Thu. Dec 26th, 2024

Pick up the print edition of the Orange County Register or visit their website online and you will certainly come across article after article focusing on negative issues pertaining to Santa Ana.  In what can only be described as biased reporting against our city and our city leaders, the Register and its staff appear to be treating Santa Ana like their personal punching bag.  It has only worsened since we elected an all-Latino city council and the old guard led by Dave Ream left town.

I thought that perhaps things would improve when Andrew Galvin began writing his column entitled The Santa Ana Register but he too seems to like taking swipes at our city and our leadership team led by Chief Paul Walters and the great council majority.  Sure Galvin has written some positive pieces like the one about Santa Ana Public Works Executive Director Raul Godinez IIbut those are few and far between.

Recently Santa Ana was ranked the fourth safest city in America by Forbes magazine a fact virtually ignored by the Register and completely ignored by Mr. Galvin.  On top of that, the responses from council members went unreported as well.  This begs the question, if Andrew Galvin could write 11 seperate posts/articles pertaining to the Claudia Alvarez and Irv Chase incident couldn’t he at least write one about the Forbes ranking?

I realize that it’s the holiday season and pehaps those that cover Santa Ana for the Register, like Mr. Galvin, might be on vacation.  However if he was able to find time to write a column about an irrelevant lawsuit that only interested a handful of local bloggers, surely he had time to write about Santa Ana being named the fourth safest city in America.

I must commend the Register for changing its commenting policy and requiring folks to use their Facebook login’s to comment.  This has indeed cut down on the vicious and hateful comments directed at Santa Ana, our leaders and our residents.  However with 2012 just around the corner I hope the Register and its staff resolve to give Santa Ana some fair and balanced treatment in the new year.

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.

22 thoughts on “Why did Register & Galvin ignore Santa Ana’s Forbes safe city ranking?”
  1. The Register only writes about 10% of all the shooting, stabings, rapes, fires, major accidents, auto vs peds and all the other major things that go on. Its been that way from when it was the santa ana register.

    1. That is because they have to sell ads to justify ink. They can barely sell ads now – but they still run as much of that negative garbage as possible.

      But the question is, why did they ignore the Forbes story? Did it not fit their narrative?

  2. juan,

    If that is indeed the case, then that 10% makes up 99% of the Register’s coverage of Santa Ana. We regularly read about our young people as “gangbangers” in the Register, how often do we read about the success stories like Jonathan Espinoza?

    Galvin’s focus is all about our community, Santa Ana. Why would he fail to write about the Forbes rankings? It really raises some questions of objectivity.

  3. Art you have it all wrong!

    Usually you do not report on anything which is functional and a OK — not because it does not sell but because it is normal, expected and irrelevant.

    How often do you tell your wife that you feel a OK no pain on headache no diarrhea etc. etc. etc., virtually never.

    In contrast if you have any pain or feel sick or any other major problems, I am sure that you would tell her instantly.

    Here too, the assumption is that Santa Ana should be safe city.

    In general you seldom run into any problem in Santa Ana until you do, and when you do, you complain to COPs and report it to the public.

    Only narcissists brag about how good they are and bad politicians brag about how good their city is even though it has noting to do with them.

    I do not care about the good things because that is expected, I only care about the bad things so I can fix them.

    When that happens, like I have discovered that my homeowners association, “the Woodside Village HOA”, is engaging in the predatory towing in violation of the CVC 22658(g)(1) and I file complain with DOUGLAS McGEACHY, Commander Traffic Division / S.W.A.T. Santa Ana Police Department (714) 245-8210 Office, (714) 245-8190 FAX, and he will do nothing about it, that is bad city.

    Why?… because he too is probably involved in the predatory towing to fix the city budget shortfall.

    That means that regardless of the Forbes story Santa Ana is bad city because COPs are corrupt and so are Magnificent Seven.

    I have made complaint many times in the council’s chambers and Pulido/ Alvarez would not touch it.

    Art, get over this stupid Forbes story and start working on real issues like exposing city’s corruption.

    On the other hand, if the Magnificent Seven would set a gall in 2008 to become No 4 safest city in 2009 Forbes research, then it would be an accomplishment worthy of reporting.

    Here it was a fluke!

    You do not report on flukes only on predetermined accomplishments.

    FYI, the major crime is down everywhere!

    Let me know next year where Santa Ana stands in the Forbes story.

    1. I wrote about the towing years ago. Check out who contributed to Carlos Bustamante’s Supervisorial campaign – lots of tow companies as well as paving contractors.

      As for the Forbes ranking, it is something that should be celebrated. It was no fluke. It was a lot of hard work by our public safety officials and our city administrators. Sure, there were social factors as well, but in the end we have something worth praising – and the Register blew it off.

  4. Although you have reported on predatory towing the SAPD did nothing!

    Forget about Carlos Bustamante because he is not even on the safety commission.

    To disprove a fluke you must show where Santa Ana was year ago and where will be next year.

    And you must show some written statement from Magnificent seven that it is/was their gall and what the did to accomplish that.

    I would like to see a statement that next year Santa Ana will be # 3 safest city and actually accomplish that.

    As I said, the violent crime is down in all cities, not only in Santa Ana

  5. Look Admin, I do understand your enthusiasm about the Forbes about the #4 rating.

    However, it is same as Steve Rocco wining Orange School District election.

    You can be only shocked, not assured, by the #4 news.

    However, if there was a real reduction in the crime it has to do with massive deportation of criminals from Santa Ana, which you oppose anyway, and not a lot of hard work by our public safety officials and our city administrators.

    1. We love what you and your colleagues do on the OC Latino Link and are proud to offer your RSS feed on our blog’s sidebar.

      I do think that Sean’s point is a good one. Why did Galvin write 11 articles slamming Alvarez while ignorning the Forbes story?

      I believe Galvin has unfortunately been getting his info from the wrong people including bloggers who don’t even live in Santa Ana. What a shame. Doug Irving was much more fair and he is missed.

  6. Theresa,

    I am aware of Sal’s brief mention of this. However I am also aware that Andrew has completely ignored this significant story. When the whole scandal surrounding Claudia Alvarez took place he wrote 11 separate articles/posts about it.

    Andrew even found time to write an article about a ridiculous lawsuit involving local bloggers. That article was of little interest to the general public. Surely if he had time to write about that he could have found time to write about the Forbes rankings.

    Does the great work being done to improve our community by Chief Walters, the SAPD, the council and others within the city not fit into Andrew’s narrative? Again it calls into question the objectivity of the reporting.

    I know you and Ron do a terrific job covering the issues of the Latino community and you do promote a lot of positive things. I just think for your Santa Ana reporter to completely ignore this important story smacks of bias against our city and our leaders.

    Keep up your good works…You are a ray of sunshine at the Register.

  7. “Also, don’t forget to check out our OC Latino Link blog as well, which has tons of good news out of Santa Ana every week”……. Hmmmmmm

    Substitute test to show OC Register’s racism.

    Also, don’t forget to check out our OC Anglo Link blog as well, which has tons of good news out of Santa Ana every week.

    Which statement appears racist Theresa?

  8. Fiala,

    I thought you were through with this argument? Do you want to go through it again???????

    “Substitute test to show OC Register’s racism.

    Also, don’t forget to check out our OC Anglo Link blog as well, which has tons of good news out of Santa Ana every week.

    Which statement appears racist Theresa?”

    art lomeli says:

    December 26, 2011 at 10:07 pm

    Fiala,

    I guess you are just too stupid to comprehend a dictionary definition of “Latino” and “Anglo”

    Anglo – Definition and More from the Free Merriam-Webster Dictionary

    Definition of ANGLO. 1: anglo-american. 2: a white inhabitant of the United States of non-Hispanic descent — Anglo adjective. See Anglo defined for English-language

    From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

    “Latina” redirects here. For other uses, see Latina (disambiguation).

    The two words originate in American Spanish latino and latina (from Latin Latinus, Latina), either meaning “Latin”, or possibly a clipped form of latinoamericano, “Latin American”.[1][2][3]

    In the United States, the term is in official use in the ethnonym Hispanic or Latino, defined as “a person of Cuban, Mexican, Puerto Rican, South or Central American, or other Spanish culture or origin regardless of race.”[4][5]The term is also used in Spain as a term of self-identification for immigrants from Hispanoamerica.

    As the definition states “Latino/a is not race related. All races can be “Latino/a.

    “Latino” is a term to describe geographical origin not race.

    LATINO IS ALL RACE INCLUSSIVE BECAUSE IT IS A GEOGRAHIC DISCRIPTION ANGLO IS A RACE DISCRIPTION.

    SEE THE DIFFERENCE AND HOW STUPID YOUR COMPARISON ARGUMENT IS

  9. “I thought you were through with this argument? Do you want to go through it again???????”…… Hmmmmm

    Sure Dr. Amalgam, but with IQ sufficient person not with a monkey.

    So I am done with you.

  10. Hmmm……… how can you argue with any one if you are so dumb not to conprehend dictionary definitions. A monkey can beat your stupid argument.

  11. Have you contacted Forbes yet Diamond? You need to let them know what a sham these rankings are. I am sure hearing from a successful lawyer such as yourself would set them straight.

    When will your post about Irvine’s ranking being a sham too be up on the OJB?

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