17) Santa Ana City Council Race
Four of Santa Ana’s seven council seats, including the mayor’s seat, are up for grabs in November. And seven candidates are vying for the open Ward 3 race including former state assemblyman Jose Solorio, who the OC Weekly called “the Mexican version of Ned Flanders.”
Who are we watching?
Ward 3 Candidates
Jose Solario, Education Advocate/Businessman
David DeLeon, Business Account Manager
Ana Urua Alcaraz, Community Health Advocate
Juve Dan Pinedo, Entrepreneur
Patrick D. Yrarrazaval-Correa, Teacher/ School Counselor
Joshua Mauras, Attorney Shane
Ramon Barrows, Police Officer/ Parent
The Numbers
Total Voters: 21,250 (46% Dem, 30% Rep, 23% Indep.)
Racial Make-Up: 42% Latino, 18% Asian
Why are we watching?
In 2012, Ward 3 Councilmember Carlos Bustamante wisely decided to not seek re-election in the midst of sexual assault charges brought on by seven female staffers (he was sentenced to a year in jail this past January). In the void created by Busamonte’s indiscretion, the most unlikely of candidates emerged victorious in that fall’s election. Angelica Amezcua, a local schoolteacher whose campaign expenses amounted to only a few hundred dollars, surprised everyone with an 11-point victory over city planning commissioner Eric Alderete. Fast forward four years later, and Amezcua has decided not to seek re-election, thus leaving Ward 3 wide open once again.
Similar to 2012, when six candidates competed for the Ward 3 council seat, seven candidates have filed paperwork for this cycle. The most notable candidate among them is Jose Solorio, a former Santa Ana councilman and state assemblyman who now works as a lobbyist. Mr. Solorio lost his bid for state senate (after being termed out of the Assembly) in 2014 to Janet Nguyen 58%-42% in one of the most expensive races in the state that cycle. (LA Times)
Mr. Solorio’s candidacy immediately drew accusations of carpet bagging since he has spent nearly all of his time in Santa Ana as a resident of Ward 1, which he represented from 2000-2006. In order to meet legal requirements, Solorio has rented an apartment within Ward 3 boundaries, where he will live apart from his family. He also points to the fact that he resided in Ward 3 when he first moved to the city and has familiarity with the ward. The municipal code requires that a candidate live within the ward they want to represent for only 30 days before their filing paperwork is submitted. So legally speaking, Solorio is entirely within the rules and it may even provide him with an advantage other candidates don’t have. Santa Ana’s ward election system functions differently from the district-based elections used in other cities (see our previous article on Palmdale). While council candidates are required to live within the ward they seek to represent, they are elected at-large. (Voice of OC)
Why would Mr. Solorio choose to run for the Ward 3 seat instead of his old Ward 1 seat? Perhaps it has something to do with the fact that incumbent councilmember Vincent Sarmiento is running for re-election in Ward 1 (he’s held the seat since Solorio left for the Assembly). Running for an open seat instead of against a two-term incumbent is unquestionably easier. It may also have something to do with speculation that Solorio may want to run for Mayor in 2018 and he’ll need broad support in the council to do so. When approached by local media about this speculation, Solorio has been coy, telling Voice of OC: “Right now I’m just focused on giving back to the city and the City Council. [I’m] fortunate that I have a good relationship with Mayor Pulido, but I have a good relationship with the other council members as well and so I look forward to working with them.” In any event, utilizing his name recognition in his previous ward will undoubtedly help Solorio come November.
An additional advantage for Mr. Solorio is that he enters the race as the most well funded candidate in the bunch. His most recent position was as an elected member of the Rancho Santiago Community College District (RSCCD) Board of Trustees and he bring with him almost $200,000 from his trustee campaign account; all of which he will be eligible to spend on the Ward 3 race. A campaign war chest is no guarantee of victory, and, in this case especially, it does not indicate a groundswell of support, but it certainly can’t hurt. (OC Daily).
Despite his credentials and "nice guy" demeanor, Mr. Solorio has not entirely escaped controversy. Last year, it was revealed that he had racked up a more-than-$2,000 bill, all on the taxpayer’s dime, at the Aria Resort & Casino in Las Vegas while attending the National Association of Latino Elected Officials conference. The suite where he stayed comprised $800 of the bill. The RSCCD serves a decidedly poor and uneducated community, which made the profligate spending all the more difficult to swallow. It should be noted that Mr. Solorio was not alone in these extravagant practices. The Voice of OC found that from 2009-2012, that RSCCD trustees spent more on travel than any other college district board in the country.
Mr. Solorio’s campaign will focus on homelessness, safety, and youth programs. On the homeless issue, he has preached a “housing first” strategy to get the homeless into homes. In the face of a 500 percent increase in shootings in the city (Voice of OC), he has advocated for the hiring of more police officers (specifically in the gang unit) by allocating additional budgetary resources to the task. In addition, he has called for the police department to adopt greater transparency by making crime logs public (New Santa Ana). The Santa Ana Police Officers Association has endorsed Mr. Solario.