While I was on vacation, the Santa Ana City Council voted to put a truly horrible term limit measure on the February ballot. My co-blogger Luis Rodriguez wrote about it, as did Thomas Gordon.
The question I must pose is what did Santa Ana Mayor Miguel Pulido promise Council Members Sal Tinajero and Vince Sarmiento for their votes for this truly awful measure? Only Council Members David Benavides and Michele Martinez voted against it.
The measure will allow Pulido to run for Mayor for another 16 years. And it will allow Council Member Claudia Alvarez to run for Supervisor, and lose, and then run again for the City Council in the November election, next year.
What sort of deal did Tinajero in particular cut with Pulido? I expected Sarmiento and Carlos Bustamante to support this measure, as they always side with Pulido. But I am very disappointed in Tinajero.
This term limit measure is such a joke that we ought to just write off all the Council Members who voted for it. I simply cannot justify their vote for this measure. It is an abomination.
Benavides was right to mention during his objection that term limits were already hashed out by the Santa Ana Charter Review Commission that he served on. Kudos to Benavides for finally standing up to Pulido. I am not sure if I believe this entirely as Pulido has often set up such ploys to fool us. But perhaps Benavides was sincere. I hope he survives the experience. Pulido does not often allow his puppets to stray from their leashes.
As I wrote in my post before the Council meeting, Pulido wins no matter what. Like the corrupt PRI politicians in Mexico, Pulido has rigged the system so he can be Mayor for life. But he can read the writing on the wall. People have bought his lies for years, but he is one good opponent away from losing, and he knows it. When this measure fails, and it will, he will say that the people don’t want term limits.
King Pulido’s reign may end soon, but it won’t be easy. In many ways his career compares to that of the Mexican dictator, Porfirio Diaz. When Diaz first took office, he “began as an activist against reaction and privilege and ended as a longtime dictator and staunch defender of the very forces he had once opposed.”
Here, Here, well spoken Art! Now how do we go about making sure this does not pass so that we can go back to square one and come up with a REAL term limit policy? Let’s use O.J. to fight this thing touth and nail and vote against any councilmember who supports it! Please help us get organized.
I thought Benavides and Martinez both used the term limit issue during their campaigns to seduce voters, and now they turn against this measure?
Flip, flop.
One smells an upcoming Orange Juice! PAC.
The only reason Benevides voted against it is because he doesn’t want Claudia to get another term. He wants his boy Roman Reyna to get that seat.
David could have spoken up in the sub-committee before this ever got to the council but he didn’t. He instead chose to grandstand at the council meeting.
“I expected Sarmiento and Carlos Bustamante to support this measure, as they always side with Pulido.”
You may be right about Carlos, but you are way off base with Vince Sarmiento. He is no Pulido puppet. He in Miguel may be friendly away from the council but that does not mean the he is lock step with Miguel on every issue.
Vince is very progressive politically, much more so than Miguel.
Sarmiento is Miguel’s waterboy. He has been one of Miguel’s closest political advisor’s for years. Having Sarmiento appointed to Solorio’s vacant council seat was a payback. But Miguel should be very careful. A lot of the advice he has received from his waterboy has been only hurtful to his Mayoral seat.
Sarmiento reminds me of the “mosquita muerta”. Waiting for the right opportunity to become Mayor. He’s very conniving and ready to unseat Miguel. I’m surprised Miguel didn’t see it coming.
Tinajero is a disappointment and this voter will not forget.
Tinaperro for his vote will get the Mayor’s endorsement for the Assembly seat Solorio vacates in 4 years. Just wait and see.
# 4-could you be sean blogging anonymously? go compare it to the term limit-my take story and judge for yourself.did sal ask you to cover for him?me thinks so.
# 8-don’t fool yourself.solorio and pulido are grooming benavides for that seat.sal better wake up quick before his political life fades away.
Tinapuppet voted how Pulido told him to vote.
Tinasellout was bought by the highest bidder.
Art writes …
“Pulido does not often allow his puppets to stray from their leashes.”
You’re too kind, it’s more like Pulido has them on a choke collar.
Pulido has a few lap dogs on the council, however it’s his court of citizens that you must beware of.
These cadre of citizens aka Usual Suspects, take their lead from Pulido. They are the quiet missionaries who go into the community seeking out critics of the mayor. Once identified, the Usual Suspects conjure up a plan to destroy.
The power of the OJ was not anticipated and it’s a thorn in their side.
Keep up the good work at the OJ.
Perhaps the King promised to make Tinajero the court jester.
Tinapuppet lives in a million dollar home, in a gated community, mere feet from Costa Mesa. He could care less about anybody but himself.
#14,
I hate to break it to you but Sal lives in a modest condo in south Santa Ana. It is valued nowhere near a million dollars. Please stop with the lies.