In a truly unprecedented move, several members of the Santa Ana City Council have opted to change their term limits ballot measure, which was set to appear on the February, 2007 presidential primary ballot, to REMOVE mayoral term limits altogether. Unbelievable!
The changes, which are noted on the agenda for tomorrow’s Santa Ana City Council meeting, call for the creation of a “Code of Ethics and Conduct” for elected officials and members of appointed boards, commissions and committees, to “assure public confidence in the integrity of local government elected and appointed officials.”
Who are these people kidding? This move is simply astounding. I can only imagine that the Pulido hacks are panicking because their term limit measure is probably not polling very well. That is not surprising. I have said from the beginning that most voters in California do not like to mess with term limits. This measure EXTENDS council limits another four years. It accomplishes the REVERSE of term limits by adding another term to the two concurrent terms that Council Members are currently allowed to serve.
And just what in the heck is all this about a “Code of Ethics and Conduct?” Shouldn’t our elected officials be acting ethically FROM THE DAY THEY ARE ELECTED? And we are to believe that the Pulido cabal is suddenly going to stop being unethical? This is the same bunch that recently took the second City Council meeting of each month OFF THE T.V. That’s right…they moved to limit the resident’s ability to see what their elected officials are up to. And we are to believe that they have suddenly developed a desire to be ethical? Yeah right!
This entire debacle is all about giving termed out Councilwoman Claudia “Clownia” Alvarez another four years to wreak havoc on the people of Santa Ana. This is the lady who told us recently that she is in charge of stopping crime in Santa Ana. She made that truly comical claim based on the fact that she is an assistant district attorney.
Who cares? That lofty title has done NOTHING to stop crime in our city. Gang violence is out of control, as is graffiti. In fact I reported today about how graffiti is more than three times the problem that the city estimated. Criminals recently pried 14 historical plaques right off a number of buildings in our Civic Center area, mere miles from the police headquarters.
And a Council Member was even robbed in the downtown area a week or so ago while walking to a city meeting. In the words of President Bush, “You’re doing a great job Clownia!”
This entire fiasco is a BAIT & SWITCH. It is an abomination. The Council Members who are advancing this ballot horror, Vince Sarmiento, Sal Tinajero, Claudia Alvarez and Carlos “Space Commander” Bustamante ought to be ashamed of themselves! And what can I say, for Pulido to arrange to get rid of even a hint of mayoral term limits is just incredible. Why doesn’t he just change his title to “dictator” and get it over with?
I am told that Council Members David Benavides and Michele Martinez are opposed to all of this. Good for them! I am pleasantly surprised that Benavides has grown a backbone at long last.
I am also told that Sarmiento has been promised, by Pulido, the Mayor’s position, if and when Pulido gets tired of playing Mayor. As I reported before, Pulido is backing Hillary Clinton for President in the hope that she will win and then appoint him to be U.S. Ambassador to Mexico. He will then use that position to advance his muffler company’s business throughout Latin America. That could all take place a year or so from now. So Sarmiento has made a deal with the devil in return for the chance to become our next dictator.
People of Santa Ana, I ask you to stand up at long last and speak out against this slap to our collective faces by the Pulido puppets on the Santa Ana City Council. Call City Hall tomorrow, at (714) 647-6900, and voice your displeasure! And try to go to the City Council Meeting. You can also email these miscreants by clicking on the links below:
- Mayor Miguel Pulido
- Councilman Vince Sarmiento
- Councilman Sal Tinajero
- Councilwoman Claudia “Clownia” Alvarez
- Councilman Carlos “Space Commander” Bustamante
And be sure to thank Councilman David Benavides and Councilwoman Michele Martinez for NOT going along with this shameless ruse by the Pulido cabal!
Past Santa Ana Term Limit Measure Articles:
- Pulido wins with term limit measure, no matter the economy
- Term limits or self serving agenda item?
- SA Council gives term limits thumbs up
- Term limits and what do we do now?
- What did King Pulido promise Tinajero?
- Term Limits Issue – Sean Mill’s Take
- No term limits for me!
- The truth about “King” Miguel Pulido
- Santa Ana term limit arguments submitted
UPDATE!!!
To view video footage of the Santa Ana Council Members talking about mayoral term limits, and term limits in general, click here.
so at what point do you take back your benapuppet insults to benavidez
Poster 1,
Don’t count your pollitos before they hatch. He has let us down before. Let’s see if he really does stand up to Pulido and company on Monday…
Was this reform something that the voters wanted or something that the council promised and is now going back? I know there is history – can u give a cliff’s notes version of the background?
Thanks
Poster 3,
Nifty idea. I just added links to all of our past stories about the term limits measure to the end of the post. Enjoy!
down with term limits
Art:
This is a sham of the worst sort. Please repost this item so that people who log on can locate it immediately.
I think focusing your quill at Clownia is appropriate. However, Carlos also stands to benefit (provided he survives reelection).
This is disgusting and has Claudia
Why are some comments (from Art and others) being removed from this thread?
N2justice,
I removed several comments that were not pertinent to this thread, and my responses to them.
This is an important issue and I don’t want the comments to get bogged down with posts that are irrelevant attacks on me, which is what those deleted posts were.
We have been patient with commenters to a fault. From now own I am going to delete comments that do not pertain to the subject matter of the post in question.
I wish I could say that I am shocked. But, I am not.
Politicians, when left to their own devices, usually try to fool the electorate. Hopefully, that will not happen here.
Do Sean and Art plan to voice their displeasure with this sham?
Please remember this act of cowardice by Claudia in the event makes the foolish move to run for the First District Sup seat.
Poster 10,
I do. Sean pretty much goes along with whatever Sal wants to do, so I don’t expect him to oppose the measure. We can only hope that Sal will come to his senses. He is obviously being used by Clownia.
Expect no comment from Sean H Mill with regards to this issue because like David Benavides, Sean H Mill is a puppet.Sean H Mill is a puppet of Sal Tinajero and will do and say what ever he is commanded to do so by his master Sal Tinajero.The measure of his integrity would be for Sean H Mill to write a post demanding that Sal Tinajero not vote for such an measure. But we don’t expect to see Sean H Mill have the testicular fortitude to do so any time soon.
I think term limits should be removed so that the voters can say when to remove elected officials they don’t like.
Dear readers,
I just heard this morning that Mayor Pulido was at a Chivas soccer game this weekend…in the owner’s box seats. I wonder if this will show up on his financial reports?
Plus, per FPPC regulations, any gift worth more than $6 is illegal.
What is Pulido up to now?
Poster 14,
Well, the “Tinajero-Sarmiento” Term Limits Measure will EXTEND term limits by another four years. So please vote no on it, or better yet, go to the Council meeting tomorrow and let the Council know how you feel about this measure.
Sal has never been his own man and never will. Tinajero will bend over for Pulido anytime, anywhere. Pulido’s sudden shine to Clownia’s term limit farce is nothing more than placing her in position to ascend to Solorio’s vacated seat in 2010.
This ploy to remove the mayoral term limits is vintage Pulido; he knows the mayoral term limits will kill this ballot measure and he’s right. What Pulido and Clownia are not counting on is the NO VOTE factor against Alvarez.
This ballot measure is not about term limits. It’s about positioning Clownia in a more favorable position for her assembly run in 2010.
Just say NO to Alvarez and term limits!
Here’s the kicker – Clownia orchestrated the crusade to toss the OJ3. Clownia does not want Pedroza, Mill or Thomas seated on any city commission. Why milktoast Tinajero rolled over on this one isn’t too surprising – he’d throw his momma under the bus if he thought it would advance his political career. Mill, watch your backside.
What sane voter would actually believe that extending terms another 4 years really amounts to a limit?
This really is a joke. And, I think you are all wrong about Sean. He is his own man, not Sal’s lackey.
MMMMmmmm,
I like what Semper Fhoney had to say.
What says you Sean Mill?
Why the silence?
Should we take a wait and see attitude like you always suggest when Milktoast Tinajero is involved?
Mill’s silence is deafening and only exposes his pandering to Squishy Sal’s bending over to Pudrido & Clownia. So what if you talk to him in private, it does no good for the community you have vigorously fought for during the last 25 years.
Mr Mill, your reputation has been knocked down several positions and is going to take several “miracles” for it to be restored.
Art,
Does the ballot to be approved by the council only state that the council terms are to be increased from two four year terms to three four year terms, adopt a code of ethics for the
Council and Commissioners and no mention of Mayoral term limits?
My understanding is that the Council Ad Hoc Committee’s function was to recommend provisions for Mayoral term limits. Now the recommendation has no mention of it’s intended objective and will rather recommend an extesion of the previous Council term limits and recommend adoption of a code of ethics intended to curtail the Commissioner’s ability to question the Council and to voice concerns from the City’s residents that the Council and Commissioners are to be representing. There seems to be a code of ethics violation even before it’s adoption – extension of term limits that apply to sitting Council Members and attempting to control individuality of the commissioners.
Why not recommend extension of Council Members term limits, if adopted by the voters, to begin in 8 years, After all existing Council Members are termed out? This will avoid a perception of a self serving ballot recommendation.
Those Council Members voting in favor of this ballot measure, in my oppinion are self inflicting a mortal voter wound. All those considering this proposal can see it as 100% self serving and will question the ethics of the recommendation.
CQT96,
This scheme was indeed cooked up primarily by Tinajero and Sarmiento. It is a selfish maneuver, and even worse it puts Claudia in the driver’s seat to rule over us for another four years.
I do think this is all going to backfire on the Council Members who are advocating this. The backlash they get from the media and the public will not be a pleasant experience.
Will they never learn?
As for Sean, I feel bad for him. He is loyal to Tinajero, but quite honestly, Sal does not deserve such fealty. Sal has always been for Sal. This latest move just proves it.
I’m not sure how you connect the dots to Sarmiento and Sal. This is, by your own admission, Claudia’s issue.
Let’s try something novel and see how each member of the Council votes before we cast stones.
Poster 22,
It is my understanding that Sarmiento is on the committee that came up with this gambit. Apparently Pulido has promised to support him for Mayor in the distant future if he plays ball.
I have inside information that points to Sarmiento and Tinajero as being the main players in this drama. I won’t be at all surprised if they vote for this monstrosity tomorrow. Nor at this point should you.
Sal Tinajero is a big weasal. His comment in today’s paper clearly portrays him as the ultimate insider bending over for Pulido.
Here it is ..
“We realized that the mayor has deep pockets,” said councilman Sal Tinajero, who was part of a special committee that initially recommended sending the term-limits issue to the ballot. “He would be able to run a campaign against this.”
Sal’s backhanded slap at all Santa Ana voters should not be ignored. Sal can fool his impressionable teeny-bopper students, but most voters know him for the flip-flop, flim-flam politician he is. Sal’s brand of politics is what turns most people off at the polls.
I am glad to see that so many folks are concerned to see where I stand on this issue. Iwould have responded sooner but I was not on the blog until this morning.
As I have previously stated I have no problem with giving the city councilmembers an additional term. I believe that it will lead to a stronger council that will be able to stand up to the Mayor, Dave Ream and the 8th Floor bureaucrats that currently run this city.
I am also pleased that they removed the term limits proposal that they had on the table in regards to the office of Mayor. I had expressed my disappointment in giving the Mayor 16 years in office to Sal and others. If term limits on the mayor had been defeated, and the polling said it would be, this time it would be off the table for good.
I think that if this measure passes a mayoral term limits measure giving the Mayor 12 years may be on the next ballot.
I also believe that if you don’t like this measure you can always vote against it. The action being taken by the council tonight is not binding and is subject to the voters approval. If the voters don’t want it they will defeat it. That is what a democracy is all about.
To all those that are so quick to attack Sal Tinajero about this you were also the one’s that were quick to attack him about the Vince Sarmiento appointment as well. In my opinion you were wrong about Vince’s appointment and you will be wrong in your criticism of Sal now.
“and the polling said it would be”
Polling?
Why are they wasting money on polling and how much did they waste?