Won't You Be My Neighbor?

Santa Ana needs more gay people.
There, I said it.

Having grown up in San Diego, I've seen first hand how the (GLBT) community can refine once rough urban areas like Hillcrest and further expand its positive gentrification into surrounding neighborhoods such as Normal Heights and North Park into desirable pocket destinations.

Don't take my word for it–here's an exerpt on Gay Villages from Wikipedia (yeah I know, Wikipedia isn't de facto, but I strongly agree with what is written).

These neighborhoods are also often found in working-class parts of the city, or in the neglected fringe of a downtown area – communities which may have been upscale historically but became economically depressed and socially disorganized. In these cases, the establishment of a gay community may eventually turn these areas into desirable, upscale neighborhoods, a process known as gentrification – a phenomenon in which gays often play a pioneer role.

That first sentence in the above quote sure sounds like both the Lacy and French Park (are you listening Santa Ana/Related California) neighborhoods, wouldn't you say?

So...who's with me on giving the water tower a fresh coat of rainbow paint this weekend?

Sacré Bleu

Did Lennar get a deal on blue paint or what?

Not that I have anything against the blue buildings, but seven buildings out of 20 total use the color blue in their palette. That's a little much if you ask me. Not to mention that blue and tan urban dwelling are about five years out of vogue.

A Lennar sales representative once told me that the blue and tan buildings were in fact the hardest ones to move. Hence, there were to be no more blue buildings in the final phases.

So what happens five to ten years down the road when a blue and tan homeowner tries to sell their unit? Hopefully there are enough interesting things sprouting up around the loft community in the next few years to help these future sellers.

Originally, this tan and blue building on the corner of Poinsettia Street and Santa Ana Boulevard was slated to be the Greenwich Village facade–the green and brick stone one. But I guess the interior furnishings weren't the only things Lennar cheapened out on.

Goodbye George Carlin

Video NSFW. Watch at your own discretion.
Gotta love the First Amendment–unless you're the FCC.

Party Poopers

About two weeks ago, a very nice dog-owning couple renting at the Santiago Street Lofts moved out–with them went our mysterious problem of unpicked-up dog poop.

It was frustrating to see the blatant disregard for other dog owners and folks that walk around the community or sit in the community courtyard, only to be greeted by a steamy pile of mush, accompanied by a swarm of angry flies.

What irked me more was that even after multiple signs were posted in the common area by “yours truly”, the problem persisted; in fact, it got worse!

These renters, as nice as they were, were “bad renters” in my eyes. I say “bad” because they proved the generalization that says that renters just don’t give a crap.

When it comes down to it, the blame ultimately lies with the individual(s) who makes the decision to rent their place out in communities such as ours.

If you don’t want to take part in our kick-ass community, then please, rent your place out to someone who does.

A Sinking Ship?

First, their sweet corner location goes up for sale, then their website is nowhere to be found, and today the OC Register reports that Urban West has backed out from the proposal that would have built over 400 condos and commercial space in the Parc Anaheim Project (which was later slated to become an RV Park.)

Of course, who could blame Urban West for not wanting to build an RV park—they're way too hip for a project of that caliber.

But is Urban West on their way out?

I Blog for the Dogs

Today marks my 100th post to the Santiago Street Loft blog and I feel that it’s an event worth celebrating–anyone up for Chipotle?

And how do I plan on celebrating?
By placing tiny ads on the blog!

Before you say that I’ve “sold out”, or worse, turned into ad-scam scum like Don Lapre, hear me out.

All of the ads on this site are present thanks to the work of Google’s AdSense program. I get to select where the ads go, and Google populates them with content.

When an ad appears on the blog, or even better, when a user clicks on one of these ads, my AdSense account generates a tiny amount of money.

From my understanding (being that this is my first time using the program), when my account reaches a certain threshold, Google will EFT (Electronic Fund Transfer) the earning into my bank account.

So now what?

As some of you may know, I’m somewhat of an animal-lover. I say somewhat because I still eat meat. But of all the things that are most important to me in this life, my doggie ranks pretty high on the list.

It has been almost a year and half since the wife and I adopted our beloved little fur-monster and still to this day I feel a debt of gratitude to the organization that helped bring her love into our loving home.

Pet Pro Life is a local non-profit volunteer organization that works to help dogs (and sometimes cats) find new loving homes when the world has turned their back on them, often rescuing animals from kill shelters or really bad situations.

As of today, all generated revenue from the ads on this blog will be donated to help Pet Pro Life continue to find good homes for great animals.

Donation updates will be posted on this blog regularly, so please continue to stop by on a regular basis and don’t be afraid to click on an ad or two.



P.S. I dare you to watch this ASPCA video and not well up–I double-dog dare you.

Saying No to “NoLo”

A few days ago, a friend of mine turned my attention to this surprise that has also caught the eye of the OC Weekly’s Gustavo Arellano.

Needless to say, I too was very disappointed. I guess that since I don't host art galleries, I didn't have a say.

This ill-conceived nickname (being that we really aren't north of anything except Ware) can only further widen the gap between the new residents (lofties) and the old (everyone else).

Sure, I want to see positive changes come to Santa Ana and would love nothing more than to have a Chipotle across the street (A man can dream, right?), but I don't think anything positive will come by renaming a neighborhood you just moved into.

C’mon now, how can anyone say no to these?

The Sad Stripmall

I recently began carpooling with the wife to take advantage of the carpool lane as well as the convenient egress directly on to Santa Ana Boulevard when driving north on the 5 Freeway. This eco-friendly decision has proven beneficial in many aspects including saving time, gas, as well as having to stare at this eyesore while sitting at the light at the end of the offramp.


Way back in 2005 when the wife and I first visited the Santiago Street Loft sales office, this strip mall was the first thing we saw as we exited the freeway.

Unsightly and unkempt, we hoped that with what we heard about Santa Ana (supposedly) undergoing a huge revitalization, this center would re-emerge better than ever, and could now be considered as part of the gateway into the new Downtown Orange County.

But alas, here we are in 2008 and the center looks worse now than when we first saw it three years prior. Businesses come and go in this tiny complex, and as they do, the center seems to look more and more dilapidated.

With its close proximity to the freeway and street frontage, I can only hope that someday, an investor would come in and provide this center and its tenants the much needed improvement love.

It’s ironic that this little center, the doormat into the city of Santa Ana is the epitome of what Santa Ana is today–a once proud and promising location, which over time has become run-down due to years of neglect and poor management.

Why Santa Ana Graffiti Sucks

In my humble opinion, the graffiti problem plaguing the city of Santa Ana is mainly the product of untalented turds that claim trivial ownership to our streets and neighborhoods. This foolish mindset lends itself as to why there are so many shootings and deaths in this sickly city.

Scratchitti and acid etching of glass and window panes is another serious graffiti issue in this city that sends one message, and one message alone: F*ck you for having something nice.


The above photo was taken about a month ago when the wife and I headed up to San Francisco to experience a piece of the “city life” that we hoped the city of Santa Ana would have had established by now.

Not once as I’ve walked the streets of Santa Ana have I seen a noteworthy mural, message or political statement similar to this scribe. There is no art, no message, and no talent in the countless graffiti done on a daily basis in this supposed City of the Arts.

Nonetheless, the work done in the photo is still vandalism, but I doubt that anyone is going to pull a trigger in retaliation.

...But she will be happy to hear from you.

Happy New Year Everyone!

Hope all of you are relaxed and ready to take on 2008 after the holiday season. Here's my personal list of some of the things we have to look forward to this year: The final phase of the Santiago Street Lofts being completed, an extra day in February (being a leap year and all), Metal Gear Solid 4 for the Playstation 3, the start of city-wide repair for the streets, season four of Lost, the 2008 elections, and of course, the invention of the suicide booth.

A Desire Named Street Car

While the idea of having a system of streetcars in downtown Santa Ana has generated a lot of criticism, I personally welcome it. One of the many lures that attracted me to moving to Santa Ana was the CenterLine light rail project.

But like many projects that start here in Santa Ana, the light rail project grows further from our grasp. From what I've been told by the folks at OCTA, this project will most likely not come to fruition any time soon. I've heard rumors that the city of Irvine is partly to blame, mainly because they don't want certain elements from within our city to make their way over to their taupe and beige town.

“Go away! There ain’t no monorail and there never was!”

With recent talks of a streetcar coming to this town, my hopes for a fun and successful mass-transit system are slowly being rekindled. Two serious issues that I see as an immediate problem are:

1. The streetcars are without any worthwhile destinations.
Santa Ana seems backwards at times, building new homes and lofts, attracting people like myself to this city, but then doesn't do much by way of supporting our leisurely needs. One can only go to Bowers Museum and the Discovery Center so many times.

Santa Ana seems backwards at times, building new homes and lofts, attracting people like myself to this city, but then doesn't do much by way of supporting our leisurely needs. One can only go to Bowers Museum and the Discovery Center so many times.

2. Streetcars will most likely end up the target of taggers.
Though definitely not the only other problem, the glass on the cars will undoubtedly be etched on a continual basis, and the exteriors will become the canvases for Santa Ana's very untalented spray can jockeys.

My biggest concern about continuing to live in Santa Ana, is that the city will not develop at a pace fast enough to retain the young professionals that have moved into new loft developments all over the city. We all took a big gamble moving to this city, let's just hope it pays off sooner than later.

Here is good pro-streetcar article coming from my favorite city.

Come and Get It!

Last Monday (12/03), I sent an email to Keystone Pacific notifying them that all of the exterior lights on building 9 (facing Santa Ana Boulevard) have not been turning on when the sun goes down. Here is the response I received that same day:

"Thank you for the update on the lights. I’m sorry this is still outstanding. My Associate is on the phone with Sundown Lighting right now."

Thankfully, none of the windows have been etched while that building sits in the dark as a prime target, but we still have to make it through Sunday night, a popular night for graffiti in Santa Ana.

In my opinion, should something happen to this building before these lights are fixed, the homeowners shouldn’t be the ones responsible for the costs. I will be placing a call into Keystone tomorrow morning to once again address this issue.

Monkey Business at Circus Hall

So my friend Thomas Gordon had no chance with the ringleaders of the circus we call city hall. The immediate 6-1 vote in favor of Thomas’ removal was a slap in the face to not only the outspoken citizens who stood up for Mr. Gordon and spoke out on his behalf, but to the rest of the citizens who care about Santa Ana, myself included.

I was amused and amazed as to how fast the council brought this issue to vote, where just minutes before, it seemed as if the unfunny mayor was joking and stalling when presenting awards to the honorable employees who have patiently served the city for more than twenty years. Yeah I said it–he’s not funny, AT ALL.

When the vote was passed, it happened so quickly that I had to turn to the lady behind me to ask "Was that it?" I wanted to stand up and yell that this city is f’ing joke and it’s being run into the ground by monkeys, but that would be offensive to my friends swinging from trees and throwing feces at each other. Those of you who know me personally know that this course of action isn’t completely out of my nature.

With my face red from my blood boiling over, and my palms so sweaty, they rippled the night’s agenda I held in my hand, I jolted up. Eyes angrily closed, teeth clenched, palms now in a fist, I took a deep breath, and said nothing. It was at that instant that I realized that having Thomas Gordon removed was the best thing that this council could do for this distressed city and Mr. Gordon.

Here we have an honorable man, whom many have stated cares more about the city of Santa Ana than our current mayor. Thomas’ removal from the EPIC commission by the 6 of the 7 council members can only be due to personal reasons, and possibly serving a deeper political agenda.

Imagine having a subordinate, who does more, makes more sense, and is liked more than you. Soon enough, people are going to start looking at you and questioning your ability to lead. So what did the city do in this case? They fired him in hopes to shut him down.

But this type of monkey business is totally within the realm of Santa Ana political fashion (there I go again insulting real monkeys). What better way to handle a serious issue than to look the other way, rather than tackling it head on? Over twenty years have Mayor Pulido and City Manager Dave Ream been in office, and the state of the city just keeps getting worse. Okay, so there are less transvestite hookers, I’ll give you that, but at least they weren’t shooting each other and vandalizing the city at all hours of the day.

Why just the other night, I walked outside to see why a homeless guy was throwing trash all over the sidewalk only to be threatened by Santa Ana locals demanding money from me. I guess those guys read this Blog being that they knew my screen name and kept saying it as they threatened me. Not until they got a glance of my jesus stick did they decide that I wasn’t worth the trouble.

By removing Thomas Gordon from his position, the council has now brought even more attention to their poor management and decision-making, which hopefully will result in a drastic and much needed change in the next mayoral election next year. Pandora’s box has now been opened and the city has made a martyr of Mr. Thomas Gordon. By slaying him from his position, they have made his voice all the more louder and clearer.

Support Thomas Anthony Gordon Tonight

Sometime ago, I was in a serious rut due to the hazards of living in Santa Ana for the last year and a half. From having our windows etched by taggers, homeless people throwing their garbage on our porch, to the serious lack of the “play” element that Lennar sold us on before moving here, I felt myself slipping down a dark and hateful path.

What started off as a simple personal chronicle for living in this city, blogging only made me even more frustrated with how poorly the city of Santa Ana is progressing in management, development and the addressing of serious concerns that have infested the city for years.

One day, my wife noticed that a Thomas Anthony Gordon of the Orange Juice Blog had picked up one of my articles and reposted it on their high-traffic Blog. I was shocked and surprised to see that someone not only took the time to read and hear my concerns, but also offered to help find a solution.

Soon after, phone calls to the city were getting returned, emails answered and hope returned to this humble soul. This Thomas guy gave me the soapbox I needed to make this city a better place, and I wanted to thank him.

I did my research on Mr. Gordon and found out that not only was he a strong and level-headed voice writing for the Orange Juice Blog, but also an appointed member of (EPIC), the Early Prevention and Intervention Commission working to reduce crime, gang activity and graffiti in Santa Ana.

After a city council meeting, I asked Michele Martinez, our ward representative/council member to help make the introduction. She pointed in the direction of the man who stood as tall as a Viking, but was as friendly and personable as someone I've known for years.

Staring me straight in the eyes with a firm handshake, I knew from the start that this guy meant business. I asked for advise on how he has been able to not let the city drain him emotionally as it has been doing to me. The more I tried to make the city of Santa Ana a better place, the more I felt my soul being sucked away, I told Thomas.

Thomas was quick to commend the blog and encouraged us as a community to not give up hope. He spoke of the many great things in Santa Ana that I have yet to experience, opening my eyes to future adventures. As a fellow food-lover, Thomas was quick to suggest restaurants for me to visit and review, thus helping local establishments attract new customers. Finally, Mr. Gordon enlightened me to several steps I could take to strengthen our community and to help build relationships with the neighborhoods adjacent to us.

After a two-hour conversation with Thomas Gordon, I felt rejuvenated and recharged. The excitement about living in this city returned to my heart. I was once again glad to have made the move here.

This morning, I was shocked to read that on the city council’s agenda tonight is an effort to remove Mr. Gordon from his position. This is just another example of the back door shenanigans that our dysfunctional council tries to pull for what seems to be only political reasons, and nothing else. I invite all that read this Blog to come support Thomas Gordon who has been championing our voice here at the Santiago Street Lofts for quite some time.

The city council meeting takes place tonight, December 3, 2007, starting at 6:00 P.M. and will he held in the City Council Chambers located within 22 Civic Center Plaza.

You can read more about the story at the OC Register and also at the Orange Juice Blog.

Thomas Gordon was there for me when I was about to give up my efforts to make this city a better place. Tonight I will be Tivo’ing Heroes to help stand up for a real one.

Missed the Meeting? Bullet Points to the Rescue!

Last night's meeting progressed a little smoother than the OCCCO sponsored meeting that took place in late October at St. Joseph’s, but that’s not saying much. Here’s a brief recap.

The Good

• The Mayor lightly touched on a good point saying that while pedestrian and vehicle traffic is key, the future of Santa Ana is being a “Multi-Mobile” city (street cars, lightrail, etc.).


• The Renaissance Plan allows for residential zoning in downtown. Currently, only mixed-use residential is permitted.


• Having shops that stay open at night in the downtown area to resuscitate the nightlife. Downtown Santa Ana has a lot of potential to be a great 24-hour environment.


• The recognition of the need to attract stores into downtown Santa Ana that appeal to a broader spectrum of residents to spend our dollars in this city as opposed to others like Irvine and Tustin.


• Stefanos Polyzoides, an architect that the city hired as a consultant seems to really know what he’s talking about. Unfortunately, it looks as if he is going to have to handhold our council through every step of the way.
  

The Bad

• Most of the night was spent discussing parking issues such as converting surface parking into parking structures, opening private parking garages after hours, and the construction of new ones.


• Claudia Alvarez seemed overly concerned about the residents who currently live in low-income housing and expressed an interest in adding even more. While I can appreciate a champion for the “financially challenged”, Santa Ana needs to understand that one of the reasons why it’s in its current state is due to the abundance of low-income/high-density housing. Again, this could all be political rhetoric on her part being that she is up for re-election next year.


• Sadly, many of the residents who live here now will not enjoy the fruits of the Renaissance Project being that by the time of its completion, many will have moved on.


• Overall, to me, it really feels like Santa Ana is a city where the majority (lower-income) has the ears of the city council. Not once did I feel as if anyone sitting at that table was representing my needs or concerns.
  

The Ugly

• While I don’t fully understand the political mind, at times I was concerned with our mayor and his behavior during the meeting about this serious topic. When not cracking jokes to his fellow council members as the presenter spoke, or checking his cell phone several times like a 16-year-old “txting” fiend, the mayor just didn’t seem all there in my opinion.


• The brave souls who pioneered the downtown Artist Lofts as well as our community have no representation. The city seems to forget that we generate a lot of tax revenue and more developments like ours can only be beneficial for the city as a whole. No one ever said, “Hey, what are we doing to keep the residents who’ve already moved here in the past few years safe and stable? You know, when this project takes off, people are going to look to the current loft residents to gauge the success of future developments.”


• The mayor stated that the council would need to take their workbooks home and “do their homework” and digest what was heard tonight. Everything that was said tonight is a regurgitation of what has been said many times before in previous discussions. City discussion of the Renaissance Project will reconvene early next year, and most assuredly be drawn out to be part of the mayor’s re-election campaign.


• While I may not have all of the answers and sometimes might seem hypercritical, it is apparent now that we are the minority in Santa Ana and we need to speak louder to have our voices heard.

Doug Irving from the OC Register was also in attendance.
Read his article about the meeting here.

Should Santa Ana Impose a (Harsh) Curfew?

Many feel that the idea of a curfew violates constitutional rights and that the government has no right to dictate how parents raise their children. Several youth-rights discussion groups feel that curfews drive the wedge between teens and authority figures even deeper.

When I was a teenager, the thought of a curfew angered my peers and myself. Not because we thought it was unconstitutional or questioned the possible social ramifications a curfew could cause, we just didn't like anyone telling us what we could and couldn't do.

I personally think that Santa Ana needs to impose and enforce a curfew to help alleviate some of the issues plaguing the city. Not to say that all teens are out causing trouble when the sun goes down, but honestly, are adults the ones lurking around the city and vandalizing at night?

And no, I don't think that parents should be told how to raise their kids, but at the same time, what kind of parent lets their kid run loose in the neighborhood when the street lights have been on for hours? There isn't much for adults to do in the city of Santa Ana after hours, so why are there so many kids out late on school nights?

Many parents aren't home at night being that they work two jobs to support their families. By no means do I imply that this makes for bad parenting, but it does afford their kids the opportunity to wreak havoc in the city.

Santa Ana is fighting a lot of uphill battles and doesn't seem to be winning them anytime soon. Tougher measures are needed to help the city get a grasp on its many problems.

Take the poll and post your comments!

Halloween is over...

..but my bowl of chocolate delights is still full. This Halloween, our second here at the lofts, was yet another disappointing milestone with only one trick-or-treater (same number as last year).

I say milestone because to me, Halloween marks the beginning of the end of the year. Only when Halloween has come and gone, after seeing all the kiddies in their great costumes, will I finally accept the fact that Christmas is just around the corner (even though some stores have had Christmas merchandise ready as early as September).

With the void left from this lackluster All Hallows Eve, I know that I can always count on la dia de los muertos festivities happening this weekend to fill my appetite for the spooky and supernatural.

Here are some events going on this weekend if you too feel that Halloween 2007 was a bust.

Fiesta Market Place

Bowers Museum

and of course, down at the Santora, even though their site makes no mention of it.

Talkin' Trash About Santa Ana

Though the term Santa Ana Winds has nothing to do with our City, when they come into town, they sure do wreak havoc in Santa Ana. Aside from blowing down trees, piling leaves and pine needles onto your driveway or curb, the winds bring to attention another issue that plagues Santa Ana: Trash.

Walking around our neighborhood, one can easily see that our tall buildings and semi-lush planters have been converted into repositories for trash. If you continue down to Brown Street, you can see that less traveled streets in this City quickly turn into drop-offs for old couches and larger items that, in a perfect world, should be taken to the dump.








This truly is a sad sight to see being that this complex has been up for just over a year, and yet, the refuse of the City increasingly invades our neighborhood.

So why is our City so trashy?

1. People just don't care.


2. Maintenance people don't care.


3. No one knows whom to call.

Time and time again, I've glanced out my window only to see people of all likes carelessly throw their trash on the ground, out of their cars, or into the bushes–even though a trash receptacle was just a few steps out of their way. As for society as whole, the people that don't care outnumber the people that do care.

When I stated that Maintenance people don't care, what I really should have stated was that "Maintenance people aren't paid to care" (mainly this guy on the right).

Never once have I seen a lawn blower guy blow leaves or trash into nice, neat piles, where he or another crew member can easily sweep it up into a bag or bin. Instead, this dude blows all of the crap off of Property A, only to become Property B-Z's problem, not to mention the rest of the City's.

So who at the City do we call to address trash issues in Santa Ana?
Blog reader Eric recommended in an earlier post that we should be calling Richard Lay [(714) 647-3380] who works for the City's Public Works Agency. I phoned Richard myself and he advised me to put in a call to dispatch should a couch or something large and obnoxious end up on the streets or sidewalks. As for the smaller pieces of trash scattered throughout the City, he advised that the City does not have any services other than the street sweeper to combat this endless problem.

On a final note, I'd like to discuss the homeless people and those who dig through trash for recyclables. Believe it or not, these folks are some of the few people I've seen who actually pick up trash (off of the streets) in Santa Ana– mainly because the trash they pick-up puts money in their pockets. It's frustrating to see that the people with the least amount invested into the community can be the ones doing the most about this problem.

:|

It's time to move.

2005 Was A Violently Better Year

A Monday can't go by without an article in the OC Register about some kid getting shot over the weekend in Santa Ana. With very little to do in this town, it's no wonder that many kids get involved with gangs and Santa Ana becomes one of the most dangerous places to live in Orange County.

This article from the Register  highlights the FBI's 2006 report of Crime in Orange County. Sad to say, our town isn't making anyone proud. Police Chief Paul Walters is quoted saying that “We are on track to have an eight to ten percent decrease in violent crimes for 2007”; even though violent crimes were up about eight percent in 2006 from 2005.

So in other words, he is proud to maintain the status quo.
"The status quo? Ay karumba!"