Update: So now that the Benavides cartel is running the Santa Ana City Council, are they really going to be all about change? If so when are they dumping Dan Griset from the Metropolitan Water District’s Board of Directors? Don’t hold your breath – they already cut a deal with him. Here is what we had to say on the subject back on Sep. 21, of this year:
Do you remember Dan Griset? His father Lorin was the Mayor of Santa Ana from 1969 – 1973. Dan followed suit, serving on the Santa Ana City Council from 1979-1992. He was our Mayor for a time too.
Why am I bringing him up? Well he can’t get elected to anything in Santa Ana anymore, but for many years he has been our city’s appointed representative to the Metropolitan Water District’s Board of Directors. Griset was appointed years ago by Mayor Miguel Pulido back in February of 2005, and even though some of our current Council Members have groused about it, he has stayed put for some time.
Griset recently saw the writing on the wall, and he panicked. On August 9 of this year he signed on to the ballot argument in favor of the fraudulent Measure GG – the lastest flawed term limit measure to be put forth by our City Council. This Council extended their term limits last time around, with Measure D, to 12 years. This time they are trying to limit the Mayor’s term limits to 8 years while keeping their own 12 year terms. And Griset signed on to that.
That was of course a slap to Pulido by Griset. But the implications are broader than that. If Pulido’s Council challenger, David Benavides, somehow prevails, Griset has put himself in a position to stay on the MWD Board – and apparently Benavides and his colleagues – Council Members Michele Martinez, Vince Sarmiento and Sal Tinajero, are OK with that.
They are OK with Griset even though the state Fair Political Practices Commission fined him $10,000, the maximum possible penalty, for five improper campaign mailings sent during his 1988 bid for reelection, according to the L.A. Times.
According to the FPPC, Griset’s campaign committees sent out four mailings that were identified as coming from the “Santa Ana Progress Committee.” Each mass mailing reached about 29,000 people and contained such titles as “Meet the Real Rick Norton,” “Beware of Tricksters” and “7 Lies.”
A fifth mailer, sent to 300 people, was on the letterhead of the Washington Square Neighborhood Assn. Griset lives in Washington Square.
None of the five mailings identified Griset or his campaign committees as the sender.
This was of course supposed to be a “Santa Ana Spring” but instead it is more like business as usual as crusty corrupt politician Griset will survive and continue to serve on the MWD Board – unless of course Pulido wins, in which case Griset’s days will be numbered. Pulido will eventually get his four votes, even if he has to wait two years to take out Benavides and Martinez.
When you look at the Benavides cabal it is full of old dogs like Griset, including Alfredo Amezcua, who used to be Pulido’s hatchet man; John Palacio, who was fired from Santa Ana’s city administration (and ironically held that against Griset!); John Acosta, who left the City Council in disgrace; and Art Lomeli, the wealthy dentist who lives in Orange Park Acres and like Acosta belongs to the Republican Party. This is no revolution of the young – it is a bunch of Mexpendables!
If you are expecting change from Benavides and company, guess again…
And don’t feel too bad for Griset. He also served as Director of Orange County Sanitation Districts, Chair and Commissioner of the Orange County Transportation Commission, Director of the Orange County Transit District, Director and Advisor of the National League of Cities. That’s a lot of pensions!
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You are the one incriminating people by signing a ballot.
You then are incriminating yourself and Cook not I. I say the opposite........no association in signing a ballot and a attached deal.
Your incriminating argument is straight across the board.....all sides are guilty.
Beware those who deal in absolutes.
Cook and I had no ulterior motives. Griset's entire political life has been an ulterior motive. It is not serendipity that he signed the pro GG ballot statement. That was by design.
You can screech all you want but once again the Benavides cabal has been exposed for what it is. That they would willingly crawl in bed with Griset is disgusting. But not unexpected.
So your boy Pulido appointed Griset who you claim:
" Griset’s entire political life has been an ulterior motive. It is not serendipity that he signed the pro GG ballot statement. That was by design."
So what deal did Pulido sign with Griset in order to appoint him to the water board??????
Pedroza keep going YOUR ARE SELF EXPOSING YOURSELF BEATIFULLY.
Sigh. You know damn well Griset needed four votes to get appointed.
Tell you what. The Benavides cabal can prove there is no deal with Griset by dumping him off the MWD Board before the November election. Don't hold your breath waiting for that to happen!
In 1986 the city council put G, H, J, K, L on the Nov. ballot for the voters to decide.
Also in June the city council put C on the ballot.
C, G, & H dealt with the office of the mayor, with G winning in Nov. and is currently the 2 year terms without limits.
Griset, was on the city council and was Mayor at the time these measures were put to the voters.
It would nice to hear why he now thinks he was totally wrong back in 1986 when he was pushing for those changes to the city’s charter when he was mayor.
LOL! Nice catch Cook! You caught the scumbag red handed!
And Art Lomeli STILL LIVED IN ORANGE!
Pedroza,
Tell you what have Pulido make a motion to remove Griset because he and his majority council under his control at the time appointed a scumb bag, as you call him, just now realized it because Pedroza esposed it and made the suggestion to do this.
The for votes then where controlled by Pulido......you know this Pedroza.
So what deal did Pulido sign with Griset in order to appoint him to the water board??????
Cook,
"Griset, was on the city council and was Mayor at the time these measures were put to the voters.
It would nice to hear why he now thinks he was totally wrong back in 1986 when he was pushing for those changes to the city’s charter when he was mayor."
Maybe this is the deal made with Pulido and his controlled majority council at the time.
PULIDO REPLACED GRISET AS MAYOR.
Editor says:
September 22, 2012 at 2:32 pm
LOL! Nice catch Cook! You caught the scumbag red handed!
YES COOK YOU PROVABLY DID!!!!!
I hope you're a better dentist than you are a debater. The irony has once again escaped you. Griset may have once handed the Baton to Pulido but he is now handing it to Benavides, and you're okay with that. Que triste.
Doc Art,
Pulido was a freshman councilmember elected in Nov 1986. So he would have had no input in messure "G".
In the next election Young was the first elected mayor for 3 two year terms and then Pulido in 1994.
Each member of the council / mayor was elected by the voters, and this November the voters will deside again who will be elected.
So according to you Pulido made a deal with Griset, now you claim Griset made a deal with Benavides.......so what is your point then both are candidates for the same office.
You are consistent with all your arguments.......they all suck.
THE POINT IS THAT THERE NO PROFF FOR ANY OF THIS!!!!!!
You think these people leave tracks? This isn't the first time I've cracked the code. The feeble minded accept things at face value. I never do.
Someone please explain this "New Majority" thing to me.
last time I checked each councilmember and the mayor are independently elected. Elected to represent a specific ward.
But the implication from Benavides supporter(s), Namely Art Lomeli, he's the only one I remember reading here, is that three seperate individuals will form a union to stand behind ANY CAUSE out there.
We know Benavides supports disgraced council member Bustamonte in his Felony sex abuse trial, does that mean the others will fall in lockstep?
This is perhaps a glaring sign of what's to come, I guess with the NEW MAJORITY we can bring back the SAFD, save the SAPD and run the city into the ground.
I for one would like to see some individualism, some free thinking council members who debate and disagree and come to an agreement. Not because the OCEA has offered one of them reelection funds that they will readily share.
This is a HUGE error on the part of the Springsters.
There can never be a majority because they are all self serving, upward mobile politicans who will do anything to advance.
Does anyone really believe David Benavide's cares a lick about Santa Ana? He talks about his familiy dog as if he had a family.
David F85ked his secratary, lied to his wife, and you want us to think he'll be honest with us?
Martinez has proved her worth, stick with something, girl. Talk about a Matt Linert, great in college but a bust in the NFL, oh wait she never bothered with that college thing.
As for the other three, one is facing felony SEX ABUSE CHARGES, the other two would jump in the monkey cage naked if they thought it would get them further.
MAJORITY? Of who, Millionare Orange Dentists, developers, Christain Churches that rival Al Queda in thier philosophies? F- the majority......elect leaders.
It would be great if we elected leaders supported locally too!
ROPE-A-DOPE,
Ask Pedroza to explain the council majority to you. His candidate Pulido had it for 18 years lost it recently and wants it back.
Pedroza has posted many times that Pulido will get elected then orchestrate again his control of the council majority.
Below is Pedroza's comment on the separation of 4 council members from Pulido's control.
Editor says:
September 16, 2012 at 2:22 pm
They are greedy pirates and nothing more. And like pirates they are already at each other’s throats.
Benavides will lose big in November. This mutiny will be scuttled and then the time will come for a reckoning.
By the way the two council members that still support Pulido are Bustammante and Alvarez.
The springsters have not calculated wrong ......they simply are seperating from a one man control.
CHEW ON THIS FOR A WHILE.
Thanks for clarifying that the Benavides faction is currently the council majority. What that means is that they can dump Griset now. So if they don't, and they won't, it will be affirm that I am correct. The Benavides majority has cut a deal with Griset in return for his support for Measure GG. Shame on them!
Pedroza,
Just your opinion. There are different ones to yours. Not doing what you want can simply be that your opinion is wrong.
You are talking in circles now. Clearly you know you're wrong a d as such are finding it difficult to defend your position.