In the past year the Santa Ana City Clowncil has:
- Given huge, and totally unwarranted, pay raises to City Manager Dave Ream and City Clerk Pat Healy
- Unionized their parking lot attendants – after spending a small fortune to automate the parking fee machines in their city lot, over at city hall (technically the attendants are NO LONGER NEEDED)
- Spent $150,000 on Measure D, which extended the term limits of the Santa Ana Clowncil members
- Gave raises to the police and firemen, after their unions helped to bankroll the Clowncil campaigns, and Measure D
- Endorsed the SAUSD Measure G tax increase
- Spent hundreds of thousands of dollars on improvements to Mayor Miguel Pulido’s wealthy Floral Park Neighborhood
- Spent a small fortune to build a giant anteater exhibit at the Santa Ana Zoo
- Voted to spend OCTA funds to join a high speed rail coalition that has since pretty much died
- Voted to spend MILLIONS on a streetcar to nowhere, connecting our lame downtown to Garden Grove’s crumbling downtown. That should make it easier for the homeless to shuffle back and forth…
- Begun to re-pave the best streets in Santa Ana, instead of the worst ones
- Voted unanimously to raise our water rates
And Santa Ana Clowncil member Sal Tinajero voted, as a member of the O.C. Sanitation Board, to raise our sewage rates by 60% over the next five years.
And now the O.C. Register is reporting that “The City Council is scheduled to vote Monday on hundreds of mostly small fee increases as part of a larger discussion about the next city budget.”
The Register article also disclosed that “The cost of water, sewer service and even overdue library books will likely be going up as the city grapples with a $28 million disconnect between the money it collects and the money it spends.”
It is particularly disturbing that water rates are going up again. Last time the Clowncil raised our water rates I discovered that the City of Santa Ana spends 33% on administration in its water department, compared to 19% at similar sized water districts. What’s up with that?
And, according to the Register, “Santa Ana’s water rates are already higher – in most cases, much higher — than any other north-county city with a similar water system, according to a recent survey by the Municipal Water District of Orange County. Residents in Anaheim and Orange, for example, receive bills that are several dollars cheaper every month, the survey found.”
Let me get this right, Santa Ana has a water table, that means our water is stored naturally underground, but we pay more than other cities that have to import all their water? Something stinks in Santa Ana.
You can find out more about the City of Santa Ana’s budget at this link. The agenda for Monday’s Clowncil meeting is available at this link.
The really funny part of the agenda is that the Clowncil is finally voting on their Code of Ethics and Conduct for city commissioners and the Clowncil members. See the graphic below. This Code was part of Measure D – it was part of a plan to oust me and a few other bloggers from city commissions we were appointed to. But we took the wind out of the Clowncil’s sails by resigning when they booted fellow blogger Thomas Gordon from the lame EPIC/Gang Commission. It is hard to believe that ANYTHING will make our baboso Clowncil members behave ethically.
It seems to me that the Santa Ana City Clowncil is making US pay for THEIR ineptitude. What can we do? Well, go to the meeting on Monday and let them know you are not happy. Then Vote No on Measure G!
I can see why you are so upset with the Santa Ana Council. Raising rates to cover up mismanagement is the worst (next to bribery and imbezzlement). I agree with you that the citizens of Anata Ana need to storm the council on Monday and demand to know what cuts are going to be made? What upper Management positions are losing their jobs to balance the budget? Citizens need to pay a fair share not the full share.
oops, Santa Ana not Anata Ana. Damn these fingers!
Art,
I was beginning to think you took a vacation when you didn’t jump on that Register story yesterday. Glad to see your still on the job.
Anonyms, my typos are legend if not here in a lot of other places. The only problem with fair share in SA is that their fair share is way too damn much for the poorest city in the county with the poorest people. Most are good people trying to get by one way or another. They want better education for their kids and a decent place to live. Because some may not be here legally or not does not matter. They work hard and for the most part just try to get by.
The city and district recognizing that many of these people are afraid to speak up take advantage of that. That annoys the hell out of me and for the record I’m not Hispanic. How the hell does a family of 3 or 4 earning minimum or a little better wage get by when the city constantly is raising fees, taxes whatever you want to call them.
Most assuredly there is a crime problem too. That comes when people just can’t get by making an honest living. Raising taxes, or fees will only continue to add to that problem. In a year of state cuts measure G, and now city proposed tax/fee hikes the city will only get worse.
The citizens can start by voting down measure G and voting out board members and city councilmen and see if the mindset by these leaders will change.