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.
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"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!