I was going to wait a week for the next Santa Ana Political Chismes column, but I have some more Chismes and they need to get posted now, so here we go:
- Sources tell me that the Santa Ana City Council announced at their special meeting on Thursday night that they are indeed suspending the search for a new City Manager for at least a few months. Apparently four of the Council Members voted to suspend the search. Not sure who voted that way but I guess it is a moot point.
- Councilwoman Michele Martinez brought a birthday cake for Councilman David Benavides to tonight’s special session of the Santa Ana City Council. The Council enjoyed the moment in the midst of all their deliberating.
- The demonstration that was supposed to happen at Monday’s City Council meeting has been called off. Sources tell me that whoever was targeting Alvarez has since decided to back off.
- This Sunday, Mayor Pro Tem Claudia Alvarez is going to meet up with the Comite Civico Mexicano en Orange County and the Santa Ana Soccer and Business Association at the plaza at 4th and French St. The time is not yet set but it should be between 2 and 3 pm. She is going to be there to show her support for Santa Ana’s Latino community.
- I am hearing that O.C. Supervisors Shawn Nelson and John Moorlach are pushing for an investigation of O.C. Clerk-Recorder Tom Daly. Apparently Daly’s predecessor implemented a fee that was supposed to go to an account to be used for tech upgrades at the Clerk-Recorder’s office. By Moorlach’s accounting the money accrued by charging this fee should be over $40 million, but there is only ten to twelve million in the account. Nelson and Moorlach are wondering what happened to the balance?
- The lame attempt by allies of failed Santa Ana Mayoral candidate Al Amezcua to scare off local bands from participating in the Downtown Santa Ana Summer Concert Series isn’t working. The show will go on this Friday, at Downtown Santa Ana’s East End, over on Fourth and French St., at 5 pm.
- Speaking of Downtown Santa Ana, I hear the SAPD is closing their sub-station over on the East End – which means that the PBID will be more important now than ever in terms of maintaining public safety in Downtown Santa Ana. But will that sway the Council Members?
- All this talk about the gentrification of Downtown Santa Ana ignores the fact that urban centers all over the U.S. are gentrifying as hipsters run amok. Did you know that D.C. no longer has a black majority? Click here to read about that.
- The new SAUSD Superintendent formally accepted an offer from the SAUSD on Thursday. Let’s make sure she doesn’t get pulled to the dark side by the Usual Suspects! We are going to want to keep an eye on the SAUSD and let her know what the deal is in Santa Ana.
- I am hearing that one of our Council Members might be running for Mayor in 2012. Nothing definite yet but if this comes true it will be major drama time. And if this is true you can kiss Amezcua’s chances of winning in 2012 goodbye…
The chisme I heard recently is that Claudia Alvarez was the Rebound Girl for Interim City Manager Paul Walters while he was going through a divorce and later married his current wife.