I noticed that the Register gave Santa Ana Mayor Miguel Pulido all the credit for the decision to televise all the City Council meetings. His usual practice over the years has been to only televise half the meetings – those held at City Hall. The other meetings have been held at the police headquarters community room – where there are no cameras. Sure enough all the controversial issues have been handled off-camera.
The truth is that George Collins, a Republican who ran for the City Council this year in Ward 6, against Pulido puppet Jennifer Villasenor, has been filming the meetings at the police station and televising them on Times Warner’s public access channel. The other day, at a political event in the city, Collins told Solorio that he had already arranged for a full year of broadcasts of the city council meetings on Times Warner’s public access channel. Solorio blanched. The next day Pulido announced that all meetings would now be televised.
I don’t expect the newspapers to get it right all of the time – but Collins was the key factor in forcing Pulido’s hand. He deserves ALL of the credit.
Here is the Register article in question:
Santa Ana: Meetings back on TV
Mayor Miguel Pulido has asked the city to resume televising both City Council meetings each month
Art, thanks so much for the kind words. But let us both put the credit where is id due. To all who encouraged me, thanked me and complemented me for filming the council meetings. That is where the credit goes.
Santa Ana has/is changing, will the old court be able to keep up with the change and does the old court even understand what is happening. I fear not.
So with encouragement I will continue to film, telecast and web cast as many of the meetings as possible. I am just so thankful I have assistance with the filming now, just cleanup and commentary will be done.
Thank you Mr. Mayor for having all meetings, excuse me, not all yet, but at least we are on the right track with getting all the council meetings filmed. I hope this will include the “emergency meetings on the eight floor” so all can see what constitutes an emergency.
Thanks to one and all that made this possible.
George M. Collins