I think I understand Santa Ana Mayor Miguel Pulido a little better now. I spoke to a few pajaritos last night who told me that apparently one of Pulido’s driving goals for many years now has been to be appointed U.S. Ambassador to Mexico.
The problem is that the last two Democratic presidential candidates lost, leaving Pulido high and dry. To make things worse, while he has accrued a small fortune, it is not enough. You have to be seriously rich to get a plum appointment, such as the one he is seeking.
So Pulido has sought desperately to hook up with politicians throughout Latin America, in order to get them to change laws so he can make a killing selling catalytic converters. This would explain the famous picture of Pulido with Bolivian ex-coca farmer and now President, Evo Morales.
This also explains why Pulido has continued to cling to power in Santa Ana. He needs the position of Mayor in order to have a title which will open doors for him in Latin America. He will do anything to stay in office.
Pulido has been in local office now for 21 years. The new term limit measure that his City Council cronies, Vince Sarmiento, Sal Tinajero, and Clownia Alvarez cooked up will assure him another four terms of four years each. If it passes.
If Pulido somehow stays in office another 16 years, he will have been Mayor longer than the Mexican dictator Porfirio Diaz was in power.
Of course if he can get his Latin American business going, and if a Democrat wins the U.S. presidency, then he can finally leave Santa Ana. Likely never to be seen again.
This also explains why he quickly endorsed the leading Democratic candidate, Hillary Clinton. This might be Pulido’s last shot to get in tight with a Democratic candidate who might win. Now we know why he overlooked New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson, the likable Latino candidate who has promised not to raise taxes and who has in fact cut taxes in his state. Richardson is lagging the rest of the candidates, so he was NEVER on Pulido’s thoughts.
So there you have it. King Pulido took office many years ago in an attempt to fight City Hall to save his father’s muffler shop. But somehow in the process he decided he was THE MAN and he sold his soul for higher aspirations. There is no redeeming Pulido. Indeed, the idealistic young man who at one point seemed to be such a beacon of hope in Santa Ana is now no different than the people he once fought. In fact, he might be the worst thing that ever happened to Santa Ana.
And if he fails in his Latin American enterprise, and fails to become an Ambassador, his only legacy will be a ruined city. A city with awful streets, a terrible bureaucracy, not enough parks or libraries, and really high water rates. A downtown Orange County that no one wants to go to. And a school district destroyed by his puppets, Rob Richardson, Rosie Avila and Audrey Noji.
Pulido let his people down in his rush to be more important than any of them. Really, it is a tragedy. I am not happy that Pulido turned out this way. I am sad for what he could have been, and sad for what was done to Santa Ana and its people. And there is no undoing any of it.
All we can do is vote no against the term limits measure and try to take out Pulido next year. And while we are at it we have to take out Sarmiento and beat Pulido’s puppet in Ward 5. None of this will be easy. We are up against maniacal ambitions gone deeply wrong.
Why doesn’t Mayor Chilango just leave now while he still has a little bit of dignity left? No wonder the rest of the county is laughing at us! Isn’t SarMenso Bolivian? Is he Mayor Chilango’s advisor who set up the meeting with Morales???
Art,
We should all be so lucky to have “accrued a small fortune”. Horsepuckey! When is being a multi-millionaire considered “a small fortune”?
You could have also inserted Sal’s name for Pudrido’s in the fourth to last and second to last paragraph. So sad!
Also, his half-brother Sarmiento is looking to emulate Pudrido’s footsteps in “accruing a small fortune” Just follow the beneficiaries of City contracts.
I gave up on the OC DA a long time ago but I am still wondering when the FBI is going to step in and stop the fleecing of SA’s taxpayers by Pudrido and his merry band of crooks.
CQT96,
Give me a break. Sal has been in office less than a year. Trying to compare him to Pulido is way off base. You people sure are quick to throw someone under the bus.
As far as Vince goes, why do you try and mislead people into thinking that he is Miguel’s “half-brother”? Vince was doing just fine financially before he got on the council. Your insinuation that he is somehow benefitting financially from his position is without merit. Do you have any proof to back up these allegations?
They only guy I know who got rich from being on the Santa Ana City council was Ted Moreno.
Poster 4,
Did you mean to say “was ruined” instead of “got rich?”
Go look at Pulido’s financial statement. It is unbelievable.
Mayor No Berries as Ambassador to Mexico? Puhleeeese! I have a better chance at winning the Lotto than he does getting appointed.
Mayor Pudrido, BuscaAmante, BenaPuppet, Clownia, Tinaperro, SarMenso. Santa Ana elected officials are a joke.
Art:
Your obsession with all things Pulido is wearing thin.
I hear Pulido also caused global warming so he could reap huge profits from his stocks in air conditioning companies. It’s true, Art. That damn, Pulido.
Art:
Do your pajaritos even know Pulido? Or, are they middle aged men like youself that have too much time on their hands?
I find it hard to believe that anyone that knows Miguel’s motives would even run in the same circles as you.
Santa Ana residents need to get rid of lame duck Police Chief Paul Walters and City Manager Dave Ream along with Pulido. The Three Amigos for certain. They could care less about anything other than power and $.