Councilwoman Martinez is launching her re-election campaign on Oct. 3

Santa Ana Council Member Michele Martinez is hosting a “Re-Election Announcement Kick-Off” on Thursday, October 3, 2013
5:30p.m. to 7:30 p.m., at  Chapter One-the modern local, located at 227 N. Broadway, in  Santa Ana.

The Martinez campaign is asking Bronze Sponsors to donate $249.00, and individuals to donate $ 100.00. They want Gold Sponsors to pay $1000 and Silver Sponsors to pay $500.00.

For more information, or to RSVP, respond to aflores18@gmail.com or 714-474-8768.

Martinez was on last year’s June Primary Election ballot, as a candidate for the 69th Assembly District, in a race that pitted her against first-time political candidate Julio Perez, career politician Tom Daly and Republican Jose Moreno (another first-time candidate).  Matinez got only 16.7% of the vote, according to SmartVoter.

Martinez raised over $209,000 for her failed Assembly campaign, according to the California Secretary of State.  Yet she would have come in last place save for the presence of another political neophyte, Francisco “Paco” Barragan, who netted only 605 votes – a record for the lowest number of votes ever garnered in a State Assembly campaign in California.

Martinez challenged Santa Ana Mayor Miguel Pulido in 2008.  In the end he got over 30,000 votes and Martinez had a total of 16,199 votes, according to Smart Voter.

Martinez was first elected to represent Ward 2 on the Santa Ana City Council in 2006, when she edged out Evangeline Gawronski by 740 votes, according to Smart Voter.  There were two other candidates in that race – Tino Rivera, who was supported by Pulido, and Tish Leon, who only got 9% of the vote, coming in dead last.

Martinez ran for re-election in Ward 2 in 2010.  She was unopposed.  She got 34,651 votes, according to Smart Voter. However there were about 45,000 votes cast in that year’s Mayoral race, according to Smart Voter.  That means over 10,000 voters could not stomach voting for Martinez.

Will anyone challenge Martinez in 2014?  If Gawronsky does, and Pulido supports her this time, they will be able to defeat Martinez by putting a few more Latino candidates on the ballot.

Art Pedroza Editor

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

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