Have Benavides and Sarmiento been secretly coordinating their attack on Walters?

Apparently Council Member David Benavides called the Santa Ana City Clerk, Maria Huizar, this Friday, in the morning at about 10 am, to instruct her to add an item to the agenda for the Council meeting set for this coming Tuesday, regarding the review of Santa Ana’s City Manager Paul Walters.  Click here to contact Huizar if you would like to confirm this.  You may also call her at 714.647.6520.

About a half hour later his colleague, according to my sources, Council Member Vince Sarmiento, made the same call, using the same language, to Huizar.

Later that day, at about 3 pm, Mayor Pro Tem Sal Tinajero reportedly called with the same message but he also instructed the Huizar to revise the agenda item to include the possible dismissal of Walters.

Then Benavides and Sarmiento each supposedly called Huizar again to also ask her to include the exact same language regarding Walter’s possible dismissal.

Finally, at 4:58, Council Member Michele Martinez is purported to have called Huizar too – with the very same language and agenda item request.

So here is the question – how did all of these Council Members arrive at the same action and end up using the same language, with regard to the agenda item in question, if they weren’t secretly – and illegally – coordinating their actions?

The Brown Act allows for limited interactions between the Council Members – but the Council majority appears to be acting in clear violation of the Brown Act.

I am told that the lot of them, and then Council candidate Roman Reyna, also gathered at Sarmiento’s home last year, right before the Council election filing deadline, to has out who was going to be their chosen candidate to run against Mayor Miguel Pulido.  You may recall that at the time both Tinajero and Benavides had pulled papers to run for Mayor.

Supposedly the President of the Santa Ana Police Officers Association (SAPOA), John Franks, was at that meeting and he reportedly pledged to back the consensus mayoral challenger – who turned out to be Benavides.  I am told that Martinez then promised the sun, moon and the starts to Franks and his union.  Franks was true to his word – but Benavides got his butt kicked by Pulido on Nov. 6.

I am shocked that Sarmiento would risk losing his law license by allegedly engaging in these blatant Brown Act violations.  In fact I am told that many letters are on the way to the FPPC and the O.C.D.A., requesting an immediate investigation of this crew.

In the end this is what it probably all boils down to.  The Council majority seems to have gotten in bed with the police union and now that union’s contract is up for consideration.  The City of Santa Ana is broke but remember that Tinajero, at a campaign debate two years ago, said then that we would eventually have to think about raising our taxes, via a citywide assessment, to pay for the cops.

Walters is standing in the way of the Council majority.  They allegedly promised a big, irresponsible raise to the police union and Walters is not going to let them bankrupt our city.  So he has to go – even if doing this results in a Council recall election.

Santa Ana Spring?  No.  Just a bunch of witless, greedy politicians who want more power and will wreck anyone who stands in their way.  It might however be time for a REAL Santa Ana Spring.  These ridiculous Council members clearly must go!  The revolution starts at Tuesday’s Council meeting…

Art Pedroza Editor
Our Editor, Art Pedroza, worked at the O.C. Register and the OC Weekly and studied journalism at CSUF and UCI. He has lived in Santa Ana for over 30 years and has served on several city and county commissions. When he is not writing or editing Pedroza specializes in risk control and occupational safety. He also teaches part time at Cerritos College and CSUF. Pedroza has an MBA from Keller University.
Art Pedroza

Our Editor, Art Pedroza, worked at the O.C. Register and the OC Weekly and studied journalism at CSUF and UCI. He has lived in Santa Ana for over 30 years and has served on several city and county commissions. When he is not writing or editing Pedroza specializes in risk control and occupational safety. He also teaches part time at Cerritos College and CSUF. Pedroza has an MBA from Keller University.

View Comments

  • for what specific crimes?
    for insulting Admin's totalitarian sensibilities?

    Just because Santa Ana's biggest industry is the Prison Industial Complex must we always be searching for more incarcerations?

    • The largest employer in our city is the OC Register. How are they part of this Prison Industrial Complex you're hyperventilating about?

      You Occupiers are full of piss and vinegar yet you have nothing to offer but anti-social rambling. No wonder your movement died so quickly.

  • Yes, you are absolutely correct, We Occupiers are doing the death rattle as I speak. That is why your other Occupy buddy Vern just wrote a great piece about the governance troubles of Anaheim. On your old Orange Juice Blog. We are camping on your front lawn Propaganda Minister. Hello. Bring me some coffee! It's cold.

    • Vern? He backed the anti-immigrant Lucille Kring instead of the actual progressive, Duane Roberts. Sounds like you Occupiers have some serious double-standards.

  • We are not a totalitarian regime. We have the entire spectrum of opinion. But we all agree that Government is completely bought and rigged (Except for Angie of course)and not working in the interest of the average person especially the average American Citizen. I am sure that Vern has intelligent reasons for that choice. Now let's ask Michele Martinez if she thinks Mayor Pulido is pro-immigrant or anti-immigrant?

    • You are not a regime at all! And why give Angie a free pass? She was a stunt candidate who won by accident. She has skipped three out of four Council meetings. What is there to be impressed with here? Am I missing something?

      What Vern did had nothing to do with intelligence. It was political expedience. And he backstabbed his own blogger. Nice.

      What do I care what Martinez has to say about anything? Or you for that matter? She got thumped in June and she is either going to be recalled or will lose outright in 2014. In either case she has painted herself into a corner. She has no one to blame but herself.

      Pulido is an immigrant, unlike you and Martinez. Try that on for size. And he has the support of the people of this city - which is something Martinez and your waning Occupy movement cannot claim.

  • You care what I have to say because you respect my opinion and my commitment.
    Not to rabble rousing, but to making sure that the City of Santa Ana is always respected.
    I protected Santa Ana during our entire Occupation days.
    I did not put up with any trash, graffiti, ghetto intimidation, communist politics, fascist politics, Atzlanista politics and Fake Santa Ana Springsters that tried to cozy up to us when they found it politically convenient. Guess who came down and manipulated some of our younger more impressionable Occupiers to go do a photo op with them? Michele Martinez. and guess who else found it politically convenient to be in that photo op? Mayor Pulido. so there. Aren't we all compromised.

    • Why do you think I started this blog? A big reason was to provide an end-run around the politicians. They come and go. NSA prevails.

    • "If the cops don’t beat my ass, then I will prevail also"........ Hmmmmmm

      I doubt that because you left your 2nd amendment at home!

  • Good evening to you, Arturo!
    I am completely and happily surprised that you took up the cause of our City Manager/Police Chief. It is worth the effort and I believe you already know what is going on in our city council and that it requires nothing short of 5 recalls.
    What you post is true. But since the job of Agent Orange is to defoliate forests so we can see the enemy hidden underneath, I am going to let you in on a few other little tidbits from a few other secrets, Shhhh!
    1) Sal has been in on it since the beginning. Pretending to be on CM Walters' side then running back to the Keystone Kouncil, spilling his generous gut. So clever!
    2) And of course there's Vince, first accusing Walters of not having enough experience then when he found that their manager did actually have not only a Masters degree in public administration, he also had a jurist doctorate and graduated from California Command Colleges.
    3) I don't know what Michele promised the police officers union but they should have done a background check first. She has been mouthing off around town that the police shouldn't be getting so much money and the jail should be outsourced. I wonder what the union will think when they lose around 100 members to the outsourcing she wants so much! Why it even looks like The Santa Ana Police Department and jail have become her new pet project. Yippee!
    4)Of course David has mentioned how rotten he feels but will that stop him from voting with the power? No. Obviously he feels rotten because he is rotten, to the core.

    As I continue to expose our comical little friends, I will post my findings on your. Magical website in the form of comments and replies. Until then, I wish you luck and if you require my assistance, you are most welcome to drop me a line.

    • Your Intel hit the mark! Well done! Thanks for helping us to fill in the blanks. This lousy Council is just unbelievable!

      • Dobrý den, Arturo!
        That is Czech for 'Hello'. I hope you are in fine spirits this morning! I, myself have just eaten my Captain Crunch (I only eat cereal with military rankings higher than mine) and I am ready to enjoy this day!
        For this post, I will concentrate on the lovely, if misguided, Michele Martinez. To their faces, she loves them almost as much as she loves a happy-hour pub crawl. But behind their backs, there is nothing she would like more than to reduce their salary and benefits even though they are now so low in numbers they each do two, three and four jobs. And don't get me started about her wanting to either do away with the jail or outsource its personnel! First, The Santa Ana Jail makes approximately $15M in profit per year. Because the county booking system is so slow, the SAJ provides a places where arrestees can be speedily processed so the cops can get back out into the field and work. It records everything and can be used as a source of evidence in case the officers need it for trial. It provides a steady source of income for over 100 people--in this day and age, that is reason to have it all by itself.
        Also, you know that my name, Agent Orange, is a multi-euphemism and while I would love to discuss the use of Herbicide Orange in the History of U.S. Warfare, it truly is a moot point in this blog.

  • Agent Orange.
    You crack me up. Thanks for revealing just how insecure the prison industrial complex really is.
    But I do agree with you.
    If CW Martinez is threatening to outsource the jail (Theo Lacy I presume?) then that is absolutely rediculous.
    Politicians and Corporate bosses need to stop this outsourcing nonsense!
    Especially when it is all about political gangsterism!
    Budget is not being met?
    Then have the courage to reduce staff or cut hours! Stop outsourcing, selling off destroys local economic sectors. all economies are interdependent.
    Christ, even the prison industrial complex deserves common sense and measured approaches. Damn.

  • P.S. "Agent Orange"
    Agent Orange is used to defoliate forests and to conduct mass murder at the same time. Two Birds with one stone all at a convenient desensitized distance.
    Unless of course you are a punk rock stoner and want to defoliate your marijuana plant in order to get to the primo bud and write more socially conscious music.

  • I agree, Santa Ana Police has been getting all the perks forever. Maybe, Walters should add an agenda item to contract them out with the OC Sheriff's and save more millions of dollars. This will make him eliglbe to be named City manger of the century nation wide. But, if council sells themselves to these unions for a few thousands so, who appoints the council?

    • If there is a recall there will be a chance to replace this Council at the ballot box. We need to start recruiting candidates now.

  • "We need to start recruiting candidates now"........ Hmmmmm

    Candidates? or Mexicans.

    So far you have selected only idiots who always turned against you.

    So stay out of it.

    • Really? Your memory is lapsing. I endorsed Jim Walker against Vince Sarmiento four years ago. And I endorsed Brett Franklin and Shane Barrows against Eric Alderete this year. I vote for the person, not the race.

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