Today, SanTana voters will vote on Measure D, a ballot initiative that proposes to extend term limits from two four-year terms to three and whose supporters have waged one of the most misleading campaigns since the Iraq War. We won't know if Measure D passes until tonight, but one thing is certain: if it passes, SanTana residents can expect its leaders to want to rev up those redevelopment bulldozers pronto.
Both Orange Juice and The Liberal OC reported about a curious incident that happened yesterday during a meeting involving business owners in the city's historic Logan barrio. One of the main concerns is Ware Disposal, which bases its operations within breathing space of residential neighborhoods. Ware folks donated $20,000 toward the Yes on Measure D campaign, and a couple thousand more to SanTana councilmember Carlos Bustamante's failed 2006 supervisorial race, all in an effort to keep operating within eyesight of kiddies and families with no thought to their safety.
The Ware folks must despise Logan residents because during the meeting, Ware attorney A. Patrick Muñoz (of the muy connected OC law firm Rutan and Tucker) rose before the group of 50 or so Logan-area businessmen and described the houses in Logan as “crummy shacks that should be torn down.” To top that off, Orange Juice blogger Thomas Gordon also claims Muñoz yelled “Fuck you” to him and gave Gordon the finger.
Who is Muñoz?
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As city attorney for Dana Point, Muñoz has consistently sided with hack councilmember Diane Harkey and developers. He contributed $1,500 to Bustamante's failed supervisorial campaign. More strangely, he's listed as a director for the Santa Ana Chamber of Commerce, which ostensibly wants to improve and promote SanTana, not denigrate and destroy its history.
Will the Chamber rebuke Muñoz? Not a chance: listed in the Chamber of Commerce's leadership circle are pro-gentrification warriors galore who gave thousands to Bustamante's campaign and includes three board members of the SanTana Business Bank, where Bustamante sits, one of which is conflict-of-influenza-infected Victoria “Icky Vicky” Betancourt. And there's no way they would rebuke a Bustamante amigo.
There you go, SanTana voters. The amigos of your leadership despise you–unless you give them mucho dinero, of course.
