SANTA ANA : Councilman Criticizes Nominees’ Rejection as Politically Motivated

City Councilman Ted R. Moreno blasted four council colleagues this week, alleging that they are rejecting his city commission nominees for purely political reasons.

“It’s sad that you can’t put politics behind you and approve someone who’s good for the community,” Moreno said Monday night, shortly before a vote on his Planning Commission nominee, Cynthia A. Contreras.

The council rejected Contreras’ appointment on a vote of 4 to 3. Council members Miguel A. Pulido Jr., Robert L. Richardson, Patricia McGuigan and Thomas E. Lutz opposed her appointment. Council members Moreno, Lisa Mills and Tony Espinoza supported it.

The council also recently rejected Moreno’s nomination of Ana V. Vasquez to the Community Redevelopment Commission on an identical vote. Vasquez ran unsuccessfully against Richardson in the November election.

After the meeting, members of the council majority said they could not support nominees whom they felt had been involved in the mailing of unfounded charges in “hit pieces” during the last election.

“I was uncomfortable supporting someone who, in campaign literature, targeted me and named me and made some very slurring statements against me personally,” McGuigan said. “I have a hard time (having that person) advising me on establishing goals for the future of the city.”

Richardson said he was concerned about Contreras’ involvement with a campaign committee that he said has not filed legally required campaign statements since 1993 and has been under investigation by the Los Angeles County district attorney’s office since early 1994.

“I will not support the nominees offered by any council member that have an involvement in campaign committees that have not filed reports,” he said.

Contreras on Tuesday downplayed her involvement in the mailers, saying that she did not know their content when they were sent out, and described that issue as “petty politics.”

“They focus more on petty things,” she said. “Petty politics are getting in the way of letting someone who’s qualified to serve on the commission. Yes, I’m very upset at them.”