Santa Ana City Council to pick worst-graded light rail bidder tonight

Pulido’s Santa Ana streetcar…

The Usual Suspects who are pushing for the anti-graffiti ordinance are SILENT on the bigger issue of the Pulido Choo-Choo, which is also being voted on tonight.  Click here to read the agenda item.  The City Council has chosen the least qualified bidder, Cordoba Corp., to do the initial planning work on the Choo-Choo and is going to vote to spend over $5 million on that questionable venture.

But the Usual Suspects are screaming about graffiti while the Council blows money on a light rail system that will take rich lawyers from the train station to the courthouse.  Why can’t they just take the bus?

Doug Irving nailed the problems with this proposal over at the O.C. Register:

  • Cordoba was one of three companies that submitted proposals to do the work. An evaluation panel reviewed those proposals and gave Cordoba the lowest average score, by a wide margin.
  • City officials have refused to release some documents – including price estimates and internal memos – that might shed more light on how they chose Cordoba.
  • The company has a long history in Santa Ana. It hosted a special Los Angeles fundraiser for Mayor Miguel Pulido when he was still a rookie councilman, campaign-finance records show. The company and its associates were significant donors to some of Pulido’s early campaigns, records show.
  • More recently, people with ties to Cordoba – including company president George Pla – contributed several thousand dollars to Councilman Carlos Bustamante’s failed campaign for a seat on the county Board of Supervisors. The company also helped sponsor Pulido’s State of the City event earlier this year.
  • Pla also was one of the local business and political leaders who founded the Santa Ana Business Bank.
  • As part of its contract, Cordoba will also look into how to pay to operate such a streetcar system. Possible sources of money, according to city documents, include special business assessments, developer fees and municipal parking districts.

Look at that last bullet!  The City Council is going to raise taxes and fees and install assessments to force US to pay for this bogus streetcar!  We will be paying to transport rich spoiled lawyers and city workers from the train station to the courthouse and City Hall.  They ought to take the bus like everyone else!!!!


About Admin

"Admin" is just editors Vern Nelson, Greg Diamond, or Ryan Cantor sharing something that they mostly didn't write themselves, but think you should see. Before December 2010, "Admin" may have been former blog owner Art Pedroza.