It’s on now! Santa Ana Councilwoman Michele Martinez has called Santa Ana Mayor Miguel Pulido’s bluff by placing an 85 a item on the agenda for next Monday’s City Council meeting that will force the City administration to film ALL the City Council meetings, televise them on the local cable public access channel, and make them available online on a searchable archive.
I can just see Pulido whining about the cost of doing all this. Well, the neighboring cities of Garden Grove and Costa Mesa somehow can afford to keep THEIR constituents informed. Why can’t Santa Ana? Didn’t Pulido blow one and a half million dollars repainting the city’s water tank? You know, the one that the city doesn’t even need! They covered up their old “Education First” logo with their new “Orange County’s Downtown” logo.
Probably good timing as Pulido’s friend Rob Richardson, the president of the local school district, is about to preside over a state takeover of many of the Santa Ana schools, according to press reports.
At any rate, my guess is that Pulido and company will oppose this measure – which will not go down well with local voters. They will remember this when Pulido and his hacks start pimping for the bogus Measure D in February, which will extend the City Council’s term limits by four more years.
Kudos to Councilwoman Martinez for putting her constituents first – again! Let’s see if ANY of her colleagues have the guts to break from Pulido and do the right thing. For once.
Michele, thank you!
For folks like me that are involved, but work way too many hours, this is just wonderful. While not the most riveting drama on TV, it is absolutely required watching for anyone who wants to know what’s being done and can’t be there live.
I applaud your attempts to bring honest and open representation to Santa Ana.
Thank you!
Michele, thank you!
For folks like I that are involved, but their ego demands to see them selfs on the TV, this is just wonderful. While not the most riveting drama on TV, it is absolutely required watching for anyone who wants to know what I have to say and can’t be there live.
I applaud your attempts to bring honest and open representation of I to Santa Ana.
Thank you!
I want my city TV.
Again??!
This was part of a campaign platform for some of the council members, Martinez included.
The meetings were all televised for a while, but now that important issues like transportation planning options (boondoggles included) and the “renaissance” plan (the biggest planning project in the city EVER) are being reviewed, the council has decided to go dark. Looks like Martinez’s “actions” don’t have any lasting impact.
Where was Martinez when the decision was made to stop televising the second council meetings? Where was her public stance to actually do what she promised then?
It’s a good idea, one that could have been dealt with at the staff level without coming to the agenda, but this “after the fact” agenda motion, when some of the most important informational meetings in recent history have already been held and weren’t televised, is just another of Martinez’s political posturing shenanigans.
Poster 4,
Thank you for sharing the Pulido cabal’s strategy. Clearly they are going to try to blame Michele for THEIR decision to take the second council meetings OFF of TV.
I don’t think anyone is buying that line of B.S. Michele is the ONLY Council Member trying to correct this wrong. For that she deserves accolades, not criticisms.
Let’s see how the Pulido cabal votes on this issue. It will be fun to watch them squirm and spin…but they will be on TV so they better be careful. Their words will return during election time…
Michelle, thank you for putting this item on the City Council agenda! I will be taking notes on how each councilmember votes so that I can determine on how I will vote for them at election time.
#4,
The fact is that Michele has been complaining to the council about the decision to go dark from day one of it being discussed and implemented.
As Sean Mill pointed out in another blog, the rest of the council are not listenning to Michele, this issue included.
Your argument is wrong. The issue of these sessions going dark was publically not supported by Michele and she placed her vote on the issue accordingly.
Her argument for all council sessions required to be televised and not supported by the rest of the council is the reason she now is pursuing the issue through the council agenda.
Michele is supporting the best interests of you the resident. You need to support her, in return, in order to overcome the internal council politics that have no benefit to you.
After thoughtful reading of your post, it is really not a criticism of Michele, it is a criticism of the other council members and points out the inability to produce from the majority that opposes her.