In presenting a substitute motion to condemn anti-Semitic remarks by Santa Ana Mayor Pro Tem Claudia Alvarez, Santa Ana Councilman Vince Sarmiento suggested a county wide “town hall” to examine the issues of racism and bigotry throughout Orange County. Sarmiento says the City Manager’s office is working on the venue and program for this town hall and that he hopes to report more specific details in the next 30 to 45 days.
“I didn’t want the discussion of tolerance and civility towards one another to end at that meeting,” Sarmiento said of the Council’s meeting on September 6. He noted the comments on Blogs like ours and in the Orange County Register, while providing a venue for readers to express their First Amendment opinions, are increasingly uncivil.
“We’ve noticed the attacks are no longer on the merits of the issue,” he said. “The attacks are very personal in nature. We need to recognize this is a single county with all races.”
Sarmiento said the Santa Ana City Manager’s office, “which has a pretty full plate now,” is working on defining a venue, a date and a program that will be inclusive of different ethnic and religious groups in Orange County. There are no details on how much the proposed town hall will cost, which government entities will fund it or who will manage the event itself.
Sarmiento believes it’s important for Alvarez to be a part of the program’s development as, “she has a burden to address.” Since making her apology to the Jewish community and the public apology to the Chase family at the September 6 council meeting, Sarmiento says Alavrez has held a number of meetings with leaders in Orange County’s Jewish Community to apologize for the comments. He said Alvarez has expressed remorse for the hurt her comments may have caused.
With a number of recent incidents in OC, Sarmiento’s Town Hall can’t come soon enough.
- In San Juan Capistrano, Dave Reeve, a city council member making comments about a new dog park revealed he had named his dog “Muhammad,” which is particularly insulting to Muslims.
- In Orange, councilman John Dumitru made disparaging remarks about Muslims on his Facebook page on 9/11.
- The trial of the Irvine 11 is generating strong opinions on both sides of the bench.
- The Kelly Thomas beating and death has raised awareness of the plight of the homeless and the mentally ill in OC.
- Villa Park’s Deborah Pauly still refuses to apologize for remarks about Muslisms at a Yorba Linda event.
- There are negative racial references to President Obama from OC GOP central committee member Marilyn Daveport and former Los Alamito Mayor Dean Grouse.
- Republican Congressional candidate Tan Nguyen’s campaign sought to minimize the Latino vote suggesting that “immigrants couldn’t vote” forgetting perhaps to add the word “illegal” in front of the word “immigrant.”
- Supporters of former Congressman Bob Dornan still harbor much resentment against the Latino community for Rep. Loretta Sanchez’s upset over Donan in 1996.
- And lastly, Alvarez’s comparison of Irv Chase to Hitler and the accusation that Chase and his son Ryan engaged in “ethinc cleansing.”
With the exception of Alavrez, very bullet point is a reflect on Republicans in OC.
The Councilman promised us more details as they become available.
Sarmiento’s substitute motion was out of order.
According to Robert’s Rules a member may urge rejection of the original motion and offer to propose another version as a Substitute Motion. Upon defeat of the original motion, anyone may propose the Substitute Motion. The council did not vote on the original motion – Sarmiento’s substute motion was out of order.
An Islamic snap-shot,
A British primary school teacher in the Muslim nation of Sudan is arrested for allowing her class of Muslim 7-year-olds to name a teddy bear Muhammad. The class came up with eight Muslim names including Abdullah, Hassan, and Muhammad. Twenty out of the 23 Muslim children chose Muhammad.
http://www.techsupportforum.com/forums/f36/british-teacher-jailed-over-naming-a-teddy-bear-muhammad-198041.html
So, – what is this Politically Correct Forum going to cost?
Will the organizers of the PC Forum suggest Santa Ana City Budget cuts to pay for this must have event?
This is such a farce: What level of audacity does Sarmiento (annd Tinajero, Pulido, and especially Alvarez) have to turn the consequences for her overtly insensitive and anti-semitic remarks (“Hitler-Racial Cleansing-final plan/solution”) into a senstivity class for THE COUNTY? Last I checked these were hate comments leveled by a Santa Ana Mayor Pro Tem against a Jewish Santa Ana Landowner and landlord, at a Santa Ana City Council meeting. Instead, Sarmiento turns the issue away from Alvarez delivering a speech saying, essentially, “well, given the fact that we are mexican, and because there are racist idiots in Orange County, Alvarez should get a pass, and we should pay for a sensitivity class for the COUNTY at CITY expense?” What a slimy turn of events THAT is – So much for Sarmiento’s reputation.
Well said ocmartiniman.
Hey martiniman I have a newsflash for you, Vince Sarmiento is not Mexican, he’s of Bolivian descent.
But I’m sure in your eyes anyone with brown skin is “Mexican”.
In 30 days, many people will have forgotten about why this forum was suggested in the first place. In fact, inside Santa Ana city hall, they already have forgotten.
The censure was a joke, just like Santa Ana’s leadership.
I bet Sarmiento’s touchy-feely Kuum-bai-ya tolerence get-together will be put on the back burner – what with the City’s gynormous financial problems.
Like he was supposed to head a review of the Code of Ethics and Conduct about now – I will not hold my breath waiting for that.
Junior —
Sarmiento tells me that committee will meet in the next 3 weeks.
I plan to revisit this issue in the next 45 days to see where it is.
Would Sarmy be upset that I called the conservative SJC councilmember a “stupid dumb f**k”? Yeah .. I guess he would be. Oh well, sometimes the truth is unpleasant to hear.
Sarmiento needs a better barber – his hair sucks.
Have him give me a call Dan – I will hook him up with my barber.