Wanted: Good Ideas to Lay Great Tracks

The first significant investment the City of Santa Ana would be implementing in our neighborhood is roughly three years out, but today and tomorrow, the project will need your input to make it a success.

The three or four of you who follow this blog already know that I back this idea and I sincerely believe that building a fixed-guideway system will improve all property values all along its path as well as serve as a tremendous asset to the “working class” resident.

With that being said, the City of Santa Ana will be hosting two listening sessions where they hope to gather community input to help make this project a success for everyone.

Please Join the Cities of Santa Ana and Garden Grove for a Community Listening Session for the Proposed Fixed-Guideway Project.
Your opinion is important to us!

Two community listening sessions are being planned for the proposed Santa Ana and Garden Grove Fixed Guideway project.

The goal of the project is to provide residents, workers and visitors with a new east-west transit connection between the Santa Ana Regional Transportation Center (SARTC), the Downtown District and Civic Center in Central Santa Ana, and Garden Grove.

Public input is important to the project’s development and we want to hear your thoughts and ideas. We have planned two community listening sessions, both are open to the public. Please attend the meeting most convenient for your schedule.

When and Where:
Tuesday, February 2, 2010
5:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m.
Santa Ana Regional Transportation Center (Train Station)
Room - Main Lobby
1000 East Santa Ana Boulevard
Santa Ana, CA 92701
*Corner of Santa Ana Boulevard and Santiago Avenue

When and Where:
Wednesday, February 3, 2010
8:00 a.m. – 10:00 a.m.
Santa Ana City Hall - Community Development Conference Room
Second Floor, Room 209
20 Civic Center Plaza
Santa Ana, CA 92701
*Corner of Civic Center Drive and Ross Street
For more information, please call us at (866) 580-9455

Upon first hearing about the rail project several years ago, I tried to find specific examples of how a streetcar system was detrimental to its city or the surrounding neighborhoods and found only hearsay.

If anyone out there in the Blogosphere knows of an example, please send it my way.

And no, the monorail project proposed and developed by Lyle Lanley does not count.

"Y'know, a town with money is a little like the mule with a spinning wheel. No one knows how he got it and danged if he knows how to use it."

The Projection Project

About this time last year, a few of us here at the lofts thought about projecting snowflakes on the buildings during the December '08 Art Walk. Unfortunately, the idea never got past a few rough concepts done in Flash, but hey, it was definitely worth trying.

Enter 2009 and two industry professionals; visual graphics guru Matik and mix-master of Free the Robots/The Crosby fame, Chris Alfaro. Together, along with the Downtown Santa Ana Management District comes a 3D projection project worthy of the pages of Gizmodo. Event info below from the Downtown OC (don't call it that) Life website:

Downtown Incorporated invites you to experience a visual journey through imagination, distorted perception, and holiday ambiance. Using unique animation modules and multiple high-powered projectors the facade of the historic Spurgeon Building will be illuminated in a spectacle of seasonal inspired extreme light and shadow morphing the existing architecture. Motion Graphics Presented by Matik Musical Accompaniments Produced by Chris Alfaro and The Definiens Project Projection performances continue Thursday – Saturday evenings from 7-9pm through December 27th.

What a great show, right? Which gets me thinking–if I can get my hands on an Epson Projector and a portable power supply, I just might have a Left 4 Dead/Modern Warfare art piece for an upcoming Art Walk!



Update: This post was partially published in the OC Register. An online version of the post can be seen here.

Geisha Meh

So the three or four of you that follow this blog, you're probably wondering, where's the Geisha House review that was promised to us in your last post?

I have one word for you, Uninspired.

Since the dining experience, I really haven't been inspired enough to write about this restaurant until now. Perhaps it was the oversized Turkish coffee a neighbor so kindly shared with me this afternoon that's given me the extra juice to pump this one out after midnight (not to mention clean the house, do my laundry and organize my iTunes library). But I digress (though don't be surprised if I do it again).

Before heading out to Geisha House, I mentally outlined 4 categories I wanted to pay very close attention to for my amateur critique:

1. Parking, decor, ambiance, the "poopers"
   
   
2. Friendliness of the staff
   
   
3. The quality of sashimi, specialty dishes and house rolls
   
   
4. Value
   

Parking
Arriving just before eight o'clock, the wife and I were surprised to see the parking lot at City Place as full as it was on a Tuesday night. Nonetheless, we were still able to find parking without a problem, but like mi amigo Gustavo Arellano wrote, I don't think there will be a need for valet service anytime soon, but then again, we could be wrong. There's always a first time for everything.

Decor
The interior of the restaurant was quite hip–styled very similar to something you'd see in a restaurant in good 'ol downtown San Diego, San Francisco or Hollywood–dimly lit with a modern touch, but nothing any of you haven't seen before. Maybe it was the 3 horizontal ikea mirrors above the bar that in fact, lowered the bar.

Ambiance
The vibe was nice and everyone seemed happy to be there. I was surprised to see so many white and Asian folk in the mix–guess Newport Beach had already met their quota for the night so we got their overflow. I kid, I kid. Actually, I was very happy to see such a diverse crowd in Santa Ana.

We sat outside for dinner and it was quite nice–65 degrees it was, perfect for a dinner under the stars. But without any patio heaters, the scantily clad girls kept the ogling men inside with them. That is, with the exception of when they broke for a cigarette break near the entrance, unknowingly imposing their carcinogens into the patio area where we sat.

Smoking and sushi don't mix. Nuff said.

Poopers
I can't really say much for the poopers being that there really wasn't much to them. Tiny white boxes with sinks and toilets, illuminated by overly bright lights that pierce your fully dilated pupils after you fumble your way down a dimly lit hallway is what they were.

It was like going to the bathroom in club sans the dude working for tips as he hands you a towel while you wash your hands and eye his vast collection of cologne and various mints.

Staff
Nice and somewhat knowledgeable of the menu. I really can't be too critical of the latter being that the place had just opened up a few days prior. But there's never an excuse to not be nice to a customer whom you have just met. Luckily, neither was an issue.

Food
I believe this is everything we ordered that night:

Shishito Peppers
Tuna Tataki Sashimi with Ponzu
Albacore Carpaccio
Kanpachi Serrano

Rolls
Geisha House Sushi Rolls
Frightened Geisha
Geisha’s Vice
Surf and Turf

Sushi & Sashimi
Toro
Hawaiian Amberjack
Yellowtail
Octopus
Spanish Mackerel

Of all the dishes we powered down that night, for me, the one that stood out the most was the Kanpachi Serrano. Hawaiian Amberjack fish with Yuzu-Lemon Ponzu Sauce, but then again, you really can't go wrong with Ponzu, can you?

Everything else we ate that night was generic, bland, and lacking inspiration–even at the grand opening price of 50% off prices, I still felt overcharged when the bill came.

As an avid sushi (wannabe) connoisseur, I'm used to paying for quality mercury poisoning. The sashimi served at Geisha House just wasn't anything worth writing home about, but if I did, it would go something like this:

Dear Mom, We went to the new sushi restaurant in Santa Ana the other night, but it was just meh. How's Dad doing? Is there a pile of mail for me to pick up? Did you watch Lost last night? I know you're not a fan of the sci-fi direction it's taken, but you have to admit it's one of the best shows on television. I really liked the Star Wars references. So what do you think "lies in the shadow of the statue"?

So how does one get sashimi wrong in the first place–it's raw fish and nothing else, right? My guess is that they have a really bad buyer, or their fish is delivered without being tasted by a qualified expert.

Probably the worst item of the night was the Surf and Turf Roll (Lobster, Filet Mignon, Green Scallion, and Sweet Sesame Miso Sauce). It sounds good, but it was dry and bland, and had it arrived earlier in the precession, it would have severely impacted my gorging rhythm.

Value
The only value that night was the 50% off special, but like I said earlier, I still felt ripped off at those prices. It's definitely a cool place and a great fit for City Place, but Geisha House is as much of a sushi restaurant as P.F. Chang's is an authentic Chinese restaurant.

As bad as the food was, my biggest disappointment of the night was poorly designed menus. I mean seriously, who uses Arial Rounded on their menu and charges $15-$20 a dish?

Geisha House is great victory for businesses within the City Place lofts in that it will help draw in a new crowd, but as a quality sushi restaurant, there's much more room for improvement.

My recommendation, if you're planning on going big on sushi, check out Hamamori in the Crystal Court wing of South Coast Plaza (yes, mall sushi), or Sushi Murasaki on the south end of town.

Shoulda Woulda Coulda

First, read this article at the OC Register.

Doug Irving is one of the best reporters at the OC Register, not to mention a pretty nice and down-to-earth guy. But this article didn't sit too well with me, as well as several other individuals I spoke to about it.

Though, I wouldn't be too quick to blast Doug as he does bring up good points. Yeah, he does play up the “victim card” pretty nicely in this one but hold on, this is how I see it.

In recent years, the City seems to have developed an uncanny knack for missed opportunities, and I'm hoping that's the point Doug was trying to drive home; City, we're watching you this time.


Here are some key points from the article along with my thoughts:

• The property owners made a nice profit from their dealings with the city–even the code enforcement-violating ones. I'm sorry if some of them have seller's remorse but let me be clear; if someone offered me a huge chunk of change for my loft, I'd sell it in a heartbeat and move downtown.
  
  
• Calling your Ward a "slum" isn't the best choice of words, no matter how frustrated you are. Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines a slum as a densely populated usually urban area marked by crowding, dirty run-down housing, poverty, and social disorganization. This article seems to indicate that this definition could actually apply to what the Lacy neighborhood was prior to the City's intervention.
  
  
• I wouldn't say nothing has come of the City's convoluted plan to improve the City. The Santiago Lofts were built as part of this plan and our being here has resulted in some pretty great things for the City so far (exhibit 1, exhibit 2, exhibit 3).
  
  
• The City's plan of "buying up the crowded apartments and run-down homes that pocked the neighborhood, and replacing them with something newer, something better" does worry me. What exactly constitutes "newer and better"? More high-density apartments? No thank you. Let's not treat the people of Santa Ana like sardines please.
  
  
• The City needs to adopt a plan and announce an end date to this project. Things are so much more exciting when you have one (that's also a Lost reference). Once the end date is in place, Santa Ana needs to take the ball and run up field for six for a change, instead of dancing side to side gaining zero, or even worse, negative yardage.
  
  
• While I ask you to not crucify Mr. Irving for writing this article, I would like to present the fact that there is a severe dearth of positive articles written about Santa Ana in the Register; which is located less than a mile east of this so called "slum".
  

When and if the City does move forward with their plan, I hope they do it right. I hope whatever goes up in those lots (eh hem) causes drivers to slow down and be thankful they live/work in Santa Ana.

Giddy Like A School Girl

Things always seem to take longer to come to fruition in Santa Ana–Chipotle is no exception. About 11 months ago, I posted this article about a new Chipotle coming to a nearby shopping center.

Well, the wait is almost over. This Friday, February 6th, Seventeenth Street becomes all the more delicious as Chipotle opens their doors to the public.

If Chipotle isn't your thang because you're one of those types who feel that Chipotle is blasphemous, don't fret–there will be other restaurants joining Chipotle at the Homeplace Center including Shabu, Wings, Hawaiian and more!

Street Lake at 6th and Mortimer

Back in March of last year, a few friends and I began walking to The Gypsy Den for an early morning cup of coffee. On the way there, we stopped at the corner of 6th and Mortimer and took note of a street lake taking residence in this high-density residential neighborhood.

The next day we took the same route and lo and behold, the stagnant water was still there. "I think I found my new pet project", I said to my fellow caffeine whores.

Later that day, I headed back to take some pictures to send to Santa Ana Public Works when I encountered a gentleman by the name of Juan waiting for a bus just a few steps away from the street lake. Juan told me that he's lived in the neighborhood for over eight years and has yet to see a dry gutter.

Just then, he motioned me to turn around as a Mamacita was carefully pushing a stroller through the puddle, trying not to make too much of a splash. Juan was shaking his head in a sad, frustrated manner.

I thanked Juan for his time and told him that I'd be making some phone calls to get problem fixed.

"Thank you, and I wish you luck", Juan replied, as if he somehow knew that over the next few months, I'd be leaving several unreturned phone messages left on answering machines and operators down at Public Works.

Not until late in August did I finally have the wherewithal when placing a follow-up call to ask to speak directly with Jim Ross, the Executive Director down at Public Works.

At first, the operator seemed hesitant to connect me to him, but after briefly talking it up as if we had old business, the call was patched through.

When Jim Ross answered the call, I was immediately delighted with his "can do" attitude. It was a very refreshing experience and he assured me that he would have someone out the next day to survey the location.

Sure enough, Jim called me back the very next day and assured me that he'd have the pooling problem fixed by the end of the year.

October came and went, and November was flying by with no sign of progress. I was beginning to feel stood up. Then, one night as I was walking back from Monday Night Football down at Tommy Pastrami's, I noticed some orange cones that read "SAPW" set up around the lake. Later on that week, I headed down to the lake and snapped these photos below:


As the year came to a close, so did another one of my pet projects. Jim Ross down at Public Works did an amazing job and now this intersection is no longer a problem for those that walk, ride, or drive through this intersection.

And for once, I was actually glad to see my tax dollars being thrown down the gutter.


James G. Ross, Executive Director
20 Civic Center Plaza, M-21
Santa Ana, CA 92702
click for webpage

Emergency Repairs
714-647-3380

General Maintenance and Repairs
714-647-3380

Project Bid Information
714-647-5680

Public Works Information
714-647-5690

Can We Bring This to Santa Ana?

A Downtown Santa Ana Luchador/Luchadora Battle Royale would be so sweet.

Happy Halloween (2008)

Today marks our third Halloween at the Santiago Street Lofts and I'm hoping to break our record of the two trick-or-treaters that came to our door last year.

Our first year here back in 2006, my wife and I waited patiently downstairs as the night went by without a single trick-or-treater. Still to this day, my wife and I are trying to work off the weight we gained from all of the leftover candy from that night.

I've always seen Halloween as one of the best holidays of the year. It's a day where people can showcase their creativity, kids get to stay out late collecting candy (or pennies which always sucked), and a man can walk outside in the middle of the day dressed in full drag and the mailman wants to take a photo with him.

So if you're hunting for a good haunting later tonight, look no further than Downtown Santa Ana as Bistro 400, Tommy Pastrami, Memphis and Proof Bar will each be hosting unique Halloween parties.

Maybe I'll see you there :)

I leave you with theses videos in the spirit of the holiday.



This one's also fun, though I'm not sure it's a good idea to try this in Santa Ana ;)


Happy Halloween!

Santa Ana Pub Crawl-This Saturday! (10/11)

Someone once told me that during rough economic times, alcohol sales go through the roof. If that's true, then this Saturday's Pub Crawl should be off the hook.

Last month Original Mike's and Tommy Pastrami joined The Crawl and took care of guests with amazing specials. Seriously, it's worth the "trek" to Original Mike's–trust me.

Don't forget to fill out a Crawler Card for a chance at some seriously sweet prizes–like $50 gift cards and more!

For more information about the Pub Crawl, visit the website!

The "One-Stop" Ticket

Whether you love him or hate him (or have no clue who he is), Don Cribb proposes the idea of a "One Stop" ticket between the Santa Ana and Orange stations in an article featured in the May/June 2008 edition of the Old Towne Orange Review.

The train depots in Orange and Santa Ana present exciting changes. Both areas are experiencing new residential loft development and new business and retail opportunities in these areas. Orange’s Depot Walk and Santa Ana’s Santiago Street Lofts have introduced fresh ideas and energy into established dynamics. In Orange, new loft development helps reinforce the importance of Chapman University’s growing role in the socio-economics of the area driven, in part, by its celebrated new film studio. The Orange Plaza is becoming a smaller version of “Westwood Village” near UCLA! In Santa Ana, the Santiago Street Lofts, one-hundred ten of them, with the launch of monthly art walks, have demonstrated the vitality and appeal of transient-oriented development and reinforces the role of the Downtown Artists Village as an urban interactive arts district. A new streetcar system is under review that would link the depot to the Artists Village, the Santa Ana public library and the Orange County Civic Center, where a new Court of Appeals is under construction.

What happens when these two depots better relate? New residents at Santiago Street Lofts soon discover that they have few restaurants and retail amenities nearby, even though Downtown Santa Ana has new cafes such as The Crosby at 4th & Broadway, an ultra-cool and tasty music cafe, and a stylish small development called “Art House,” a residential/professional address next to Chiarini Marble and Stone on Washington, as an example of new ideas moving into established, older areas. This said, it doesn’t take long for new buyers to recognize that a five-minute drive up Grand Avenue onto Glassell can lead to Gabbi’s, one of the best regional Mexican restaurants, or to a wealth of other good cafes and quality retail opportunities - in Orange!

The Orange and Santa Ana Depots have one important and unique feature they share; proximity! A special “One-Stop” ticket, created to encourage residents near either location to move easily back and forth by rail for educational, artistic or business benefit, would enable others to look at rail transportation more seriously in their daily lives. It means they could leave many cars at home!

Santa Ana is set to acquire county land near its depot. There have been discussions regarding more art, educational and residential development, near the depot. The first Artists Village boundaries included the Santa Ana depot and some land south of the depot reads “Artists Village influence” in terms of future development, to make use of light industrial properties.

Much as has been done in Orange. The two depots help to offer positive transportation consideration while discouraging automobile use. The more cars that enter Old Towne Orange and begin to congest the area, the less appealing the area becomes. No one wants to lessen the charm and attraction of Historic Old Towne Orange.

At a time when fuel costs are ever high and pollutants are becoming increasingly regulated, more MetroLink use could help ease vehicular demands! Much mutual benefit could be realized between two important Orange County cities with so much to share! They share a community college district, public school district boundaries and have city boundaries that move back and forth irregularly through neighborhoods and retail and office addresses. Both cities share so much! This relationship could become even more important when transportation opportunities become more important and are shared, too, to help preserve quality of life and ensure sustainable growth and maybe add a bit more interest and fun!

Don Cribb served on the Santa Ana planning commission for eight years, is currently sitting on the Environmental and Transportation Advisory Committee and is the President of the Santa Ana Council of Arts & Culture.

Would a "One-Stop" ticket encourage you to visit our neighbors to the north more frequently? If you haven’t been to Gabbi’s, my growing gut and I highly recommend.

Are there Any Depot Walk residents out there? Would this ticket encourage you to visit sunny, sometimes scary Santa Ana?

I'd love to hear your thoughts!

Santa Ana Propaganda

You would never think that the Santa Ana featured in this clip is the same Santa Ana you read about in the OC Register. It’s amazing what good stock footage, editing using quick cuts, and super-saturating the footage can do for your city. Still, there's nowhere else in Orange County I'd rather live than here in Santa Ana.



Zapfino is arguably the worst typeface–EVER.

Sign Unveiling Ceremony at Chepa's Park

This Saturday, March 8, city elected officials and community members will join the family of the late Mrs. Josephine “Chepa” Andrade during the sign unveiling ceremony for the recently renamed Logan Park.

Chepa's Park is located at 1009 N. Custer Street, just 1-2 minutes walking distance from the lofts within the historic Logan neighborhood.

There Will Be Burritos

I was more than overwhelmed yesterday morning when I received a txt message from a friend that read: "new chipotle coming to santa ana".

No, Chipotle isn't setting up shop in the recently closed Pollo de Oro in downtown Santa Ana, but rather on Seventeenth Street in the lot adjacent to OSH. You know, the one that rarely locks the cases to the spray paint.

With L&L Hawaiian Barbecue relocating to a neighboring pad at this location from its previous spot held within the Costa Mesa Marukai market, this sleepy side of Seventeenth Street has potential that could mirror the success of the Centre on Seventeenth, the strip mall located directly across the street.

And yes, I'm giddy like a school girl with the news of a nearby Chipotle on the way.

Strength in Numbers

About ten days ago, an individual using a moniker of Cyrus the Virus contacted me about the Santiago Street Loft blog.

Cyrus recently moved into the Monterey Villas (located off 17th street and Cabrillo) and it just so happens that the folks over there are experiencing similar difficulties with graffiti, vandalism and theft. They even have someone stealing laundry from the community laundry room!


Communication was limited to flyers hung in the laundry room and limited face-to-face interaction with neighbors that seemingly comes paired with the southern California lifestyle in which we’ve become accustomed.

Cyrus saw an opportunity much like I did and that was to create an online voice to help raise awareness among neighbors, develop a sense of community and inspire others to help turn the city of Santa Ana around.

In a very cordial email, Cyrus asked permission to use content and ideas from this blog to help develop his. Needless to say I was honored and thrilled by this individual and his efforts to do in his community what we at the Santiago Street Lofts have established so far.

Do what you have to do for the greater good of the community my friend. Recognizing and celebrating your small victories will be key to your happiness and success.

At the Santiago Street Lofts, we are very fortunate to have passionate and active individuals living here such as: El Diablo Blanco, Dr. Jason and Urban Messiah just to namedrop a few.

They are some of the prime examples as to why this community is so great and worth fighting for. The Santa Ana Justice League is slowly forming and just you wait…

Check out the Monterey Villas blog!

He Said, She Said

Back in 2005, before the completion of the first phase at the Santiago Street Lofts, I heard a lot of rumors in regards to the city, the surrounding neighborhoods, the loft development itself, and projects that were supposedly in the works to support this and future nearby developments.

Whether or not what I heard was a rumor, conjecture or simply flat-out a lie, here are some of the fairytales that I remember hearing, but have yet to (or possibly never) come to fruition.

• Nearby restaurants and shops were in the works, scheduled for completion in early 2009


• Well-lit streets all the way down to downtown Santa Ana


• A streetcar or trolley line was to be installed running from the train depot to downtown


• The CenterLine light rail project was still alive


• A shuttle service would run on the weekends from the lofts to Proof bar


• The trees in the SSL community courtyard would eventually grow


• The Mayor really cares about the Santiago Street Lofts and will do anything to ensure its survival


• The Santiago Street Loft development would be completed by early 2008


• Taco Neza “poisons” anyone who looks non-Hispanic


• Cable railing was going to be an option for the third-floor loft


• The association covers any graffiti–even on the roll-up doors


• The city will power-wash the sidewalks on a monthly basis


• Metered parking was to be allowed on Santa Ana Blvd


• A coffee house and (small) grocery at the NE corner of Santa Ana Boulevard and Santiago


• A pedestrian bridge was to connect over the blvd near Poinsettia


• It’s safe to park your car on the streets

What were you told? What do you believe?

Dear Mayor Pulido,

I'm very curious as to why you yourself are in favor of Measure D. In recent news, Measure D has been under heavy scrutiny as to whom it will truly benefit and if it really stands in support of the public should it pass.

Listed below are official statements taken from the argument in favor of Measure D—The document where your name is listed at the top of a list of supporters.

A YES vote on Measure D will require elected officials and members of appointed boards, commissions, and committees to adhere to a tough new Code of Ethics and Conduct to assure public confidence in the integrity of local government elected and appointed officials.

What is this tough new Code of Ethics and Conduct and where can I review it? I've always thought that the Oath of Office and fulfilling promises to the voters was good enough to assure my confidence in elected officials. Speaking of which, my confidence level in our local government has dwindled severely when doing just a small amount of research on Measure D that ended up highly contradicting what it claims. Please read on.

A YES vote on Measure D establishes a limit of three terms on City Council members to reduce the power and influence of City Hall bureaucrats and developers.

Really? Judging by the campaign contributions so far, it seems like developers have a lot to gain by being in support of Measure D. Shouldn't the Renaissance Specific Plan be giving the City enough control over developers?

A YES vote will create a more experienced and stable legislative body that will better serve the City of Santa Ana.

The OC Register quoted you saying "Once people start understanding the city, understanding how to get things done, they're termed out." If it's been taking our elected officials 7-8 years to understand their job, then we need to change how things get done or elect smarter candidates.

A YES vote on Measure D will make City Hall accountable to Santa Ana residents – not the powerful special interests.

Again, going back to the campaign contributions. It seems as if the special interest groups are very interested in Measure D passing. Why is that so? Just by looking at their campaign contributions, again, it seems as if these special interest groups have more to gain.

Perhaps the best part of Measure D is that it doesn’t cost taxpayers a single penny and may even save the City money that can be better used to promote public safety efforts.

Hasn't Measure D has already cost taxpayers $150k just to get on the ballot?

Measure D is the most effective way to make sure that City government is more honest, effective and accountable to the voters.

Does this statement imply that current Santa Ana government isn't being 100% honest with its citizens and a Code of Ethics will change that?

As a concerned voter, I haven't been able to get one honest answer from anyone at the City level. If you truly support the idea of having our elected officials being more honest and accountable to the voters, then maybe it needs to start at the top with you.

Regards,
Ben @ The Santiago Street Lofts

The (Potential) Tragedy of Santa Ana

Whether or not we all agree that the Renaissance Plan is the answer to Santa Ana, James Howard Kunstler speaks some hard truths in this video that hit very close to home.



A thanks goes out to "Ted" who posted this link as a comment in the previous post. I think that this is a message that should be seen by all.

Free Sundays at Bowers Museum

If your NFL team isn't in the playoffs this season and you are looking for something to do today, don't forget that admission to the Bowers Museum is free today and every first Sunday and third Tuesday of every month with proof of residency.

Courtesy of the Lockhart Family and a generous donation in the memory of Dorothy Goerl, the Bowers Museum is pleased to offer free admission to Santa Ana residents, with proof of residency (e.g., driver's license, utility bill, etc), on the first Sunday and third Tuesdays of every month.

2007 Santa Ana Shootings

Red Marker: Homicide | Yellow Marker: Shooting | Blue Marker: Shots Fired

Click Here to View Larger Map with Incident Details

This time of year, people like to write Christmas cards and make plans for New Year's Eve. I like to make interactive maps of tragic events that take place in this gang-infested town.

I'm still missing data from January through April, as well as the month of June, but I wanted to give you all an early Christmas present.

Creating this map was a very interesting learning experience. Here are a few things that I concluded about gang activity in Santa Ana while working on this project:

1. Even if you claim "nothing", you'll probably still get shot.


2. Bangers use all means of transportation to get their job done (Cars, bicycles, own two feet, although, I'd be really surprised to hear about a banger on roller skates).


3. Black SUV's tailgating you usually means bad news.


4. No one ever knows exactly how many gunshots were fired when asked by police.


5. Descriptions of suspects are always too vague.


6. You are more likely to be shot between the hours of 3PM-2AM in Santa Ana.
   

So yeah, Santa Ana is in dire need of a renaissance, but hope needs to begin with the people. And for these folks, hope maybe what they need to stop shooting at each other.

Holiday Lights Festival at the Santa Ana Zoo

“Holiday Lights” is a family festival for everyone to enjoy the Zoo all lit up at night with beautiful decorations, displays, and thousands of lights.

This annual festival includes music, storytelling, animal encounters, and other festive holiday entertainment!

Enjoy delicious treats, $3 rides on the Zoofari Holiday Express train, and more!

Fri, Dec. 21: City of Santa Ana Night (Residents and Employees get in free)
Sat, Dec. 22: Member Appreciation Night (Members get in free)
Fri, Dec. 28: Grandparents Night (Grandparents get in free)
Sat, Dec 29: Member Appreciation Night (Members get in free)

Holiday Lights runs from 5:30PM to 8 PM, Rain or Shine.

General Admission: $6
Member Price: $3 (ages 3 & up)

For more information or to purchase tickets online, visit the Santa Ana Zoo's website.

The Santa Ana Zoo at Prentice Park is located at:
1801 E. Chestnut Ave, Santa Ana, 92701