Santa Ana Ward 3 council candidate Art Pedroza is perhaps best known for his Orange Juice blog, and while I’m loathe to send him any traffic, this post should tell Santa Ana voters all they need to know of the charatcer of a man seeking to represent them in higher office. In short, he’s not fit to represent them.
The headline on the blog post reads: “Bustamante may have been drunk when he hit a police car in Anaheim.” Knowing that Art is running to attempt to unseat Carlos Bustamante, my first thought was “Carlos Bustamante was driving drunk?” I did glance at the story in the LA Times, but didn’t fully read it. And I have to believe IF Carlos Bustamante was driving drunk and crashe into a police crusier in Anaheim, there would be bigger play in the local media.
This is a piss-poor attempt to link a drunk driver with a common last name to Art’s council opponent. And when you read the post, there is no mention of Carlos Bustamante, but its an attempt to trick voters plain and simple. While it pains me to defend Carlos Bustamante here, this accident story would not have warranted space on Art’s blog if the driver’s last name wasn’t Bustamante.Â
If we were to report on a sex offender named Pedroza on this blog, Art would scream like a stuck pig. Â
more after the jump:
Earlier in the week, Art has a post regarding Laura Saucedo Cunningham being hired as a director of Latino Outreach for the Yes of Prop 8 group whcih seeks to add a constitutional amendment that bans Gay Marriage in California. The headline of the post, “Matt ‘Jubal’ Cunningham’s wife being paid to hate.” This is claim is absurd and the post designed to antognize Red County blogger Matt Cunningham.Â
We have had many spirited debates with Matt on this blog and over at Red County. And while I’m certain we’re right on this issue and Matt and his wife are wrong on it, dragging the debate into the mindfield of “hate” is just not accurate. In Art’s commentary in the post and in comments, he describes Mrs. Cunningham’s role in the Yes on 8 campaign has “disgusting,” “hate-filled vile campaign’ and compares this effort somehow with racial slurs of being called a wetback or beaner. Yet Art’s own wife will be voting Yes on Prop 8 which Art defends on his wife being “Very religious.”Â
Art wrote: “My own wife is voting for Prop. 8. She is not hateful, just very religious. But the proponents of Prop. 8 – the people who put this abomination on the ballot – they ARE a hate-filled, fearful bunch. I would include Jubal and his cabal in that number.”
So using Art’s own logic and argument, he’s married to someone who will vote for hate, who will vote for a vile and digusting law that will deny equal rights to gays and lesbians. I’d be hard pressed to say that Matt and Laura Cunnigham are not very religious. If fact, I’d say they are devout to the point where their faith crosses over to impact their political beliefs. That said, the Cunninghams, I believe are wrong on the issue of Prop 8 but I don’t believe hate has anything to do with it.
Yes, Art and I agree on what the outcome of Prop 8 should be and that’s a No to the constitutional amendment and yes to eqaulity. But I have to question Art’s character, morality, and integrity by employing tactics such as these to smear an opponent by name association and by calling out someone else’s perceived “hate” while not condemning it in his own immediate family.
Since Art’s wife is very religious and he sas he is too, I’d like to remind him that posts like these bear false witness against thy neighbor. And they demonstrate, clearly, that he is unfit to hold public office.
If you’re voting in this election, vote for Becky Valencia-Verdin, as she’s the best of a sorry lot.
Right. And he buried the name Luis Bustamante AFTER the jump, knowing full well some people aren’t going to read the whole post.
i saw the headline and almost fell out of my chair and yes it pissed me off to find out it wasnt busty. but you know what really made me pissed? was when i tried to comment i found out that i was blocked from commenting on the site. i know that loon SMS was saying in one of her posts that i should be banned from the site because i called her crazy and paranoid (because she is) and claimed that i was not only part of the ocdp who is out to get her but also that i was paul lucas. and lets not forget the creepy “chez vern” who has a major mancrush on me and tried to get me to be one of his “allies” as he put it. i guess he doesnt get along with sms or something because when i wrote about it in a later post that part was deleted. i finally had to block the creepy “chez vern” from his unwanted e-mails and ims. like i told art before even though weve had our spats on his and this blog i still planned on voting for him. not anymore.
Sanchez, you are a weirdly hostile freak but also a funny and incisive commenter. Sarah should not have banned you. I will complain.
And here I was all ready to endorse Pedroza over Bustamante.
Crap Art, you’re making Rocco look good to me now.
Art, integrity is measured by what you do when no one is looking. If this is what you do when people are looking, what would you do when they aren’t?
Jose — what can I say? But truth and Pedroza are akin to Libertarians on Welfare. Both are rare.
Dan:
Great post. And although I appreciate the compliment, I have to beg off being described as “devout,” which is one of the most misused words in the media today. It’s practically been reduced to describing anyone who goes to Curch every Sunday.
St. Francis De Sales described devotion — devoutness — very well:
“The ostrich never flies, the common fowl flies but seldom, and then heavily and near the ground; but the swallow, the dove and the eagle are ever on the wing, they fly far and easily. Even so sinners rise not to God, but always grovel on the earth pursuing earthly things; well-meaning people who are as yet not truly devout, mount up to God in good works, but rarely, slowly, and heavily; whilst the devout fly to Him perpetually, soaring lightly. In short, devotion is spiritual agility and vivacity, by means of which charity works in us, oor we in her, with love and readiness; and as charity leads us to obey and fulfill all God’s commandments, so devotion leads us to obey them with promptitude and diligence.”
I think “devout” is a state most of us fall far short of
My point was, you are a religious couple and Art’s wife is voting yes on 8 because she’s religious. It makes him a hypocrite to use those points
I saw that post over there, and I did think it was about Carlos bustamante. I agree that this is the lowest this man Art has sunk to. He then goes on to say it was a joke. As a candidate for City Council, this guy should hold himself to higher standard.
The weirdest thing though is Lomeli, who is willing to excuse anything as long as it directed at candidates he dislikes. He pontificates every time someone brings anything up against Michelle. but this he discounts. Shame on both men. .
…whilst the devout fly to Him perpetually, soaring lightly. In short, devotion is spiritual agility and vivacity, by means of which charity works in us, or we in her, with love and readiness…
Oh man, that’s me in spades. Didn’t realize I was so devout.
You know Vern, the only thing I don’t like about Bill Maher is how he dismisses anyone who does have faith. Andrew Sullivan put him in his place about it. And the passage from St. Francis De Sales underscores a point. That said, if you’re looking to ridcule anyone, it should be the publisher of your blog.
Dan,
I still can’t believe that you and Mat have made such a huge deal over this.
I know you saw my comments on this, but it’s the truth. This has far more to do with your and everyone else’s assumptions than reality about the post itself.
Did Art lie? NO! Did he mention the name Carlos? NO! Did You and everyone else ASSUME TOO MUCH, it seems so.
But to be so pissed off about your own assumptions? Come on, that’s way too dramatic.
I also know that you have seen my other comments about Prop 8 and the “hate” thing. I don’t just roll over for anyone, but on this one you and Matt are just plain way to freaking sensitive to your own personal assumptions. The fact that both of you are still beating this thing to death is just insane. Get over it!
Don’t worry Dan, Francis De Sales was my patron saint at my confirmation.
Actually I chose the confirmation name Francis so I could switch around my patron saint between Assissi, De Sales, and Xavier, depending on what sort of day it was. The decision has stood me in good stead.
Carl — did you bother to read the comments from others on your site who shared my assumptions? Art closed the comments down because he was getting beat up by his own readers for this piss-poor judgement. And I never once said the post wasn’t accurate, but it was misleading to make readers believe that Carlos Bustamante crashed into a cop car while driving drunk.
Now, Art is ripping Santa Ana Police and Fire because they didn’t endorse him — liars, he called them. Nice. And he’s pretty much stated if you vote for the current Mayor and his slate, you’re stupid.
Art has no problem calling Matt’s wife a hater while his own wife’s vote for Prop 8 on religious grounds is fine. He’s a hypocrite. Calling him out on it is fair game.
Vern — your silence on criticism of Art’s actions is deafening.
Wow! There seems to be no limit to Art’s dementia. He is actually upset with SAPD for not endorsing him? Does he have the worst case of memory loss ever? Or was he in one of his many fugue states when he wrote all those blog posts bashing the PD for anything, everything and nothing?! He has NEVER said anything good about them no matter what they do and now he is pissed because they won’t support him? He continues to prove that the only place he should be a council member is in his own rubber room at Fairview!
Dan,
So now you’re going to combine two issues at once? BS
You got fooled by your ASSUMPTION, flat out, but you’re still pissing over something that is so freaking trivial it’s unreal.
Now as to the other issue. You know too, I also told Art to chill on the use of the word “hate”. I have had to say that to others as well. So at least be consistent with me. I may not agree with you on a lot of issues but at least be honest with me. I am and always will be honest with you. You may not always like that. I did come to the defense of Matt’s wife and said that not everyone who was in favor of 8 has hate in their heart. Even if I have repeatedly made a case for full fairness and equality in marriage laws.
I am not making excuses for Art. I am however laughing my ass off at you and Matt with this BS pissing match over this one stupid post.
Get over it!
“stupid post” well carl you got that right. art wrote in one of his comments that the people who claimed they wouldnt vote for him because of this post probably wouldnt have voted for him anyway so it didnt matter. well i cant speak for anybody else but i still would have voted for him regardless of his “stupid post” but the reason i’m not is that i was banned from commenting on his site thats why he lost my vote. 2 votes actually. how can you preach open and honest government but shut people down because you dont like what they say on your blog. is this the kind of person we want on the city council? a person who tries to silence somebody from voicing their opinions on a site thats all about peoples opinions? isnt that what he has accused pulido and his cabal for doing? i still wont vote for bustamante but i wont vote for art either.
Carl —
with due respect, there was no reason to use the name “Bustamante” in the headline of Art’s post. The LA Times didn’t do it in the story and the only reason Art did was to make his readers think his political opponent committed a felony.
I am being honest with you Carl; I think what Art did blows. It’s the sort of meanspirited thing you’d expect from a kid who pulls the wings off of flies. I’m laughing at you that you’re putting up such a vigorous defense of Art.
Glad you think its so funny; I’m sure the voters of Ward 3 share your humor.