From OrangeJuiceBlog.com (OC): It's not over yet: OJ Slate to make a comeback

Barack Obama is the President-elect of the United States. A quick, painless landslide capped off by a particularly ass-kissing speech by John McCain, my friends. No late night. No recounts. No Florida. No Ohio. Ohio, by the way, not shocking me with their selection; we pundits don't always call them right but it's amusing when we find out which we each got wrong.

Many of the politicians I love to hate were rejected by the voters: Rosie Avila (47th CD against Loretta Sanchez), Cecilia Aguinaga (for Santa Ana Unified School Board), Paul Lucas (a goofy, awkward Democratic activist for Garden Grove City Council). Not one even came close. Except us. We may have lost despite great candidates, a whole bunch of energy, an online home, consistent donors, and teamwork, but we defied the odds and gave Team Pulido a run for its money for the first time in years, really maybe ever. Unfortunately, when it was all over I also ran out of Santa Ana in the van still covered in Michele Martinez's signage, looking over my shoulder constantly for the red and blue lights. Of course, I'm joking, but the truth is that with nothing changing in Santa Ana, there are probably more than a few pissed off Clowncil members who are going to remember this day and retaliate. When that happens, the people need to wake up and see just what that kind of pettiness is doing to the city.

Mayor Miguel Pulido and company will now continue to run their games on the public for 2-4 more years. Developers Mike Harrah, Robert Bisno, et al will continue to get rich. Gentrification will spread. Families in Santa Ana will be forced to move out of the city due to home and job losses and lack of affordability as Santa Ana attempts its miraculous transformation into Irvine and Pulido hides in his dark Floral Park mansion every Halloween. The voters could have stopped it today, but unfortunately they didn't. Even still, it's not too late.

Remember 2008 as only the first year of the 'OJB Cabal' (as we were once or twice called). Remember President-elect Barack Obama's (and Sheryl Crow's) message that 'a change will do you good.' As the streets crumble, gang violence persists, more buildings are condemned, there continues to be only one library, corruption goes unabated, water rates increase (as the do-nothing commissioner rakes in $3,000/mo.) and businesses flee the city in protest of its preposterous fee of $600/year for a business license, there will be plenty of reminders of that message in the foreseeable future. Remember.

I was going to write this entry about the nuts and bolts of the results and our silver linings (and yes there are a few), but then I realized the importance of maintaining our message of hope throughout that process as we are already gearing up for 2010. Yes, really. This was just our warm-up act. We work that hard for Santa Ana so that the residents can hold onto hope. We must have hope that the change we need is still possible.

Since hope kept Obama running throughout this entire campaign season, I must now hope you'll wait a little longer for the details. They're coming, but like everyone else, I'm hoping to get a good night's sleep now. I hope you do too.

SMS