensive to crime victims. If you break our laws, why should you have a vote in setting our laws?  Under existing law, voting rights can be restored once an individual completes their full sentence, including parole, so Prop 17 is not needed.   

Prop 18: NO

  • Gives 17-Year-Olds the Right to Vote  

For a cost of over $1 million per election cycle, 17-year-olds would be mailed ballots to allow them to vote before they reach legal age.  State law prohibits 17-year-olds from drinking, smoking, and even tanning because science suggests they aren’t old enough to make sound decisions yet. Voting should be no different. Prop 18 is irresponsible and shows that the politicians who placed this misguided measure on the ballot are the true juveniles here.  

Prop 19: NO

  • Increases Property Taxes

Prop 19 is a tax increase disguised as a tax relief measure.  Only one part of Prop 19 is good – a small provision allowing homeowners who are over 55 or meet other criteria to transfer a low property tax base to another property. However, Prop 19 then revokes property tax protections for many other homeowners and uses firefighting as mere window dressing to con voters into raising taxes. Prop 19 would set a really bad precedent and cost taxpayers too much. 

Prop 20: YES

Support the Police and Hold Criminals Accountable  (Caution: Ballot Has Deceptive Title)

Deceptive title on your actual ballot will claim it “Restricts Parole for Certain Offenses…” when in fact Prop 20 would merely reverse policies that coddle criminals and allow for early release of dangerous criminals from prison. Prop 20 will restore much-needed enforcement powers to police and prosecutors to hold criminals accountable for looting/repeated shoplifting and other crimes that were considered FELONIES before state politicians watered-down the crimes to simple misdemeanors or less. Prop 20 also expands use of DNA to help catch criminals. For more information OR to request a free “Yes on Prop 20 – Support the Police” lawn sign, go to https://reformcalifornia.org/petitions/support-police/

Prop 21: NO

  • Rent Control

Prop 21 is a disastrous measure that will increase the cost-of-living in California and lead to less housing supply.  Rent control may sound good to some but everywhere rent control has been tried rents have actually skyrocketed higher. Economic studies show that Prop 21’s approach to rent control makes rents rise quicker because property owners will take the maximum allowed increase each year whether or not market conditions justify it just because they know future increases are always capped.  Prop 21 will choke the supply of apartments by providing a disincentive for builders to invest in them. 

Prop 22: YES

  • Allow Uber/Lyft and other App-Based Transportation and Delivery Services to Operate in California(Caution: Ballot Has Deceptive Title)

Deceptive title on your actual ballot will claim it “Exempts App-Based Transportation and Delivery Companies from Providing Employee Benefits…” when Prop 22 actually FAVORS the drivers of these companies by allowing them the freedom to continue to work as independent contractors with a variety of benefits and protections.  Prop 22 is part of the larger fight to repeal the terrible AB 5 law that state politicians imposed this year that has all-but banned the use of independent contractors. 1 million jobs are at stake and are being damaged by AB 5. To join the fight against AB5 and in support of Prop 22, go to www.DefendFreedomToWork.com

Prop 23: NO

  • New Costly Regulations for Kidney Dialysis Clinics

Deceptive title on your actual ballot will claim it “Establishes State Requirements for Kidney Dialysis Clinics” when 1) there are already numerous regulations governing these clinics and 2) Prop 23 would add unnecessary costs and burdens on kidney dialysis clinics in an attempt to force workers into unions to pay dues that then are given to politicians in the form of campaign contributions.  Prop 23 is a sham initiative that is hazardous to public health. 

Prop 24: NO

  • Amends Consumer Privacy Laws

Everyone likes privacy, but Prop 24 is a flawed initiative that creates a $10 million-a-year government bureaucracy that would only be able to be reformed or eliminated by requiring voters to consider yet another ballot measure in the future. This flawed initiative actually reduces privacy in a number of ways and distracts from implementation of a new law that just went into effect to improve privacy in the digital age. Let’s wait to see the results of that existing law first before adding to costly mandates. 

Prop 25: NO

  • Referendum: Should We Ban Cash Bail System for the “Honor System”

State politicians intentionally worded Prop 25 in a confusing way so that people don’t know whether a Yes vote means No and a No vote means Yes or whatever.  To simplify things, vote NO on Prop 25 if you want to block a flawed law that the politicians imposed that would ban bail as a requirement of releasing individuals charged with serious crimes. Liberals want to replace bail with the “honor system” of hoping criminals show back up for their court date. Prop 25 would result in the creation of a new costly bureaucracy where government workers would be hired to “trace” people and ask them to voluntarily come to court hearings.  Prop 25 is a dangerous law that puts crime victims at risk. 

Local Voter Guides

About the Editor: Art Pedroza founded the New Santa Ana Blog in 2009. This year the blog has already racked up over 2.2 million views while its sister Facebook page reaches close to 300,000 people a month. Pedroza has served on several Santa Ana City Commissions, most recently the Parks and Rec Commission, and he currently serves on the O.C. Emergency Medical Services Commission. Pedroza has run for both the Santa Ana City Council and the SAUSD School Board. He has an MBA from Keller Graduate University and he resides with his family in the Park Santiago Neighborhood.

Spotlight on Mayoral candidate Vince Sarmiento

Posted on by Posted in 2020 Elections, Alcohol, Crime, Drugs, Elections, Politics, Santa Ana, Vince Sarmiento Leave a comment
Vince Sarmiento and convicted felon Roman Reyna

Santa Ana City Councilman Vince Sarmiento has taken to calling himself Vicente of late but have a look at his listing on the California State Bar Association and you will see his name is Vincent Flavio Sarmiento.

The sudden name change is part of Sarmiento’s attempt to refashion his image, which has included shifting hard to the left and embracing the Berniecrats – the most liberal wing of the Democratic Party.

Sarmiento has been on the Santa Ana City Council for 13 years, dating back to 2007. It is fair to ask what exactly Sarmiento has accomplished in Ward One during those many years on the City Council? The City of Santa Ana is awash with homeless drug users and gangs continue to engage in drive by shootings and worse.

You also must ask how much of that crime is Sarmiento himself responsible for? While his family has tried to hide their ownership of various seedy bars in town, that is how Sarmiento has accrued his wealth. The bars include:

Let’s take a look at the crime that happened around El Carnaval Nightclub this year from April to May:

The criminal incidents around El Carnaval included numerous assaults, a DUI, disturbing the peace, fights and burglaries. The DUI happened right at El Carnaval. All that took place in the Artesia Pilar Neighborhood.

Here is the crime that took place around El Festival, also form April to May:

Same deal – numerous disturbing the peace incidents, drug violations, vandalism, theft, and a vehicle theft too.

Here is one more – crime around El Nuevo Corral Bar from April to May:

Same deal – numerous disturbing the peace incidents, robberies, burglaries, thefts and a weapons charge.

Look up any of these bars on crimemapping.com and all you will find is crime, crime and more crime, courtesy of the Sarmiento family!

No wonder Sarmiento has positioned himself against the Santa Ana police, but don’t forget that when push came to shove he voted for the huge pay increase for those police.

Remember that Sarmiento is trying to position himself as the champion of the poor and the immigrants. But what does all that alcohol do to these folks?

According to a study in 2014:

  • 43 percent of first-generation immigrants struggled with alcohol abuse
  • 86 percent of second-generation immigrants reported alcohol abuse

Alcohol abuses can also escalate or fuel an already violent person – increasing domestic violence in particular, in a city awash with such crimes.

As if all that was not bad enough Sarmiento is now making money by peddling himself as a marijuana attorney, to cities throughout Southern California.

What can marijuana use do to undocumented immigrants? If a non-citizen admits to an immigration official that he or she has ever possessed marijuana, the person can face very serious immigration problems – if he or she applies for a green card, applies for U.S. citizenship, travels outside the United States, or ICE just questions them on the street. This is true even if the person never was convicted of a crime, just used marijuana at home, and it was permitted under state law.

Marijuana also has a lot of negative health effects. And homicides have generally increased in pro-marijuana jurisdictions. In Denver, the homicide rate has steadily climbed from 36 in 2013 to a peak of 67 in 2018. Seattle had 19 homicides in 2013, then the rate increased every year except 2016, reaching a peak in 2018 of 31 cases. Even the District of Columbia has experienced a resurgence of violence — reaching 160 homicides in 2018 after seeing a historically low 116 homicide cases in 2017. Though too early in the year to make a meaningful projection, homicides spiked more than 100 percent in January 2019, as compared with January 2018.

To summarize, Sarmiento has been on the City Council since 2007 and has done nothing to improve his ward or our city. His family peddles massive quantities of alcohol to our poorest residents, increasing crime in our city. And now Sarmiento is out there pushing for more marijuana sales in Southern California, affecting public health and driving an increase in violent crime as well.

Don’t be fooled by Sarmiento’s massaged image. This is not the man we should be electing as our next Mayor of Santa Ana.

Another 2020 virtual Santa Ana City Council and Mayoral Candidates Forum set for tonight

Posted on by Posted in 2020 Elections, Civic Affairs, Elections, Politics, Santa Ana Leave a comment

The Santa Ana Chamber of Commerce is hosting a virtual Santa Ana City Council and Mayoral candidates forum tonight from 5:30 p.m. to 8 p.m.

Please register here.

The Chamber states on their website:

Through our moderated candidate forums, the public can get nonpartisan candidate information and listen to questions answered by the candidates. All candidate forums are free and open to the general public. Although, this is a free event we need to you to pre-register.

Here are the candidates:

Ward One

Ward Three

Ward Five

Mayor

Katz is our pick for the Santa Ana City Council’s Ward 3

Posted on by Posted in 2020 Elections, Elections, Janelle Welker, Jeffrey Katz, Jessie Lopez, Mark McLoughlin, Miguel Pulido, Politics, Santa Ana Leave a comment

The ballots for the Nov.3 election should be coming to our mailboxes around Oct. 5 but the race for Ward 3 on the Santa Ana City Council appears to be all but over – only three of the five candidates appear to have mounted actual campaigns and one of them, Jessie Lopez, is far too liberal to actually prevail.

That leaves two viable candidates – Mark McLouglin and Jeffrey Katz.

I was hoping that Janelle Welker would be able to do more as a candidate but I suspect that fundraising has been difficult for the first-time candidate.

The aforementioned Lopez has put up a few yard signs but I have not seen any walk pieces or mail from her campaign yet.

Many Ward 3 voters are struggling with who to back, McLoughlin or Katz. They both opposed the 2525 N. Main St. apartment development. But Katz did more than that. As an attorney he represented the Park Santiago Neighborhood for free as they litigated against the apartment developer.

The problems caused by the homeless are likely the top issue in Ward 3 and on that front Katz has a long history of working hard to resolve this issue. He even posted an essay on this subject on his website.

McLoughlin has zero issues on his campaign website, just a big picture of his face.

If you are a fan of Santa Ana Mayor Miguel Pulido then McLoughlin is your guy. McLoughlin has been Pulido’s wingman for over 20 years.

If you are looking for new leadership that might actually accomplish something at City Hall then Katz is your guy. He is innovative, smart and caring – all the exact qualities we should be looking for from our City Council candidates. If you would like to help Katz click here.

We don’t often endorse candidates at this point but we are making an exception this time. Katz has our full support in Ward 3.

Spotlight on the 2020 Santa Ana Mayoral candidates

Posted on by Posted in 2020 Elections, Cecilia Iglesias, Civic Affairs, Claudia Alvarez, Elections, George Collins, Jose Solorio, Mark I. Lopez, Miguel Pulido, Politics, Santa Ana, Vince Sarmiento Leave a comment

There is no question that Santa Ana Mayoral candidate Claudia Alvarez has the experience be able to handle the Santa Ana Mayor’s job. The question however is whether her temperament will get in the way.

Nine years have passed since Alvarez has to apologize after she compared downtown property owner Irving Chase, who is Jewish, to Adolf Hitler. Alvarez, at the time, was upset about special property tax that funds that Downtown Inc. — the organization that promotes, secures and cleans up the downtown core, were charging to local merchants. She had a point about that tax – we opposed it as well. But Alvarez could have found a way to voice her displeasure with that tax without dredging up Hitler (as seen in the video below at 15 minutes and 12 seconds). But time and again this is the sort of behaviour we have come to expect from her.

Alvarez may have ended up this crusty because she played the role of attack dog for so many years as part of Santa Ana Mayor Miguel Pulido’s cabal. Pulido, famously, does not like confrontation. So he often relied on Alvarez to be the bad cop. And she appeared to relish that role. But bad cops don’t make good Mayors.

Santa Ana needs a Mayor who has thick skin and who can represent all of us. Alvarez? She walked out on a candidate’s forum at the local NAACP when she got a few boos.

Here is Alvarez cutting off residents who are trying to speak up at a City Council meeting.

Fortunately we have quite a few other choices in this year’s Santa Ana Mayor’s race. Let’s look at the rest of the candidates.

Several of my best sources shared with me this week that a poll had been conducted, allegedly by the Santa Ana Police Officers’ Association, regarding the Santa Ana Mayoral candidates. The aforementioned Alvarez came in second in that poll. Guess who came in first? If you guessed former Santa Ana City Councilwoman Ceci Iglesias you are correct!

Disregard Iglesias at your own peril. While the Santa Ana Police Officers Association was able to recall her a few months ago that was a low voter turnout Special Election. The November election will be a Presidential election – and voter turnout will be high, even here in Santa Ana. That favors Iglesias, who has a large base of support in our city, primarily in the faith community.

Iglesias is also one of the only immigrants running for office in Santa Ana this year. And she is the only fiscal conservative on the mayoral ballot who has actually had significant electoral experience, as a former SAUSD Trustee and Santa Ana City Council Member.

Iglesias also enjoys broad support from local progressives who appreciate that she did not vote to give the Santa Ana police officers a huge raise – when our city is in such financial straits.

There are also two current Santa Ana City Councilmen running for Mayor. And they actually have a significant political connection.

When Jose Solorio was elected to the California State Assembly he had to vacate his seat on the Santa Ana City Council, back in 2006. Guess who was appointed to fill out his term? It was Vince Sarmiento – and now they are both on the City Council together and are both running for Santa Ana Mayor.

Solorio has had a lot more political success than Sarmiento. Solorio served several years in the State Assembly before he was ultimately termed out. He tried to take out then State Senator Janet Nguyen in 2014 but failed. Solorio was however able to get elected to the City Council again in 2016, in Ward 3.

Mayor Pulido has always had major connections in Sacramento and in D.C. Of all the mayoral candidates that are vying to replace him, Solorio comes closest to having similar contacts. In fact I believe Solorio may have an even higher profile in the national Democratic Party than Pulido.

Solorio remains a business-friendly moderate. Those are exactly the sort of qualities we need in a new Mayor. Remember that the Santa Ana Mayor is a part-time position – and the Mayor cannot really accomplish anything without garnering at least four votes from the City Council Members. Solorio is smooth enough to be able to do that.

Vince Sarmiento and Bernie Sanders, hanging out in front of a Boy’s restroom

Sarmiento, on the other hand, started out as a moderate back when he was first appointed to the City Council. Today he is a Berniecrat, having tied himself to the Socialist former Presidential candidate Bernie Sanders.

Roman Reyna promotes Vince Sarmiento for Mayor

Sarmiento is also tied to former Santa Ana City Councilman Roman Reyna, who is now a convicted felon after botching his last campaign and being forced off the City Council. Reyna has been backing Sarmiento along with a few of the City Council candidates (Tony Adame and Johnathan Hernandez).

It is amazing that Sarmiento is running for Mayor given how close his last two City Council elections were. In 2016 Sarmiento garnered 36,486 while his opponent, the completely unknown Jessica Cha, ended up with 29,183 votes. In 2012, Sarmiento ended up with 27,289 and while his opponent, the thoroughly unknown Estela Amezcua, ended up with 25,230 votes.

Sarmiento barely beat two unknown opponents in 2012 and in 2016 and now he wants to be Mayor? It seems a bit of a stretch.

There are two additional mayoral candidates:

Collins has been active in the city for many years. He often videotapes meetings and makes them available to the public. He is not mounting much of a campaign but I spoke with him recently and he figures he might do well just by getting votes from voters who are not enamoured by the other candidates.

Our next podcast will feature Ward one candidate Cynthia Contreras, on Friday night

Posted on by Posted in 2020 Elections, Civic Affairs, Cynthia Contreras, Elections, Politics Leave a comment

Tune in to our next live podcast this Friday night, Sep. 18, at 5:30 p.m. as we will be interviewing Cynthia Contreras, a candidate for Ward One of the Santa Ana City Council. Click here to listen to the podcast.

Cynthia has lived in Santa Ana for over 25 years. Her four children attended Jefferson Elementary, El Sol, OCEAA, MacArthur Intermediate, McFadden Intermediate, Mater Dei and Segerstrom High School.

Cynthia is an O.C. probation office coordinator and she has a long history of participating in community organizations. Read her full bio here.

Here is her Candidate Statement.