Santa Ana Mayor Miguel Pulido does NOT deserve to be endorsed by the Democratic Party of Orange County - he hasn’t deserved their support in many years.  Whether or not his Democratic opponent, Santa Ana Councilwoman Michele Martinez, deserves the DPOC’s endorsement is immaterial.  Pulido does NOT deserve it, period.  Here’s why:

1. Pulido supported Prop. 187 - and he has never apologized for that.  Pulido has done nothing to help immigrants.  He also opposes making Santa Ana a sanctuary city.
2. Pulido appointed the notorious Minuteman Lupe Moreno to the Santa Ana Public Library Board - more than once, until we objected and he finally replaced her.
3. Pulido has always supported Mexican-hater Rosie Avila for the Santa Ana School Board.
4. Pulido undermined last year’s endorsed Democratic candidate for the First Supervisorial District, Tom Umberg.  Pulido endorsed Republican Clowncilman Carlos Bustamante - and Pulido was his campaign co-chair.
5. Speaking of Bustamante, Pulido is supporting him for reelection to Ward 3.
6. Did Pulido help Lou Correa get elected to the State Asembly back in the day?  No.
7. Did Pulido help Loretta Sanchez get elected to the U.S. Congress?  No.  He and his family were buddies with Bob Dornan, the Republican who helded save Pulido’s muffler shop.
8. Pulido has allowed Santa Ana to decay.  The city is in the midst of a gang crime wave that stretches back to last year.  The roads are a mess - but of course Pulido has had the main arteries fixed as it is an election year.
9. Pulido led the charge to raise our water rates twice in one year, even though Santa Ana spends far more on administration of its water budget than other similar sized water districts.
10. Pulido has been in office here in Santa Ana for over 20 years.  How many new libraries has he opened in that time?  None.
11. Pulido is AWFUL when it comes to affordable housing.  Every housing project he supports involves luxury condos or luxury townhomes.  He does not give a damn about the people in his city.  He just wants to import wealthy white people.  Good luck with that Miguelito!
12. Pulido is for sale - to any and all developers.  He does not vote his conscience.  He votes for the highest bidder.
13. Pulido pushed for an Artists Village - then has done little to support it.
14. He teamed up with Republicans Tim Whitacre and Ron Unz to recall SAUSD Trustee Nativo Lopez - and he replaced him with Republican Rob Richardson.  Has the SAUSD improved since Lopez left?  No!  It is worse than ever!

Can anyone think of a good reason for the DPOC to endorse Pulido?  I can’t.  If anything he deserves to be censured.

Now what about Martinez?  You all know the issues I have with her.  But does she deserve the DPOC’s endorsement?  I think so.  She is by no means the perfect candidate but she is a progressive, unlike Pulido.  She believes in women’s rights and she at least has shown a tendency to listen to the community.  At least she did early on in her Council term.

As one might imagine, DPOC Chairman Frank Barbaro, who I am told is Pulido’s lawyer, is already making calls to DPOC Central Committee members to try to get his boy Pulido endorsed, according to one of my pajaritos.  In my opinion, this is a MASSIVE conflict of interest.  Barbaro should NOT preside over the vote when the issue of endorsing a Santa Ana mayoral candidate comes up at the DPOC Central Committee.  He ought to recuse himself and I don’t think he should vote or speak about the issue.

Let the DPOC Central Committee members decide for themselves whom they want to endorse.  I truly doubt that, given the facts, they will go with the smug corporatist Pulido.  In fact I will go as far as to say that anyone who votes to support Pulido ought to just quit the DPOC and re-register as a Republican.

I will leave you with a disgusting vignette.  I once had a talk with unctuous Republican Tim Whitacre, about his support for Pulido.  Whitacre told me that he supported Pulido because “he is practically a Republican.”  Whitacre is wrong about most things, but he is right about Pulido.  The man is more Republican than Democrat and for that reason, and others, the DPOC ought to slam the door in his face when he comes begging for their endorsement.

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