Control at Stake in Intense 2-Slate Confrontation

An Artists Village, a trash contract and crime are at issue in a bitter battle for control of Santa Ana’s City Council.

But more than a contest among 14 candidates, it is a war between two slates that will be decided on election day, Nov. 5.

On one side is Councilman Ted R. Moreno, who, in his bid for reelection, is challenging what he calls “special interests” and city expenditures on everything from trash hauling to municipal vehicles. He is backing a slate with two other like-minded candidates.

On the other side is a slate backed by the city’s Chamber of Commerce, with four loosely allied candidates, two of whom are political veterans.

Each slate, vying for four seats on the seven-member council, has raised tens of thousands of dollars in campaign funds. And although seven independent candidates want on the council, none has substantial campaign financing.

Such a tense, two-slate contest is “a little unusual for Santa Ana,” said Steve Critchfield, president of the Santa Ana Firemen’s Benevolent Assn., whose organization has yet to endorse anyone.

Moreno, 29, who often challenges the council majority, now has only one reliable ally on the panel, boyhood friend Tony Espinoza. But if Moreno and fellow slate candidates Hector Olivares and Roman Palacios win, they would, along with Espinoza, control the council.

Moreno and his two slate members have raised approximately $65,500, with $50,000 raised by Moreno alone, according to the latest finance statements filed in July.

Opposing slate members include political newcomers Brett Franklin), and Jose Solorio, along with incumbents Miguel A. Pulido Jr. and Thomas E. Lutz. Collectively, they have raised about $87,000.

In addition to three council seats, the mayor’s gavel is up for grabs, with the winner serving a two-year term. Pulido, the incumbent, is being challenged by newcomer Leah DuPont, who has never held elected office and has raised less than $1,000, according to the most recent campaign finance statements.

The other 12 candidates will battle over three council seats, which have four-year terms.

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Based on past elections, each candidate must raise about $50,000 to make a viable bid for office.

The race comes as the council is deeply divided. The rifts show up even in mundane discussions.

In February, for example, a squabble broke out over whether to purchase a four-wheel drive Chevy Blazer or a pickup truck. The difference in price was a few thousand dollars, in a city with a $124-million budget.

Moreno and Espinoza voted against purchasing the vehicle because they said it was not in the taxpayers’ best interest. Other council members agreed with city staff that the all-terrain, enclosed Blazer was needed to traverse dry creek beds and store city equipment without fear of theft.

Moreno, a real estate agent, took office four years ago as one of the youngest politicians in city history. He says he is running against special interests such as the Chamber of Commerce.

But he has benefited from thousands of dollars in contributions from business interests such as the Browning Ferris Industries and Western Waste Industries trash companies, and the Gonzalez Northgate Market chain.

Crime in Santa Ana, a city with a large number of gang members, also has been an issue. Yet there is sometimes a split over how incumbents and challengers--even those on the same slate--view the problem.

Incumbent Lutz, for example, boasts that the crime rate has dropped by 40%, while fellow slate member Franklin worries in one mailer that “We are all victims of crime, or the fear of crime. . . . That keeps us locked up in our homes.”

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The Artists Village, a group of public and private downtown buildings dedicated to the arts, has long been supported by a majority of council members, including Moreno, as a way to revitalize the city’s image and beautify its downtown.

But in the last year, Moreno has criticized art displays such as condoms floating in jars of honey. Various buildings within the village have received close to $4.5 million in city subsidies.

Trash became an issue earlier this year when the City Council renewed Great Western Reclamation’s $20 million a year trash-hauling contract for another 12 years.

Moreno said the city should have put the contract out to bid. Only Espinoza joined Moreno in opposing the contract, while other council members defended it for bringing lower fees to residents.

More than 70% of Santa Ana’s residents are Latino. Amin David, president of Los Amigos of Orange County, said his advocacy group was pleased at the Latino community’s representation in the race.

One of the most heated races--Ward 1--involves Latinos Solorio and Moreno, but Los Amigos isn’t taking sides.

“We say, by gosh, maybe the Latinos have arrived,” said David. He termed the political rhetoric in the race “harsh bullets,” but added: “That’s politics, I guess.”

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Santa Ana Setup

Santa Ana’s municipal elections feature two mayoral candidates and 12 aspirants for three city council seats. The details:

MAYOR

Miguel A. Pulido Jr.

Age: 40

Occupation: Co-owner, Ace Muffler shop, Santa Ana

Background: Incumbent; has served on council since 1986

Major issue: Increasing public safety

Leah DuPont

Age: 52

Occupation: Small-business owner

Background: Volunteer for political campaigns

Major issue: Encouraging more businesses, especially small businesses, to move to the city

CITY COUNCIL

WARD 1

Jeannie Jackson

Age: 51

Occupation: Word processor for State Farm Insurance

Background: Appointed to Tustin Parks and Recreation Commission in 1994; served until 1995

Major issue: Helping city’s youth through recreation and other programs

Jose Solorio

Age: 26

Occupation: Marketing/public relations

Background: Member, Santa Ana

Environmental/Transportation Advisory Committee; former UC Irvine student body president; master’s in Public Policy from Harvard University’s John F. Kennedy School of Government; consultant, state Senate Budget and Fiscal Review Committee

Major issue: Fighting crime and gangs

Ted R. Moreno

Age: 29

Occupation: Real estate agent

Background: Incumbent; City Council member since 1992

Major issue: Lowering salaries for city employees who earn more than $100,000 per year

WARD 3

John Patterson

Age: 36

Occupation: Businessman

Background: Equipment lessor, RRH Financial in Orange

Major issue: Giving police authority to turn illegal immigrants who are proven criminals over to the U.S. Immigration and Naturalization Service

Wayne Lewis

Age: 36

Occupation: Owner, Alley Cuts hair salon in Orange

Background: City redevelopment commissioner since 1994

Major issue: Increasing code enforcement to target property owners who neglect their buildings

Brett Franklin

Age: 35

Occupation: Real estate broker with Don Franklin-Realtor, Santa Ana

Background: Member, Santa Ana Environmental/Transportation Committee; member, Santa Ana Kiwanis Club; board member, Old Courthouse Museum Society

Major issue: Reducing crime and perception of crime by jailing violent gang members

Hector Olivares

Age: 30

Occupation: Regional manager, Century Parking Inc.

Background: Member, St. Joseph Church, Santa Ana, three years

Major issue: Cracking down on gang and criminal activities

Art Castro

Age: 26

Occupation: Owner, the Case Group sales agency

Background: President, Southwest Snowboard Representatives Assn.

Major issue: Deterring crime through law enforcement and education programs for youth

WARD 5

Roman Palacios

Age: 35

Occupation: Business manager, Templo Calvario, Santa Ana

Background: Former Santa Ana Community Oriented Policing Executive Board member and former Bristol Manor neighborhood association steering committee member

Major issue: Cutting crime by suppressing gang and drug activity

Zeke Hernandez

Age: 50

Occupation: Small-business owner

Background: Past president, Downtown Santa Ana Business Assn.; former chairman, Santa Ana Human Relations Commission; vice chairman, Santa Ana Housing Advisory Board; past member, Santa Ana Transportation Committee; past state director of California LULAC (League of United

Latin American Citizens); member, Orange County Citizens for Prevention of Gun Violence

Major issue: Stem violence through increased penalties for criminals, especially those using weapons

Thomas E. Lutz

Age: 52

Occupation: Business owner

Background: Incumbent; council member since 1992

Major issue: Fighting crime and neighborhood blight

Richard Graham

Age: 28

Occupation: Computer analyst, Beech Street Corp.

Background: Member, Santiago Elementary School PTA; volunteer, St. Joseph Church, Santa Ana

Major issue: Curfew for minors to reduce violence and improve education

Source: Individual candidates; Researched by JEFF KASS / For The Times