Former Santa Ana Councilman Ted Moreno is defending the Fisher Park residents’ right to a messy creek
Former Santa Ana Councilman Ted Moreno has returned at long last from a self-imposed exile from local community affairs and politics. Moreno was drawn back into the fray by an article posted on this blog on Dec. 18, regarding the efforts by a handful of Santa Ana’s wealthier residents, in the Fisher Park neighborhood, to stop the Santiago Creek bike trail from being completed.
Moreno, was convicted of extortion and money-laundering in an alleged scheme to take control of the Santa Ana City Council and sentenced in February of 2001 to almost five years in prison, according to the L.A. Times. Many residents then and now felt that Moreno was entrapped and my old friend Lou Lopez, who was the first Latino elected to the Anaheim City Council, told me that the same FBI informant who entrapped Moreno, also tried to ensnare him. But Lopez, a retired police officer, ran the other way, while Moreno got caught.
Moreno also took a lot of heat back then for apparently believing that gays and lesbians would be attracted to Santa Ana’s newly established arts district and thereby bring about the moral decline of the city, and that he “was just hoping to make Santa Ana a better place to live,” he is quoted as telling U.S. District Judge Gary Taylor (Source: AJC).
Moreno was also accused of by former Santa Ana Councilman Brett Franklin, of shoving him during a break in a Council meeting, back in March of 1998. He did not however face charges in that incident, according to the L.A. Times.
While Moreno was far from perfect, I admired him for standing up to Santa Ana City Manager Dave Ream – and for fighting for working families. I can’t support his beliefs about the gay community, but in a way he was prophetic as the gay element in Santa Ana has very quickly accrued considerable power in Downtown Santa Ana. We recently caught the new gay bar, the Velvet Lounge, apparently engaging in adult entertainment, which is not allowed by their C.U.P. (conditional use permit).
Here are Moreno’s comments regarding the proposed completion of the Santiago Creek bike trail:
Allow me to introduce myself. I am a former two term councilmember for the City of Santa Ana from 1992 – 2000. I feel confidant that I have a quite a bit of knowledge of how the Santa Ana government functions and its history. By the why, just in case you or your organization feels that I am an elitist too, you are far from the truth. I was blessed three years ago to buy a home on River Lane for me and my family of six. My address is 943 W. River Lane, just in case you feel that I am not providing full transparency of who I am and were I live.
Six months ago is when I became aware of an out town group wanting to turn the Santiago Creek, which is about 150 feet from my property, into a bike trail. My first thought was, “Not a smart idea”. Most of my first gut reactions tend to be correct decisions. The City of Santa Ana does not have the necessary funds or manpower to patrol or beautify the current Santiago Creek bed, which explains all of the over grown plants, graffiti, coyotes and homeless.
While City of Santa Ana staff has become experts in exploding the city’s population demographic needs, when it comes to securing millions in Federal, State, and County funds in order to set into motion gigantic pet projects like the Santiago Creek Bike Trail. It still does not address the issue, that the city still does not have the resources to maintain a safe and clean bike trail. One just has to go along the current Santa Ana River bike trail, in those areas which are located within the city’s bounders, as proof that the city does not have the resources to provide safe and clean bike trail. While it is might be true that a lot of the responsibility of maintaining the Santa Ana River Bed bike trail, might be the County of Orange. The City of Santa Ana can not ignore that they are equally responsible for the safety of the average person who uses Santa Ana River Bed bike trail, within its city boundaries.
I just know for a fact that the affliction that effect the current Santa Ana River Bed bike trail, the homeless and graffiti from both gangs and tagging groups, will flourish beyond control along the Santiago Creek, if the proposed bike trail is completed. Please do not tell me that the homeless are not a concern. While it is true most of the homeless along the Santa Ana River Bed are harmless individuals, some of them are not. I know this for a fact, because before we bought our on River Lane, my family and I rented a home for 33 months on Alona St, which backed up into the 16th tee of the Riverview Golf Course. We could hear physical fights between the homeless at night, yelling at the top of their lung as if they were demon possessed, and three times the fire department responded to out of control fire in the river bed, which were started by the homeless.
I last last issue, please do be a big favor, do not call my neighbors like Ronald Salem an elitist, just because they might have a photo on their Facebook page have a great time with his family on a boat. The bottom line is that many of us in the neighborhood are concerned about our families and properties if this bike trail is constructed. This explains why Fisher Park Neighborhood Association, which had been inactive for about seven years, had standing room only at the Fisher Park Cabin about three months ago. There were over fifty residences from our association that were only concerned about this issue and none of them where in favor of the bike trail. Thank you for waking a sleeping giant.
Sincerely,
Ted Moreno
Will Moreno’s entry into this debate help the anti-bike trail contingency? That is hard to say, but I can’t imagine he will be able to sway anyone on our City Council. Stay tuned…
Tilly’s Life Center’s (TLC) recently raised over half a million dollars to support their youth…
On November 25, 2024, at approximately 1:46 PM, Fullerton Fire and Police personnel responded to…
OCFA fire crews responded to two significant vehicle accidents in Garden Grove last Friday, requiring…
On November 24th, 2024, at approximately 1:00 a.m. Newport Beach Fire Department units NE63, NT63,…
‼️UPDATE‼️ Earlier today, our robbery detectives arrested November 20, 2024, #WantedWednesday suspect Izaya Cuellar (35)…
Late Friday night, police officers responded to Balearic Park regarding a vehicle doing “donuts” on…
This website uses cookies.
View Comments
Hi Ted and any other concerned neighboors in Floral Park, Jack Fisher Park, or West Floral Park. There is no current plans or proposal to place a bike trail down the creek in West Floral Park to the SART. Reason is there is an awesome Class 2 Trail now down Memory Lane thanks to Morrison Park Neighborhood Association asking for it for over 3 years.
It took the Santiago Park Association approx 10 years to get their creek trail done which greatly improved their neighborhood though there were a very few who were opposed to it.
The City of Orange is completing their last segment of the 8 mile creek trail which is beautiful (come enjoy it). The County helped to do this.
I encourage you all to explore this great trail starting at Santiago Park by the Main Place Mall / Discovery Science Center and travel by the 9 parks along this creek up to Santiago Oaks Regional Park. You will encounter many friendly, law abiding individuals and families taking walks, pushing strollers, riding bikes, and even in electric wheelchairs.
I was saddened when at your recent Jack Fisher Park Neighboorhood Association Meeting that some of you publicly and emphatically stated to a Reporter that “if a trail was constructed that it would spread crime and disease in your neighborhood” and this was published as a quote in the newsletter. Many of us who live along this creek and adjoining blocks are good people with no intentions to commit crime or infect you.
I have lived along this creek for 20 years and I volunteered as a Reserve Park Ranger of the County of Orange for 10 years and have been in Scouts for 9 years and active in my Church and community like many others. Thus, I enjoy being part of the Light. Lets do what is right for the greater good.
Merry Christmas to you all. Love, Joy, & Peace.
I find it funny that anyone who has lived on this creek would be for this plan as it stands, STOP trying to FOOL people!
This plan will require that almost ALL OF THE TREES would need to be CUT DOWN and the path PAVED OVER, folks WON'T be walking through nature, it will look much more like the stretch near Tustin Blvd., BARREN with chain link fences right up against peoples backyards.
This bike path will DESTROY the last little tiny bit of nature left in Santa Ana.
Merry Christmas trees, racoons, birds ... here come the chain saws!!!
"This plan will require that almost ALL OF THE TREES would need to be CUT DOWN and the path PAVED OVER, folks WON’T be walking through nature, it will look much more like the stretch near Tustin Blvd., BARREN with chain link fences right up against peoples backyards"..... Hmmmm
Onanster,
Actually the plan is that to preserve the above mentioned bolshevistic damage, the bikers would get off their bikes and would continue on the foot carrying their bikes on their backs.
It would be called Santa Ana Try-Athlon Bike Challenge (TM).
The winner would get one of these secret white boxes from the Mayor Pulido which he distributes during the Council Recognition Session.
The trail is already used. It has been for many year. It was used many years before any of those houses were there. The trail will go through thanks to public easment laws.
I bet Ted Moreno thinks that bicycles should be ridden on sidewalks also(just not around his neighborhood)
"Most of my first gut reactions tend to be correct decisions. "
HAHAHA says the criminal who intentionally wronged the citizens on Santa Ana.
Where is a copy of this plan that "anonster" is referring to?
There has been a call to complete the trail for years and years, but I have not seen any plan on paper saying how to place a trail in the creek at Fisher Park area and if any of the trees would need to be removed.
The people who spoke at the last council meeting referred to a plan also.
Even the Mayor Pro Tem asked the city management to investigate this issue cause she has not seen any plan, and knows of no plan in the works.
Commuter doesn't know what he's talking about;
"The trail is already used. It has been for many year. It was used many years before any of those houses were there."
Those houses are anywhere from 60 to 100 years old, before they were built there was open land and no need for a foot path in the creek.
Furthermore he's mistaken about "public easment laws", if one has an easement for access, say a road, that is ALL one has, that easement does NOT give you the right to build a super-highway. A dirt foot path prescriptive easement does not give anyone the right to cut down trees and put in a 10ft wide paved bike trail.
Hi Anonster,
OC has well over 80 miles of bike paths along creeks that 1,000's of citizens enjoy. In some neighboorhoods such as Irvine, it has been easy to do this and they are considered one of the most bike friendly cities in the USA with an approx total of 40 miles of Class 1 and Class 2 bike paths (not just for bikes, but for people to walk and run on).
In other cities, such as along the Santiago Creek, it has taken over 40 years to create a 9 mile path due to pockets of resistance. If the homeowners along this remaining 0.25 mile stretch really want to save the trees, then they could provide an easement to the City to use the existing dirt trail and improve it. This would save many of the trees. However, it appears some want to keep this all to themselves.
Mark- How would allowing the remaining trail be built save the trees? I am confused...if they have to cut down trees to improve the trail, how are the trees saved?
Mark Lindsey,
It is my understanding that the bike trail HAS to be built to certain specifications
(for funding), 15ft of clearance (or nearly so) and a 10ft wide paved path. In order to acheive this ALMOST ALL THE TREES WILL HAVE TO BE CUT DOWN on the north side of the creek bed and the whole thing will need to be graded. I wonder if you're being honest about this or if you're just trying to hide the ugly facts to get people on your side?
As far as "resistance" to the bike trail preventing it from being built, that is another lie, I've lived on this creek for over twenty years and this is the first I've heard about it, in fact NOBODY from your group ever came by to talk about the plan (I heard about your info. meeting from a neighbor), it seems like you guys want to talk to everybody but the people who will be most affected by this plan.
Commuter, Clearly you know little about the neighborhood in question (Jack Fisher Park), when you talk about riding bikes on the sidewalks.
We have no sidewalks in the neighborhood!