Carlos Bustamante Reaps Money from Downtowners

• Carlos and his rich GOP buddies in the Hispanic 100 are out of touch with the working people in Santa Ana. I am certain that we will find someone to take him on. In the meantime, please join me in emailing Don Perata and Gil Cedillo, as well as Lou Correa, and asking them to shoot down the nomination of the Space Commander to the State's Fair Employment and Housing Commission.

• He'll leave the minute his republican pals find him another failed campaign to enter.

• If it isn't a conflict of interest, it's at least a lapse of judgement -- to be clear, many lapses of judgment. I wouldn't expect anything less of Carlos. He hasn't met up with a conribution check that he didn't deposit. The only difference now is that someone is watching.

• No, Jubal--my reporting states the dates and contributions that show the lack of a 12-month gap, but I'm not the AG or SanTana city attorney Joseph Fletcher, who sided with Claudia Alvarez when she ran into the same conflict-of-interest wrinkle. I say it's conflict of interest, but my reporting isn't law. If it was, Bishop Tod Brown would've been long gone already.

• GET RID OF THE SPACE COMMANDER!

• <i>that SanTana municipal code is too damn ambiguous...</i> Gustavo, according to your post yesterday the code made it crystal clear that Carlos Bustamante is violating its conflict-of-interest provision, and you maintained that was absolutely what Carlos was doing. Today, the same code is "too damn ambiguous" and you don't know if he's violating it. Will tomorrow's post break the tie?

• He'll never leave--Floral Park residents like their little Mexican too much!

• Gustavo: I think if you keep exposing him it will chip away at his teflon jacket and someone (who is not John Palacio) will then be able to topple this piece of rubbish. Please see how much Carlos took from SunCal, the developer that has apparently backed out of the Village Green project at Bristol and Memory. Carlos was the only person in Floral Park, Fischer Park, West Floral Park and Morrison Park to support this project and I'm sure he was paid handsomely for it.

• I like Palacio for his contrarian ways on the SAUHSD board, but I have to agree with Anon: he stands little chance. The Usual Suspects despise him for his association with Nativo Lopez, and Bustamante is simply too well-funded. Anon: Pay-to-play is a hallmark of American politics, but I have to agree with Sean: I've found fewer more blatant (on a local municipality level) with his developer-friend votes than Carlos. Has he broken the law? I'm not the AG, and that SanTana municipal code is too damn ambiguous. Even so, both Alvarez and Bustamante have demonstrated there needs to be a change to that--and that's my ultimate hope in showing all these campaign donations.

• Sean: Be real. Palacio's is a joke. And, he couldn't beat Carlos. It would definitely be the race of the mental midgets. We need new blood, not the same old crap. I still don't see a smoking gun here. Carlos didn't break any laws, he did what all politicians do: let money buy influence. There is no quid pro quo (at least it could not be proven). I'd like to see Carlos go, but I'm not sure Palacio would be an improvement.

• Gustavo, The problem is that there is nobody of any significance that will run against Carlos. This guy is without a doubt the worst councilman I have ever seen in all my years of following Santa Ana politics. Despite that, he will win re-election. The only shot we have at defeating him is if Santa Ana School Board Member John Palacio runs against him. I urge everyone to join me in a "Draft Palacio" campaign.

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