Well, I have officially had it with the Santa Ana City Council. Tonight they did their master’s bidding and he wasn’t even there. Mayor Pro Tem Claudia Alvarez told us that she and Councilman Carlos Bustamante spoke to Pulido before the meeting. He told them he was for the Orangeline Maglev train. And then he weaseled out and skipped the meeting.
If you missed my previous stories about the Orangeline boondoggle you can read them here and here.
I had three minutes to rebut a twenty minute lame presentation put on by the Orangeline stuffed suits who fumbled and bumbled the presentation in typical eighth grade fashion. They were so inept that I started my comments by saying that if these guys could not put on a PowerPoint presentation, how in the world could they build a 300 mile per hour train?
I mentioned that the OCTA is not supporting the Orangeline. I noted the danger inherent in a system that already had a fatal crash in Germany, that cost seventeen lives. I mentioned that we live in an earthquake zone.
I challenged the council to find me ten people in Santa Ana that would pay $40 to take the choo-choo to Hollywood. This is clearly a bone for Pulido’s rich friends.
And I noted that spending Measure M money on an L.A. based project is illegal.
After I spoke, the town nut, Stanley Fiala, got up and tried to rebut my comments. He literally stood at the microphone for a few seconds, said nothing, and then took his seat. It was bizarre even by Stanley’s crazy standards.
Bustamante tried to weasel out too after I spoke to the Council. He freaked out after my comments and tried to delay the vote for two weeks. But Vince Sarmiento stood up, walked over to Bustamante, and told him to shut up. Sure enough, Bustamante went along with the rest of the Pulido puppets.
I was particularly disappointed with Sal Tinajero. He actually asked City Manager Dave Ream a few good questions about the project. Minutes later he must have received Pulido’s text message. Suddenly Sal said that we could have had Disneyland but Anaheim beat us to the punch. And just like that he signed on to this truly Mickey Mouse waste of tax money.
The Council voted for a project that will never happen. The OCTA is opposed to the Orangeline. It is my understanding that our local legislators are also opposed to it. The cities who support this disaster are not in Orange County. Even Claudia Alvarez admitted that it may never happen. You got that right Clownia. But you voted to waste Measure M money anyway.
In the end only Santa Ana Councilwoman Michele Martinez voted no.
And so I am done with these people. I am done with Sal Tinajero. I am done with Vince Sarmiento. I am done with Claudio Alvarez. I am done with Carlos Bustamante. I am done with David Benavides.
They are ALL Pulido puppets! Every last one of them. They are an utter disgrace.
Let them throw me off the Housing and Redevelopment Commission. I don’t care anymore. These people have absolutely NO REGARD for the people of Santa Ana. I cannot bear to even look at them.
This year they have already given us World War III on massage parlors; a jihad on barking dogs; a ban on human signs and an almost-ban on handbills. They voted for a truly retarded term limits measure that gives Pulido, who has been in local office for 21 YEARS another 16 YEARS in office. And now they misspent over $50,000 in Measure M money to join up with a bunch of Los Angeles stiffs who think it is a good idea to burden us with a $23 billion dollar train that will allegedly be privately funded. Yeah, so were the 91 toll lanes. And who bailed those out?
The Santa Ana City Council must be the worst local government body in the ENTIRE United States. They continue to toss out red herrings while our streets go unpaved, and while we are forced to make do with one library and hardly any parks.
Toss the bums out. All of them. And thank God that Councilwoman Michele Martinez had the wisdom to vote no on this boondoggle. She is clearly the only Council Member who cares about the public. Watch the Council puppets shun her now. I look forward to electing Martinez as our next Mayor. That may be our only hope to stop the babosos on the City Council.
I’m in shock Art. I can’t believe this city council. I’m ashamed to live in Santa Ana with these so called leaders in charge. Thank goodness we at least have Michele Martinez on the council but the others are a total disgrace. What can we do to change things though? Can you imagine the HUGE numbers of contractors who will make millions on this project giving Thousand of dollars to campaigns for the 6 members who voted in favor of the train? THey will be falling over themselves giving $$$ the Bustamonte and Company. I’m so depressed.
Poster 1,
It is indeed a sad day in Santa Ana. We have perhaps the dumbest City Council ever.
We ought to start a PAC right now and start saving money for Martinez, so she can take out Pulido.
And we need to find someone to run against Bustamante and someone to run against Sarmiento.
That’s it. I’m done with all those clowns. You’re right, Art. They’re all a waste (save Michele Martinez, the one council member who cares). As my high school Math Analysis teacher would say, THEY’RE ALL WORTHLESS AND WEAK!
Why are they wasting all our tax dollars on crap like this “public-private” OrangeLine rail network, when it will do NOTHING to ease our transit woes? When we should be thinking of bringing light rail to Santa Ana and ensuring that the PUBLIC high speed rail project gets started soon, our city council majority ignores these. And then, they do WHAT? They trash OUR tax dollars on subsidizing “luxury” rail for the superrich? Again, they’re all WORTHLESS AND WEAK!
I hope the OC Democratic Party withholds endorsements from ALL THE “DEMOCRATS” on the council who have now sold out to corporate w**** Pulido. Oh yes, and I hope we recruit someone good (a la Michele) to run against Pulido. Clearly Michele is the ONLY one with any sense left on that council, so from now on she’ll be the ONLY one I’ll spare from my wrath.
Andrew,
Too true my friend. Whatever shreds of credibility Sal, Clownia and Vince had left is gone. David and Carlos had none to begin with.
We’re really let down by Sal T. His “I am a product of this city” schtik is worn out by now. He’s become more of a clueless Barney out of touch with those who need his representation the most. Sal, get an agenda and a backbone. You sir have disappointed us.
Andrew,
You should demand that your party NOT endorse Pulido and the rest of his crew. Time to clean house in Santa Ana. Maybe if they hurry and build this boondoggle, we can ship Pulido and crew to Palmdale.
Great points but Pulido has rarely received the official Democratic endorsements. He’s run MANY times for office and almost never got Democratic support. They can’t hold back what they never give. Otherwise wonderful points.
Poster 7,
I just heard from a pajarito. Turns out Pulido was AWOL from tonight’s meeting because he is an INVESTOR in Orangeline. Nice. And his puppet enablers will probably get campaign kickbacks from the developers of this project.
The OC Democrats need to DISAVOW Pulido and company and TAKE AWAY their Democratic Party cards. These guys don’t care for the people. They care only for their own GREEDY agendas. They are worse than Republicans.
I am so impressed by Councilwoman Martinez. She is wise beyond her years and brings a level of maturity to the city council that is sorely missing. Talk about cool under fire! I just wish we could clone her and and run her in the other council wards! Not since the Honerable Patricia McGuigan have we had an elected official in Santa Ana who does her homework, understands the issues, and votes to do the right thing every time, not just when it’s popular. I’m sorry I did not suport her the first time she ran (I have to be honest about that) but I like what I see and I will be in her corner from now on doing what I can. She is a truely great leader and worthy of our respect and support.
As matter of fact and culture, Californians have a love affair with the car.It has been difficult enough to gain support for the rail sytem because of this.In comparison the rail system would be more efficient and rider affordable.Public transportation is largely supported by lower economic residents.The Orangeline Maglev train has two very important factors for success againts it.First, the ticket price will exclude the population that culturaly and economicaly supports public transportation.OCTD can acknowledge this.Secondly,those that can afford the ticket are the ones that will be most reluctant in giving up the private car.They can afford the expense of having the convenience of the private car.I understand there would be no station in Santa Ana.The Maglev station would pass Santa Ana,the station would be in Anaheim.I guess the value to Santa Ana would be to lease the underground right of way through the city to orangeline.The Maglev train seems to be banking on providing luxury to attract the targeted upscale riders.It doesn’t seem this is a sufficient marketing strategy for success.The project appears to be a big financial gamble for the company.It appears Santa Ana’s involvement would be to charge a fee for the company to pass underground through the city.The city’s attention none the less should be on supporting the more practical light rail system.
Understand that Pulido knows this train will never be built!
Federal dollars are being spent in Iraq!
State dollars are being spent paying off bonds/debt!
Measure M oversite committee’s will put a stop to mass transit monies going to this project.
Santa Ana can waste it’s citizens road repair money from M on this study, but never enough to make this boondoggle a reality.
So whats in it for Pulido? My guess is you will see him appointed to the Orangeline JPA, he will quickly ascend to the chair, and you will see trips to France, Spain, Germany, Japan, China, Mexico City to ride trains and dine on fancy food all on the expense account of Orangeline. Which of course will be supported from Santa Ana’s measure M pothole money.
After all the Mayor for Life needs a comfortable ride when visiting Paris!
Michelle Martinez is a Rock Star!
Michelle for Mayor!
Everyone, I agree.
I feel no shame in publicly saying that’d I’d be willing to throw down a $1000 or two towards a PAC getting rid of these people. Hell, if that’s not enough, I’ll give Michele some money for her bid.
Anybody else?
I like what Stanley said.
“Build it.”
Poster 14,
I vote we put Stanley ON IT and send him to Palmdale – without a return ticket!
So Tinajero says “We could have had Disneyland”. Yeah, and we could have had South Coast Plaza too. What’s Tinajero’s point? That Santa Ana has a track recored of electing Bozo’s for City Council. I’m with Art. Let’s find new people to run for Council.
I don’t even live in Santa Ana, but I am willing to help you guys boot these incompetent, corrupt imbeciles from the council and make sure they never hold public office again.
MArtinez was unable to articulate any coherent reason for her position. She merely voted no because it was a “safe” vote. With all of the council on the other side of this issue, Martinez’s vote was irrelevant, so she voted no just to posture.
If she had had a well thought out logical opinion on this issue, she should have publicly asked the right questions of staff, and presented facts to her fellow council members to persuade them what a boondoggle project it is. She didn’t do any of that.
Martinez may have managed to come up with the right vote on this particular item, but let’s not pretend she displayed good leadership on this issue.
“…but let’s not pretend she displayed good leadership on this issue.”
Who did then?
Art.
Sorry that I was unable to attend last night’s Santa Ana council meeting. We didn’t get back from LAX until 2 a.m.
As we discussed off-line from Florida I totally support your opposition to this waste of some taxpayer Measure M funds.
I will do some homework to see if this is a violation of the Measure M extension proposal that everyone voted for last year. Specifically using Meaure M funds outside Orange County. Unlike the choo-choo to no where, aka Centerline, this MagLev train is not restricted to the county. OCTA Measure M monies available to individual cities was for local transportation solutions. MagLev surely does not meet that definition by any stretch of the imagination.
If in fact Pulido is an investor in orangeline or companies doing business with orangeline JPA, Santa Ana was required to disclose that prior to the agenda item being heard. Even if he was absent the conflict is required to be made public.
He should also not have participated in OCTA discussions on this matter, and must recuse himself from any further discussions. He would also be restricted from lobbying his fellow board members either in Santa Ana or OCTA and even on AQMD as it pertains to this line.
Pulido, Alvarez and Bustamante forced the One Broadway Plaza project and it’s moving nowhere.
The same tactics and lack of vision are moving Pulido’s cock-eyed vision for this choo-train charade.
Dump Pulido in ’08!
Let me encourage everyone who did not see the council meeting in person or
on TV to please watch the replay.
Art Pedroza’s description of the *orangeline* discussion was so twisted,
(even for him) it bears little resemblance to what actually occured.
Stanley did speak, he said “build it”
Vince did not get up and tell Carlos to “shut up”
Vince DID say, and it was reinforced by the others, that the City needs to
think regionally about transportation and SA needs to keep in the game and have
a voice when these countywide issues come to the table.
It surprises that these OJ Bloggers who claim to be so politically acute,
don’t understand you have to ante up to stay in the game.
Debbie McEwen
Debbie,
You nailed it! These buffoons are gambling with our tax money.
BTW, when you find yourself AGREEING with Stanley Fiala, you are in a very bad place.
I am not surprised that you are buying into this stupid scheme. It fits into the Renaissance Plan, which is of course to de-Mexicanize Santa Ana.
I don’t know about being politically acute, but if you think the Orangeline is a good deal that probably means you are politically retarded.
Orangeline has NO SUPPORT from the OCTA and our local legislators likewise are against it. And the only cities mentioned in support of this boondoggle during the screwed up PowerPoint were Downey and South Gate. Remind me again what part of Orange County they are located in?
http://www.enquirer.com/editions/2004/01/18/biz_maglev.html
this is a three year old article but pretty interesting. from reading this the mag lev seems like cool technology but a waste.
Carlos,
23 people died in a maglev accident in Germany. Don’t take my word for it, read the story for yourself, at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2006_Lathen_maglev_train_accident.
Pedroza
You really should stop telling lies to try to prove your point
Show us where I “agreed” with Stanley
Show us where I said I was “buying into the scheme”
Show us where I said I “think Orangeline is a good deal”
BTW I noticed how you managed to throw in your trademark barb ………the
race card!
It was a stretch but by God you wedged it in there with the Renaissance Plan
remark
Debbie McEwen
Southgate???? Isn’t that the corrupt city where the all LATINO council members were arrested? Or at least most of them. Wasn’t one of their council members shot in the head by the Mayor Albert Robles? Aren’t some of them in jail? Wow Santa Ana, great city to compare yourself to. Get out now and save yourselves.
Orangeline is great!
Forget that LA County
# 29 Pedroza,
You promised not to post anonymously!
So please……….
I’m not Art! Just Asking? #29
#31 Prove it!