Like Lipstick on a Pig: How Santa Ana Is (NOT) Governed

OK, I just can’t help it! Since I do live in Santa Ana, I just had to check out Thomas Gordon’s latest story on Orange Juice, which follows up on Matt Cunningham’s latest story on OC Blog. Now usually, I disagree with these conservative bloggers and their complaints against any and all “big government”. However, today I must agree with them on something. The state of our “government” in Santa Ana has devolved into little more than a laughingstock.

So why am I agreeing with these conservtive bloggers that Santa Ana needs to refocus on its real priorities? Follow me after the flip to find out…

Right now, our city suffers from a lack of attention paid to our real crises. In many parts of town, the children must play on the streets because there are no parks nearby. Our neighborhoods continue to reel from the gang violence that’s returning to town after a few years’ hiatus. Yet unfortunately, our kids don’t have many constructive alternatives to gang violence, as the libraries have closed and the after school programs are so few and far between.

Our city is in crisis, but what does the city do about it? Why, they are cracking down on those dangerous, over sized hand-held signs! OK, do you see what I see? Our community is reeling from a lack of opportunity, and Santa Ana wants to go after hand-held signs?! What the hell is wrong with these people?!

Now I know that not everyone in our local government is ignoring our major problems. Fortunately, we do have a few folks like Council Member Michele Martinez who understand where our priorities should be. We should be focusing on reopening our libraries and starting after school programs to give our kids constructive, nonviolent activities to do. We should be focusing on improving the parks that we have, and opening new parks in areas of the city where there are none. And if the city really doesn’t have enough money to do all of this, the city should be lobbying our state and federal elected officials to bring our tax dollars home to be out to work in our community.

But wait, I wonder if that’s really the case. As Thomas Gordon says today at Orange Juice:

Rather than paving the streets, arresting the graffiti vandals or prostitutes and reducing the huge budget deficit, Santa Ana has chosen to paint a new slogan on its water tower, implemented a ban on massage parlors, cracked down on barking dogs and gone after the signs.

After telling us all for years that there is no money in the budget for fixing the blown out streets, we find out that the Bowers and Chamber get Millions of our tax dollars.

We find out that city executive staff gets huge raises while the worker bees struggle to remove graffiti or patch pot holes.

And you know what? All of that is like putting lipstick on a pig. Sure, barking dogs may be annoying and over sized hand-held signs may not be the prettiest things to see on a sidewalk corner and “massage parlors” may be providing more than a back rub. But then again, we have far more pressing concerns than those. We have a city in shambles that needs to be fixed.

When will more people in charge of these things realize that?

13 Comments

  1. You also might want to consider the consequences Andrew that importing the huge number of poor unskilled illegal immigrants has had to the city. Santa Ana is reaping what it has sown after years of poor public policy on this and other fronts. It’s to bad people have let the city get to crisis situation before drastic action is taken.

  2. Well, Allan, where else are they supposed to go? Last time I checked, the apartments in Newport Beach aren’t exactly at prices that low-wage earners can afford. Oh yes, and I don’t think Fountain Valley or Laguna Niguel are really affordable options, either. As I said last week, if we really want to blame someone for this immigration problem, we must be prepared to blame ourselves. So when will your fellow “conservatives” join us in calling for reforming our trade policy and reexamining our entire foreign policy?

    It’s not the immigrants’ fault that they’re desperate to survive.

  3. Again Andrew, I don’t fault these immigrants for wanting to make a better life, but we’re not responsible for taking care of all the third world poor people. These immigrants need to start a revolution in their home country or things will never change down there.

    Back to your post though, how would you propose Santa Ana get out of its current mess? Changing the political leadership might help in the short run, but long term you’re still going to have the new demographics to deal with.

  4. Actually, we kinda are our brothers’ and sisters’ keeper… ESPECIALLY when we destroyed their house and used them as slave labor. No, it’s kinda our responsibility then to help them out of the mess that we made for them.

    OK, now back to Santa Ana. Our council needs to stop wasting time on stupid things like massage parlors and giveaways to developers and money for Bowers Museum when the museum isn’t serving the community. The council then needs to focus on real priorities like after school programs and opening new parks asnd reopening our libraries. Those are proven ways to keep our kids out of crime… So why don’t we do all of that, and stop wasting time on miscellaneous items like dog barking ordinances?

  5. Nice to see that your city leaders have taken decisive action on the potentially hazardous sign twirling activities in your neighborhoods. Think of the catastrophic possibilities for the unknowing pedestrian passing by; one careless, spinning, mp3 inspired dance-step and you could be knocked unconscious by one of those things!

  6. Haha! Good one. 😉

    But cheese louise, when will they do something to fix all the potholes in the road and open a park for all the neighborhood kids to play in… Aren’t we in MORE DANGER without those?!

  7. Andrew,
    YTou are bso cute I want to put you in my pocket and take you home with me.

    Mr Bartlett, Do you have any idea what would happen if Mexico had a revolution? You think we havea border crossing problem now? Hell just wait until the bullets start flying in Chihuahua and Sinaloa.

  8. Thanks, Paul! Oh yes, and good point on what would happen under a “Second Mexican Revolution”. Hmmm, I wonder where the refugees will be going…

  9. hey allen, we need a revolution here not there. and as far as the city pissing away money i have a small chicken coop in my backyard that was built by my father 35 years ago that the city attorneys office (joseph w fletcher) took me to trial over only to lose to me and my fine new suit i bought for the trial. for years this mayor who thinks he’s the “little king of santa ana” and many of the council have been completely useless. the vietnamese whorehouses have remained open even when being raided numerous times. we have many problems here but i have always believed the buck stops with our “little king”

  10. Yes, Jose. The buck does stop with our “Little King” Pulido. What the hell has Miguel Pulido done to improve the quality of life in this city? What has he done to open new parks in the city? What has he done to get the gangs out of town? What has he done keep our kids out of gangs?

    What good has Miguel Pulido been for Santa Ana?

  11. andrew, i think when he ran for office he had the best of intentions but look at him now. he has become the ultimate prostitute. there comes a time when people have to leave office because they have become the very thing they fought against. remember how his family fought city hall and won? that was an awesome day. now he’s become part of the machine that takes and stands back and watches while his city attorneys run wild and abuse our rights as americans. and as far his lap-dogs on the council, dont even get me started.

  12. Again, you’re right, Jose. Pulido really wanted to do good in Santa Ana when he began his political career. But then, something happened. He drank the kool-aid, and began to focus more on his own aggrandizement and less on the needs of the people in this city. And what’s the outcome? A DINO corporatist mayor who sells his “service” to the highest bidder as he sells out the best interests of Santa Ana.

    Sad. 🙁

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