Candidate for
Mayor; City of Santa Ana

Since he was first elected to the Santa Ana City Council in 1986, Mayor Miguel Pulido has been a major force in the renaissance and redevelopment of the City. He is currently serving his fourth term as Mayor and has proven to be a leader, not only within the community, but regionally and nationally. Mayor Pulido has focused his efforts on improving the quality of life for all Santa Ana residents. During his years in office the City has experienced a 60 percent reduction in crime, an increase in home values, a rise in the number of business licenses, an enhancement of the economic opportunities for the private sector, an overall revitalization of the City's infrastructure and an expansion in social and culture venues.

Under Mayor Pulido's leadership, the City of Santa Ana has benefited from a tremendous growth in economic opportunities. As a result of his advocacy efforts, the City of Santa Ana was designated an Enterprise Zone by the State of California in 1993 to promote business growth and job generation by offering state tax credits and highly valuable incentives to businesses. To date, nearly 10,000 hiring tax credits have been awarded to Santa Ana firms. Mayor Pulido has also taken a lead role in facilitating business opportunities in the global economy. In 1999, he spearheaded the Orange County International Trade Center Advisory Council's efforts to bring together various partners to develop a strategy for assisting local businesses with international trade. In 2001, Mayor Pulido established the International Business Center and negotiated with President Fox to open Mexico's first trade center in the United States. He was also appointed by the President to serve on the Federal Inter-Governmental Policy Advisory Committee on Trade, where he provides advice to the United States Trade Ambassador.

Mayor Pulido has been a major champion of the arts and culture movement. He formed the Mayor's Task Force on Arts and Culture which has been instrumental in the development of the Artists Village, a section of the Downtown area which includes theatres, galleries, and performance venues. Placing an emphasis on education, Mayor Pulido brought in California State University Fullerton's graduate arts program and facilitated the relocation of the Orange County High School of the Arts into Santa Ana. Furthermore, Mayor Pulido led the City's effort to locate the Discovery Science Center in the Museum District and aggressively pursued the construction of the $128 million Ronald Reagan Federal Building and Courthouse in the Civic Center. He also serves on the Bowers Museum Board of Directors and is currently working on a $10 million expansion of the Museum to accommodate the first ever permanent exhibit of the British Museum, which he helped negotiate with the British Museum in London.

During the Mayor's tenure, the City has also seen the rebirth of our community spirit while maintaining a strong commitment to our historical heritage. Despite two decades of phenomenal population growth (more than 70 %), 57 neighborhood associations have been formed to reflect a strong community presence. The partnerships that Mayor Pulido and the Council have fostered between these groups and City Hall have resulted in greater participation by Santa Ana residents in government issues and an increased quality of life in their neighborhoods.

More importantly, Mayor Pulido secured Federal Empowerment Zone status for some of the City's most disadvantaged neighborhoods, delivering federal funds to build capital, increase employment and to provide needed services to these residents. Governor Gray Davis also appointed Mayor Pulido to serve on the State of California Workforce Investment Board to further employment opportunities, and job training and retention issues.

One of the greatest accomplishments during Mayor Pulido's term has been the significant decrease in crime. The City has experienced a 64 percent decrease in crime over the last decade and is at its lowest rate since 1963. Santa Ana is the safest city among the 100 most populated cities in the United States, and the Santa Ana Police Department has gained national recognition for its leadership on community-oriented policing. Mayor Pulido has focused on recruiting and retaining a highly skilled police force and led the City's efforts that resulted in the construction of a new state-of-the-art police facility in 1997. As part of his public safety commitment, the Mayor is a strong advocate of after-school programs such as Project Pride, and has sought to improve our City parks and recreation programs by leveraging State and Federal grant opportunities.

Mayor Pulido also represents Santa Ana on regional issues such as transportation and has served on the Orange County Transportation Authority since 1997 where he is a leader on projects such as Centerline, and local street and road improvements. Other leadership positions include service as a board member of the Community Commerce Bank, the Caltrans Management Information System Advisory Committee, Pacific Symphony, Discover Science Center, and the UCI Foundation.

Mayor Miguel Pulido was born in Mexico City in 1956. He holds a Bachelor's Degree in Mechanical Engineering from California State University, Fullerton. He and his wife, Laura, are the proud parents of two sons, Miguel Robert and David Andrew; and a daughter Isabel.