Sun. Dec 22nd, 2024

Did you know that the O.C. Register started using the term “Ethnic Cleansing” with regard to the gentrification of Downtown Santa Ana way back in 2004?

Santa Ana Planning Commissioner Sean Mill wrote a letter to the Register that they published on August 1, 2004.  I have reproduced the letter above.  The Register’s letters editor came up with the headline of “Ethnic Cleansing in Santa Ana?”  Mill did NOT use that term in his letter!

Where was the outrage in 2004, from the Chase family, the faux liberals, and the ADL?

Mill was on the attack against crooked developers and former Santa Ana City Manager Dave Ream, long before Santa Ana Mayor Pro Tem Claudia Alvarez began to lead the charge against Chase and his cohorts.

Mill also ripped Don Cribb in a letter to the L.A. Times, published on March 7, 1999, for attacking small business owners in the Downtown Santa Ana area, similar to what is happening today.  Cribb was on the Santa Ana Planning Commission back then (btw, does anyone know why a City of Santa Ana vehicle was parked in front of Cribb’s house today?)

You see?  Things have only gone from bad to worse for these businessmen, who have just been trying to survive.  The Chase family would love for us all to keep focusing on what Alvarez had already apologized for so we will take off the ball while they continue their mission that the Register referred to as “ethnic cleansing” way back in 2004.

Kudos to Planning Commissioner Mill for fighting the good fight way back when the ADL and Dan Chmielewski didn’t even know where Santa Ana was located!

author avatar
Art Pedroza Editor
Our Editor, Art Pedroza, worked at the O.C. Register and the OC Weekly and studied journalism at CSUF and UCI. He has lived in Santa Ana for over 30 years and has served on several city and county commissions. When he is not writing or editing Pedroza specializes in risk control and occupational safety. He also teaches part time at Cerritos College and CSUF. Pedroza has an MBA from Keller University.

By Art Pedroza

Our Editor, Art Pedroza, worked at the O.C. Register and the OC Weekly and studied journalism at CSUF and UCI. He has lived in Santa Ana for over 30 years and has served on several city and county commissions. When he is not writing or editing Pedroza specializes in risk control and occupational safety. He also teaches part time at Cerritos College and CSUF. Pedroza has an MBA from Keller University.

11 thoughts on “The Register labeled Santa Ana gentrification “ethnic cleansing” in 2004”
  1. Come full circle.

    Mr Mill wrote many opinion articles over decades.

    Currently he is on the city planning commission and in more recent opinion articles has retracted many of his past criticisms of the artist village area and the down town area.

  2. You are starting to piss me off too Admin. can you please write one article at time? I neeeeeeeed to ask you more about the Neutral Grounds stuff but I am going to sleep now. Pinche pocho.

  3. The Reg did not “lable” downtown SA improvements as “ethnic cleansing.” You didn’t notice the question mark attached to that use of the term? They put forth the question – that is not “labeling.”

    1. They most certainly did refer to it as ethnic cleansing. The question mark only means they are asking their readers if they agree.

    1. That photo is actually a new one. Mill runs in half marathons and he is actually in great shape. I am pretty sure he could outrun you…

  4. So alvarez should have posed the question: Are You Hitler Man? Seriously Bro Are you Hitler or what?
    Theo Man, what do you think? How would you ask if Chase was Hitler?
    Theo?
    If Chase had any kind of sense of humor at all, he would have responded to Alvarez accordingly, or similarly:

    “Goddamn right I’m Hitler, You Goddamn Mexican loving white pendeja”

    Comandante Alicita:
    What matters is not being discussed. It has nothing to do with Alvarez unfortunately. The changes in DTSA mostly affect one group of people. Coincidentally it happens to be that this group is mostly Mexicans. I understand the Christmas feeling for most bloggers in the city who want to keep writing about something that really doesn’t affect the city..keep the topic on what affects the business owners on 4th, the artists, the people. How does it affect me what Alvarez did in her emotional rant? I have my opinion who cares about yours!

  5. Comandante hold your fire. Don’t submit comment. You forgot about Claudia.
    Wake Claudia, Comandante!
    Claudia?

    Latinos for Revitalization.

    W.T.F? Claudia? I thought you wanted to tell us about Friday night summer concert series Claudia?

    I want you to know that I know more than you, and the reason being is that this Friday at the down town summer concert series we’re going to be featuring many different bands:

    Orangutron, Devil and his friend, Eric (the Mexican), Archer and Special sauce, NO mas, shut up Theo. Algo Mas Claudia? Oye despierta Claudia!
    Algo Mas? NO mas. Buenas Noches. paz.

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