Liberal OC has learned that days after the November 2nd election victory of Miguel Pulido and Sal Tinajero, Art Pedroza and Sean H. Mill visited some downtown businesses in Santa Ana to promote Pedroza’s for-profit venture the Santa Ana Business Association.
The twist however was that Pedroza, along with Mill, allegedly proposed that they would be able to help smooth things over with the Mayor and City Council in light of some of business owner’s support for Alfredo Amezcua in the recent election campaign. This was a classic shake-down attempt.
Sean Mill is listed as the Planning Consultant for the Santa Ana Business Association:
“If you are having trouble with planning, our planning consultant, Sean Mill, is here to help you. Mill is a former Santa Ana Planning Commissioner. He has a degree in political science from UCI and he is in contact daily with elected officials, commissioners and community leaders.”
Tuesday, Councilman Sal Tinajero is gifting Pedroza and Mill with a bonus by appointing Mill to the city’s powerful Planning Commission. With this appointment, Pedroza and Mill will enhance their ability to enrich themselves through Pedroza’s sham association.
The appointment of Mill, who is at his best when acting like a thug, will send a clear message to any business wanting planning approval in Santa Ana that they can get a leg up by spending $100 to become a member of Pedroza’s business association. Pedroza will have direct access to new member prospects through Mill’s access to information about businesses seeking planning approvals. With this inside information Pedroza can let them know that he is one of the people that must be paid to play.
We have devoted pages of text to Sean Mill’s lack of integrity, anger management issues, and thuggish ways. His actions were enough for Councilman Tinajero to request Mill’s prior resignation from the Planning Commission. It seems that now that the election is over, Tinajero wants to return his like-minded thug to the Planning Commission.
Here is a little more of what Pedroza promises his Santa Ana Business Association can do for its members.
As the President of the Santa Ana Business Association, I also bring many years of civic experience to the table. I have served on both the Santa Ana Public Library Advisory Board and the Santa Ana Redevelopment and Housing Commission. Mill and I have both run for the Santa Ana City Council and we enjoy good relationships with the current Council majority, as well as our Mayor, Miguel Pulido.
If you are not already a member I hope you will consider joining us. We are here to help you grow your business. Â Our city can only succeed if our businesses thrive and we’re here to make that happen! Join now, for only $50 as an individual, or $100 as a business.
Your membership includes:
- An article about you or your company, published on our New Santa Ana blog and here on this site.
- One free month of advertising on our New Santa Ana blog and great discounts on advertising thereafter.
- One hour of free consultation, in marketing, loss control, planning or web design.
- And we will promote one special or event for you per quarter or pay an additional $50 and we will promote up to one special or event for you each month, for your first year
- Free mixers! And we will hold them here, in Santa Ana, not in other cities in Orange County.
- And a membership certificate
- Discounts on corporate website or blog design.
The Santa Ana City Council has a convoluted history of both accepting and blocking member appointments to city commissions. This is one case where common sense should prevail. There is no circumstance where attempts to shake down city businesses citing influence with council members or the mayor should be rewarded. The appointment of Mill to the Santa Ana Planning Commission would be such a reward.
Even if the relationship between Mill and Pedroza’s “association” is supposedly severed for the sake of appearances, the relationship between the two will remain through the New Santa Ana blog.
For the sake of their own integrity, the members of the Santa Ana City Council should reject Councilman Sal Tinajero’s proposed appointment of Sean H. Mill to the Planning Commission.
But if the appointment goes through, business owners should remember that rather than paying Sal Tinajero directly they should Pay Art Pedroza and Sean H. Mill through their sham business association to Play in Santa Ana.
I believe that Sean Mill is back on the Planning Commission to bring it back in line with the wishes of the council.
Recently there have been several split decision votes on the Planning Commission – which the council does not like to see. Primarily the recent split decision vote on OBP.
If Sean is not the Chair – he will never the less attempt to bully the Planning Commission into submission to the will of the council.
We received an email from Art Pedroza saying that he and Mill did not hit up businesses to join; our sources (note the plural fellas) are very reputable business owners downtown; they asked not to be named because they fear retaliation from Mill.
Here’s the note from Art:
Chris,
I am told you posted today that Sean and I hit up some businesses in Santa Ana re my business association.
I have not done much with that as I have been very busy. I can tell you however that this story is a complete fallacy. Sean and I never did that. We never hit up any businesses.
Please correct the record. Once Sean gets appointed, which is imminent, he will be able to have the new City Attorney look into this. Your post is actionable as it is a complete misrepresentation of the facts.
I certainly don’t want anything to do with any legal actions, but I cannot say the same for Sean. He is most upset.
Thanks,
Art
and here’s a note for Sean threatening to sue us (note: Sean says we’re pussies for filing our own lawsuit)
It appears that you continue to allow comments posted on your site under the pseudonym “Advantage Title Flunky”. This is clearly intended to be an impersonation of myself and as of January 1, 2011 this is very likey a violation of California law.
“A new law in California was activated on January 1 and impersonating another individual is now a crime punishable by law.
California Senate Bill 1411 is protection against people impersonating individuals that have some sort of malice intent. Bringing penalties and possible jail time, this new bill is loose when it comes to defining the freedom of speech, but those looking to do wrong will get tangled in the law and it will definitely stick. Technically the crime is called electronic impersonation, it allows the victim of the crime to sue in civil court for damages and criminally there could be a $1,000 fine and jail time up to a year.”
I would ask that such comments be removed as they appear to be in violation of state law.
and here’s Mill’s response followed by Chris’:
Mr. Prevatt,
Seeing as there is only one person being appointed to the planning commission tomorrow night and the comment stated, “Sal Tinajero is reappointing me to Planning Commission” on the following post:
https://theliberaloc.com/2011/01/01/some-favorites-from-2010/
It is quite clear that this is an impersonation of me. I wanted to give you the opportunity to rectify the situation however it is clear that you have no intention of doing the right thing. I will be filing the complaint with the proper authorities.
Sean H. Mill
On Mon, Jan 3, 2011 at 1:41 PM, Chris Prevatt wrote:
Mr. Mill,
You are incorrect as to how this law is applied. The commentor does not use your name and therefore cannot be considered to be credibly impersonating you. You may file a complaint with the appropriate authorities if you wish. The comments will however remain.