ElectioNite
We’re less than a month away from Election Day, and The Santanero’s candidate questionnaire period is now over. Over the last few weeks, I tried my best to get the questionnaire to every candidate we reached out to and give them a fair chance to respond. That included
2026 Santanero Questionnaire
Dwayne Shipp, 51, is a lifelong Santa Ana resident who has lived in the city since 1975. He attended Lincoln Elementary, Carr Intermediate and Valley High School and has worked as a caregiver in Santa Ana for more than 10 years. Shipp is the youngest of 10 children of Helen
Hector Bustos, 27, is a Santa Ana native who was born and raised in the city. He was raised alongside two brothers by a single immigrant mother from Jalisco, Mexico, in a working-class household that relied on programs including CalFresh and after-school services. The grandson of hotel workers,
2026 Santanero Questionnaire
Benjamin Vazquez, 55, is a Santa Ana educator and Ward 2 Councilmember who was first elected to the Santa Ana City Council in 2022. Vazquez grew up in Santa Ana in a union household with six children. His family did not have much money for sports and other activities, so
2026 Santanero Questionnaire
Sandra De Anda, 33, is a lifelong Santa Ana resident, born and raised in the city. She is the eldest of seven siblings and grew up in a working-class immigrant family with parents from Sinaloa, Mexico. De Anda spent much of her childhood in Section 8 housing in Santa
2026 Santanero Questionnaire
Daniel Shimell, 40, is an attorney who has lived in Santa Ana since 2020. Originally from El Cajon, Shimell grew up as an only child with a father who worked in sales and technical writing and a mother who was a registered nurse before leaving the workforce after he was
2026 Santanero Questionnaire
Alejandra Rodriguez, 40, is a lifelong Santa Ana resident, born and raised in the city. She grew up in a family of four with hardworking parents and one sibling, and credits her mother’s involvement in her education—from chaperoning field trips to attending school events—with influencing her own
2026 Santanero Questionnaire
Isuri S. Ramos, 33, is a lifelong Santa Ana resident, born and raised in the city. The daughter of Mexican immigrants, Ramos grew up on Minnie Street in a family that relied on public transportation and city services and, at one point, lost its home. Ramos says Santa Ana’s
ElectioNite
Sandra De Anda, an immigration advocate and one of the directors of the Orange County Rapid Response Network, announced her campaign for Santa Ana City Council's Ward 4 seat in a Thursday social media post. "Santa Ana deserves leadership that will stand up for its people, not
ElectioNite
A step-by-step (unofficial) guide on running for office in Santa Ana.
Only the top-two will advance in state and federal races, while nonpartisan candidates with 50% plus one win outright.