Councilman Tinajero is willing to blow Santa Ana’s $40M rainy day fund in order to remain a Sanctuary City

U.S. President Donald Trump signed an executive order today that will cut some federal money to so-called “sanctuary cities” without defining which funding will be cut or what communities the administration will define as sanctuaries, according to the O.C. Register.

Santa Ana gets about $123 million in federal funds every year – although I heard a report on a radio news station today that the funding is closer to $30 million a year. Santa Ana Councilman Sal Tinajero told that news station that the City of Santa Ana can afford to lose that $30 million a year as we have a rainy day fund with $40 million in it. His comments were also reported by Fox News.

Should our City Council really jeopardize our rainy day fund in order to cater to residents who cannot even vote? It does not make any sense to me.

I have no issue with immigrants. My own parents came to this country from Mexico. But experts are saying that Santa Ana’s Sanctuary City status could make our city a magnet for criminals who are on the run from the law. Like Rigoberto Arevalo Cubias, the undocumented immigrant from El Salvador who sexually assaulted a five-year old girl in Fullerton on Dec. 21 of last year, then disappeared. Imagine if he is hiding somewhere in our city even now? Our Sanctuary City ordinance prevents our city officials from helping to turn him over to the Fullerton police!

What I really don’t understand is why our City Council is pandering to insane left-wing activists by making our city a Sanctuary City when there are so many other real problems that we need to be dealing with. For one thing the gang violence in our city is completely out of control. For another our city’s infrastructure is a real problem. Just look at all the flooding that happened in our city over the past week. And I am told that our city’s finances were manipulated by our fired City Manager, David Cavazos. Our city is in a very precarious fiscal position!

This week a group of immigrant and LGBTQ rights organizers demanded a meeting with and answers from Councilman Jose Solorio, following reports of moves on his part to rally support for the city’s ICE Contract and preservation of the city jail, including from the city’s employees union SEIU 721.

Are these people completely daft? If Santa Ana cancels the ICE contract – which allows our city to make a lot of money by renting jail cells to ICE to hold undocumented immigrant criminals, our city won’t be able to make the jail’s bond payments – a default that will cost the taxpayers millions!

Do we need immigration reform in this country? Absolutely! It is too hard to come here legally. However that is a job for the U.S. Congress. It is not up to our City Council to get involved in immigration. This is a Federal issue. I expect our City Council to tend to the local issues that they were elected to do. It is time for our City Council to stop pandering to activists who probably don’t even live here and to folks who cannot vote, do not pay most taxes and often expect our government to pay for their food, medical bills and their children’s education.

Did you know that all the money we make from January 1 to April 24 goes to pay our taxes?  That is why April 24 is called Tax Freedom Day. Most folks don’t know that. But it is a fact. A third of our income is stripped away by city, county, state and Federal taxes. The least we can expect as a return for our money is efficient government focused on the needs of the voters in this country and in the City of Santa Ana.