Pulido gives an award to NAPA OC owner Rupen Jim Akoubian, with whom he had had profitable real estate dealings, and who coincidentally just got a huge and juicy solo source contract to supply auto parts.
A friend rattles our cage with the implicit suggestion that this deserves to be posted. Yeah, I’d say so.
For coverage, go check out the story at the Voice of OC — which, unlike Real Orange, will still be around in 2014.
Regarding the continuing saga of Pulido’s financial dealings: I of course don’t speak for the Democratic Party of Orange County in mentioning them here — but I do note that DPOC endorsed David Benavides last year! Just sayin’.
About Greg Diamond
Somewhat verbose attorney, semi-disabled and semi-retired, residing in northwest Brea. Occasionally ran for office against jerks who otherwise would have gonr unopposed. Got 45% of the vote against Bob Huff for State Senate in 2012; Josh Newman then won the seat in 2016. In 2014 became the first attorney to challenge OCDA Tony Rackauckas since 2002; Todd Spitzer then won that seat in 2018. Every time he's run against some rotten incumbent, the *next* person to challenge them wins! He's OK with that.
Corrupt party hacks hate him. He's OK with that too.
He does advise some local campaigns informally and (so far) without compensation. (If that last bit changes, he will declare the interest.)
His daughter is a professional campaign treasurer. He doesn't usually know whom she and her firm represent. Whether they do so never influences his endorsements or coverage. (He does have his own strong opinions.) But when he does check campaign finance forms, he is often happily surprised to learn that good candidates he respects often DO hire her firm. (Maybe bad ones are scared off by his relationship with her, but they needn't be.)
…and the DPOC NEARLY endorsed Al Amezcua two years before because of Miguel’s notable lack of progressivism … THAT drove Sean Mill off the deep end! (I know you’re a mellow guy now Sean…)
Not really — it came close to a non-endorsement in 2010, not so close to endorsing Amezcua. And in my opinion it was a truly shabby episode, too.
Oh, I’m thinking of 2008 actually … it almost turned into a bloodbath against Amezcua supporters, and nearly affected Phu’s race, which is why I was in the middle of it.
I think that Phu ran in 2010. I say that because I was at the meeting where Amezcua appealed in my capacity as Brown’s County Co-Coordinator.
yeah … you’re right…. well a lot of people voted for Amezcua, and some people threw a hissy fit about that.
Damn… it sure seems like five years ago, not three…
I am increasingly wary of the VOC’S biased coverage of Santa Ana. It certainly reads like Adam Elmerhark has a hard on for Pulido.
Snd now lil’ Nick Gerda is following along. Nick recently posted abot the “TON’S” of suggestions recived at a recent community fourm, when if fact there were fewer than fifty. He even tweeted the picture. It’s this overthetop “vibratnt” faction that is glossing over what is an immensly troubled municipality.
I’ll leave aside the “personal” baggage that dog Benavides and Martinez. The same issues that cost Umberg and Perez.
You sneaky anonymous character assassin: you have accused Perez of not really living in the area, which I don’t recall being the charge against Benavides, Martinez, and Umberg. So what did you mean there at the end? Care to revise your statement?
Mr. Diamond. There is nothing “SNEAKY” about my assertion that Julio Perez was a CARPETBAGGER. I felt and still do that this was a miscalculation and poor advise from a vested interest (Tefre). Julio had NO relationship with the neighborhood, the city, the community. He was exposed and suffered the consequences. I would guess that it would have been better to “play fair” and put him on the Anaheim City Council. Where he belonged and could enact meaningful change. to dump him in a rented room in West Floral Park. But, again, I get ONE VOTE. t wasn’t for him.
My charge, since you bring it up against Benavides is that he is a philander. that like Tom Umberg he has cheating on his wife and family. That like has been “blogged” about time and time again that he had an affair with a young woman at US Bank, from a position he landed through his relationship with Accused rapist/kidnapper Carlos Bustamante, who it is said ran in the same circles and took trips together which included picking up women. Specifically, I question if Pablo David Benavides LIVES with his family? Is he married? and if so, why is this dude dancing in night clubs at 1:00 AM while his school age children sleep six miles away?
As for Martinez, I can’t believe, I am citing Dan C, whom I despise, but, Why are here financial woes any different than Julio’s? why does no one at the VOC or OJB question a single woman, sporting around town in a BMW, bragging about dinners (she posts pictures for Christ’s sake). This is a woman with NO verifiable income!
So since you prefer to play dumb, I’ll spell it out:
UMBERG = BENAVIDES: Cheating husband, loose with the truth and cowardly avoiding the subject.
PEREZ = MARTINEZ: Both have incredibly poor personal financial history; In MM’s case she foreclosed and BK’d. She has NO discernible income and is repeatedly seen bragging about here “high end” endeavors. Bottom line, both of these people are immature and could/should use the guidance of someone like Greg Diamond who has some life experience and reasonable understanding of the realities of politics.
Provided of course that the objectives are: A better Anaheim, Santa Ana and/or community at large and NOT just putting in power the next (D) in office.
Oh — I see that you left out the word “respectively.” That would have been nice to include.
I don’t know what led Michele to foreclosure and bankruptcy. In Julio’s case, I understand his credit card debt to have gone towards critical medical care for his family members, which I actually find pretty damned admirable.
And this is really the sort of post that is “throwing rocks from the shadows” — which as you know I consider to be chickenshit — so if I decide to take it down at some point, that will be why.
“…….that will be why”. That is disingenuous at best. It will be taken down because you hate to see OC Dem’s get called out. rightfully or spitefully, doesn’t matter. But, that’s not the point of my original comment that you baited me into the response.
I feel like the Voice Of OC, Adam Elmehark especially has some kind of ax to grind with Pulido. His posts drip of contempt and he seems to want to pick apart the Mayor for things like his kids “parties”, a tree falling down or what ever he can. Meanwhile, the city council drops a half million on a new city manager, the streets are in disrepair, crime is just as bad as ever (at least post 1992 levels), Homeless fill the civic center, unemployed day laborers line the boulevards and the VOC writes about………..bike paths.
As for Julio’s financial problems, I wasn’t the one who waved that flag, it was your friend Dan C. (who I think dogged Michele for her failures as well).
Take it down, don’t take it down, more and more the liberal blogsphere seems to prefer the RGIII method of debate: CENSOR THE OPPONENT. Then they need not debate the issue.
“I hate to call out OC Dems”? Oh, bullshit. I’d love to get you into the same room with the DPOC people who want me to resign my officer’s position out of what insufficient loyalty to Brandman, Daly, Correa, and others, so that you could compare notes. Sorry, wrong number. I have no problem with “rightful” criticism, anonymous or attributed, and I am generally fine with attributed spiteful criticism. It’s anonymous — or at least needlessly anonymous — spiteful criticism that I think poisons OC politics. And it ain’t like you’re a whistleblower.
If Adam has an ax to grind with Pulido (and I wouldn’t concede that he’s being anything but appropriate), it might have to do with the question of how Pulido has made so much money while serving as Mayor. That’s a legitimate public concern. If you don’t like what they’re writing about, you have ample opportunity to complain — or even to write a story here talking about what you think is important!
You waved your friend Dan C.’s flag right here. Don’t pretend to be oblivious. One thing I’ve never called you is stupid.
Unless you were to somehow ascend to Fialaesque feats of abomination, I wouldn’t take down your comments if you’d own up to them. But you won’t. You can try to change the subject as much as you’d like, but I’ve been very clear that THAT is the problem: stones from the shadows.
If and when I occasionally were to spike your comments, that gives you two ways out of that box: no stones (at least not one gratuitously thrown, as is your wont) or no shadows. Then we can debate all day.
“You sneaky anonymous character assassin ..”
Yup – nailed it – I think we all know who this “nameless” person is.
I don’t know his name. And as of a couple months ago, Dan C didn’t either.
Well .. there are only a couple of Pulido apologists anywhere.
Like him or not, (and I consider him the lesser of evil in the past THREE elections) he seemed to have 27,082 people like him in 2012 and about 21, 588 two years before that.
I would be open to a qualified (electable) challenger. With Joe Dunn having sold out Pulido was handed three more terms.
I laugh when I read the posts at VOC crying “Twenty years is too long”. As far as I can tell Loretta Sanchez is approaching that mark, That old bag DiFi (for whom I walked door to door for in her bid for governor) and here geriatric partner Boxer have 32 years each in and the Governor is approaching a Fourth term.
I like Cook’s solution: “Let the voters decide”.
I have a pretty good idea who you are too Skallywag, but I want to know is who is junior?
And who the heck is Seamus MacDuff?
There’s a big difference between 20 or 30 years in a legislative position and 20 or 30 years in an executive position. I’m not big on legislative term limits, but executive term limits? Absolutely.
And by the way, does ANYONE really believe that Julio rented the room in the North Baker Street house for reasons OTHER than to run for office.
At least be honest.
Sure he moved so that he could run for office. Doing that is legal. He didn’t violate the law, though, which is what some pseudonymous commenters alleged.
Actually the tree story cast the mayor as a heroe. So ur argument falls apart there.
Also Voc was the first to expose Cavazos huge salary and Santa Ana’s almost BK.
According to the Voice Of OC 150 “residents” attended two meetings this past weekend. That’s about .000375% of the cities population. That is equivalent to an teaspoon from a 16 ounce beer!
Further, a comment on the Voice Of OC questioning how much these “seminars” cost, and how many people participated in the survey was promptly removed. It was suggested that fewer than a thousand people logged on. It was also insinuated that the city spent more than ten thousand dollars in “mobile labs” to increase participation, which at this point is less than the ACA website!
Miriam Lopez, the author does not address these subjects, but instead focuses on a youth from neighboring Garden Grove and a activist associated with two of the council people.
This is not what one would expect from the “newspaper of record” for Santa Ana/Orange County. fair unbiased reporting would be nice, but as long as we have guys like Nick Gerda, using terms like: “Ton’s Of Suggestions”, when there were fewer than fifty, makes me uncomfortable. Further, the disappearing comments tell me everything I need to know about the real purpose of the Voice Of OC.