Orange County District Attorney Tony Rackauckas will be clearing Santa Ana Mayor Miguel Pulido of any criminal wrongdoing related to a property swap between the mayor and a city contractor, according to sources with knowledge of the decision, according to the Voice of OC.
Of course the Voice of OC does not explain why Pulido won’t be charged. Instead they used their latest article to attack our Mayor yet again.
I spoke to Mayor Pulido yesterday. He said that the OCDA twice had the parking lot that his father traded for a home in Westminster assessed. It turned out that the parking lot, located in Downtown Santa Ana next to a Napa Auto Parts store that was desperate for more space, is worth more than the house that the Pulido family received in return for the lot.
The Voice of OC has NEVER reported the truth about what happened when Pulido voted to approve a city contract with the auto parts store in question. The fact is that the matter was part of that meeting’s Consent Calendar. And the Council voted unanimously for the Consent Calendar. The auto parts store contract was never debated.
And as it turns out it was the City’s purchasing department that brought the auto parts store to the table. Moreover there is ZERO evidence that Pulido EVER asked any of his Council colleagues to vote for the contract. That’s because he didn’t! Pulido never, ever pushed for this deal. It was staff-driven from the start and the trade of the parking lot to the auto parts store was always a separate issue.
That is why the OCDA is not going to file any charges against Pulido. Now Pulido did err by not reporting the real estate transaction. He will be fined by the FPPC for that. Several of his Council colleagues have also been fined by the FPPC over the years.
Click here and read all about allegations of corruption involving Santa Ana Council Members Michele Martinez, Roman Reyna and David Benavides.
The Voice of OC’s ongoing witch-hunt against Pulido is due to the fact that the retired head of the OC Employer’s Association, the surly Nick Berardino, who funded the Voice of OC and served on their Board of Directors, got mad when Pulido endorsed former Santa Ana Councilman Carlos Bustamante for a seat on the OC Board of Supervisors. Berardino was backing a fellow named Tom Umberg. Ironically Umberg’s campaign fell apart when he got caught cheating on his long-suffering wife. And Bustamante later was charged with workplace sexual harassment. It was former Garden Grove Councilman Janet Nguyen who won that Supervisorial race – and she is also under investigation by the OCDA for her own campaign finance shenanigans.
Pulido is also hated by influential Voice of OC Board Member Joe Dunn, a former State Senator. Pulido blocked Dunn from facilitating the move of the Federal Court of Appeals from Santa Ana to Irvine. Pulido saved quite a few jobs by using redevelopment money to keep the Court of Appeals here, after the City helped them buils a new courthouse and parking structure. Dunn never forgave Pulido as Dunn wanted to move the Court of Appeals near the UCI School of Law.
Plenty of lame candidates have had a chance to defeat Pulido. The losers have included Council Members Reyna and Benavides. Now that these BS charges are off the table you have to figure that Pulido will beat whichever lame candidate takes him on next time too.
It was clearly a bribe. No one gives away $200,000.00 to a politician and not expect a favor in return.
What favor? He didn’t ask the Council to vote for this. And the vote was unanimous.
At the time of the bribe Pulido had influence with the Council. It was a “go along – get along” group of corrupt venditos.
AGAIN – No one gives $200K to a politician and not expect a favor in return.
The lot was appraised again and found to be worth more than the house.
Who paid for the subsequent appraisal? Pulido? – or a Pulido buddy?
The OCDA. Didn’t you read my post?
That figures ….. one crook vouches for the other crook.
But you’re okay with Benavides selling his votes to developers?
Of course he’s okay with it Mr. Editor, he’s a proven hypocrite.
Can you say Congressman Pulido!
One of the best part of Adam Elmerhek’s ineffective hit piece is his quote near the end where Councilmember P. David Benavides says:
““Does it really come down to who you know for what you can get away with?” Benavides said earlier this year upon hearing news that the misdemeanor deadline had passed. “It gives any taxpayer reason to lose confidence in the system.”
This coming from the guy who is “dating” his appointee to a city commission. No “hanky panky” there!
Can you say Congressman Correa? Lou would wipe the floor with Pulido.
Lou count not beat the corrupt Andrew Do!
Short memory there Seamus.
It was just an election cycle ago that Lou Correa pulled (or was said to) papers to run for mayor of Santa Ana. With his HUGE war chest he ran some preliminary numbers which showed him having “little or no chance” of beating Pulido for mayor.
Plus, if Loretta does announce for Senate, which I doubt, she has indicated she would help choose a successor, I can promise you her first choice would not be: A) Lou Correa B) Jose Solorio or any of the other recent losers from Santa Ana.
Big problems at O.C. D.A.’s Office –
http://www.ocregister.com/articles/office-658161-judge-attorney.html
Yeah, but given the choice between T-RACK and his most recent opponent, law professor turned blogger, turned workers rights attorney, turned OCCUPY leader, turned CATER lawyer, turned Brea Blogger Greg Diamond. I think T-RACK is an excellent choice!
You gotta agree with me there.
Phuk NO!! I don’t agree with you – T-Rack purposely set up his case against the Kelly Thomas murderers to fail and to spring the cop perps.
one crook helping another crook…….and please people dont mention Loretta. Her name along make my ears hurt just by thinking of her annoying voice…
What does one have to do with the other? it is like he committed a crime and took someone’s life but he made up for it by saving 1 or even a million people…shame on all of us for putting up with this! He was fined already. Doesn’t that mean he was guilty therefore automatically should not be able to continue representing us as mayor of Santa Ana?
If it was anyone else they would probably be in jail by now.
The accusations, investigations, discussions of alleged council members connections to crime and corruption, BASED ON A PICTURE TAKEN WITH PEOPLE (who were there already enjoying their evening) WHO ARE NOT IN JAIL OR ALREADY HAVE SERVED THEIR TIME is a waste of taxpayers money. You’re also implying the Police and D.A. are incompetent!. Don’t you think the S.A.P.D and the D.A. would have connected them to the council member(s) if there was such one? Or I know!, they found one, but… Sounds like you think they are incompetent?! I don’t think so. at all, WHEN they do their job. They came through for me when my cousin was murdered and I will always remember that. Let’s see we got a picture then we have documentation of Pulido’s property scam. Wow! I’m just a regular citizen most of you are connected professionally to this someway, somehow.. I wonder what your kids or family would say or think when they see this in the future not to mention what you all were doing at times you could be spending with them NOW. It would be different if you ending with “that is why I intend to run for office” or contributing positively.
The police union was very upset about Roman posing with members of La Eme.
Dani,
I’ll take your bait.
DID ROMAN RENYA GRADUATE HIGH SCHOOL?
DOES ROMAN RENYA HAVE JOB? WHERE?
DOES ROMAN HAVE GANG AFFILIATIONS? TATTOO’S?
COULD ROMAN RENYA PASS THE HIGH SCHOOL EXIT EXAM? IS HE WILLING TO TRY?
Start there. Then we can move on to the juicy stuff. I heard he is already being bashed for his inability to understand the most BASIC rules at the water board.
I’ll give you this, Roman is a good YMCA leader, but as a city official he is Daffy Duck.
yes 2yrs later I have some time now. let’s see!!!
No, I’ll continue AND end here because I’m sure your Roman “juicy stuff” COMPARED to Pulido’s is nothing! AND (RE: 2ys later) – One Word!: Trump we have done nothing to get Pulido out, there is no way we get it together and get Trump out! AND simply your concerns relate to getting a job and why he wouldn’t be able to do it. BUT he already had these positions and had just started. He didn’t get a chance!
You really had a problem with the person who made the final decision to appoint him or the party responsible for what prerequisites are needed, or with those who voted for him?
No, of course not! You have a personal issue with him – don’t use your real name, which by the way, Carpetbagger?…, that alone says to me – don’t throw stones….. education, affiliations, tattoos, and degree of aspiration????!!!! So if you have a tattoo or tattoos you can’t get certain jobs? and yes, you did say he was a good YMCA leader. Jackpot! He MUST be a YMCA leader for life! (which ends this finally -with the aspiration part)… especially since he might not have really wanted to leave YMCA in the first place? —————this is what was important to you? your “juicy stuff” has to be ‘mean girl’ ‘high school’ stuff – none of which he can go to jail for!, Again COMPARED to Pulido.
re: that sordid picture – If you went to any S.A. intermediate or high school you went with some people who were already affiliated with gangs, future members of one, or your/their had a family member of one or the other OR both! And the union? A couple of presidents of the various union locals have similar affilliations. Heaven forbid! If Roman would have refused the request for the picture, the headline would have read something relating to him being beaten or bashing him for denying his heritage or he thinks he is better than them. ..Do some investigating of your own there are Pulido pics with some really bad people.
The parking lot is worth more. It wasn’t worth more at the trade it’s worth more now, 5 years into development. Idiots, they talk about leaving stuff out yet everything they say is a twisted fabrication.