New Santa Ana

Helen Martinez, a candidate for Ward 6 on the Santa Ana City Council, showed up today at Godinez Fundamental High School, where she spoke to a combined group of students from three government classes. Unfortunately for Martinez, the group included my son Joey, a senior and AP student, who quickly texted me.

Joey asked her stance on illegal immigration and the Dream Act; she chose to “reserve her opinion.” What a cop-out!

However Martinez was able to give her opinion on prop 19, which she is opposing. One student asked her why she was able to give her opinion on that but not on illegal immigration and she said “it’s because that isn’t a proposition.” Lame!

Martinez’ main argument against marijuana was that california would become “smokier” and she had concerns for asthmatics, such as herself. She had nothing else to say basically, she just beat around the bush a lot.

When asked why she was running against the incumbent, Councilman Sal Tinajero, with the person asking the question looking for specific policies, all she said was that it was because her opponent had lost sight of what it means to be a “public servant,” that he never showed up when he was supposed to. She went off on a huge tangent, according to my son, and she failed to answer the question.

The general reaction towards her from my son’s classmates was that she didn’t really answer anybody’s questions and that she didn’t seem well informed. My son didn’t think anyone in his class would have voted for her.

Martinez is running against incumbent Councilman Sal Tinajero, an award-winning teacher who used to work at the SAUSD. Why did she get invited to speak and not Tinajero as well? This is an outrage. I suspect the SAUSD district office will be hearing from Tinajero tomorrow.

I know the Godinez students would learn a lot more from Tinajero, who also served on the SAUSD School Board previously, then they could possibly learn from Martinez.

I am very proud of the students who asked about immigration and Prop. 19. This shows they are very much aware of some of the most important political issues we are currently dealing with.

Tinajero, for the record, does support the Dream Act, which provides students who came here at a young age and completed their education in our schools to have a pathway to citizenship – and college.

Say it ain’t so Jose! I came across an item on Facebook tonight, which you can see in the graphic above, indicating that our favorite Assemblyman, Jose Solorio, is supporting the campaign against Prop. 19, called Public Safety First, which proposes to regulate and tax cannabis sales.

Prop. 19 would pour millions into California’s empty coffers. More importantly, it would be a first step in ending the drug war that has killed over 23,000 people in Mexico and put so many minorities in jails here in the U.S.

Check out this quote from the Drug Policy Alliance:

Although African Americans comprise only 12.2 percent of the population and 13 percent of drug users, they make up 38 percent of those arrested for drug offenses and 59 percent of those convicted of drug offenses causing critics to call the war on drugs the “New Jim Crow.” The higher arrest rates for African Americans and Latinos do not reflect a higher abuse rate in these communities but rather a law enforcement emphasis on inner city areas where drug use and sales are more likely to take place in open-air drug markets where treatment resources are scarce.

And check out these excerpts, from the L.A. Times:

Saying that prohibition takes a heavy toll on minorities, leaders of the NAACP’s California chapter announced Monday that they are backing passage of a marijuana legalization initiative on the November ballot.

The war on drugs is a failure and disproportionately targets young men and women of color, particularly African-American males, said Alice Huffman, president of the NAACP’s state conference.

Here is a damning fact – the Facebook page in support of Prop. 19 currently has 110,741 fans, while the Facebook page that Solorio likes, which is against Prop. 19, has only 68 fans! No bueno!

According to a new column by my friend Judge Jim Gray:

People are beginning to understand that many of the problems with youth gangs, such as shootings, drug sales, and even the recruitment of young people to that dead-end lifestyle, are directly traced to drug prohibition. Police can disrupt the drug trafficking of gangs only to a limited degree, but, they like Al Capone and other such thugs in the alcohol distribution business before them, can only really be put out of that lucrative business by a pronounced change in policy.

Should Solorio be opposing a law that will help the people of California, and especially the people in his 69th Assembly District? I don’t think so. If you agree, please click here to send a message to Solorio.

And click here to donate to Prop. 19.

Tag Archives: prop. 19

Ward 6 candidate Helen Martinez refuses to talk about immigration and the Dream Act, while addressing Godinez High students

Assemblyman Solorio comes out against legalizing and taxing cannabis