Santa Ana Mayor Miguel Pulido and Santa Ana Parks and Rec Director Gerardo Mouet
It is early yet, but I am hearing that several candidates to replace retiring Santa Ana City Manager Dave Ream are emerging from City Hall, including Public Works Director Raul Godinez II and Parks and Recreation Director Gerardo Mouet, as well as Jill Arthur, who has been an assistant to Ream.
Godinez is being pursued by several other cities with City Manager vacancies. He previously worked in Oakland, for then Mayor Jerry Brown. He has also held elective office before.
Mouet has worked hard to provide Parks and Recreation services while constantly having to cut his budget.
Raul Godinez II
Arthur is thought to be favored by Santa Ana Mayor Miguel Pulido, but it is unlikely she will garner enough support from the rest of the City Council to get the job.
There is also supposed to be a national search to replace Ream, but I have not verified that.
I am told that Mouet has the support of Ream, but he will need four votes from the City Council in order to replace Ream. I am told that most if not all of them are seeking to appoint a Latino to replace Ream.
The City Council will be served by an interim City Manager, under contract, for the time being.
Update
I forgot to mention that SAPD Police Chief Paul Walters is also apparently in the mix to replace Ream, either on an interim basis or permanently. Walters, like Mouet and Godinez II, is a very capable administrator.
Didn’t Gerardo and his wife Jenny try and do some dirty work for the city and create a fake incedent at El Sol to shut it down so Harrah could get the property? No thank you, no more Harrah cronies!
Who ever it will be – couldn’t possibly any worse than Ream.
Did you see the so-called “hispanic community” parade up to honor Ream at the council meeting? What a joke!
When did Ream ever do anything other than his utmost to whitey-fy Santa Ana. I wonder who organized that pathetic display.
Junior,
I believe Alex Vega organized the Ream fiesta.
I am no fan of Ream, but while he did a lot of dumb things he managed to do a few good things too. That said, I am glad he is moving on…
Admin, was that picture photo shopped? I have seen that same Miguel picture in a different post.
No, it was not doctored, but I did use it in a different post. We reuse our pictures all the time!
Man, I was going to vote for Eduardo, but after reading that comment I think I will do some further investigation. Damn Blog sites!
You did not say why you were not a fan of Ream. P.S. Miguel has a funny look on his face in that picture. Are you sure that he likes that one?
Come to think of it, Gerardo looks pretty funny in that picture also. I liked that guy. I am going to find out what that El Sol stuff is all about.
Don’t let Miguel sit in those Chinese Gucci Chairs. Those are not his are they?
Whoever the new City Manager is I hope that the council makes sure he resides within the city after he takes the job. Living in the community will help him/her have a better grasp on whats really happening here.
I am confident that the council will make a wise choice.
I would expect an interim manager to do the bulk cuts to employees and reduce pay and benefits to those left.
A turn around specialist, some one to take the heat for the necessary house cleaning to put the city back on solid ground. Then that person will be cut loose with a large bonus and a employee friendly manager will be hired for the long term.
NEW CITY MANAGER PLEASE HELP US FUND A NEW REMOTE CONTROL RECREATION AREA
Is the public going to have access to what this “interim consultant” actually discovers or suggests?
Cook has it right. That makes tremendous sense. We’ll see.
As for the first poster “Gerard Sucks” saying that someone mis represented things at El Sol is like saying someone ripped off the Corleone family. El Sol, is a project based on LIES, perpetuated by North of 17th devils (to use Gustavo’s term) which did incredible harm to a number of families.
Follow your instincts folks when people come along and tell you they are going to “blend” the community. It either happens or does not. It can’t be forced.
More Vagueness about El Sol. Admin do a post about that please, and then maybe we can weed out some information.
Matt (Mateo), heres EXACTLY what I mean,
Back in 1998 Cynthia Criollis a Floral Park Mom along with several others began to get nervous about their safe haven Santiago Elementary, while they still had Linda Bell, the principal in their pocket, political control was shifting ever so slightly.
Real Estate was rising and Santiago was a huge part of it. Still the problem of 6-7-8 grade middle school (SAUSD’s model loomed large). Options were send your kid to St. Joseph (which was less diverse), Holy Family or Fairmont. These were really expensive options.
So Criollis began the charge to start a new school, a english/spanish immersion hybrid called El Sol. they began to recruit earnestly, (For the Lays the answer was clear when Dianne Easton told me this was a HUGE waste of resources and predicted it’s collapse).
The list of families that first year was impressive:
The Pulido’s (as in Mayor)
The Correa’s
The Ross Laguna’s
The Gee’s
The Dunn’s (as in Sen. joe Dunn
The Olivos
Now in order for this plan to work, you needed an equal number of English learners. So recruit they did, picking (really conning) countless families with limited resources to enroll in a school Downtown, where they’re kids would go to school with the Mayors……………
It suffices to say that by the end of the first year, Pulido, Gee, Dunn and Olivios had bailed, Soon the mastermind Criollis bailed too and ended up suing the district for $$$$.
So who was left, a bunch of people who were left holding the bag. Mostly the English learners whose parent now had to drive across town each day to attend this crumbling idea.
It’s worth noting that this was about the same time Richardson and company unhooked the school at the Farmers site, and Joe Dunn sucessfully created a “special” five student SIXTH GRADE at Santiago, so his daughter would not have to attend Willard. The following year she transferred.
Hindsight being 20/20 you see the signs: the White folks fought hard to keep ANY hispanic off the PTA or School Site Council, The Principal was ignorant to the plight of the latino’s. But eventually, despite the realators money (which averaged $5k per year dried up and Linda Bell left on medical leave and the sea change began. Now it is a much different place. Where recent surveys show 70% of North of 17th kids attend Non-SAUSD schools.
So thats what I was referring to. It’s interesting to see these same kids now, Mater Dei, Foothill HS, Orange HS and of course OCHSA.
I understand that El Sol has made many strides and is a much different place.
My kids are in college so I am far removed.
KL
I still don’t see the Gerardo Mouet connection to El Sol.
Regardless, Gerardo has done much on a meager budget, and was humble enough to lay off his own secretary before laying off others. He lives in Santa Ana and often bicycle commutes. We truly need a dedicated Santa Ana resident to do Ream’s job, and although I’d be sad to see Gerardo leave the Parks Dept., I think he’d do a terrific job managing our city.
Thank you for this crash course in Santa Ana history Kenlaysnotdead. What happend with Lou Correa’s children? Was he the only one to leave them in. I live in Riverview and have heard of a special 6th grade being created so politicians kids did not have to go to Williard. But sources say Miguel Pulido is the mastermind, not Joe Dunn. You seem to know, please put these rumors to rest for those of us without all the facts.
This is all very informative. but still nothing about a “Harrah property?”
I don’t know what happened w/ “Miguelito” he was in Kindergarden in those days, Dunn’s kids in 6th (So that means Pulido’s son is likely in Jr. High now) but I don’t know what the Pulido’s chose.
Two thisngs nobody begrudges families for making decisions with their kids education, it’s when they do so at the expense of others. Since posting the original comment a number of friends have emailed and said, El Sol actually flourished after the the founders ditched it, and does well now. I don’t now.
TAXMANDAN another FP neighborhood guy emailed me that Criollis in fact started a second school across the street as he put it: “I don’t think she expected so many Mexicans would need to learn spanish”. Of course he was joking…….kinda.
SUPPORT YOUR LOCAL SCHOOL AND PTA!
I am starting to think that I am in the Santa Ana Twilight Zone. Still, nothing here about “Gerardo” and “Harrah property”. move on I guess.
Gerardo is a good guy. I am not sure what you are referring to though re the Harrah Property? OBP? It should be built. We need the jobs.