Councilman Hernandez’ scheme to allow the undocumented to vote in Santa Ana has been shelved

Posted on August 1, 2022 by Editor Posted in Elections, Johnathan Ryan Hernandez, Politics 3 Comments

On Friday, a judge in San Francisco struck down a 2016 rule that allowed non-citizen parents to vote in that city’s school board elections, according to LAIST.

The State Constitution invalidated the measure. The same thing happened in June in New York City.

The question is why did Santa Ana City Councilman Johnathan Ryan Hernandez propose allowing the undocumented to vote in our local elections without doing his homework first? He wasted everyone’s time on what amounts to a pipe dream.

Will you still vote for Sarmiento even though his family is suing the City of Santa Ana?

Hernandez may well have done this to help his colleague, Santa Ana Mayor Vicente Sarmiento, who is running for OC Supervisor in November.

The scheme backfired as it is clear now that the notion is illegal and won’t hold up in California. The Santa Ana City Council has now shelved the idea.

Of course this won’t stop Hernandez who is now boasting that he will get this on the ballot in 2024.

Perhaps Hernandez should focus on actual issues in Santa Ana such as high crime, gangs, drug addicts and vagrants?

O.C. Primary Election vote centers will begin to open up on May 28

Posted on May 26, 2022 by Editor Posted in 2022 Elections, Elections, OC Voter Registrar, Orange County, Politics, Santa Ana Leave a comment

SANTA ANA, CA – May 26, 2022 – Starting this Saturday, May 28, Orange County voters will have expanded options for casting a ballot in the June 7 Statewide Direct Primary Election when the Registrar of Voters opens 43 Vote Centers throughout the county.

Voters may use a Vote Center to request a replacement ballot, vote in-person, drop off their voted mail ballot, update their registration, or take care of other voting needs. These same services have been available for this election at the Registrar of Voters’ Santa Ana office since May 9.

On June 4, an additional 138 Vote Centers will open across the county with all 181 Vote Centers remaining open through Tuesday June 7, 2022.

Vote Center Hours:

• May 28 – June 3, 2022 (8 am – 5 pm) select Vote Centers open
• June 4 – June 6, 2022 (8 am – 8 pm) additional Vote Centers open
• June 7, 2022 (7 am – 8 pm)

Vote Centers in Santa Ana include:

Delhi Center, Opens May 28, 505 E Central Ave, Btwn Halladay St & Orange Ave
Jerome Center*, Opens May 28, 726 S Center St, Off Monte Vista Ave
Orange County Registrar of Voters, Opens May 28,1300 S Grand Ave Bldg C, Corner of Mcfadden Ave
Albert D. Salgado Community Center, Opens June 4, 706 N Newhope St, Btwn Hazard Ave & 5th St
Church of the Foothills, Opens June 4, 19211 Dodge Ave, Corner of Newport Ave.
Digital Media Center, Opens June 4, 1300 S Bristol St, Btwn Wilshire Ave & Edinger Ave
El Salvador Community Center, Opens June 4, 1825 W Civic Center Dr, Btwn Fairview St & Raitt St.
Latino Health Access, Opens June 4, 450 W 4th St, Btwn Ross St & Broadway
Orange County First Assembly of God*, Opens June 4, 1440 E Santa Clara Ave, Btwn Grand Ave & Tustin Ave.
Orange County Musicians Union, Opens June 4, 2050 S Main St, Btwn St Andrew Pl & St Gertrude Pl
Roosevelt-Walker Community Center, Opens June 4, 816 E Chestnut Ave, Corner of Standard Ave
Sandalwood Moblie Home Park, Opens June 4, 507 S Euclid St, Btwn 1st St & Mcfadden Ave
Santa Ana College – Gym, Opens June 4, 1530 W 17th St, Enter off 17th St (Park in Lot 1)
Second Baptist Church, Opens June 4, 4300 Westminster Ave, Btwn Harbor Blvd & Newhope St.

* Drive-thru ballot drop off option

All Vote Center sites meet usable accessibility requirements unless otherwise noted.

Voters can find the Vote Centers in their neighborhood by visiting Voting Locations | OC Vote. The Registrar of Voters’ interactive mapping tool also shows the locations of the 120 ballot drop boxes in the county.

Santa Ana Voter Guide for the June, 2022 Primary Election

Posted on May 20, 2022 by Editor Posted in 2022 Elections, Elections, Orange County, Politics, Santa Ana Leave a comment

Attorney General of California – The incumbent, Rob Bonta, a Democrat, was appointed by Gov. Gavin Newsom. He has been a pro-criminal disaster. We recommend Nathan Hochman, who served as Assistant U.S. Attorney for the Central District of California and Assistant Attorney General of the United States Department of Justice. Hochman is a Republican.
46th Congressional District – We recommend the incumbent, Lou Correa, who has consistently put the people of his district first. Correa is a Democrat who is pro-business and supports law enforcement.
U.S. Senate – the incumbent, Alex Padilla, should win easily. There are a ton of challengers from all parties. The California Republican Party has endorsed Mark Meuser.
California Governor – The incumbent, Gavin Newsom, has been inconsistent and financially irresponsible and has refused to suspend the gas tax. The California Republican Party has endorsed Senator Brian Dahle.
Lt. Governor of California – The incumbent is Eleni Kounalakis, a Democrat. The California Republican Party has endorsed Angela Underwood Jacobs, the Deputy Mayor of the City of Lancaster.
California Secretary of State – The incumbent is Shirley Weber, a Democrat. There are three Republicans running but none are endorsed by their party. Rachel Hamm, one of the Republicans, is a best-selling author, speaker, and the host of The Rachel Hamm Show.
California Treasurer – the incumbent is Fiona Ma, a Democrat. She made headlines this year for trying to help the boss of the Santa Ana Police union to pad his pension. We recommend Andrew Do, a Republican who serves on the O.C. Board of Supervisors.
California Controller – Malia Cohen is endorsed by the California Democratic Party. Lanhee Chen is endorsed by the California Republican Party.
California Superintendent of Public Instruction – the incumbent, Tony Thurmond, is a Democrat. Lance Christensen is endorsed by the California Republican Party. Thurmond is not very supportive of charter schools.
California Commissioner of Insurance – The incumbent, Ricardo Lara, is a Democrat. There are two Republicans in the race but neither has their party’s endorsement. One of the Republicans is Greg Conlon, a perpetual candidate for various state offices. Conlon is a CPA and was a senior partner in a Big Five accounting firm for nearly three decades. The other is Robert Howell, who personally owns and operates an electronics firm in the Silicon Valley. We are not fans of Lara who has over-politicized the office.
California State Senate District 34 – the incumbent is Tom Umberg, who we support. He is opposed by a Republican, Rhonda Shader, who is endorsed by her party.
California State Assembly District 68 – the incumbent, Tom Daly, is retiring. His Chief of Staff, Avelino Valencia, is running for the seat. Valencia is also a member of the Anaheim City Council. Both Daly and Valencia have been supported by the same political cabal in Anaheim that is currently in hot water for various shenanigans involving the Mayor, Harry Sidhu, and the sale of part of the Angels Stadium. We are supporting Mike Tardif, a Republican from Santa Ana who has a long history of community and neighborhood involvement. He is also endorsed by the California Republican Party.
Orange County District Attorney-Public Administrator – We are supporting the incumbent, Todd Spitzer, a Republican. He has many issues but is consistently tough on criminals. His main opponent, Pete Hardin, a Democrat, is similar to the L.A. District Attorney, George Gascon in that he is generally in support of the criminals, not the general public.

Who will you vote for in the OC 2nd Supervisorial District?

Orange County Superintendent of Schools – the incumbent is Al Mijares, a former SAUSD Superintendent. He is opposed by Stefan Bean, an independent. Bean was born in Vietnam and lost his wife to breast cancer. He is the Superintendent of the Aspire Public Schools, in Los Angeles. Mijares is paid $441,213.00 a year, which is ridiculous. As such we are voting for Bean.
Orange County Assessor – the incumbent, Claude Parrish, is widely known to be a few sandwiches short of a picnic. We are supporting Larry Bales, He has worked in the Assessor’s office and most importantly is not Claude Parrish, who we feel might be one of the most ridiculous office holders in Orange County. Rick Foster is the candidate endorsed by the Democratic Party of Orange County. He does not appear to have any relevant experience but his website noted that he has worked in both the finance and mortgage sectors and obtained residential real estate and broker licenses.
Orange County Auditor-Controller – the only candidate on the ballot is Andrew Hamilton, an independent with many Republican endorsements. He is a CPA.
Orange County Clerk-Recorder – we support the incumbent, Hugh Nguyen, who has cleaned up the mess left behind by his predecessor, Tom Daly, who overly politicized the office. Nguyen is endorsed by the Republican Party of Orange County. Nguyen has found many ways to improve services while reducing his office’s budget.
Orange County Sheriff-Coroner – the incumbent, Don Barnes, is running unopposed. He is endorsed by the Orange County Republican Party.
Orange County Treasurer-Tax Collector – the incumbent, Shari Freidenrich, an independent, is unopposed.
California State Board of Equalization District 4 – the incumbent, Mike Schaefer, is a Democrat. We do not like two of the Republicans who are running, Dennis Bilodeau and Matthew Harper. We are supporting Erik Peterson, also a Republican, mostly because he is not Bilodeau or Harper. Peterson serves on the H.B. City Council.
Orange County Board of Supervisors, District 2 – The Democratic Party of Orange County has endorsed Vicente Sarmiento, who is the current Mayor of Santa Ana. We are not fans of Sarmiento. If voting for a Democrat is important to you we recommend Kim Bernice Nguyen, who serves on the Garden Grove City Council. Nguyen has the support of several Santa Ana City Council Members including David Penaloza, Thai Viet Phan and Nelida Mendoza. There are two Republicans in the race including Jon Dumitru, a member of the Orange City Council, and former Santa Ana City Council Member Ceci Iglesias. Of those two we prefer Iglesias. Another former Santa Ana City Council Member, Juan Villegas, is also running. He has worked in law enforcement for over 25 years. If addressing crime is important to you he is the one to vote for. We support both Iglesias and Villegas for this seat.
OC Superior Court Judge, Office #5 – Remember former Santa Ana City Councilwoman Claudia Alvarez? She has been a prosecutor at the OCDA for years and is now running for this judicial seat. She is a Democrat but is very pro law enforcement, in fact she has the support of popular OC Sheriff Don Barnes, a Republican. She is also endorsed by many judges and by Congressman Lou Correa. We are supporting Alvarez as she is most likely to be tough on criminals. Her opponents include Daniel Espinosa, who is endorsed by former L.A. District Attorney Gil Garcetti; and Kimberly La Salle, who is endorsed by about a dozen judges. She has has served as both a former Deputy District Attorney and Deputy Public Defender, which is unique.
OC Superior Court Judge, Office #9 – Christopher Duff is backed by the Orange County Republican Party. The other candidate is Joe Dane, an independent.
OC Superior Court Judge, Office #11 – Shawn Nelson is backed by the Orange County Republican Party. Marc Gibbons is backed by the Democratic Party of Orange County. Nelson has our support.
OC Superior Court Judge, Office #21– Ray Brown is backed by the Democratic Party of Orange County. The other candidate is Erin Beltran Rowe. We support Rowe as she is a prosecutor who will be tough on criminals.
OC Superior Court Judge, Office #22 – Brahim Baytieh served as a Senior Assistant District Attorney but was fired during an evidence scandal. Fred Fascenelli is an attorney and has his own firm however he has no experience in prosecution. Craig E. Kleffman has prosecuted more than 70 jury trials. His website notes that Bayieh was fired from the OCDA’s office.
OC Superior Court Judge, Office #28 – Jessica Cha ran for the Santa Ana City Council a few years ago against then Councilman Vicente Sarmiento. Cha is endorsed by the Democratic Party of Orange County. Eric Scarbrough is her opponent. He is an O.C. Senior Deputy District Attorney who has tried more than eighty (80) cases to verdict including a case against a serial killer. Cha’s background is in family law. We like her but suspect Scarbrough will be more focused on trying and sentencing criminals.
OC Superior Court Judge, Office #30 – Peggy Huang is backed by the Orange County Republican Party. Michele Bell is endorsed by the Democratic Party of Orange County. We support Huang for this seat.
OC Superior Court Judge, Office #33 – Steve McGreevy is backed by the Orange County Republican Party. McGreevy has tried 115 jury trials, 42 homicides and currently heads the Orange County District Attorney’s Homicide Unit. Thomas E. Martin is an attorney who co-founded American Legal Technology Awards Gala and is the CEO and Founder at LawDroid, Intelligent Automation for the Legal Industry and ABA Legal Rebel. Brett Wiseman has been with Madison Law, APC since 2016. His practice focuses on construction law, employment law, and complex civil litigation.
OC Superior Court Judge, Office #45 – The two candidates are Israel Claustro, an OCDA prosecutor; and Kevin Brian Jones, a Superior Court Commissioner. Claustro is endorsed by many judges and OC Sheriff Don Barnes.

Resources:

Santa Ana finally has a new City Council ward map

Posted on April 27, 2022 by Editor Posted in Civic Affairs, Elections, Politics, Santa Ana Leave a comment

The once-a-decade responsibility to adjust the City of Santa Ana ward boundaries to reflect population changes and communities of interest has been finalized. The City of Santa Ana wants to thank everyone who participated in the redistricting process.

On April 5, 2022, the Santa Ana City Council unanimously adopted the final map by Resolution No. 2022-022, which went into effect immediately. On April 19, 2022, the City Council unanimously adopted Ordinance No. NS-3018 establishing new boundary lines. By law, the City Council had to submit the new map to the Orange County Registrar of Voters prior to April 15 to ensure the November 8, 2022, general election reflects the new boundaries. The new ward boundaries for wards 2, 4, and 6 will be used for the November 8, 2022, election.

Enter your address on the map of new boundaries to locate the ward you reside in at www.santa-ana.org/elections.

Nuevo Mapa de Distrito del Concejo Municipal

La responsabilidad de una vez por década de ajustar los límites de los distritos de la Ciudad de Santa Ana para reflejar los cambios de población y las comunidades de interés ha finalizado. La Ciudad de Santa Ana quiere agradecer a todos los que participaron en el proceso de redistribución de distritos.

El 5 de abril de 2022, el Concejo Municipal de Santa Ana aprobó por unanimidad el mapa definitivo mediante Resolución N° 2022-022, que entró en vigor de inmediato. El 19 de abril de 2022, el Concejo Municipal adoptó por unanimidad la Ordenanza No. NS-3018 que establece nuevos límites. Por ley, el Concejo Municipal tuvo que enviar el nuevo mapa al Registro de Votantes del Condado de Orange antes del 15 de abril para garantizar que las elecciones generales del 8 de noviembre de 2022 reflejen los nuevos límites. Los nuevos límites de distrito para los distritos 2, 4 y 6 se van a usar para las elecciones del 8 de noviembre de 2022.

Busque su dirección en el mapa de los límites nuevos para ubicar el distrito en el que reside en www.santa-ana.org/elections.

Bản Đồ Khu Vực Mới của Hội Đồng Thành Phố

Trách nhiệm mười năm một lần về việc điều chỉnh ranh giới khu của Thành Phố Santa Ana để phản ánh sự thay đổi dân số và các mối quan tâm của cộng đồng đã được thông qua. Thành Phố Santa Ana trân trọng gửi lời cảm ơn đến tất cả đã tham gia vào quy trình phân bổ lại khu vực.

Vào Ngày 5 Tháng Tư, 2022, Hội Đồng Thành Phố Santa Ana đã đồng thuận thông qua bản đồ cuối cùng bằng Nghị Quyết Số 2022-022, và nghị quyết này có hiệu lực ngay lập tức. Ngày 19 Tháng Tư, 2022, Hội Đồng Thành Phố cũng đồng thuận thông qua Sắc Lệnh Số NS-3018 để thiết lập các đường ranh giới mới. Theo luật, Hội Đồng Thành Phố phải nộp bản đồ mới này cho Sở Ghi Danh Cử Tri Quận Orange trước Ngày 15 Tháng Tư để chắc chắn rằng cuộc tổng tuyển cử Ngày 8 Tháng Mười Một, 2022 sẽ phản ánh các ranh giới mới. Ranh giới mới của các khu 2, 4, và 6 sẽ được sử dụng trong cuộc bầu cử Ngày 8 Tháng Mười Một, 2022.

Hãy nhập địa chỉ của quý vị vào bản đồ với các đường ranh giới mới để xác định vị trí khu mà quý vị cư trú www.santa-ana.org/elections.

Santa Ana College will host a Primary Election Candidates Forum on April 27

Posted on April 26, 2022 by Editor Posted in 2022 Elections, Elections, Politics, Santa Ana Leave a comment

Santa Ana College is hosting a candidates forum on Wednesday, April 27, from 4:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. that will include the candidates for District 2 of the Orange County Board of Supervisors and the candidates running for the 68th State Assembly District.

The forum location is the Johnson Student Center, Room 219, at Santa Ana College, which is located at 1530 W. 17th Street.

Who do you support for the O.C. Board of Supervisors in District 2?

This event is free, but attendees are encouraged to register in advance by calling 714-541-5353 or by sending an email to fdelariva@santaanachamber.com.

The District 2 candidates for the O.C. Board of Supervisors include two Democrats – Vicente Sarmiento and Kim Bernice Nguyen; Ceci Iglesias, a Republican; and Juan Villegas, an independent.

The candidates for the 68th Assembly District include Avelino Valencia and Bulmaro Vicente, who are both Democrats, and Mike Tardif and James Wallace who are both Repulicans.

This forum is presented by the Santa Ana Chamber of Commerce and the Southern California Gas Company.

Spitzer to skip out on the OCDA candidates debate set for April 25

Posted on April 21, 2022 by Editor Posted in 2022 Elections, Elections, OCDA, Pete Hardin, Politics, Santa Ana, Todd Spitzer Leave a comment

ORANGE, CA – Organizers of the first public debate for Orange County District Attorney have confirmed that Todd Spitzer has refused their invitation. All other candidates have confirmed their attendance for Monday’s debate, which will be held Monday, April 25th, from 6PM to 8PM. Members of the public and the media can register to attend here.

“With homicides at a 22-year high, homelessness at record levels, and with his administration devolving into a circus–it appears Todd Spitzer just figured out that defending his record is simply impossible,” said former Marine Judge Advocate Pete Hardin. “If he’s not up for a public discussion on the issues voters care about, he’s not up to the job of District Attorney.”

Pete Hardin has accepted all four debate invitations. The first debate will be held this upcoming Monday, April 25th, from 6PM to 8PM. Members of the public and the media can register to attend here.

Current Orange County District Attorney Republican Todd Spitzer’s tenure has been defined by scandal. Most recently, Spitzer made racist remarks when discussing whether or not to seek the death penalty against a Black man. Four women in Spitzer’s office have filed claims asserting Spitzer promoted an employee and close friend despite having been made aware of the sexual harassment complaints against him. Spitzer later allowed the employee, who was the best man at his wedding, to retire with top flight benefits. Spitzer also attempted to drop sexual assault charges against high-profile defendants, leading a judge to remove him from the case. Survivors of the sexual assault survivors were “dragged through the mud” and “grossly mistreated” by Spitzer for two and a half years, leading two of them to abandon their case.

Spitzer has been involved in an evidence booking scandal, a jailhouse informant scandal, and has defamed a victim of OC’s deadliest mass shooting as retaliation for peaceful protest. Spitzer has also defended a DNA collection program known informally as “Spit and Acquit” that coerces defendants to give up their DNA to law enforcement, a practice the ACLU has called “unconstitutional.”

Pete Hardin is a former Judge Advocate in the U.S. Marine Corps, Deputy District Attorney, Special Assistant United States Attorney, and one of Southern California’s leading litigators running for Orange County District Attorney. Pete entered public service when, in 2005, he earned his commission as a second lieutenant in the Marine Corps. A combat veteran, Pete served in Helmand Province, Afghanistan in 2011 and 2012 as a member of 1st Reconnaissance Battalion. Pete is a member of the Democratic Party.

Orange County’s rapidly changing electorate has led Democrats to now outnumber Republicans in Orange County holding a 4.1% voter registration advantage.

Sarmiento caught using non-union political campaign signs

Posted on April 12, 2022 by Editor Posted in 2022 Elections, Democratic Party, Elections, Juan Villegas, Kim Nguyen, Labor, Politics, Santa Ana, Vince Sarmiento 3 Comments

If there is one rule that Democrat candidates in Orange County must follow it is to buy campaign signs made at union print shops. Getting support from labor unions is a very big deal for Democrats in Orange County. So imagine the chagrin of local union members when they are discovering that Santa Ana Mayor Vicente Sarmiento is using campaign signs to promote his campaign for District 2 of the O.C. Board of Supervisors without the “union bug” seal of approval.

Who do you support for the O.C. Board of Supervisors in District 2?

Sarmiento’s leading challenger from within the Democratic Party is Garden Grove City Council Member Kim Bernice Nguyen. Her campaign signs do have the union bug on them.

Juan Villegas campaign sign with the union seal

This is such a big deal that even Decline to State candidate Juan Villegas made sure his campaign signs were made at a union print shop!

This might be why so many of Orange County’s leading Democrats are NOT supporting Sarmiento for District 2. Instead they are jumping on to the Nguyen campaign including these elected officials:

Nelida Mendoza, Santa Ana City Councilmember
David Penaloza, Santa Ana City Councilmember
Thai Viet Phan, Santa Ana City Councilmember
Valerie Amezcua, Santa Ana Unified School Board Trustee
Katie Porter, Congresswoman, 45th District
Dave Min, State Senator, 37th District
Sharon Quirk-Silva, Assemblywoman, 65th District
Tiffany Ackley, Aliso Viejo City Councilmember
Richard Hurt, Aliso Viejo City Councilmember
Mark Lopez, Anaheim Elementary School Boardmember
Andrea Marr, Costa Mesa City Councilmember
Arlis Reynolds, Costa Mesa City Councilmember
Glenn Grandis, Fountain Valley City Councilmember
John O’Neill, Garden Grove City Councilmember
Diedre Thu-Ha Nguyen, Garden Grove Mayor Pro-Tem
Dan Kalmick, Huntington Beach City Councilmember
Natalie Moser, Huntington Beach City Councilmember
Rhonda Bolton, Huntington Beach City Councilmember
Farrah Khan, Irvine Mayor
Tammy Kim, Irvine City Councilmember
Ana Page, Orange Unified School Board Trustee
Kris Erickson, Orange Unified School Board Vice President
Letitia Clark, Tustin Mayor

Nguyen was also recently endorsed by State Senator Tom Umberg and Congressman Alan Lowenthal.

Note that THREE members of the Santa Ana City Council are NOT supporting Sarmiento. Instead these Council Members, which include David Penaloza, Thai Viet Phan and Nelida Mendoza, are all backing Nguyen. What does that tell you?

Sarmiento may have sealed his fate in this race when he veered very far to the left after becoming Santa Ana’s Mayor in a race where he only garnered 33% of the vote. Sarmiento has since resorted to calling police officers murderers and passing a flawed eviction and rent control measure that angered many residents of Santa Ana.

You can learn more about Nguyen at www.votekimnguyen.com.

Judge rules OCDA candidate Pete Hardin’s ballot statement broke the law

Posted on April 1, 2022 by Editor Posted in 2022 Elections, Courts, Elections, Orange County, Pete Hardin, Politics, Todd Spitzer Leave a comment

(ORANGE COUNTY, CA) – Today, an Orange County Superior Court judge ruled in favor of Orange County District Attorney Todd Spitzer in his challenge of Pete Hardin’s unlawful ballot statement. As a result, an entire portion of Hardin’s ballot statement has been removed because of its flagrant violation of the law.

Election law forbids candidates from attacking their opponents directly in their ballot statement. In Hardin’s case, the judge ordered an entire paragraph be deleted due to its blatant violation of this rule. Not only were the attacks illegal, but they were also demonstrably false.

Todd Spitzer’s reelect campaign released the following statement in response to the legal victory:

“Pete the cheat is at it again, this time flagrantly breaking election law and then losing badly in court. This is the same unqualified and dishonest candidate who was kicked out of the military for adultery and then left the OCDA’s office in disgrace after supervisors caught him hitting on defendants and witnesses. Hardin’s disturbing pattern of behavior also includes covering up the shooting of a Naval corpsman, lying on his resume, and repeatedly lying to media and voters about his past conduct. The same thing happens everywhere Hardin goes – he breaks the rules, gets caught red-handed, and then falls flat on his face. What makes Hardin so dangerous is that he will literally do or say anything to get elected and turn Orange County into another Los Angeles or San Francisco.”
– Todd Spitzer’s reelect campaign.

The Sarmiento Supervisorial campaign lost a court battle today

Posted on March 30, 2022 by Editor Posted in 2022 Elections, Elections, Orange County, Politics, Santa Ana, Vince Sarmiento 1 Comment

Santa Ana Mayor Vince Sarmiento lost a court battle today and as a result his candidate statement for the 2nd District of the OC Board of Supervisors won’t be able to note that he was endorsed by the Democratic Party of Orange County, according to the OC Independent.

State law prohibits the mention of political parties in ballot statements for non-partisan offices. Sarmiento should have known this and perhaps he did but he gambled that he might get away with it. However a local resident, Ivana Unger, took him to court and she won.

Ironically Sarmiento was represented in court on this matter by the same bankruptcy and marijuana lawyer, Glenn Calsada, who tried to save Roman Reyna in another lawsuit over a political campaign. Reyna lost that case too and was fined and banned from ever running for public office in Orange County again.

Who do you support for the O.C. Board of Supervisors in District 2?

Sarmiento apparently has a working relationship with Caldada. He noted in his annual financial disclosure that he is paid between $10,000 and $100,000 a year as an employee of Calsada’s law firm.

Sarmiento’s court loss means he will have to spend thousands of dollars to send mail to the voters explaining that he is the candidate endorsed by the Democratic Party of Orange County.

Sarmiento is not the only Democrat running for the 2nd District. Garden Grove City Councilwoman Kim Bernice Nguyen, who is of Vietnamese and Mexican American descent, is also running and has been picking up quite a few endorsements. In fact she is endorsed by three City of Santa Ana Council Members – Nelida Mendoza; Thai Viet Phan and David Penaloza. She also recently was endorsed by State Senator Tom Umberg. Nguyen by the way has far more in common with the 2nd District residents than Sarmiento, who hails from Bolivia.

Other candidates for the 2nd District include two Republicans, former Santa Ana City Councilwoman Ceci Iglesias and Orange City Councilman Jon Dumitru and an independent, Juan Villegas, a former Santa Ana City Councilman and a longtime member of the OC Sheriff’s Department. Villegas is the only candidate for the 2nd District with a background in law enforcement.

OCDA Spitzer sues to delete portions of Hardin’s candidate statement

Posted on March 28, 2022 by Editor Posted in 2022 Elections, Elections, OC Voter Registrar, OCDA, Pete Hardin, Politics, Santa Ana, Todd Spitzer Leave a comment

ORANGE – Todd Spitzer’s campaign has sued the Orange County Registrar of Voters to keep certain information out of the official guide that the county sends voters in the mail. Today, at 1:30 p.m., attorneys for Todd Spitzer will argue before the Honorable Nathan Scott in Department W2 of the Superior Court that the voters should not receive information detailing the office’s scandals ranging from sexual harassment to racism, corruption and criminal misconduct.

“These are important facts that the voters need to make an informed decision about who should be the next District Attorney,” said former Marine Judge Advocate Pete Hardin. “Without understanding the scandals unfolding within the District Attorney’s office, how are voters supposed to know what qualifications are important in selecting a replacement? From rampant sexual harassment to racism and pay-to-play corruption, voters are entitled to hear why we need new leadership. Democracy dies in darkness, and Todd Spitzer wants to blindfold the voters.”

In documents filed with the court, Spitzer’s attorneys avoid challenging the truth of data detailing soaring crime and homelessness, instead choosing to plead with the court to remove a section of Pete Hardin’s candidate statement detailing the various scandals facing the office. That passage reads:

“The District Attorney’s office is plagued with scandals, from rampant sexual harassment and racism that has undermined the prosecution of dangerous offenders, to pay-for-play political corruption and criminal misconduct. Furthermore, a man that sexually harassed multiple women was promoted after allegations of his misconduct were reported.”

Spitzer’s lawsuit relies on winding arguments and a number of factually misleading claims in a court filing, with his attorneys making the audacious claim that the statements above are untrue. For example, Spitzer’s attorneys go so far as to claim Spitzer “did not do anything wrong” in the ever-growing sexual harassment scandal. Spitzer’s attorney’s also rely on an Elections Code Section which specifies that candidates may not reference other candidates. However, no other candidates were referenced in Hardin’s ballot statement.

Ironically, when Spitzer ran for District Attorney in 2018, his candidate statement similarly referenced issues within the District Attorney’s office such as the “snitch scandal” and “not-guilty verdicts.” Pete Hardin’s candidate statement similarly references issues within the District Attorney’s office that he seeks to overcome once elected.

“Whether he’s lying to the court to cover up his racist remarks, violating the county’s abusive conduct policy, arresting someone at Wahoo’s Fish tacos, or attempting to keep public information from the voters, Todd Spitzer doesn’t think the rules apply to him,” said former Marine Judge Advocate Pete Hardin.

About Pete Hardin

Orange County’s rapidly changing electorate has led Democrats to now outnumber Republicans in Orange County holding a 4.1% voter registration advantage.

Woke OCDA candidate Pete Hardin caught red handed lying about sexual misconduct again

Posted on March 15, 2022 by Editor Posted in 2022 Elections, Elections, OCDA, Pete Hardin, Politics, Santa Ana, Todd Spitzer 3 Comments

(ORANGE COUNTY, CA) – Woke OCDA candidate Pete Hardin was caught red handed lying about his history of sexual misconduct, again. Hardin has developed a clear pattern of dishonesty to accompany his well-documented pattern of inappropriate sexual misconduct.

Hardin’s most recent lie was called out by the Orange County Register on March 9 (“OCDA candidate Peter Hardin was warned about being seen as ‘womanizer’ while a prosecutor”):

“In an interview earlier this week with the Voice of OC, Hardin apparently denied being confronted with the specific allegations [of sexual misconduct] in the memo during the 2015 meeting. But, in his statement Wednesday to the Register, Hardin indicated that he understood why his supervisors held the meeting.”

A detailed account of Hardin’s inappropriate behavior and blatant dishonesty is provided below.

Hardin lied about being forced out of the military for sexual misconduct.
- While Hardin admitted he was ultimately discharged for inappropriate sexual misconduct, he told the Orange County Register he did not resign to escape criminal prosecution, stating: “I did not resign in lieu of a court-martial.”
- But according to Hardin’s former supervisors at the OCDA’s office: “[Hardin] was up front [during his background check] that he left the military, at least in part, due to possible criminal prosecution for adultery.”
Hardin lied about his knowledge of a memo detailing his problems with sexual misconduct at the OCDA’s office.
- When Hardin was initially asked about the memo during an interview with Voice of OC on February 25, he stated unequivocally, “I was never told about this memo or these allegations.”
- But according to a report on March 8, former Senior Assistant DA Jaime Coulter told the Voice of OC: “The contents of that memo were discussed with [Hardin] personally, face to face. I was present in the room.”
Hardin lied about being confronted by his supervisors at the OCDA’s office over his sexual misconduct.
- When the Voice of OC asked Hardin about Coulter’s account of the meeting, which flatly contradicted his own, Hardin continued to falsely claim the meeting never took place: “I would not forget being confronted with allegations.”
- But March 9, one day later, Hardin acknowledged that the meeting did in fact take place: “Ultimately, Ms. Contini and Mr. Coulter did what they’re supposed to do as managers whether these anonymous accusations were truth or fiction, and I applaud them.”
Hardin lied about being exonerated for sexual misconduct allegations.
- Now that Hardin has been forced to admit he was confronted by supervisors about his sexual misconduct (after initially lying repeatedly), he is falsely claiming that he was he was exonerated: “the investigation into these anonymous allegations didn’t corroborate a single accusation and disproved the most lofty claims.”
- But the memo about Hardin’s behavior states: “[There is] a pattern that appears to be developing that is clearly cause for concern”.
- And according to Coulter, when Hardin was confronted directly about the allegations in the memo and had an opportunity to deny them: “[Hardin] did not contest the allegations. He listened to the information and gave the appearance of being contrite.”
Hardin lied about the reason he resigned from the OCDA’s office.
- Hardin told the Voice of OC he resigned from the OCDA’s office to take a prestigious job at the US Attorney’s Office.
- But according to Hardin’s former supervisor, Hardin took vacation time shortly after he was confronted about the sexual misconduct allegations (none of which he denied at the time), then immediately resigned: “[Hardin] was counseled pursuant to the memo. And then…he left shortly after that. Left the DA’s office.”
- And according to the US Attorney’s website, the prestigious job Hardin left for (Special Assistant United State Attorney), was actually nothing more than an unpaid internship.

Orange County District Attorney Todd Spitzer released the following statement about Hardin’s misconduct and dishonesty:

“As the District Attorney, one of my most important jobs is to protect women from sexual predators, including women in my own office and in our courtrooms. I am calling on Pete Hardin to drop out of the race immediately for their sakes. Pete Hardin personally betrayed his oath to the District Attorney’s Office, and he has demonstrated he cannot be trusted. Men like Hardin, who seek to leverage significant imbalances of power to coerce women into having sex with them, are some of the biggest losers in our society. Hardin’s disturbing behavior is not a one off; it fits a repeated pattern that follows him everywhere he goes, including getting kicked out of the military for sexual misconduct. Hardin is dangerous, untrustworthy, and unfit for office – I am going to do everything in my power stop him in his tracks and protect Orange County.”

Former Santa Ana City Council Member Claudia Alvarez has pulled papers to run for Superior Court Judge

Posted on March 10, 2022 by Editor Posted in 2022 Elections, Claudia Alvarez, Courts, Elections, Lawyers, Santa Ana Leave a comment

Former Santa Ana City Council Member Claudia Alvarez has pulled papers to run for the Superior Court, in District 5. She also served on the Rancho Santiago Community College District’s Board of Trustees and currently works as a prosecutor for the OCDA, Todd Spitzer.

Alvarez ran for May of Santa Ana in 2020 and came in second behind Vince Sarmiento who only got 35% of the vote.

Who do you support for the O.C. Board of Supervisors in District 2?

Here are all the candidates for District 5 of the State Superior Court:

Claudia C. Alvarez, (no proposed ballot title yet, had not qualified for ballot as of March 8)
Daniel (Dan) Espinosa, (no proposed ballot title yet, had not qualified for ballot as of March 8)
Michael Jones, (no proposed ballot title yet, had not qualified for ballot as of March 8)
Kimberly La Salle, (no proposed ballot title yet, had not qualified for ballot as of March 8)

Note that the candidates must obtain enough nomination signatures to qualify for the ballot. So far none has.

We now know who pulled papers to run for the 2nd O.C. Supervisorial District

Posted on March 10, 2022 by Editor Posted in 2022 Elections, Cecilia Iglesias, Elections, Juan Villegas, Kim Nguyen, Orange, Orange County, Politics, Santa Ana, Vince Sarmiento Leave a comment

Juan Villegas is the first candidate to qualify for the District 2 ballot

We now have more clarity as to which candidates will be possibly running for the vacant 2nd O.C. Supervisorial District, which includes most of Santa Ana as well as parts of Anaheim, Orange and Garden Grove.

The following candidates pulled papers to run but they have not yet turned in, apparently, the nomination signatures needed to be placed on the March 8 ballot (except for Juan Villegas who has already qualified for the ballot):

Juan Villegas, (former Santa Ana City Council Member who works for the OC Sheriff’s department, he is the first candidate to qualify for the ballot)
Jon Dumitru, (Orange City Council Member, had not qualified for ballot as of March 8)
Cecilia “Ceci” Iglesias, (former Santa Ana City Council Member and SAUSD School Board Member, had not qualified for ballot as of March 8)
Bryan Kaye, (possibly an Anaheim resident with no previous political experience, had not qualified for ballot as of March 8)
Kim Bernice Nguyen, (Garden Grove City Council Member, had not qualified for ballot as of March 8)
Vicente Sarmiento, (Santa Ana Mayor, had not qualified for ballot as of March 8)

Our informal poll shows that Sarmiento is not in the lead. He could be in trouble as he and Kim Bernice Nguyen pretty much hold the same positions and appeal to the same voters.

Who do you support for the O.C. Board of Supervisors in District 2?

Villegas is the first candidate to qualify for the ballot. He has a lot of support in the business community and as a member of law enforcement will stand in stark contrast to Sarmiento who is likely dreading the eventual campaign mailers which will remind the voters that he referred to the Anaheim police officers who shot and killed a criminal in Santa Ana after a police pursuit as murderers.

Andrew Do announces bid for California Treasurer

Posted on March 9, 2022 by Editor Posted in 2022 Elections, Andrew Do, California, Elections, Politics Leave a comment

HUNTINGTON BEACH – Orange County Supervisor Andrew Do has filed the necessary paperwork to become California’s next State Treasurer. In doing so, Do seeks to become the first Vietnamese-American to hold statewide office in California.

Do’s perspective on public service remains defined by the hardship he and his family felt as refugees from war, fleeing the Fall of Saigon with just the clothes on his back.

“As State Treasurer I look forward to reforming our state’s investment and financing structures while managing our assets with an eye on protecting working families and those most in need,” said Do.

Do’s background as a refugee drove him to law school where he focused his studies on helping marginalized communities by volunteering to provide legal assistance to the homeless, poor and indigent. Today, Do continues his passion for helping those who are less fortunate on a larger platform.

Do’s public service began when he joined the Public Defender’s office in 1990. In 1997, he joined the District Attorney’s office and served as a Deputy District Attorney prosecuting Sexually Violent Predators. Do was previously elected by his community to the Garden Grove City Council and he now serves on the Orange County Board of Supervisors, while still acting as Chief Financial Officer for his business.

Andrew Do’s experience as an elected County Supervisor, former deputy District Attorney, and Chief Financial Officer of his business have uniquely prepared him to serve as California’s next State Treasurer.

Spitzer calls on Hardin to drop out of the OCDA race due to history of sexual misconduct

Posted on March 8, 2022 by Editor Posted in 2022 Elections, Cochino Alert, Democratic Party, Elections, OCDA, Pete Hardin, Politics, Todd Spitzer Leave a comment

(ORANGE COUNTY, CA) – According to a breaking report from the Voice of OC and a retired senior prosecutor who was in the room at the time, woke District Attorney candidate Pete Hardin was confronted by his former supervisor at the OCDA’s office over numerous allegations of sexual misconduct. The allegations were detailed in a memo that was first reported on by the Washington Examiner in January.

When Hardin was initially asked about the memo during an interview with Voice of OC on February 25, he flat out lied, stating that he “was never told about this memo or these allegations.”

Who do you support for the O.C. Board of Supervisors in District 2?

Since that interview took place, former Senior Assistant DA Jaime Coulter has corroborated the authenticity of the memo and stated that he was in the room at the time when Hardin was confronted about his inappropriate behavior.

In an interview with the Voice of OC, Coulter stated: “The contents of that memo were discussed with [Hardin] personally, face to face. I was present in the room when [Hardin’s direct supervisor] Jen Contini re-counseled him, pursuant to the memo. We went over the substance of the memo, counseling [Hardin] in regards to what was written in the memo. He did not contest them. He listened and gave the appearance of being contrite. And then he left the DA’s office shortly thereafter. He resigned.”

Hardin has falsely claimed that his resignation from the OCDA’s office had nothing to do with the memo or allegations against him, and that he left for a prestigious position at the US Attorney’s Office. However, according to the list of job openings on the US Attorney’s website and the job title listed on Hardin’s own resume (“Special Assistant U.S. Attorney”), the position was nothing more than an unpaid internship.

These troubling revelations further substantiate a disturbing pattern of behavior and dishonesty that includes Hardin being kicked out of the Marines for sexual misconduct because he violated rules against adultery.

Orange County District Attorney Todd Spitzer released the following statement in response:

“As the District Attorney, one of my most important jobs is to protect women from sexual predators, including women in my own office and in our courtrooms. I am calling on Pete Hardin to drop out of the Jaime Coulter race immediately for their sakes. Pete Hardin personally betrayed his oath to the District Attorney’s Office, and he has demonstrated he cannot be trusted. Men like Hardin, who seek to leverage significant imbalances of power to coerce women into having sex with them, are some of the biggest losers in our society. Hardin’s disturbing behavior is not a one off; it fits a repeated pattern that follows him everywhere he goes, including getting kicked out of the military for sexual misconduct. Hardin is dangerous, untrustworthy, and unfit for office – I am going to do everything in my power stop him in his tracks and protect Orange County.”

New Santa Ana

Category Archives: Elections

Councilman Hernandez’ scheme to allow the undocumented to vote in Santa Ana has been shelved

O.C. Primary Election vote centers will begin to open up on May 28

Santa Ana Voter Guide for the June, 2022 Primary Election

Resources:

Santa Ana finally has a new City Council ward map

Nuevo Mapa de Distrito del Concejo Municipal

Bản Đồ Khu Vực Mới của Hội Đồng Thành Phố

Santa Ana College will host a Primary Election Candidates Forum on April 27

Spitzer to skip out on the OCDA candidates debate set for April 25

Sarmiento caught using non-union political campaign signs

Judge rules OCDA candidate Pete Hardin’s ballot statement broke the law

The Sarmiento Supervisorial campaign lost a court battle today

OCDA Spitzer sues to delete portions of Hardin’s candidate statement

Woke OCDA candidate Pete Hardin caught red handed lying about sexual misconduct again

Former Santa Ana City Council Member Claudia Alvarez has pulled papers to run for Superior Court Judge

We now know who pulled papers to run for the 2nd O.C. Supervisorial District

Andrew Do announces bid for California Treasurer

Spitzer calls on Hardin to drop out of the OCDA race due to history of sexual misconduct