Santa Ana News

SANTA ANA A 22-year-old man is in custody after police said he and another man unwittingly tried to carjack an unmarked police car with two uniformed officers inside.

The OC GOP’s current event calendar includes a”Special Event Carlos Bustamante Re-Election Campaign Reception.” The event is taking place at 5:30 p.m., on Wednesday, July 16, at Antonello Ristorante, in Costa Mesa (funny that a Santa Ana Clowncilman would hold an event outside of his city). If you are crazy enough to want to go, RSVP to Brittany@Phyllisschneider.com or call 714-368-0260.

“Ruh-roh,” as Scooby Doo would say. What will the Space Commander say this time? I may have to go there just to videotape him! I don’t know why Bustamante sticks his feet in his mouth so often. But his gaffes have been legion - and we have covered them all here at the Orange Juice.

His latest oopsie happened after Sandra Hutchens was selected as our new O.C. Sheriff. Bustamante promptly told SAPD Chief Paul Walters, who was overlooked by the Board of Supervisors, that he should have worn a water-bra, then Bustamante denied saying this even though an L.A. Times reporter heard him say it. Classic!

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If you were trying to lose, and lose bad, while challenging Congresswoman Loretta Sanchez, it would make sense to make illegal immigration the cornerstone of your campaign. It appears that Republican Rosie Avila, who is running for the 47th Congressional District, is looking to lose by a very wide margin, as she was interviewed by the O.C Register on July 3, and she did indeed focus on immigration.

When asked about amnesty, Avila said she was not for it, and that Ronald Reagan screwed up when he signed off on an Amnesty measure. And then she dropped this bomb, “I think people on all sides would love my immigration views.” Wow! I think Avila might need a drug test!

Avila’s other big issue is learning English. She talked about how her parents left Guatemala and came here to the U.S. with only $1,000. And her dad did learn English. However, she fails to note that her parents were Germans before they were Guatemalans. Any linguist can tell you that English is founded, in large part, in the German language. It is far easier for a person who speaks German to learn English than for a person who speaks only Spanish to do so. Spanish is rooted in Latin and Arabic.

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The O.C. Register and the L.A. Times did a poor job covering the recent firing of hundreds of instructional aides by the Santa Ana Unified School District. Now the O.C. Weekly has done a great job of recapping the issue, providing coverage of a recent protest by the laid off workers and thorough analysis of the implication of the firings.

Here are a few excerpts from the OC Weekly’s article:

“They tried to be slick,” Palacio says of district officials. “It’s insulting, from a board point of view, when staff give you deliberately one-sided information. The report doesn’t tell you how many positions were collapsed into one, the fiscal impact this will have or about the subsequent laying off of people. It doesn’t tell you that they will go from full-time to part-time salaries, that there are no health benefits and that there are less hours. It doesn’t tell you that if a person takes the job, they will lose their retirement. All of that had to be in there. How can I make an informed choice if it’s not?”

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Where would you rather live? Anaheim’s Platinum Triangle, which ”blends leading-edge business, high-salary employment, world champion entertainment and exciting residential neighborhoods, creating a unique opportunity in the heart of Orange County,” according to the Anaheim Platinum Triangle’s website. Or Santa Ana’s City Place, where “sophisticated townhomes offer a blend of light, space, intimacy and quality. Seven floor plans accommodate any kind of lifestyle, and each ushers you into a lush private fountain court,” according to the City Place website

The Anaheim Platinum Triangle’s developer, Windstar Communities LLC, is holding a one-day sale on its condos, as it is stuck with more than half of the project’s 390 units, on July 26. Prices will be cut on 58 of the remaining 200 units by 24 to 29 percent. Price reductions will range from $80,000 to $132,000, according to the O.C. Register. That means you will be able to buy a 535 sq. ft. loft for $243,000, or a 2 bedroom unit for $402,000, instead of the regular prices of $341,400 a loft and $533,600 for the 2 bedroom unit.

Now let’s compare those deals to the City Place, which is developed by notorious developer Robert Bisno.

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You can expect hometown fun, and as always, this most American of holidays will be marked by patriotic presentations, food and refreshments, Rock n Roll music by mega DJ Willie, live Hip Hop/Reggaetone ...

New play: Breath of Fire Latina Theater Ensemble presents "Greetings from a Queer Senorita," a play starring playwright/performer Monica Palacios that touches on nationality, sexuality and middle age.

A massive fire raced through a Santa Ana scrap recycling business Tuesday night, sending large plumes of thick black smoke into the evening sky that could be seen for miles.

Hot dogs conjure memories of hot summer days, family barbeques and baseball games at the stadium.

A tag cloud is a visual list of key terms associated with a piece of content. Larger and bolder tags are more relevant to the content.

A tag cloud is a visual list of key terms associated with a piece of content. Larger and bolder tags are more relevant to the content.

Barber, bookseller, living legend: Rueben Martinez. A barber in Southern California is trimming more than hair.

A 14-year-old boy was killed as he was apparently crossing a street in a crosswalk in Santa Ana Monday night, police said.

Robert Bisno, the greedy developer who built the overpriced condos at the City Place in north Santa Ana, is now so desperate to sell the rest of his units that he has launched a “fool your friends and family” campaign to entice folks into convincing their friends and family to buy these overpriced units. Here is what a City Place email that I received had to say about this desperate program:

EASY MONEY - We are also still offering referral fees. Bring your friends to City Place and register them. When they close escrow, we will send you a check for $5,000!! This is a unique opportunity to become a part of the newest trend in true urban living. Live and work in one of the hottest locations in Orange County.

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There are still quite a few Democrats who blame John Kerry’s loss, at least in part, on Nativo Lopez, the former SAUSD School Board member. He left their party and joined the Green Party a few years back and he helped the Ralph Nader campaign, against Kerry. And as we all know, George W. Bush was reelected, Kerry lost and Nader is running again this year for the Presidency. But THIS time Lopez is backing the Democratic nominee, Barack Obama.

That is good news for Obama. Lopez continues to have a lot of ties to organized labor and he has proven that he can get Latinos out in large numbers for protests. Will that translate into votes? I think so, at least to a certain extent. But Lopez is still polarizing amongst Republicans - whether or not he will hurt Obama with independents remains to be determined.

Lopez also runs the Mexican American Political Association (MAPA), which has announced a MAPA for Obama national campaign. Here is Lopez’ press release to that effect:

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Santa Ana cops began to crack down on illegal fireworks in 2007, according to the O.C. Register. I find that hard to believe but I guess we have to take the SAPD at their word.

Supposedly the SAPD will have about 20 cops and 8 arson investigators working on the 4th of July to bust those who are using illegal fireworks.

California fire authorities are freaking out this year about fireworks because the state is so dry. Those are valid concerns but legal fireworks are not normally the problem - not when the legal fireworks are used as they are intended to be used.

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A three-vehicle crash blocked two eastbound lanes of the Artesia Freeway in Anaheim on Friday morning, the California Highway Patrol reported.

Laid off Santa Ana Unified School District instructional aides protested yesterday at SAUSD headquarters, over on Chestnut and Grand in Santa Ana. One of the protesters ended his hunger strike that had begun on Monday, as we previously reported.

The O.C. Register also reported yesterday that the SAUSD has rescinded most of their teacher layoffs. They originally laid off over 500 teachers. Now only 13 will be laid off (talk about an unlucky number!).

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Well, no surprise. Assemblyman Jose Solorio blew it again. Steven Greenhut gave us the dirty details in a post at the Orange Punch blog:

Assembly Public Safety Committee Chairman Jose Solorio again rolled over for the police unions by stopping legislation that would allow the public to have information about disciplinary hearings of misbehaving cops. Last year, Solorio refused even to bring SB 1019 to a vote. This year, he claimed he wanted a middle ground — but the bill before him was already amended to deal with the concerns raised by the law-enforcement lobby.

Solorio chairs the Public Safety Committee, doesn’t he? And yet he rather cover up for dirty cops than inform the public. What a hack!

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It looks like the Santa Ana Unified School District administrators have bungled big time once again. My readers are reporting that hundreds of students have been turned away from summer school, which started last week.

Here is a typical comment about this stunning fiasco:

The district did not hire most of the teachers that applied for summer school. Only certain students who are far below grade level were allowed to attend. Even those who scored “basic” rather than proficient on standardized tests were turned down after initially being invited.

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