It’s no secret that the new Santa Ana City Council is about as divided as ever, which makes last night’s 7-0 vote to declare Santa Ana a “Sanctuary City” so heartening. The city’s elected put aside their differences and offered a strong and unified voice for the city’s residents in defiance of the views of the President-elect. And it was absolutely the right call to make.
Time for Santa Ana to lawyer up to get ready for any negative reaction from the new Trump administration that takes office in a month. But make no mistake — these elected Latino Democrats showed leadership, solidarity, and support for their city’s residents in the face of a the potential loss of hundreds of millions of dollars in federal aid. It’s courage, plain and simple.
Meanwhile, over in nearby Anaheim, the opposite of courage was on the agenda last night. In spite of strong campaign rhetoric aimed at elevating the city’s majority Latino population, one of new council member Jose F,. Moreno’s first motions was to form a task force to study the possibility of Anaheim becoming a “Welcoming City.” Think of it as “Sanctuary City-Lite.” A lot of “welcome immigrants of all stripes” with none of the protections against federal immigration interference that being a Sanctuary City offers. It’s weak and short, not to mention that a number of cities have both Sanctuary and Welcoming City Status.
In fairness, Dr. Moreno is the long Latino and the lone Democrat on the City Council, but for someone who campaigned on “it’s time Anaheim” and “si se puede,” he governs more like “vamos a estudiar esta” and “lo que dices alcalde Tait.”
Imagine for a moment that former council member Jordan Brandman, Kris Murray and Lucille Kring made this very motion….to form a task force to study making Anaheim a welcoming city. The outcry from the OJ bloggers, Denis Fitzgerald, Cynthia Ward, and Moreno would be deafening. That didn’t happen in Anaheim last night because most Latino activists were in Santa Ana cheering on real community leaders.
What is wrong with deporting convicted criminals who are in our country illegally?
I look forward to Santa Ana losing any federal funding that they have.
I look forward to you tripping on your shoelace and biting your tongue off.
In Your opinion, how many drinks would Mike need to consume to trip over his shoes? 6? 7?
I see you have the back of this anonymous Sanctuary City hater. Good to know.
I made a joke at your expense Vern. I clearly support sanctuary cities while you support a task force to study a watered down version that offers no protection
I’m gonna get bored with this arguing with a moron any second now and come back maybe in a week and you can have the last word like always. But 1. I wrote about Sanctuary Santa Ana before you did; 2. Sanctuary Anaheim is a non-starter any time soon; 3. Jose’s Welcoming thing is not a “watered down” version or ANY kind of version of Sanctuary; it is its own worthwhile thing, which is doable in Anaheim.
Okay, your last word…
I can have the last word? Why thanks Vern. But I don’t need your permission here do I?
1. So what?
2. A non-starter? So what was promised on the campaign stump is a lie?!? I’m shocked….
3. There are plenty of cities who welcome people of all stripes; Irvine doesn’t need this designation to welcome people from everywhere and we celebrate it with a Global Village Festival. Heck, there are tons of Bosnian refugees who bought run down homes in the county I grew up in, fixed them up, started small businesses and thrived. The community is better for it. Jose’s “Welcoming Thing” ignores the fact that many of the cities in this program are also “Sanctuary Cities” — the difference being a “Welcoming City” has no legal protections against enforcing federal immigration law. Frankly, it’s a betrayal of the undocumented immigrant community in Anaheim for him to soften his stance.
I’m still looking forward to the jobs program the new council will advocate.
Dan only supports sanctuary cities because it allows him to talk trash on Jordan-killer Jose. No activist knows of this newfound Aztlanista, because he ain’t one.
I have to be Aztlanista to support Sanctuary Cities? Boy are you misinformed.
Have you calculated how much of your income for years was derived from the backs of human trafficking victims via Backpage.com?
Love your refusal to deal with the question. Hypocrite much?
He didn’t say you have to be an Aztlanwhatever. He sarcastically called you that; AND he correctly pointed out that NO ACTIVIST HAS EVER HEARD OF YOU.
(While on the other hand, I got calls from several of them saying “Vern, you GOTTA be there tonight!”)
Vern, I get invited to quite a few things. I have family obligations and I’m running a growing and successful business which takes a lot of time (signing the front of paychecks, not the back of ones). International clients that keep me hopping late at night and early morning. I go to maybe 5% of things I’d really like to.
Why don’t you try gainful employment. Do you have a retirement plan?
Again I ask – What is wrong with deporting convicted criminals who are in our country illegally?
Illegals are deported from Mexico quickly and are not allowed to hold jobs in Mexico. Proposing the same thing here in America is called “racism” by the so-called “progressives” who are against progress and who want to keep shredding the Constitution.
stick to one name David/Hector
IKR, Gustavo? Dan had absolutely ZERO to do with making Santa Ana a Sanctuary City, or Anaheim finally getting a decent majority, or ANYTHING AT ALL good that’s ever happened in the central county.
I wish he would just stick to Irvine, and rename his blog The Irvine CorporaDem, then I’d leave him alone.
I was supposed to do something to make Sanctuary City status happen in Santa Ana? Really?
Did you get an acronym book for Xmas? IKR – I know right….you ought to be typing FML more because you have
Did you or Gustavo have anything to do with making Santa Ana a sanctuary city?
You’re a lot like Dan and Matt; each last comment exists to you with no history or context and nothing leading up to it. Dan’s been trying to wrap himself in Santa Ana Sanctuary, just cuz he thinks it makes him look better than me and Jose. He never showed an ounce of interest in it before.
Sure, me and Gustavo had more to do with Sanctuary Santa Ana than Dan did, we’ve written about the issue long before he did, me and Donna were at the meeting where it happened, we cheered the activists on and I broke the news of the vote.
That’s not much, but I’ve accomplished more, and more good, in Anaheim in a couple years, than Dan has in Irvine in his life.
To be honest, I thought Santa Ana was always a sanctuary city. You cheered when the vote happened? Pom poms?
You’re a clown in Anaheim. You show up to meetings in stupid hats, sing off key songs, and make a fool of yourself.
I’ll compare my Irvine volunteer resume to your Anaheim resume anytime. Jackass
“I thought Santa Ana was always a sanctuary city.” Funny, I’ve heard that from a few people – always Republicans though, who look down on Santa Ana and think there are too many Mexicans here.
A Sanctuary City, the only OC city that keeps ICE in its jails? With a mayor that’s been railing against “illegals” for decades and strongly packed Prop 187? Every comment you betray how little you have ever thought about this issue (OR Santa Ana, if not for your numerous personal grudges.)
Nearly midnight. Are you drunk yet Vern. Slurring your words is speaking in cursive
I wonder . . . . when can we expect Tijuana, Guadalajara or Mexico City to become a “sanctuary city” for illegal Americans?
And Dan, Vern and Gustavo – the real question is: Which one of you guys can piss the farthest? Perhaps you should have a contest. But wait, you already have and it appears nobody won.
And Vern, it seems you have already tripped on your shoelace and bit your tongue off. You guys should all keep it that way and focus on what’s good for the USA, rather than pandering to Mexican interests.
Perhaps you need to re-examine Tait’s efforts to get Congress to place ICE in Anaheim’s jails about 20 years ago. Wow, you wrote about Sanctuary City status in SantaAna this month and you’re a leader. You’re a joke Vern. And you obviously didn’t catch sarcasm in my comment and instead placed it as fact. It’s because you’re just not that bright and your history of terrible life choices prove it.
Your delusions of grandeur are amusing at best. Do everyone a favor. Take a shower, and try to stay off the roads tonight. No one wants a repeat of 2009.