OC Politics Blog | Tag Archives: Carlos Bustamante

Councilman Bustamante charged with sexual assaults and theft of public funds

Posted on July 3, 2012 by Editor Posted in Carlos Bustamante, Corruption, Crime, Orange County, Republican Party Leave a comment

Orange County District Attorney
Press Release, For Immediate Release: July 3, 2012
Contacts: Susan Kang Schroeder, Chief of Staff, Office: 714-347-8408, Cell: 714-292-2718
Farrah Emami, Spokesperson, Office: 714-347-8405, Cell: 714-323-4486

SANTA ANA CITY COUNCILMAN AND FORMER HIGH-RANKING EXECUTIVE FOR COUNTY OF ORANGE CHARGED WITH SEXUAL ASSAULTS AND THEFT OF PUBLIC FUNDS

SANTA ANA – A Santa Ana City Councilman who was a former high-ranking executive for the County of Orange until recent allegations related to this case surfaced has been arrested and charged with sexually assaulting seven subordinates and committing grand theft of public funds. Continue reading→

Alvarez gets the last laugh as Bustamante gets arrested

Posted on July 2, 2012 by Art Pedroza Posted in 2012 Elections, Carlos Bustamante, Claudia Alvarez, Dan Chmielewski, Democratic Party, Janet Nguyen, Orange County, Republican Party, Rob Richardson, Santa Ana, Sean MIll, Van Tran 5 Comments

Alvarez couldn’t help but smile at tonight’s City Council meeting…

Remember when Santa Ana Council Member Carlos Bustamante went after his colleague, Santa Ana Mayor Pro Tem Claudia Alvarez, after she compared landlord and developer Irv Chases’s business practices to Adolf Hitler’s ethnic cleansing? Well, last week the Orange County Grand Jury found that Alvarez was right about Chase and his friends at Downtown, Inc. – in a report that slammed the Santa Ana PBID tax. And Bustamante? Well he is now rotting in jail after being arrested today on multiple felony and misdemeanor counts.

When Bustamante raises bail he will have quite a few decisions to make – like hiring a lawyer, but eventually he will also have to write his formal letter of resignation. His time on the Santa Ana City Council is done.

I expect that one of our City Commissioners will be named to replace him – perhaps one of the many Planning Commissioners who live in Ward 3. Bustamante’s seat will be available this November in the General Election and his replacement will have a leg up on the rest of the competition. Continue reading→

Carlos Bustamante’s former boss at the County of Orange placed on leave

Posted on March 27, 2012 by Editor Posted in 2012 Elections, Art Pedroza, Carlos Bustamante, Corruption, Dan Chmielewski, Democratic Party, Orange County, Republican Party, Rob Richardson, Santa Ana Leave a comment

The placing of OC Public Works Director Jess Carbajal on administrative leave last week is just one of several personnel moves being made as county officials scramble to gain control over a department rocked by revelations that sexual harassment allegations against former executive Carlos Bustamante were not properly handled, according to the Voice of OC.

The Voice of OC also reported that Ignacio Ochoa, who now heads the department’s engineering division, will take over as interim head of the OC Public Works Agency. Continue reading→

Bustamante sex scandal could cost O.C. CEO Tom Mauk his job

Posted on March 8, 2012 by Editor Posted in 2012 Elections, Carlos Bustamante, Corruption, Janet Nguyen, Miguel Pulido, Orange County, Republican Party, Rob Richardson, Santa Ana, Tom Mauk 1 Comment

“The Orange County Board of Supervisors will meet Monday in an emergency closed session to discuss whether they should refer allegations of sexual misconduct against Santa Ana City Councilman Carlos Bustamante to District Attorney Tony Rackauckas for a criminal investigation,” according to the Voice of OC. To learn more about sexual misconduct cases click here.

Don’t forget that Nguyen endorsed Bustamante when he last ran for reelection in 2008. And she tried to stop the attempt to strip O.C. Assistant CEO Rob Richardson of his raise.

What does this all mean for Bustamante? I had heard he was going to run for a third term on the Santa Ana City Council. But now the whole mess is once again on the front burner. Hopefully a candidate will emerge to take him out. Better yet, Santa Ana Mayor Miguel Pulido needs to take him aside and make it clear that he has to go.