2010 – 2011 Comlink Board
Unless you’ve been in a coma or under a rock somewhere you are well aware of the fiscal crisis facing our community. Municipalities are being asked to do more with less and tough decisions need to be made as to where budget cuts should take place. According to our acting City Manager, Paul Walters, the City of Santa Ana is even considering outsourcing a number of services, including fire dispatch, the public library and even the Santa Ana Zoo.
Of course the last area we should cut is public safety (even though we do need to make sure our cops and firemen aren’t getting sweetheart deals), but there are areas of the budget that should be cut in order to save during this fiscal crisis. One of those area’s city officials should cut immediately is the funding for neighborhood associations and Comlink.
In the city of Los Angeles where they are facing monumental budget shortfalls, Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa and the city council made huge cuts to the funding of the city’s 89 “neighborhood councils”. In February of 2009, Villaraigosa merged that city’s version of Santa Ana’s Community Development Agency Housing and Neighborhood Development Division, entitled the Department of Neighborhood Empowerment, into another city agency. The merger saved an estimated $2 million for Los Angeles.
In Santa Ana, according to figures provided to me by the City Manager’s office, we could save over $716,000 by eliminating the public funding of neighborhood associations. Taxpayers are spending almost $90,ooo alone on postage and printing to promote the neighborhood associations and their umbrella group Comlink. I don’t see how we can justify such expenditures for organizations that represent such a small percentage of our residents.
To make matters worse, Com Link and the Neighborhood Associations don’t even represent the people of Santa Ana. They pretend to but at most they represent less than 1% of our city’s residents.
Check out the partisan registration of the current Com Link Board Members:
The 69th Assembly district includes most of Santa Ana and parts of Anaheim, Garden Grove and Orange. It traditionally has been a Democratic seat, but that hasn’t discouraged Republican candidate Robert Hammond from taking another shot at it. Hammond lost in the 2010 general election to the incumbent Solorio, who took 65 percent of the vote.
Robert Hammond, a Santa Ana resident, was at the Yost Theater on Thursday evening, attending a meeting of the city’s Communication Linkage Forum, an umbrella group for neighborhood associations.
That’s right. Republican Assembly candidate Bob Hammond knew where to go to find other Republicans…
I thought Republicans were supposed to be all about privatizing and outsourcing – so why are THESE Republicans continuing to exploit the people of the City of Santa Ana – robbing us to pay for their meetings? And that is not all – the Neighborhood Associations don’t pay for their permits – when they have Wine Walks and Concerts they get their permits for free. Do you think that families who hold events like quinceañeras get such favors? And the Neighborhood Associations also get to use the City’s bandstand for free too.
I am all for outsourcing too – and it is time to outsource and privatize Com Link and the Santa Ana Neighborhood Associations. No other city in Orange County subsidizes their Neighborhood Associations – we are $30 million dollars in debt and yet for some damn reason we are spending almost a million dollars a year on these Republican yahoos – in a city dominated by Democrats and Decline to State voters. That needs to stop now!
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Before the Final decision is made to end funding for Neighborhood Associations we should evaluate this from two equally important considerations: FINANCIAL and QUALITATIVE considerations.
1) FINANCIAL:
Will the city view it simply as a SAVING just because they cut the funding to the non-governmental neighborhood association, when they may be incurring an equal or greater Cost by bringing it in-house into the city government?
But even, then, I could also envision where the financial costs is greater in supporting neighborhood associations than the city/government doing directly, but we would WANT it to be done by the neighborhoods associations.
2) QUALITATIVE:
There are several qualitative reasons for the city/government to support neighborhood associations, that advance the public interest, and which are directly and indirectly beneficial to our society, even if it can NOT be measured Financially; or because the Financial Costs are LOWER than the Qualitative Costs or in other words because the Qualitative BENEFITS exceed the Financial Savings.
For example, there might Goodwill generated between the city Police dept (SAPD) and the community;
Also, the SAPD might learn of the need to react to a potential issue because of what is seen or heard by the community in a more timely basis, before it becomes an arrest and prosecution issue.
Neighborhood Associations facilitate and ensure an involved citizenry which increases Civic participation and the carrying out of Civic Duties.
The Neighborhood Associations may facilitate the implementation of city/govt initiatives more effectively, efficiently and timely.
It allows a partnership and collaboration to exist between the city/government and dedicated and involved volunteer business/community leaders, or other non-profit organizations.
It encourages communications between the city/govt and other valuable community partners in meeting the needs of the citizens.
Francisco Barragan (my opinions only)
Professional Profile:
http://www.linkedin.com/in/franciscobarragancpacia
Francisco,
I have found that Chief Walters will meet with you if you have an idea or an issue. He is very free with his time. And he does respond.
You don't need a city-funded neighborhood association to do that.
In fact Walters conducted a decoy operation at Santiago Park because I wrote about it and nine perverts were arrested in just a few hours.
If our residents have an issue they need to communicate directly with the city. They don't need the metiches at the Neighborhood Associations to do it for them.
Art,
Thanks! You are correct I have found the SAPD to be very approachable.
I am on the Board of my Homeowners Association (homeowners pay assessments and vote for our Board), and we had Officer Gloria Perez present to our Board and members.
Additionally, Officers Bill Nimmo and Officer Mcconell (I hope I have his last name correct - affiliated with Downtown, Inc in Santa Ana) have been very approachable and involved in the community.
And in general, I have seen how Chief Paul Walters and the SAPD have maintained a proactive presence in the community at large.
I am NOT suggesting that we must absolutely keep the funding to the neighborhood associations, I am suggesting some considerations as the evaluation is done whether to maintain the funding or not.
Francisco Barragan (my opinion only)
Francisco:
Who are you running against?
Since you are a member of a Homeowners' Association, I imagine you may be in one of the wards with newer homes.
I sense that you are running against Benevides?
I read your linkedin- and since you posted a link,
I am assuming you are staging the way to disclosing/revealing your intent to challenge an incumbent on the city council or perhaps even the mayor?
You have an impressive background.
most ppl here on oj and ns know that I am not easily impressed.
Zusana:
I do not know where all of you reside, but as it is for the least fortunate low income Neighborhoods. I can tell you that we have had lots of unfortunate incidents from which the respond from our Santa Ana Police is uncooperative and nonresponsive. We have had shootings, robberies, etc. When the police are called they take from an hour plus to respond, not counting the number of times their called.
In regards to Neighborhood Associations, it is very sad that many people who are involved in the city, use their Neighborhood Associations for their personal agenda, as for some who are now part of council or other’s who are now in the school board.
It seems like most not all the people involved tend to forget that the main focus of getting involved in Neighborhood Association is to help Santa Ana be a better place to live.
Zusana & Just in Time:
I live on 92703 zip code (Near Euclid and Hazard). I live on an older homeowners association built in 1980. I believe I am on Ward 3 (Carlos Bustamanta - Ward). I have never met Mr. Carlos Bustamante. I have never seen him in our neighborhood. It's possible that the Mayor and Him have done this, but I have also never seen them roll-out any crime fighting initiatives in our neighborhood, nor any park improvements, nor any educational initiatives, nor any business attraction to improve the job base.
I agree any kind of elected office should be to always serve the citizens, and should be considered a privilege. Unfortunately, many elected politicians seem to think that they are entitled to it...and the longer term they are, the more likely that this seems to be case.
But it is also our responsibility to get actively involved in the well-being of our community, and to partner and collaborate with our public servants, and to hold them accountable when necessary, and speak up and not just during election time.
I have been volunteering and working for NO pay since May 2007 (almost 3 years) burning my own savings (while still paying my own mortgage and family insurance plans etc) to help improve my community by leading or serving with not-for-profits boards/organizations of professional, social cause, affordable dignified housing, educational, and veterans organizations.
Education is a great equalizer! And I see personal civic involvement as a duty.
Francisco Barragan (my opinions only and not those of any group)
Professional Profile:
http://www.linkedin.com/in/franciscobarragancpacia
I was saying this all the time: The only way you can dismantle Leftist Liberal socialists and the Neighborhood fascistic Associations is to starve them to death.
This time is here now and I hope that these crises will continue until total claps.
Sure Admin, you can talk to Paul Walters he will listen but one ear in and other ear out.
I have propose to him that I will setup fully computerized trading which could resolve city budget problem.
However, like most people (including you) who have not sufficient knowledge about what I am proposing, he did not responded.
Walters is not qualified to make any financial decisions and these he retains to help him are scamers like the one he presented last Monday.
You can't talk to stupid people.
Pulido is same way.
He only understands proposals which carry a success or finder's fee.
"Francisco Barragan (my opinions only and not those of any group) Professional Profile:
http://www.linkedin.com/in/franciscobarragancpacia".... Hmmmm
Where is the beef?
That guy got duped by Amezcua.
".. we are spending almost a million dollars a year on these Republican yahoos – in a city dominated by Democrats and Decline to State voters. That needs to stop now!"
I doubt that your figures and conclusions are accurate, but your above statement begs the question - why don't Democrats and Independants participate? It is not a closed group.
Because hanging out with hater Republicans is so much fun...
"Because hanging out with hater Republicans is so much fun"..... Hmmmmm
Neighborhood Associations are by a design democrats fascists.
Same KKK democrats, Sen. Byrd, who were lynching blacks until 70'S in south.
Historically and contemporary the evil always come from the democrats not from the republicans.
The GOP switched places with that Dems and Nowitzki the Republicans rule the south and hate minorities.
On your picture above, name who is republican.
I already did that in my post.