Unethical behavior is abundant in Santa Ana politics…
The Santa Ana City Council is holding a meeting on Dec. 6, at 5:30 pm, to review the “Code of Ethics,” which voters passed when they voted for Measure D, which extended Council term limits. The Council appointed a committee of three Council Members, including Mayor Pro Tem Claudia Alvarez, Vince Sarmiento and Sal Tinajero, to conduct this review.
Alvarez has since backed out – in the wake of the Code being used by Council Members David Benavides and Carlos Bustamante to try to punish her after she made a bad Hitler analogy in referring to controversial Downtown Santa Ana landlord Irv Chase.
None of the other Council Members, including Benavides and Bustamante, want anything to do with the Review Committee. I can’t blame them. The Code of Ethics was designed to muzzle bloggers who were put on City Commissions. Ironically it is now being used by the Usual Suspects to attack Santa Ana’s Council Member. And that obsessed Long Beach blogger has written not one but two posts about the Santa Ana Code of Ethics Review Committee. Good grief!
But there might be a better way – I think perhaps that it might be time to launch a Code of Ethics panel and populate it with current and past City Commissioners and community and business leaders (who would not have to live here but should at least run a business here). The Usual Suspects of course need not apply.
I could see a Code of Ethics panel that would include Planning Commissioner Sean Mill; Parks and Recreation Commissioner Max Madrid; Youth Commissioner Jonathan Espinoza; Redevelopment Commissioner Lynette Verino; business owner Art Lomeli; community activist Alex Vega; and former Council Member Brett Franklin. This panel would be charged with reviewing the Code and suggesting changes to the City Council.
What sort of changes should we make to the Code of Ethics? Well, for one thing, how can Councilman Bustamante be allowed to stay on the Council after he resigned his County job when he was charged with sexual harassment? Anyone charged with sexual harassment should not be allowed to serve on our City Council or on any of our City Commissions.
How about that former City Commissioner who was detained by the SAPD after he harassed prostitutes on Harbor Blvd.? Should anyone who has a police record be allowed to serve on a City Commission? I would hope not.
Or how about that failed City Council candidate who got caught sighing the nomination papers of one of his Council challengers? Anyone caught engaging in election shenanigans should NOT be allowed to serve on any City Commissions.
What about the former City Commissioner who went berserk at a public meeting in Fullerton? Commissioners who verbally assault people should of course not be allowed to serve in Santa Ana.
How about the former Councilman who was visibly drunk the last time he was sworn into office – and who now is involved in conducting neighborhood Wine Walks that lack city permits? Clearly those with drug and alcohol problems need not be considered for any city posts.
How about that Neighborhood Association president that likes to extend her middle finger at City Council meetings? No bueno!
Clearly we need to consider empowering an Ethics Panel to consider these suggestions and to bring positive change to our Code of Ethics.
“I could see a Code of Ethics panel that would include Planning Commissioner Sean Mill”…… Hmmmm
Art, you have really short memory. The code of ethics was implemented mainly based on my pressure. See my petitions below which contains legal foundation for it.
http://ocsatire.com/council/petition1.pdf
http://ocsatire.com/council/petition2.pdf
If the three lawyers on the council can’t enforce Cal. Civil Code sec 47(b) than they are totally incompetent and any review would be meaningless.
“community activist Alex Vega?” you are kidding are you.
Lumpenproletariat to review legal documents?…. Huh?
Whether or not you will give me credit for forming Santa Ana history is not important to me because I know what will happen in the future and I have warn Council in 2007 about the fact that the Code of ethic was written wrong and that it eventually will bite them in the ass…. it did.
So enjoy your fantasy never land crapola — it will never happen.
Actually Stanley you too would be a candidate for the panel, as a past mayoral candidate and a Cold War survivor!
Yes I agree with this article, our society seriously needs to start tearing apart the old beliefs of the existence of race, color and sexual orientation in order to focus on the unity of humanity.
Right, harassing the Harbor Blvd. hookers should be a violation. Jennifer Muir was really pissed.
Stan, you should go to that meeting to put forth again your information on privileged speech.
Add to it the muni code section of the city (407) that states any city ord or law must be .. “subject to the provisions of this charter and to the Constitution of the State of California. “
City code 407 is the one that restarts the term limit clock on measure D term limits.
Will Ted Moreno be on the commission?
I think Ted Moreno has about as much a chance to get on this panel as does failed mayoral candidate Thomas Gordon, who now won’t be able to run for Ward 6 anymore, as he has been drawn out of that district.
cook, I have done it three times. Two times in the meetings and once in the email.
The number three is a magic number which if you do not get it after that you are [the] moron mongoloid and any further effort is meaningless.
Alvarez is acting in the meetings like the Virgin of Guadalupe, Sarmiento is MIA and Czech Straka is looking around whose ass he should kiss next.
It is impossible to present anything to such crowd.
Alex vega on an ethics Committee? ?!! Good lord admin get a grip on reality and take a long hard look at what you’ve Become. Now you’re shilling for the village idiot Alex vega?
Vega, unlike you, is involved in a lot of community events and organizations. He helps a lot of folks in the soccer leagues and dedicates many hours to community service. How about you Jose? Do you even live in Santa Ana?
Alex Vega doesn’t do anything unless he gets paid or can steal a wad of cash. Just ask the kids at Godinez.
Neither does Matt Cunningham, and now he is on the Voice of OC’s Community Editorial board. Go figure.
Matthew Cunningham never stole tens of thousands of dollars from the kids at Godinez, but Alex Vega did. Alex Vega is a thief who belongs in jail, not on some commission with lazy Max Madrid. Speaking of Old Max, why does the old guy like hanging out with that kid Jonathan Espinoza? Creepy.
Really? I guess you forgot the thousands that Cunningham was paid by the OC First Five Commission for mundane tasks including getting paid to read blogs!
Madrid is an honorable man and a U.S. Veteran. And he works with our esteemed State Senator Lou Correa. Espinoza is lucky to have a mentor like that!
“Matthew Cunningham never stole tens of thousands of dollars from the kids”
No Matthew Cunningham simply outed the names of Catholic Church sex abuse victims on behalf of pedo protector John Urell. Matthew Cunningham stole the shield of anonymity after Catholic Priests and church workers stole their innocence.
Well Art if Cunningham is your measurement ruler then you should get payed for that crapola too.
So any Mexican (cartel primitive type) is a OK with you as long as he can supersede Cunningham?
Sad!
Vega is no different from you Fiala. But you are more eloquent in English. And he has more kids than you do.
“And he has more kids than you do”…. Hmmmmm
Obviously if he is primitive Mexican! However they are all on welfare.
He probably have some in Mexico too.
His kids are actually quite brilliant.
“His kids are actually quite brilliant”…. Hmmmm
I would never bring someone kids into a discussion.
But you are OK with saying folks are on welfare just because they are Mexicans? Get off your pedestal Fiala.
I am sure your daughter is quite bright too. We all hope that our kids will achieve more than we did. And the immigrants you oft malign left everything behind for the hope of giving their kids a better life.
“But you are OK with saying folks are on welfare just because they are Mexicans?”….. Hmmmm
Unfortunately you do not understand my ESL. What I have said Zorro was that Vega, same like you, have too many kids which you can’t support. So the State must do that for you. Coincidentally you are both Mexicans which makes it normal.
I will not grade your kids!…. You do mine!
I will not grade your wife!…. You do mine!
I am more intelligent so I will not lower myself to your blogging standards including distortion of what I have ever done for the Santa Ana.
I have been correct on all issues which I have proposed. Pulido, Walters, Mill, and you have failed by bankrupting City yet you are all in control of it so obviously it is not gone be good City ever.
If the stupid Mexican council would listen only to one of mine business proposal the City would be prosperous.
Latest one was to gave me exclusive rights to manage “the occupy” movement in Santa Ana in exchange to eliminate City’s deficit.
Obviously the Mexican council is clueless as they were on Gang issue, 1B issue, Downtown issue, Santa Ana business bank issue where I have offered and demonstrated in real time to bring in 6M in three months…. the list is long.
Monkeys will be monkeys unless they start walking upright without support of the welfare and over taxation of the successful citizens.
Sigh. Neither Vega nor I am on welfare. Again, you are generalizing. That is intellectually dishonest.
“That is intellectually dishonest”…… Hmmmm
Do not make me to be intellectually honest.
I should add that the Santa Ana is 100% ran by Mexicans and that is why it is worse city in OC (if incorrect name which city is worse than SA) and on the verge of bankruptcy with highly undemocratic and oppressive regime which equals to regime of Mexico.
Santa Ana is Forbidden City.
Vincent Sarmiento and Paul Walters aren’t Mexicans …nor was Dave Ream, the man who left us in such a mess.
Give me a break with this stupid Ream!!!
The Council runs city!
The Council is 100% Mexican because it has 100% Mexican voting power.
What is Sarmiento? like you? Sometimes Mexican, Jew, Spanish, Oriental??… what ever is convenient?
Walters does not count because of the Pulido’s quid pro quo and is Manager only to spike his pension and will quit as soon as he accrues the necessary time.
Walters qualifications are to take the flashlight and beat the city’s balance sheet to death.
That does not works.
Walters never ran any private business nor has any clue how to make any money other than writing bad tickets, confiscating cash as drug money, installing red light cameras, repossessing vehicles for 30 days, and killing people.[Same as a hoodlum]
Get out of your never land illusions!
Reiterating!
Only thing they need to do is to implement Civil Code 47(b)
Obviously the will not do that because they are Mexicans with grave disregard for the law.
At the risk of revealing my “supersecret” identity (that was a joke, Dan, you can stop the prank phone calls).
Regarding Ted (Morono) Moreno, he was a pawn in the game, if you need anymore proof, watch the exchange at the city council meeting Between Rob Richardson and I debateing Ted’s aledged mis use of city property:
He, without permission “borrowed” two 8 foot tables from his neighborhood rec center, where he volunteered and spent time, for his kids birthday party.
Childless (and gutless) Richardson, had a cow and went after him.
It was enough for me and I went to the podium with some choice words for then Councilman Richardson.
KennyBoy nobody gives a flying sh*t who you are.