When our former blogger Sean Mill wrote about how he was going to talk to Councilman Sal Tinajero about fashioning a Sunshine Act that would open up Santa Ana’s government, I was amazed and somewhat dubious. I just could not see Santa Ana Mayor Miguel Pulido and his cabal actually voting to put all the Council meetings on T.V. and online in a searchable archive. Now we know it was all a bunch of B.S.
Pulido and company changed the agenda for Monday’s City Council meeting today, with a last minute 85A item that does NOT include any of the pipe dreams Sean wrote about over at Liberal OC. Nor does the item include televising the commission meetings. You may recall that Sean took Councilwoman Michele Martinez to task for not including that in her 85A item from few weeks ago. That was the item that NONE of the Council Members seconded.
So what did Pulido and his hacks come up with this time? Well, it is a vague and disappointing measure. All it says is:
Creation of ad hoc committee to review current council meeting structure. (Tinajero, Sarmiento and Alvarez).
Wow. The Santa Ana City Council has sentenced open government to death by committee. Even better, the committee includes the same Councilwoman Claudia Alvarez who famously said that the Council had already studied the issue of putting the Council meetings online for two years and they just could not come up with the technology to do this. Even though George Collins manages to do this from a laptop in his home office.
I hereby dub Tinajero, Sarmiento and Alvarez the Gang of Three. There is no way these anti-open government stiffs are going to do anything to open up our city government. They already had a chance to do so, and chose to remain silent.
I am told that one of the changes the Gang of Three hopes to institute is moving the public comments to the start of Council meetings. I really don’t like that. I like being able to address a specific item when it comes up on the agenda. And I like having a chance to berate Pulido and his cabal in the last public comments, at the end of the Council meetings. So if they do this I will encourage everyone to go to the Council meetings and turn in speaker request cards for EVERY SINGLE ITEM. That’s right…we will filibuster the Council meetings.
Seriously, this really is the worst City Council in all of Orange County and perhaps in all of Southern California. They can’t do the right thing to save their lives! What a joke. I feel bad for Sean. The Council has made him look like a complete joke with this move. He promised the stars and we ended up with a mud pie.
Vote no on Measure D. End the political career of Councilwoman Alvarez once and for all!
Art:
This sounds like a reasonable subcommitee. Michelle’s last minute item re this matter was not broad enough and she did not seek the support of other council members. Her go-it-alone style works for her, but not on an item of this importance.
Hopefully this subcommittee can put some critical thinking forward on this issue and not come up with the same approach as Michele. If so, this subcommittee will be exactly as you describe.
Poster 1,
Michele’s measure would have put all the council meetings on TV and on an online searchable archive. That is good enough for me. I really doubt that the Council would have voted for it if it included televising commission meetings.
And the Council could have amended the measure or voted later to add the commission meetings.
The fact is, this bogus committee is just another attempt to forestall open government in Santa Ana. We’re not buying this B.S.!
And the media won’t either…watch this blow up in Pulido’s face again, in the Times, the Register and the OC Weekly…
Well being good enough for you isn’t a seal of approval. And, I think your crystal ball is murky at best with respect to what the council will do.
I noticed you and Michele are also on message with the B.S. line.
I want my city TV.
Art –
Thanks for the posting this agenda item.
Why the city fails to implement an Early Notification System – e-mail subscription service to receive agendas from City Council, Ad Hoc Committees, Boards and Commissions – is both dishearting and baffling. Many cities have such a system in place reinforcing an open and transparent government.
Why this council continues to play the shy card and lack of technolony excuse for failing to provide a forum for an open and tranparent government is inexcusable.
Contrary to the comments of poster #1, the creation of this ad hoc committee is ridiculous.
The current council buffons – Pulido, Tinajero, Alvarez, Sarmineto and Benevides – do not disappoint in their lack of connecting with their constituents.
The times they are a changing. And the winds of change, rippling from Iowa, are spreading nationwide and that includes Santa Ana.
VOTE NO ON MEASURE D Feb. 5
Poster 5:
Your cheap unsubstantiated shots beside, I think the early notification system is a great idea and from what I am told, it’s part of the ad hoc committee’s package of open government items.
Michele didn’t have the foresight to include this item, but the subcommittee will.
I understand Art’s and others’ need to have government move quickly on items like this, but that’s just not how government works.
#1
Your lament that Council Member Martinez’s resolution was not broad enough is pure grade-A poop.
The council majority, spearheaded by Claudia Alvarez and fueled by Pulido, are fearful of Council Member Martinez’s growing public appeal and support. And that’s why Alvarez, at all costs, must publicly discredit Martinez to advance her personal and pathetic political kareening career.
What Alvarez is too dense to understand is that her course of action to publicly discredit Martinez is only making Martinez stronger.
Romney learned you can’t buy votes this past Tuesday. When will Clownia learn that her brand of politics – conniving, vindicate, unethical and retalitory – is like a three day mackarel – rotten, foul and time to toss out!
Clownia remains her worst enemy and Pulio continues to play her for the fool she is.
VOTE NO ON MEASURE D
Why are there no citizens on the subcommittee??
Why hasn’t Sean Mill commented on Liberal OC about Sal’s pathetic attempt to do what Michelle had already suggested?
#1 and #6,
The not televising of all the council meetings and the council not supporting Michele’s motion backfired. Now we have you, Sean and others doing damage control. The reasons you all offer, of why Michele’s motion was simplistic, besides not being accurate, are weak and comical as are the reasons given by the other council members and the Mayor not to televise.
This issue of a ad-hoc committee to study the question and your talking points argument is intended to formally and publically redicule and discredit Michele. This is a strategy set up for no other purpose.
This strategy is affirmed by your comments. Your comments are the talking points for this debate.
Public outcry made the council revisit the issue. The strategy is to include attacks on Michele in order to justify the revisit.
You Sean and others are blaming Michele for the council not giving a second to her motion???? The explanation for this is that her motion did not go far enough, so the motion died????
The hypocrisy is clear and the public sees it. They just keep digging themselves in a hole while trying to damage Michele.
It is pile up on Michele strategy. How petty and vendictive is it to make a bad vote and then attack a fellow council member that made the right vote.
#10,
Santa Ana’s population is approximately 85% Hispanic.
The majority, approximately 70%-80%, are legal residents and/or citizens of the USA.
Art L. Said: “Santa Ana’s population is approximately 85% Hispanic.
The majority, approximately 70%-80%, are legal residents and/or citizens of the USA.”
Say what? Those fake papers they get free with a plastic tray full of Mangos on 4th street don’t count Art! I’d say 25% legal would be closer to the truth.
#9, Sean hasn’t commented over at Liberal OC because he is anonomously trying to defend Sal and his colleagues (see comments #1 and #6).
Mr. Lomeli, I respectfully disagree that the proposed committee is intended to formally and publically redicule and discredit Michele. It is the rest of the City Council’s attempt to look like they are trying to address this issue without actually doing anything.
Open government is not a new concept. The fact that Santa Ana needs to “further study” it just shows the residents of Santa Ana how little respect the City Council has for us.
#13,
If you are intersted in the truth look up the census figures, SAUSD figures and federal estimates.
You present a personal opinion void of any facts.
This community spends a significant amount of their money at Malls and big department stores. The mango Calle Cuatro reference is irrelevant as is the fake papers comment. I understand the truth hurts your agenda.
#14,
“Mr.Lomeli,I respecfully disagree that the proposed committee is intended to formally and publically redicule and discredit Michele. It is the rest of the City Council’s attempt to look like they are trying to address this issue without actually doing anything”.
The supporters are out there with the talking points I mentioned.
Why attack, through the supporters (for now), if the objective is only to address the issue without actually doing anything.
The proposed committee could address my and your prediction at the same time – redicule, discredit Michele and actually do nothing. Time will tell.
I would like to thank our councilwoman in her prior 85a, although it failed as to a second, it has forced the council to address this item with a study to address the citizens concerns.
Maybe while on the floor for the vote to approve the ad-hoc committee, a difference 3 council members can be nominated in place of the 3 listed.
all the people taking shots at each other anonymously, cracks me up. Be adults and say who you are.
Since Martinez can’t seem to get meetings televised or anything substantial done, Vote Yes on Measure D and support candidates who have proven they can work together.