Santa Ana Councilman Gets Anti-Poverty Post

Santa Ana City Councilman Miguel Pulido has been named to the Community Development Council, Orange County’s largest anti-poverty agency, after a controversy over the lack of a Santa Ana representative on the board, the county announced Friday.

Pulido, who was elected to the City Council just over a year ago, was appointed by county Supervisor Roger Stanton to fill a spot on the 15-member council being vacated by Fausto Reyes, Stanton’s executive assistant.

Gaddi H. Vasquez, supervisor of the 3rd District, also named Betty Escobosa to the CDC as his representative. Escobosa has been director of human services for Placentia since 1978.

The CDC operates on a annual budget of about $7 million to provide vital services, including food, transportation and health care, to the county’s poor. The agency has been criticized repeatedly, however, because more than half of the board members are county employees and business executives who are removed from the problems confronting the needy.

Earlier this year, Santa Ana Councilman Ron May, who represents one of the poorer districts of his city, also publicly complained that because Santa Ana draws more heavily on the CDC budget than do other cities, it should have its own voice on the agency board. In addition, Santa Ana contributes more to the operation of the CDC--about $150,000--than the county or any other city.

But Stanton, whose district also includes Santa Ana, argued that the city was adequately represented by Reyes, an Irvine resident.

According to CDC bylaws, five of the board’s seats must be filled by public officials or their represetatives. Four of the five supervisors have appointed members of their staff to represent them, while one, Thomas F. Riley, appointed a member of the public, Herbert Schwartz, who is CDC executive director.

At the time of his complaint, May asked that he be named to the CDC to represent Santa Ana. Pulido said then that he would consider supporting May’s move but later agreed to accept the position himself.

Stanton called the appointment of Pulido “an orderly transition.” Pulido could not be reached for comment Friday.