Gustavo Arellano, over at the O.C. Weekly’s Navel Gazing Blog, has discovered yet another conflict of interest involving a Santa Ana Council Member – this time it is Carlos “Space Commander” Bustamante. Here are a few excerpts from Arellano’s latest post:
There are political hacks, and then there is SanTana councilmember Carlos Bustamante, the Orange County Republican Party’s Great Brown Hope and a man who seemingly never met a political donation he didn’t accept and subsequently vote for his donor’s interests. Seriously, people: I’ve read through hundreds of campaign-finance records and tracked multiple politicians in my years at the Weekly, but Bustamante is one of the hackiest of the hacks I’ve encountered.
We were going to limit our mini-investigation of Bustamante to two posts, but the ever-vigilant Orange Juice! clued us into something. Tomorrow, the SanTana City Council will decide on whether to loan C & C Development nearly $9 million to acquire and renovate properties in the city’s Townsend neighborhood. It’s almost a near-certainty: in March of last year, the SanTana Housing Authority helped C & C head Barry Cottle secure a $15 million tax-exempt bond for another project in the city. Not only that, but Bustamante owes Cottle something. On Dec. 21, 2006, Cottle and his relative Mary Cottle each donated $249 toward Bustamante’s failed 2007 First Supervisorial run, neatly evading SanTana campaign finance rules which state councilmembers can’t vote on projects for 12 months involving anyone who donated $250 or more “to the councilmember or to any campaign committee controlled by the councilmember.”
Even if the Cottles did give Bustamante $250, he’d still be able to vote on C & C’s request since more than a year has passed since the Cottles’ donations. Interestingly enough, the original vote on the project was scheduled for Dec. 3 but postponed an extra 30 days per a city council vote.
It looks like the Space Commander is bought and paid for…as is his vote.
You need an appropriate picture to go with your Space Commander insult…
If this information is correct, he seems to be following in the steps of Gaddi Vasquez!
Anon 2: All of this is in the records–just look up the appropriate ones I cited. I’d post them, but I still don’t know how to upload pdf files!
I think Cottle also bought that old no tell motel on East 17th next to IHOP and turned it into a Cut Rate old folks home for Asian Americans.
Why is it that the O.C. Register and the L.A. Times have not looked into Bustamonte on this issue? I hope Bustamonte’s Lincoln Club connections are not protecting him from the other newspapers.
Is Bustamante doing “the Robot” in that pic?
Let’s see if I’ve got this right.
You guys piss and moan endlessly about the lack of affordable housing and investment in the innercity, yet when it happens you find fault with evey aspect of the process, the product, and the players.
Art,
How long do you think your new lovefest with Gustavo last?
Will you be handing over the OC Weekly to the family so they can read the writings of Daddy’s new best friend?
Poster 7,
I have always been a fan of Gustavo’s writing. He has likewise always been supportive of my efforts. Even when I was a Republican.
Here’s a question for you. When will the Space Commander and his cohorts go to jail? The Santa Ana Business Bank will be their undoing…
#7
I have always been generally against any form of government provided housing. There is truely no such thing as affordable housing in Southern CA, as weall bear the cost to subsidize.
That being said, yes this project needed to be done, but it could have been done better, safer for the residents and cheaper.
There should have been a police sub-station or dropon center, but when questioned, the Chief was ok with the fact the nearest police would be at the old library almost half a mile away(police activities league). Would you want your kid trudging through one of the highest crime, most gang infested areas?
Second,
Santa Ana just agreed to “loan” 8.9 million dollars for 51 units.
Break just “loaned” 2.8 million for 92 units of low and very low housing.
Anaheim just “loaned” 760,785 for 60 units of low and very low housing.
I’ve got a secret I’ve been hiding under my skin
My heart is human, my blood is boiling, my brain I.B.M.
So if you see me acting strangely, don’t be surprised
I’m just a man who needed someone, and somewhere to hide
To keep me alive-just keep me alive
Somewhere to hide to keep me alive
I’m not a robot without emotions-I’m not what you see
I’ve come to help you with your problems, so we can be free
I’m not a hero, I’m not a saviour, forget what you know
I’m just a man whose circumstances went beyond his control
Beyond my control-we all need control
I need control-we all need control
Domo arigato, Mr. Roboto, domo…domo