Los Amigos?
Santa Ana Mayor Miguel Pulido easily defeated Alfredo Amezcua, back in November. But, for whatever reason, Amezcua’s supporters are still grousing about this – even though everyone else has moved on. This Wednesday, Jan. 5, a group of them are holding a press conference – in Anaheim, at a German restaurant, to complain some more.
Los Amigos of Orange County (which is based in Anaheim) used to be about civil rights and fighting racism. Now they are attacking their fellow Latinos. And what exactly is their beef, you ask? Well, here is what they intend to talk about at the press conference:
- They are upset because former City Attorney Joe Fletcher, who resigned recently, is leaving with a huge severance package. Well, Los Amigos is a bit late to this one. The contract with Fletcher was negotiated with the Santa Ana City Council – way back in 2002. Who was on the Council back then? Lisa Bist, Brett Franklin, Alberta Christy, Mike Garcia, Jose Solorio and Claudia Alvarez. Only Alvarez remains today. Maybe Los Amigos can go to Solorio’s Assembly office, which is in Anaheim, and complain about the severance deal he likely voted for?
- They are falsely accusing SAPD Chief Paul Walters of breaking the law. What did Walters do? He recorded a robo-call in support of Pulido, during last year’s campaign. That is not illegal. Apparently Los Amigos have an issue with free speech. What, by the way, did Los Amigos do last year to help Latinos get elected to the Anaheim City Council? Nothing. They did absolutely nothing and no Latino candidates won in Anaheim.
- The Los Amigos complainers are also upset that Mayor Pulido was going to get a finder’s fee for negotiating the sale of a number of state buildings. Guess what? That was not illegal. Ill-advised? Perhaps – but not illegal. And a Judge overturned the deal, killing the sale. Just this week, Gov. Schwarzenegger re-appointed termed-out Anaheim Mayor Curt Pringle to the State’s high speed rail commission. A court earlier established that Pringle had a major conflict of interest in serving on that commission. Did Los Amigos complain about that? No. They let that one slide. There was no press conference…
- And lastly, the Los Amigos posse wants to hang the entire Santa Ana City Council because a few of the Council Members accidentally accepted donations from a developer that had business with the city. Guess what? Fletcher approved this! Why do you think he was suddenly retired? He blew it, not the Council!
The real laugher about this press conference is that these guys are making a huge stink two years before the next Santa Ana mayoral election. Will anyone remember any of this two years from now? Of course not! What a giant waste of everyone’s time.
Here is an issue I would like to see Los Amigos look into. Why did Amezcua register to vote at his law office, instead of at his house in the Morrison Park Neighborhood, when he ran for the Rancho Santiago Community College District’s Board of Education? And why, halfway through his term, did he resign that seat? Did he get caught? Why was he not prosecuted for this fraud?
Amezcua worked to recall former SAUSD Trustee Nativo Lopez, who last year was charged with registering to vote at his office in Los Angeles, when he lived here in Orange County. Wow, that is exactly what it appears that Amezcua did! Why did Amezcua get away with it while Lopez is still trying to stay out of jail?
According to Anaheim community activist Duane Roberts, this is not the first time the Los Amigos have looked the other way for a carpetbagger. He told me he personally outed one of them a few years ago, when that guy ran for a school board in Anaheim even though he lived in a mansion in coastal Orange County. Los Amigos didn’t object to that guy’s carpetbagging either – in fact they tried to cover up for him!
I know the Los Amigos members. Many of them are good guys. I am sad that this is the best way they can spend their time – attacking fellow Latinos in Santa Ana. It is ironic that many of the Los Amigos don’t even live in Santa Ana! Their Chairman, Amin David, lives in Anaheim. And they guy they list as being the head of the so-called “Santa Ana Coalition for Better Government,” Dr. Arturo Lomeli, lives in the wealthy Orange Park Acres!
Here is their press release:
PRESS CONFERENCE
WHEN: Wednesday, January 5, 2010
9 a.m. to 9:30 a.m.
WHERE: Jagerhaus Restaurant, 2525 E. Ball Road,
Anaheim, CA 92806 (Located near the 57 Freeway at Ball Road)
WHY: Orange County Latino organizations ask the Orange County Grand Jury to investigate abuses by top Santa Ana officials, including Mayor Miguel Pulido
WHO: Amin David, Los Amigos of Orange County,
714-758-8090; Dr. Alfonso Alvarez, Rudy Escalante Chapter of American GI Form of the US, 714-605-2544; Zeke Hernandez, LULAC Santa Ana, 714-661-4428; Nelli Kaniski, MANA de Orange County; Francisco Barragan, United Mexican-American Veterans Association and Dr. Arturo Lomeli, Santa Ana Coalition for Better Government.
Your Photo-Shopped imagine of Alfredo with gang-bangers betrays your lack of veracity Pedroza.
This article puts the lie to Sean Mill’s statement to the Santa Ana City Council that this blog refrains from engaging in politics.
Those are not gang bangers. The picture is a humorous jab at Amezcua’s followers, who appear to be blind to the facts and offer only attacks, not solutions.
99% of our posts are about events and charities. I reserve the right to defend my City Council from Amezcua’s ridiculous attacks.
Why don’t you try commenting about what I wrote instead of picking on Mill? Or have you nothing substantial to offer?
Mike Tardif aka junior,
It appears that you may have misremembered last nights meeting. I personally never stated that this blog refrains from engaging in politics. I stated that this blog is a tool that helps promote Santa Ana in a positive fashion and that is exactly what we do here.
Part of promoting our city in a positive fashion sometimes means that we must defend it and our leaders like the Mayor, City Council and Police Chief Paul Walters from scurilous attacks. We believe in open and honest debate of the issues in which folks may disagree however politically motivated attacks that are unfounded must be answered for the good of our city.
99% or more of what is written on this blog is apolitical and promotes our city, its businesses and its residents. Feel free to join us in doing that here on the New Santa Ana blog.
As far as the issue at hand goes perhaps you can address the points raised by Art in this post. I am sure if you don’t want to do that you can find another blog around that will cheerlead for you as you throw rocks our way.
Happy New Year Mike!
Verbatim transcript of Santa Ana Council meeting:
Tinajero:
“.. he (Sean) has been a part of a blog that promotes the City of Santa Ana and does not deal with the politics surrounding any city ..”
Sean Mill: “Thank you Sal.”
Mike Tardif aka junior,
Thank you for posting this as this clears up your misremembering of what “I” said at last night’s city council meeting.
You previously stated, “This article puts the lie to Sean Mill’s statement to the Santa Ana City Council that this blog refrains from engaging in politics.”
Clearly I did not say any such thing as you latest post confirms. However this latest post by Mr. Pedroza is not political, it is a defense of our city and our city leaders. This blog believes in promoting our city in a positive manner and smearing our leaders including Chief Paul Walters is an attack on Santa Ana.
There is no need for you to apologize for wrongfully saying that I lied at last night’s meeting. Admitting you were mistaken is good enough for me.
We here at the New Santa Ana blog wish you and yours a blessed 2011. Thanks for your continued readership and support of our blog.
Sean,
Let me spell it out for you – this blog posts political articles – Art admitted that.
Tinajero said that this blog does not post political articles – you knew that his statement was false and yet you did not correct him when you had the opportunity to do so.
You lied by act of ommission.
Sal is correct. We don’t cover politics in the cities that surround Santa Ana.
Mike Tardif aka junior,
Again thanks for being our number one reader.
I lied at no time during my comments to the council. I stated the purpose of this blog is to promote our city, businesses and residents in a positive light. We do that.
Now the topic of this post is about the attack on our city and our leaders by a group of folks that for the most part don’t live here. Do you have anything to add to that discussion? Did you want to discuss the topic at hand or did you want to engage in a discussion about an unrelated topic?
If you have something to add to the topic of this thread we welcome that, however if you are here to throw rocks go visit the other blogs that cheer you on as you do that.
Have a great day and I look forward to seeing you at upcoming Planning Commission meetings.
Take care.
“Sal is correct. We don’t cover politics in the cities that surround Santa Ana.”
That is not what Sal was saying and you know it.
“I lied at no time during my comments to the council.”
While technically correct – you and Sal “tag-team” lied.
He lied and you affirmed his lie by your lack of response.
Are you EVER going to refute my rebuttal to the Los Amigos charges? Or are you tacitly agreeing with me?
Mike Tardif aka junior,
We have engaged in this off-topic discussion long enough. Please take this over to the other blogs. We like to keep things positive around here.
Thanks again for being our number one reader.
Sean, spare us the absurd notion that you defend and promote the “City Council”. The truth is, you defend and promote CERTAIN MEMBERS of the City Council…not the City Council as a generic entity.
In other words, your activities are entirely political. While there is nothing prima facia wrong with that, now that you’re back on the Planning Commission, what you write and say is certainly open for scrutiny against the Code of Ethics.
Photoshoped Alfredo Amuezca with a bunch of gangsters? Very classy on trying to prove a point. Are we in high school?
Those are not gangsters. They are guerrilla fighters in some third world country. That is an appropriate analogy since Al does not respect the will of the voters. They rejected him. He should move on. Instead he is waging an unhinged insurgency.