Why isn’t Mayor Pro Tem Tinajero running much of a reelection campaign?

Santa Ana’s Mayor Pro Tem, Sal Tinajero, is up for reelection in Ward 6, in this November’s General Election, but you would hardly know that as he still doesn’t have a campaign website.  Tinajero has a personal Facebook page but hasn’t even bothered to launch a Campaign Facebook page.

What is up with Tinajero?  I know he is a busy guy but the message he is sending to the voters is that he isn’t interested in their vote.

This is the wrong year for Tinajero to take a vacation during campaign season as he has a challenger who is working hard and who is known in the community, in the form of Miguel “Mike” Gonzalez.

Gonzalez owns a local nightclub/restaurant, Mexicanisimo, which caters to Santa Ana’s large community of Mexican immigrants.  he also owns a security guard company and is a licensed security guard instructor.  His work as a member of the Board of an organization called “Los 32” which includes activists from each of Mexico’s 32 states, has made him a fixture in the community.

I am hearing rumors that the Tinajero campaign is trying to get Gonzalez, the father of four young daughters, in trouble due to residency issues.  Someone posted an anonymous comment on our blog to that effect and Gonzalez told me that a local news weekly publisher has it in for him for what he says are ridiculous reasons.  Gonzalez assured me that he has maintained a home in Santa Ana for years because he often works late, which given the nature of his businesses makes sense to me.

Like many families in Santa Ana, the Gonzalez family has struggled with what to do about educating their children.  The schools in Santa Ana are for the most part awful.  I know several public school teachers who live in Santa Ana and they also send their kids either to private or charter schools.  Current SAUSD Trustee Audrey Noji even sent her son to a public high school in Irvine!

So if the Gonzalez family has a home in Fountain Valley so their daughters can attend the good schools in that community, what voter would blame them for that?  As long as Gonzalez can prove that he also has a home in Santa Ana that he lives in it a majority of the time, he should have no problems.  And he says he has that proof.

If Tinajero wants to make an issue about someone’s residency what about his longtime ally, SAUSD Trustee John Palacio?  He has a home in Arizona and is only in Santa Ana on a part time basis.  I wonder if Palacio also votes in Arizona?  That would be a major felony!  But Palacio is allied with Tinajero so of course Tinajero’s posse is leaving him alone.  Don’t forget that Palacio’s old chum on the SAUSD School Board, Nativo Lopez, was almost put in prison a few years after he was recalled because of residency problems of his own.  And don’t forget that Tinajero was an ally of Palacio and Lopez when they were all on the SAUSD School Board together.

Also worth noting is the fact that Palacio’s other compadre, gangbanger lawyer Alfredo Amezcua, had to quit the Rancho Santiago Community College District’s Board of Trustees when he got caught claiming to sleep at his law office but he didn’t actually live in the district he ran for.

Instead of sending his attack dogs to go after Gonzalez on scurrilous charges, shouldn’t Tinajero show us that he cares about winning by running even a halfhearted semblance of a reelection campaign?

Tinajero has a lot of explaining to do on his own part.  Why did he vote to fire our former City Manager, Paul Walters, who saved our city from bankruptcy?  Why did Tinajero then vote to overpay the new City Manager, David Cavazos, who recently forced the SAPD to fire 25 school crossing guards on the first day of this school year?  And Cavazos is now trying to pass a utility tax ballot measure that will increase our taxes!  The SAPD also got rid of their gang unit and SWAT team.  Tinajero went along with all of this!

I for one wish that Tinajero and company would stick to the issues and let us know why Tinajero has done such a poor job on the City Council and why in the world we should reward him with four more years.

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.
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.

View Comments

  • If the guy "Gonzalez" is a carpetbagger he deserves to lose. SIMPLE. Otherwise why not elect Art Lomeli (aside from being a hopeless drunk)? That is a HUGE misstep, maybe illegal.

    But, on the other hand, I am told this is EXACTLY what Vince does: Maintains two residences. From the looks of things from Michele's fund raiser and his reception for the "Michelle Bachman" of Mexico, his place looks like a reception hall, unlived in. It's hard to gauge because it is in such a unique place, nestled in between business'

    Someone should ask Sal, what he has been talking with former city manager Kevin "McCarthy" O'Rourke about recently. Something stinks.

    • If anyone expects us to believe Roman Reyna lives in that house, they have been taking Patron shots with the drunk dentist!

      Now, it I interesting as recently as this summer, Renyas Form 700 lists a house on West Seventh Street as a property he owns, but his Mother lives there.this is in ward five, his ward. So he must LIVE WITH HIS MOMMA. Now he also lists 521 S. Townsend, which is a little over a thousand feet from Benavides house, which he shares with a tow truck driver (NOT HIS FAMILY).

      I think Roman is much more comfortable in the Townsend "hood" than in Orange, which is why his fundraiser with the HISPANIC 100 puzzles me so much.

    • I agree. People that wave Mexican Flags and Israeli flags go home or immigrate to that country. No ISiS illegitimate State in Santa Ana

  • Take a few days off and this is the best you can do? I have no affiliation with any candidate other than know for a fact that Gonzalez LIVES in Fountain Valley. The guy is scum, claims he OWNS New Santa Ana. I also know a lot more, but I will wait and see if you filter this post. If you don't, I will post everything I know. If you do filter again, I will just send a nice little packet to OC Weekly, OC Register, VOC, La Opinion, Univision 34, Telemundo 52 and it will detail who he is and what his "community" involvement has been.

    • LOL. I own New Santa Ana. Mike just owns an ad.

      I have no idea what you're talking about. Go ahead and send your packets. Send us one too!

      • It's a felony and it only takes one to read it and investigate. Wonder what Mike not spill just to get out of this one. Hope he doesn't have any ties to other candidates, incumbent or otherwise.

        • Then they better look at Sarmiento too. That house he says he lives in here in town is empty most nights. I hear he lives at an estate in Villa Park, with his mom.

          • If that is true, then they should. I don't know so I can't argue otherwise. However, I do know Gonzalez lives in FV and he flat out lied to you and anyone he is telling otherwise.

  • There was a thoughtful but pointed comment at the Voice Of OC this morning accusing Vince of the same thing. It has since been removed.

    How can anyone believe they are not a partisan political blog?

    The OCEA is increasingly worried about Santa Ana. Maybe its time to start asking why.....

  • Funny how two mansions in Orange Park Acres are both registered at the Clerk Recorders Office to Vincentes mother.

    The mansion on Mead and the mansion around the corner on Rodgers.

    Vincente is breaking the law by lying to Santa Ana voters and is about to get indicted and convicted.

  • And why is Vincente hiding liquor licenses under his wife's name?

    Does Eva really own that dive on west 5th?

  • And did Vicente break the law when he voted to spend hundreds of millions of taxpayer dollars installing light rail on 4th Street over to the old PE Right of Way behind his "wife's" dive bar with out disclosing or recusing himself knowing full well the value of his property would double or triple?

    Calling Tony Rackauckas.

    • I don't think Vince was there for that vote. He left the meeting early, but maybe we know why now. Remember only 4 of the council members participated in that vote. _

  • I am working on putting together a group of "Good Government" activists to stand outside Vinces houses this week, video taping when he comes and when he goes, making sure his kids rides to their PRIVATE SCHOOL arrive BEFORE and AFTER school. We have already noted there are NO NEWSPAPERS delivered to the Borchard House, No LA Times, NO OC Register. We have also checked with our "Good Government" attorney (a former OCCUPY member) about the legality of searching residents trash.

    We are actively seeking help from internet volunteers to scour the web and Facebook for information about Vince's alleged carpetbagging. We need others to contact parents of classmates to determine sleepover locations, dates and times. Further, several have already reported about Eva's dealings in the bar business.

    http://www.wheredoesvinceREALLYlive.com

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