We are sorry to report that former Santa Ana Planning Commissioner Alexander “Sandy” Nalle passed away yesterday after having an emergency triple bypass surgery.

Nalle was a fixture in the community serving not only as a City Commissioner but also as the Treasurer of First Baptist Church, which he helped to transition to Newsong Church. Today that church is once again a vibrant part of the community.

Nalle also volunteered at a number of other community organizations including the Orange County Sheriff’s Advisory Council; Board, Goodwill Industries of Orange County; Board, Bowers Museum; Chairman, and the Rotary Club of Santa Ana.

Nalle’s great-grandfather, Thomas Jefferson Mullinix, first came to Santa Ana in 1885 from Midland, Tex. In 1891, he bought a home on North Main Street, along with an entire city block of land, for $4,000, according to the L.A. Times.

Nalle told the L.A. Times that the time he spent outside Orange County helped him to appreciate his heritage. His first job took him to Peoria, Ill., and later his work involved travel to other countries.

“When I moved to Peoria, I didn’t know anybody,” he said. “That was difficult. But the biggest problem was that there weren’t any Mexican restaurants. My mother used to freeze tortillas and send them to us by air freight.

Nalle was a longtime Vice President at CB Richard Ellis, Inc., dating back to 1980 according to his Linkedin page. He previously was a sales engineer at the Caterpillar Company.

Nalle served his country as a member of the U.S. Marines from 1961 to 1964, rising to the rank of Captain.

Nalle had a B.A. from Universidad de las Americas, Mexico, DF and a BFT from American Graduate School of International Management (Thunderbird) as well as a JD from the Chapman University School of Law. He also attended Claremont McKenna College.

Nalle ran for the Santa Ana City Council in 2004, netting over 40% of the vote according to Smart Voter. Sadly he was defeated by Carlos Bustamante, who later ended up in jail on various felony charges related to sexual harassment of Orange County employees.

Nalle is survived by his wife Dorothy and two daughters, Heather and Anna Beck, and several grandchildren.

Thank you Sandy for all of your service to our community! You will be dearly missed.

Update:

Sandy Nalle’s Memorial service will be held on Wednesday, December 28, 2016, at 2:30 p.m.

Location: Fairhaven Memorial Park Waverly Chapel.