EXCLUSIVE – The Santa Ana City Council met today in a last-minute closed-session to consider the fate of City Manager Paul Walters. Don’t buy the B.S. that they were also reviewing the City Attorney’s performance. She was tossed onto the agenda to make this look like less of a kangaroo court.
My sources tell me that a decision was made – the City Council will fire Walters at the second Council meeting in January, even though he has meant so much to this city over the years, building and managing a state-of-the-art prison that has turned a profit by leasing space to other police agencies; saving our city budget last year when things looked so bleak; and lowering crime throughout his tenure as our Chief of Police and City Manager, to levels not seen in our city in many, many years.
According to City Hall insiders, the City Council is doing the bidding of the unions – the police association and the SEIU. They have it in for Walters and won’t take no for an answer. Regrettably even Mayor Pro Tem Sal Tinajero is now siding with the Benavides cabal, giving them the fifth vote they needed to string up Walters. Tinajero reportedly buckled to labor pressure.
Walters will return to his post as Chief of Police, but the City Council will quickly move to have their new City Manager fire him from that post too. Sources say that Walters has been directed to provide the Council with settlement terms for his exit.
I am also told that Santa Ana Parks and Recreation Agency Director Gerardo Mouet, who also serves on the Orange County Fair Board, is the top candidate to replace Walters – and he has the four votes of the Benavides faction.
Mouet is a nice guy and a real fan of the arts, but while he has made many hard decisions, including outsourcing a lot of union jobs, he strikes me as a bit soft compared to Walters. I hope he can withstand the demands of labor and the petty, selfish Council he will have to serve.
I hope Walters will go on to run for Orange County Sheriff again, particularly if incumbent Sheriff Sandra Hutchens is forced to retire by the breast cancer she is currently bravely battling. Walters remains one of Orange County’s top public administrators and he would likewise be a good fit as a top County administrator at any level, in any department. I thank him for his many years of stellar service to our community.
As for the Benavides junta, they have two years to run our city into the ground. Benavides and his ally Michele Martinez are both up for re-election in 2014. In fact I think Tinajero is too, although I expect him to run against Assemblyman Tom Daly for the 69th Assembly District. They will all have to face the music as a revived Mayor Miguel Pulido will have two years to marshal his forces – having already trashed Benavides in this year’s mayoral contest.
It will be sweet revenge when Walters, acting as Chief, gets to put handcuffs on these clowns.
Because Walters is not real strategist he has nothing on these clowns because he did not expected that to happen.
However, as any police chief would, he has plenty on Pulido the Santa Ana strong man — will he be able to use it if Pulido is with him?
If he does, we will have replay of the city of Bell scandal.
If he does not he will fade into the sunset because in the light of being fired he has no chance to run for the sheriff.
If the PD union is against Walters he wouldn’t be able to do any revenge.
What this blog is not reporting on is that there are allegedly missing large sums of money and somehow the council is creating a cover for themselves so the look competent when the real investigation will come down.
Personally, I do not believe that the union is involved.
I believe that with the $56 million fiasco the council learn about some other financial irregularity and must show that they are not part of it even though their fingerprints may be all over.
Someone will go to FBI Pulido?, Walters?, xxxxx? someone who needs to save his ass….. Carlos?
David and Carlos are friends.
Expect FBI soon.
This is the XXXXX at work.
They called Pablo (David) Benavides to pay the favor and he did. This is especially disgusting considering the issues he ran on.
I heard they pressed him hard on the infidelity, It must have been hard to resist when they put Emily in the fold, expose your wife and kids or else……
How to get fired in Santa Ana government:
Become an award-winning big-city Police Chief.
Accept THEIR request to become city manager
Pull your city back from the brink of bankruptcy by working long hours
Repair damage caused by previous city manager
Balance the budget
Work two full-time jobs for one full-time salary
Be honest and ethical
Be way smarter than your city council
Only a dope would accept the city manger position after the council members oust Chief Walters.
If all that would be true Walters wouldn’t be a subject to the firing.
NO ONE WILL FIRE GOOD MANAGER!
I KNOW THE ASS-KISSER COUNCIL MEMBERS, THEY WOULDN’T EVER GOT MAJORITY IF THE ABOVE WOULD BE TRUE, SO RELAX.
Squeal like a pig Santa Ana taxpayers because it’s payback time from the labor unions and the Tinajero led city council. The new “Santa Ana Spring” council is here to show you who is in charge now! Out with the old honest city manager and in with the new.
Chicken Little running around screaming the sky is falling.
Remember the names of the disgraced Supervisors of Orange County who led the county into bankruptcy?
The council should check the history books and make sure that the direction they want to take is the best one for the city and not just the best one for personal political gains.
Wise words Cook. Hope they take your advice…
I do like the Fiestas Patrias though and I hope the new Council does not change a thing.
Hey,
Lay off the “Santa Ana Springers” we paid good money for thses guys (and Michelle)! Now they are going to do EXACTLY what we tell them too!
And just in case one of them get’s silly, well you know what are brethren did in Costa Mesa…….There are lot of skeletons in your council members closets (remember, they are YOUR members, we would never raise our families in that town, we just take the money from them!
So once we get Walters out of the way, we’ll have them install some inexperienced slug and EAT him alive at contract time.
Thanks to the voters of Santa Ana.
HELLO EARLY RETIREMENT OFFICERS!
The SAPOA website boasts of it’s influence of over 500 members, for whom:
“Today, our primary focus is to negotiate the wages, benefits and working conditions for our 500+ members. Our goal is to provide a positive influence in every aspect of our member’s professional life.”
This is why we exist to enrich our membership. It doesn’t matter at who’s expense. We will use ANY method we can including political influence!
The inmates are running the asylum.
Could you imagine Roman Renya with his remedial education and Pablo (David) Benavides, relator extrodinare attending the CSMFO, conference where, attorneys from Goldfarb and Lipman, the states leading law firm an RDA issues will speak about the cities peril.
Somehow, I think these two are better suited for an MMA fight (spectators of course) or a Jenny Riveria concert with Michelle.
Thses complex matters can not be addressed by the likes of the Santa Ana Spring. Check out the conference.
As I recall these GOONS do not know even how to speak any English and are speaking Lingo in the council chamber via transolator.
These are your people including Tinajero and the opportunist Mill.
Lets take it to BK.
Roman, Pablo and Michele lack the faculties to wipe their own asses. These mental midgets are exactly the type of suckers unions want in power. Getting Walters out of the way just clears the path to the taxpayers money.
What are the odds that at least one of the three are indicted on corruption charges? They’re too stupid and too desperate to walk away from dirty money.
Speaking of pigs that squeal…the big question is will big Dan Griset keep his MET Water Board seat raising water rates for the residents of Santa Ana?