Ted R Moreno

Santa Ana Councilman Ted R. Moreno created some political turbulence Friday in the Democratic race for the 69th Assembly District when he said he would vote for a proposed initiative to bar illegal immigrants from public hospitals and schools. Moreno, who made the comment during the taping of a KOCE-TV candidates debate, reversed his position several hours later, explaining he "misspoke" and that he had not had a "full understanding" of the initiative.

Citing the defendant's cooperation, federal prosecutors Thursday took the highly unusual step of dropping extortion charges against a former Santa Ana City Council candidate who helped them crack a complex political corruption scheme orchestrated by a former councilman. The surprise move, which both prosecutors and the judge described as extraordinary, brings to a close a case that has reverberated across the city's political landscape for three years.

The race for Orange County's 69th Assembly District seat has barely begun, but already some local Democrats say Santa Ana Councilman Ted R. Moreno has stumbled out of the starting blocks. In recent days, local politicos have wondered aloud about the 26-year-old Democrat's role in the 1992 congressional campaign of Rep. Jay C. Kim, the Diamond Bar Republican under federal investigation for alleged violations of campaign, labor and tax laws.

Former Santa Ana Councilman Ted R. Moreno, convicted of extortion and money-laundering in a scheme to take control of the City Council, was sentenced to nearly five years in federal prison Wednesday after making a tearful speech in which he said his goal was to keep gays out of the city. Acknowledging his misdeeds for the first time, Moreno explained that he sought money from an FBI informant so that he could gain a majority on the City Council and stop what he saw as Santa Ana's moral decline.

69th Assembly Race--The news quiz column last Monday incorrectly described allegations being made in the Democratic primary by candidates Ted R. Moreno and Zeke Hernandez. Hernandez claims Moreno offered him $10,000 to drop out of the race; Moreno claims Hernandez illegally tape-recorded telephone conversations. Both candidates deny the allegations, and the district attorney is investigating.

Criminal assault charges will not be filed against City Councilman Ted R. Moreno, the district attorney's office said Wednesday. Councilman Brett Franklin filed a complaint last month that Moreno had shoved him during a break in the Feb. 17 council meeting after a contentious public hearing. Deputy Dist. Atty. Sheila Hanson said "there was insufficient evidence to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that Mr. Moreno intentionally assaulted Mr. Franklin."

The government can introduce as evidence grand jury testimony by former Santa Ana Councilman Tony Espinoza in the corruption case against him and two other political allies, a federal judge ruled Monday. Attorneys for Espinoza had tried to throw out the bulk of his statements on the grounds that they were tied to a plea agreement that was later voided when Espinoza pleaded not guilty. U.S.

Prosecutors in the political corruption trial of Santa Ana Councilman Ted R. Moreno said Friday they will call a witness to testify that the politician solicited a bribe eight years ago. Assistant U.S. Atty. John Hueston told the court he will call Don Blankenship, former president of the Santa Ana Police Officers' Assn., to give evidence in the final stages of the trial next week.

A federal grand jury Tuesday returned an updated indictment against Santa Ana Councilman Ted R. Moreno and two others in an alleged scheme to extort campaign contributions and launder the money in the city's 1996 elections. The revised charges come after prosecutors announced in U.S. District Court in Santa Ana last month that they would be dropping one of the extortion counts against Moreno.

MIGUEL A. PULIDO JR. Pulido was first elected to the City Council in 1986 after helping his father fight city plans to tear down the family's Ace Muffler Shop for a redevelopment project. * Age: 42 * Residence: Santa Ana * Education: B.S., mechanical engineering, Cal State Fullerton, 1980. * Career highlights: Elected to council, 1986; elected mayor, 1994 and 1996. Serves on Santa Ana Redevelopment Agency. Member, Pacific Symphony Orchestra board of directors.

A former Santa Ana councilman convicted of extortion and money-laundering in a scheme to take control of the City Council was sentenced Wednesday to nearly five years in federal prison after making a tearful speech in which he said his goal was to keep gays out of the city. Acknowledging his misdeeds for the first time, former Councilman Ted R. Moreno said hesought money from an FBI informant so that he could elect a majority on the City Council and stop what he saw as Santa Ana's moral decline.

Federal prosecutors will ask that former Santa Ana Councilman Ted R. Moreno spend nine years behind bars for a political corruption scheme aimed at taking control of the City Council, according to court documents filed Thursday. Calling the politician "fully unrepentant," the U.S. attorney's office filed a sentencing position imploring a judge to ignore calls for leniency made by Moreno's supporters.

A federal judge on Monday sentenced former Santa Ana City Councilman Tony Espinoza to one year of probation and 250 hours of community service for lying to investigators probing a scheme to take control of the council. Espinoza, the second of four defendants to be sentenced in the case, pleaded guilty earlier this year to one felony count of lying to federal investigators. Calling the case a "tragedy" for the community, U.S. District Judge Gary L.

While controversies have stirred the political pot in three Orange County cities in recent months, they seem to have had only modest impact on local municipal races. In Yorba Linda--an upscale community that endured a year of legal wrangling with former City Manager Arthur C. Simonian--council candidates at most are asking voters to bring civility and accountability back to City Hall.

A federal judge agreed Friday to release Santa Ana Councilman Ted R. Moreno from jail until his December sentencing on political corruption charges, but only after he agreed to reside outside Orange County. Moreno will live under electronic "house arrest" with his sister in the northern San Diego County town of Vista--a point required by prosecutors who feared the suspended councilman might somehow lash out at colleagues at City Hall.

A federal judge agreed Friday to release Santa Ana Councilman Ted Moreno from jail until his December sentencing on political corruption charges, but only after he agreed to reside outside Orange County. Moreno will live under electronic "house arrest" with his sister in the San Diego suburb of Vista--a point required by prosecutors who feared the suspended councilman might lash out at colleagues at City Hall.

A court date has been set to consider a defamation of character lawsuit filed by Santa Ana Councilman Ted R. Moreno against a former political opponent. After the two sides failed to resolve the issue during a mandatory settlement conference, Superior Court Judge Thomas N. Thrasher Sr. on Friday set April 8 as the court date.

A federal judge on Monday sentenced former Santa Ana City Councilman Tony Espinoza to one year of probation and 250 hours of community service for lying to investigators probing a scheme to take control of the council. Espinoza, the second of four defendants to be sentenced in the case, pleaded guilty earlier this year to one felony count of lying to federal investigators. Calling the case a "tragedy" for the community, U.S. District Judge Gary L.

Placentia Councilwoman Maria Moreno will have her name on the November ballot despite missing the city's filing deadline, an Orange County Superior Court judge ruled Wednesday. Superior Court Judge Linda Sheldon rejected a lawsuit filed by four other candidates for the City Council, upholding a lower court ruling that Moreno should be allowed on the Nov. 7 ballot even though she turned her reelection papers into the city clerk three days late.

Santa Ana City Councilman Ted Moreno went down fighting, as you'd expect of this cocky and bullheaded politician. He also went down virtually alone, with no organized support from the community he claimed to champion during his two controversial terms. Moreno's conviction on corruption charges this week derails the career of an ambitious man who pushed hard--way too hard--for more Latino representation in Santa Ana. Yet the news of his demise caused scarcely a ripple in Latino power circles.