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Roman Reyna
Roman Reyna was the nonpartisan Ward 4 member of the Santa Ana City Council in California. Reyna was elected to the office on November 6, 2018. He stepped down on March 1, 2019, as part of an agreement to avoid a civil trial related to election fraud charges.[1] Click here for more information.
Reyna was also the District 8 representative on the Orange County Water District in California from 2015 to 2016. Reyna was first appointed by the Santa Ana City Council in 2015. District 8 is one of three seats appointed by the city councils of Anaheim, Fullerton, and Santa Ana.[2]
Reyna previously represented Ward 5 of the Santa Ana City Council in California. He was elected to the council in 2012 and served until December 2016.[3] Reyna was defeated in the general election on November 8, 2016.
Although elections for the Santa Ana City Council are officially nonpartisan, Reyna identifies as a member of the Democratic Party, according to his candidate Facebook page.[4]
Campaign themes
2014
On his campaign website, Reyna highlighted the following issues:[5]
Small business
- Excerpt: "Whether it’s working to support and grow local small business by ensuring City Hall resources are streamlined and efficient as possible; building stronger partnerships with the SBA’s local Small Business Development Center at City Hall; or keeping larger businesses like the Auto Mall and multiple property owners engaged and investing in Santa Ana, Roman knows it will take more than just a handful of businesses to keep Santa Ana’s economy not only balanced, but thriving in today’s recovering economy."
Youth
- Excerpt: "Roman has always made working for Santa Ana’s youth his priority. For over twenty years, Roman has worked tirelessly to serve THOUSANDS of Santa Ana youth and parents to provide equal access to high quality programs that help build self-esteem and empower our youth to get involved in their local community and help plan our future."
Public safety and fiscal responsibility
- Excerpt: "When State leaders voted to abolish Redevelopment and steal $5,000,000 from the City’s resources, Roman worked tirelessly with his colleagues to help balance the budget and made tough decisions to ensure that the City and its residents were impacted as little as possible. One of those decisions was transferring Fire Services to the Orange County Fire Authority. Although this change wasn’t easy, Roman and his colleagues worked to ensure that as few employees as possible were laid off, and that the men and women who protect our homes and businesses retained their benefits."
Elections
2018
General election
General election for Santa Ana City Council Ward 4
Roman Reyna defeated Phil Bacerra in the general election for Santa Ana City Council Ward 4 on November 6, 2018.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ |  | Roman Reyna (Nonpartisan) | 55.8 | 29,863 |
 | Phil Bacerra (Nonpartisan) | 44.2 | 23,613 | |
| Total votes: 53,476 | |||
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2016
The city of Santa Ana, California, held elections for mayor and city council on November 8, 2016. The filing deadline for candidates who wished to run in this election was August 12, 2016. Three of the six city council seats were up for election.[6]
Juan Villegas defeated incumbent Roman Reyna in the general election for the Ward 5 seat on the Santa Ana City Council.[7]| Santa Ana City Council, Ward 5 General Election, 2016 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
 Juan Villegas |
54.79% | 35,187 |
| Roman Reyna Incumbent | 45.21% | 29,035 |
| Total Votes | 64,222 | |
| Source: Orange County Elections, "Official Results for Election," accessed December 7, 2016 | ||
2014
The city of Santa Ana, California held elections for mayor on November 4, 2014. The filing deadline for candidates wishing to run in this election was August 8, 2014. Incumbent Miguel Pulido defeated Mark Lopez and Santa Ana city council member Roman Reyna.[8][9][10]
| Mayor of Santa Ana, 2014 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Miguel Pulido Incumbent |
50.2% | 16,608 | |
| Roman Reyna | 34.6% | 11,447 | |
| Mark Lopez | 15.1% | 5,000 | |
| Total Votes | 33,055 | ||
| Source: Orange County Elections - 2014 General Election Results | |||
Endorsements
2014
In 2014, Reyna's endorsements included the following:[11]
- Mayor Pro Tem, Sal Tinajero, Santa Ana City Council, Ward 6
- Council Member Michele Martinez, City of Santa Ana, Ward 2
- Council Member Angelica Amezcua, City of Santa Ana, Ward 3
- Council Member David Benavides, City of Santa Ana, Ward 4
- Board Member John Palacios, Santa Ana Unified School District
- Valerie Amezcua, Candidate for Santa Ana Unified School District, Parent, Probation Officer
- Phil Bacerra, City of Santa Ana Planning Commissioner
Noteworthy events
Resignation following election fraud settlement (2019)
On March 1, 2019, Reyna resigned as part of a settlement in a civil suit with Phil Bacerra, a 2018 candidate for Santa Ana City Council Ward 4. Bacerra filed the suit in November 2018, alleging that Reyna was ineligible to run for election in 2018 and submitted a false declaration of candidacy because Reyna lived outside of Ward 4.[1] "At the time papers were issued to Reyna to run for Ward 4, Reyna had not been a resident of Ward 4 for 30 days. He was not eligible to be a candidate in Ward 4," the lawsuit read.[12] Reyna disputed the claims.[13]
See also
- Santa Ana, California
- Municipal elections in Santa Ana, California (2016)
- United States municipal elections, 2016
- Santa Ana, California mayoral election, 2014
- United States municipal elections, 2014
- Government of Orange County, California
- Municipal elections in Santa Ana, California (2018)
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Voice of OC, "Roman Reyna Resigns From Santa Ana City Council," March 1, 2019
- ↑ Orange County Water District, "Service area & board of directors," accessed September 28, 2016
- ↑ City of Santa Ana, "Ward 5," accessed December 17, 2014
- ↑ Facebook, "Roman4CityCouncil: About," accessed November 2, 2016
- ↑ Roman Reyna 2014, "Roman's Causes," accessed October 3, 2014
- ↑ Orange County Registrar of Voters, "Election Results Archives," accessed September 16, 2021
- ↑ City of Santa Ana, "City Elections," accessed August 16, 2016
- ↑ City of Santa Ana, "City Elections," accessed March 10, 2014
- ↑ City of Santa Ana, "2014 Official Candidate List," accessed August 27, 2014
- ↑ Orange County Elections, "2014 Unofficial Election Results," accessed November 4, 2014
- ↑ Roman Reyna 2014, "Endorsements," accessed October 3, 2014
- ↑ Superior Court of Orange County, California, Phil Bacerra v. Roman Reyna, December 4, 2018
- ↑ Voice of OC, "Santa Ana Councilman’s Removal Trial Postponed as He Negotiates Deal," January 23, 2019
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