Why is Julie Stroud still on a Santa Ana City Commission?

When I spoke at the Santa Ana Planning Commission meeting this week, no less than four of the “Usual Suspects” showed up.  And not one of them spoke out against the odious Bisno Tower.  Instead they sat there smirking while I was the only resident to get up and speak out.  Then they all filed out behind their leader, Parks and Recreation Commissioner Julie Stroud, and they went to dinner, where they no doubt took great pleasure in feeling smarter  – and better – than the rest of us.

Why did Santa Ana Councilman David Benavides appoint Stroud to the Santa Ana Parks and Recreation Commission?  This is a decision we have never scrutinized, but now that I am hearing that Stroud and company are once again gunning to have my fellow blogger Sean Mill removed from the Santa Ana Planning Commission, I think it is high time to consider what in the Hell Benavides was thinking when he appointed a bitter Republican to a commission that makes decisions about parks.  Should a neighborhood metiche with a long record of immigrant bashing in any way be involved in a commission that has anything whatsoever to do with the children of our city – many of them immigrants or children of immigrants?

Am I seriously supposed to believe that Stroud was the best person Benavides could find for the job?  That is beyond ludicrous!  What the heck does she know about parks anyway?  She has no young children.  What exactly is her interest in Recreation programs?  This is an awful appointment!

If you agree, please email Benavides and give him an earful.  He is up for re-election in two years.  He better wake up and smell the coffee.  The “Usual Suspects” have no more pull in this city.  They are done.  Even when they show up to meetings all they do is look smug in the back row.  They accomplish nothing and give nothing back to the people of this city.  Why they stay here I don’t know.  Perhaps they are hoping that Santa Ana Mayor Miguel Pulido will succeed in gentrifying our city – but I don’t see how he will do that with our economy in shambles and the real estate market dead.

Pulido’s greatest hope was that the City Place would take off, but now I am hearing that they are leasing units that they cannot sell.  Even their recent auction was not enough to rid them of unwanted, overpriced condos.  And still Pulido wants the developer, Robert Bisno, to build a 31 story tower full of similarly overpriced luxury condos, right next to the vacant City Place.  And the Usual Suspects have nothing to say about this.  Amazing.

It is time to give Julie Stroud the heave ho off the Parks and Recreation Commission – and don’t stop there.  Her husband Glen Stround ought to get the boot too, off the City’s Housing and Redevelopment Commission.  There should be no room on any of our City Commissions for people that dislike the people  who make up the majority of the residents of our city.

And the Usual Suspects better back off and leave Sean Mill alone.  If they somehow succeed in dismissing him from our City’s Planning Commission all Hell is going to break loose.  Do these knuckleheads really want to see what Mill can do as an unfettered blogger?  Bring it on!