SARMIENTO WANTS TO CREATE A COMMITTEE TO DISCUSS DISSOLVING OTHER COMMITTEES
“The City Council has taken another step toward reducing the mayor’s authority by voting to give the council, rather than the mayor alone, the power to appoint members to council committees,” according to the O.C. Register.
I have no problem with that – in fact the Council Members hate serving on most of these committees and often run away from these assignments. Now they have no excuse.
But here is the funny part:
As part of the motion, Martinez suggested that an ad hoc committee be created to find out which committees council members want to serve on. Sarmiento recommended that the ad hoc committee recommend how to condense the committee structure. The development and neighborhood improvement and code enforcement committees last met in 2008.
Let me get this straight – Councilman Vince Sarmiento wants to create ANOTHER COMMITTEE to determine how to get rid of the other Council committees. LOL! You can’t make this stuff up.
THE VOICE OF OC MOCKS THE SUDDENLY UN-TRANSPARENT SANTA ANA SPRING
But wait, there’s more. Remember that $56 million dollars that the State of California is demanding that the City of Santa Ana return to Sacramento’s coffers? Well, even the “Santa Ana Spring” fans at the Voice of OC have had enough of these yahoos:
State finance officials say that it’s not too late for the city to produce the contracts and would drop the demand once they see them. The contracts would qualify for funding if they are between the former redevelopment agency and a developer and were signed before the deadline.
Yet if the solution is that simple, why all the confusion, last-minute council meetings and rhetoric at City Hall?
Despite all the talk of a “Santa Ana Spring,” by several council members elected in November on a platform of expanded transparency at City Hall, they aren’t talking.
After privately negotiating with the state for weeks, city officials made the dispute public only on Dec. 21, the day of the payment deadline. After that brief public meeting to declare opposition to the demand, officials closed City Hall for two weeks.
Council members are also staying quiet…
THE RETURN OF THE PBID TAX?
And now, just when you think these poor dolts cannot possibly screw up more word comes down that they have the votes to restore the unethical PBID tax which robs downtown Santa Ana businesses/landlords so that a select few of them, primarily bars and restaurants, can spend their ill gotten goods on whatever they want, including this.
Maybe the PBID should be spent teaching the downtown bars and restaurants about food safety?
And what will the number one Benavides defender, Dr. Art Lomeli, do when his pal stabs him in the back?
BENAVIDES WANTS TO APPOINT A PAID PLANNING CONSULTANT TO THE PLANNING COMMISSION
And yes, it is true. Councilman David Benavides is still trying to get enough votes to put Phil Bacerra, the consultant that the PBID administrator, Downtown, Inc., hired, and paid with PBID dollars, to the Santa Ana Planning Commission. That’s right. He wants to put a paid planning consultant on our public Planning Commission. Good grief!
ASSEMBLYMAN DALY GETS PUNKED AND SO DO ALL OF US
Well, the State Legislature committee appointments were announced today and our new state legislator, Assemblyman Tom Daly, got punked. He won’t be chairing any committees nor did he draw any vice chair appointments. But he did get on to these committees:
- Aging and Long-Term Care
- Budget
- Budget Subcommittee No. 4 on State Administration
- Budget Subcommittee No. 6 on Budget Process, Oversight and Program Evaluation
- Jobs, Economic Development, and the Economy
- Transportation
You have to wonder if any of Daly’s Latino opponents would have drawn better committee assignments…had they been able to beat him. But they didn’t. We’re stuck with Daly and as you can see the man has zero pull in Sacramento. The 2014 election cannot come soon enough!
Great post N.S.A.! This group of “leaders” couldn’t find their way out of a paper bag. News alert to the “Parks Committee” if there still is one, Santiago Park between the log cabin and Valencia looks like crap. Either fix it up or plant it with native plants but do something. This is the window to our city for thousands of Discovery Museum visiters who eat their lunches there.
Also, when are they going to complete the Santiago Creek bike trail?
Also, for all of the “we want change” B.S. they talked about during the campaign, did you know that TWO planning commissioners live on one short section of Heliotrope street in posh Floral Park? (Sandy Nalle lives on it and now Planning Commission member Eric Alderete has purchased a home on Heliotrope!) How many S.A. Board members live within the borders of the Beverly Hills of Santa Ana? What a joke.
Why not plot the locations of all Board members in Santa Ana and show your readers the graphic. I bet you will find most live up North and a few pockets of upscale S.A. neighborhoods elsewhere.
I believe that Sean Mill is the only Planning Commissioner who does not live in North Santa Ana.
Mill lives in the ward he represents, So does Nalle. Currently the rest do not
That’s right. There’s your Santa Ana Spring… What a crock!
I love my upscale north Santa Ana neighborhood.
Just as I thought Mr. Editor. Maybe someone can plot them all on a map of Santa Ana. And to the rest of you Santa Ana residents who want to be on a board or commission? Better save up some cash to buy a bigger casa or be happy with the worthless boards that no one cares about and have no impact on the city and don’t generate campaign donations.
Youth Commission anyone?:)
Glad to see that Sandra “La Pocha” Sarmiento of the United Artists of Santa Ana is almost tied for Woman of the Year. Alvarez better watch her back or maybe scratch a back.
oooooh,sounds like fun.
Of course, Alicia of U.A.S.A. is leading from a pretty behind.
This is getting ridiculous! When can we start addressing the real important issues and stop this getting even with Pulido schemes.
If it continues, someone needs to start organizing a Recall movement. It has to start from the community and then hopefully with Miguel’s approval and his popularity, the threats could stop the nonsense.
BTW- I think District attorney Claudia Alvarez would be a great replacement for Daly. How do we encourage her to start campaigning for Daly’s seat now so that it doesn’t become another Latino dominated field?
Alvarez would be a great choice. I have a feeling she will have to keep clear of things for awhile though so that the DA can go after the Benavides cartel…it is pretty obvious that they have been violating the Brown Act.
” DA can go after the Benavides cartel…”
Which members do you think will be behind bars first? It’s only a matter of time. Vince Sarmiento reminds me a lot of former Santa Ana school boardmember Rudy Montejano.
Would anyone be surprised if Sarmiento, like Montejano, ends up serving time and losing his ability to practice law?
I’ve heard the same word on the street about Sarmiento. Feds are looking into them. What a shame to see another Santa Ana Councilman go up to the Big House.
Yes I would be surprised if Sarmiento was in trouble.
He seems to be the most trustworthy up there.
No joke.
But I could be wrong.
Gene Noji, Husband of Dr. Audrey Noji was heard recently (albeit DRUNK) BASHING Roman Renya for his lack of intelligence.
Noji, the storied coach from Irvine’s Woodbridge High School has long eschewed Santa Ana politics prefering to remain in his wifes shadow, laughed about Roman’s tenure with the SAUSD and his inability to properly hold a knife and fork.
It suffices to say, Santa Ana never expected a guy with a 8th grade reading level to lead them forward!
“Yes I would be surprised if Sarmiento was in trouble.
He seems to be the most trustworthy up there.”
The best crooks always seem trustworthy until they are caught.