Art Pedroza Breaks Promise on Accepting Donations from Developers

October 8, 2008 Uncategorized 11

“We need to put the people first, not the bureaucrats, special interests and developers.”

from the candidate’s statement prepared by Art Pedroza, City Council candidate in Santa Ana’s Ward 3.

Matt Cunningham has a detailed post over at RedCounty.com about the three candidates for Santa Ana Ward 3 city council and provided PDF links to the filing statements (and we thank Matt for this public service).  

Of Art’s contributions is a $1,000 donation from Bushala Brothers, Inc., who are developers in downtown Fullerton.  Perhaps they have designs on Santa Ana, but Art pledged not to accept a dime from developers repeatedly on his blog.  Local contributions usually translate to local support.  Of Art’s 12 contributions, only five were from Santa Ana. 

Art’s raised just over $4500 himself and his wife loaned him another $3250.  Take away the $1,000 check from Bushala, $3,500 in donations?  Really?  I didn’t notice any expenditure for advertising on the Orange Juice blog which probably should be reported as an in-kind contribution.

So while Art keeps talking up all those voters he’s getting walking the streets on a platform of more libraries, more massage parlors, Santa Ana voters are not coming through with the contributions. 

Matt also provides documentation for Carlos Bustamante and Becky Valencia-Verdin.  There was no report from Steve Rocco.  Bustamante has considerable cash on hand for the campaign, though you’d think he could afford to update his 2004 website with a new list of 2008 endorsements.

 

11 Comments

  1. Dan,
    i noticed in matts post on RC that the PDF of Arts statement shows a 100 dollar payment to SMS.

    So you better not question her cred whenit come sto her professional campaign consulting career. :o)

  2. Dan,

    I should not be surprised by your continued attacks on me. I promised not to take money from developers with business in my city. Matt, over at Red County, did his research. The developer who gave me a donation does business in Fullerton. He is a friend of mine who describes himself as the biggest troublemaker in Fullerton. I think it is appropriate that he is supporting the biggest troublemaker in Santa Ana.

    BTW, that picture is a hoot. Those gentlemen belong to the SSPC – the Society for Protective Coatings. I used to be a very active member of that group when I worked in the refineries in the south bay.

    We have actually received quite a few small donations, but as you know they don’t have to be reported.

    As I have stated before, I don’t know what your problem with me is. I am trying to take out Carlos Bustamante, a truly deplorable Republican politician. Your party failed to recruit a candidate so I stepped in. instead of supporting me you have attacked me from day one. If you ask me, I think you are jealous that my blog does so much better than yours. Well, if you focused on reporting what matters instead of attacking folks who are trying to do something good, perhaps you would have more readers.

    I am not going to win this race by outspending Bustamante. I knew that going into it. But we have a lot of folks walking our materials. He has no one walking his materials. He is relying on mail. Good luck with that. After Umberg spent a fortune telling our voters what an awful Republican Bustamante is I have a feeling it is going to be an uphill climb for the last Republican on our City Council.

    Lastly, it is worth noting that my campaign co chairs are Republicans – most of my supporters are progressive Democrats – and I am the ONLY Santa Ana Council candidate endorsed by the Libertarian Party of Orange County. You folks here at the Liberal OC remain amongst my only detractors.

  3. Art,
    You dont see what dans problem is? Well herei is. dan is just fanning the falmes between two equally disgusting candidates.
    Done case closed over.

  4. Art — Thanks for the continued demonstration of thin skin. Another perfect example of how one who dishes it out so brazenly can’t take a punch thrown.

    Who is to say there’s no quid pro quo from these developers if they want to make a move into Santa Ana? And what better way to gain access than via a contribution to a council candidate that is sizable? If they bid on any projects in the city, will you return their check?

    You have quite a few small donations? Super. They may not have to be individually reported but they are included in the total you’ve raised. Calling your fundraising anemic is an insult to anemics. I’m surprised by the lack of certain names on your list (but good for Sean Mill to give $100). No Winships? No Thomas Gordon? Conservely, I’ve maxed out my contributions to my candidates in Irvine and sent two checks to Gary Pritchard’s campaign.

    My problem with you Art is pretty simple. I used to think you honestly cared about your city. And you fix things by building bridges with people and bringing them together. But you use a wreckingball to tear things down instead of bricks and mortar to build things up.

    How many times have you labeled the DPOC as a joke? There’s a difference between valid criticism of missteps and mistakes made by the DPOC and outright hostility from a block of voters you need to have a prayer of winning. My problem with you is you always chose the low road. And even if the voters do elect you, I think you’ll be highly ineffective.

    Of the candidates running for Ward 3, if you put a gun to my head, I’d vote for Becky as the best of a sorry lot.

  5. Dan I got this email from Art this morning in yet another demopstration of Arts thin skin and double standard (speak) hypocritical ism.
    Paul

    You moron. I promised not to take money from developers with business in my city.

    Consider yourself banned from the OJ.

    I wonder if Flores will get more votes than you?

    Art

    Art Pedroza
    Candidate for Santa Ana City Council, Ward 3
    http://www.artpedroza.com
    714-606-7622

  6. So now that its in public in printr here at the Lib OC, The citizens of Santa Ana can see for themsleves how much of a hypocrite and thin skinned usurper of free speech Art Pedroza is.

    This i sthe same type of tactic used by The Viet Weekly Proteters. Hmmmm can someone say Communist supporter of Janet Nguyen?

    Maybe we should start a countdown on how long it takes Janet Nguyen to denounce Art Pedroza for being a coward. a liar, and usurper of free speech?

  8. How many times have you labeled the DPOC as a joke? There’s a difference between valid criticism of missteps and mistakes made by the DPOC and outright hostility from a block of voters you need to have a prayer of winning.

    Dan, I realize you have lots of problems with Art going back years. But this? I can literally not count all the active OC Democrats I know who have been very impatient and unhappy with the DPOC also going back years, and a lot of their criticisms sound like Art’s. (The DPOC has been doing a little better under Melahat…)

    We criticize what we care about, and want it to be better and smarter and tougher!

  9. Going back a few months, not years Vern. We criticize what we care about? Then Art must care about Dems, Republicans and Jubal, but not Janet Nguyen because he never criticizes her. Art doesn’t care about our party. He only cares about himself, or so a friend told me…..

  10. Junior,
    you obvioulsy dont know me at all. If you did you wold know that Im the ifrst one to admit that Im probably the biggest A**hole I know personally. But that ha snothing to do with Art Pedroza. Or you for that matter. You obvioulsy dont know Art very well either.

    tell ya what. next time we are in the sameplace you can introduce yourself sans the nom de plume you hide behind here.
    Paul

  11. had a nce little email flame war with good ol Artie this morning. basically he is slowly and painfully comng to grips with the fact that he is a janet Nguyen meat puppet.

    And he doenst like it.

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