The Santanero

08/20/2026

The Santanero is relaying this emergency alert information as the California Highway Patrol has activated an AMBER Alert on behalf of the Los Angeles Police Department for 4-year-old Selah Tillary.

MISSING CHILD:
Selah Tillary, 4
• 3’0”, 45 lbs
• Black hair, brown eyes
• Last seen wearing a white tank top, blue sweatpants, and blue checkered shoes

SUSPECT:
Donnel Paige, 23
• 5’9”, 155 lbs
• Black hair, brown eyes
• Last seen wearing a white shirt and black clothing

According to the alert, Selah Tillary and Donnel Paige were last seen on August 19, 2026, at approximately 11:00 a.m. in Los Angeles, Los Angeles County. Paige is believed to be on foot.

🚨 IF SEEN, CALL 911 IMMEDIATELY.

08/18/2026

We’re asking the community how they remember 9/11 for an upcoming newsprint project.

Where were you on 9/11? Who were you with? How did your day start, like routines and such? How did you learn about it? How did it affect you? How did you explain what was happening to your child(ren)? Did you know what was happening or did it take a moment to set in? Were classes cancelled? Which churches held mass?

All of these details will be incredibly helpful. Much of the archive that exists did not detail much of the local Santa Ana scope (including Daily Pilot, OC Register and LA Times). However it is our understanding that the Register still printed and worked out from the building on Grand, where several extras were printed in the thousands. Some of these are in The Santanero’s archive collection.

The first plane struck at 5:43 AM Pacific Time to give you an estimate how when the attacks began and what time it was here at home.

Anyone with photographs or home VHS footage from that day or shortly afterward is welcome to share with us. If you developed film strips from that day or afterward in relation to the terror attacks that aren’t scanned, we can scan them at no cost.

“I was only five months old at the time. My mom, who was already at work in the early hours, tells me my grandma and grandpa were on the way to Norms on Main and 17th. My mom watched 9/11 unfold from the breakroom.” – Daniel Diaz, Editor & Publisher of The Santanero

07/29/2026

AMBER ALERT — 07/29/2026 3:26 PM (RIDGECREST, CA via CHP)

This Child Abduction Emergency alert has been activated by the CHP on behalf of the Ridgecrest Police Department.

Maximus, Kaiser, and Hailee Roman were last seen on July 29, 2026, at approximately 11:30 AM, in Ridgecrest, Los Angeles County. Roman-Garcia is believed to be driving a 2014 gray Honda Accord, CA license plate 9RUN898. IF SEEN, CALL 911.

07/24/2026

Santa Ana Police have confirmed that community ICE watcher "Julz" was cited and released for an alleged violation of California's vandalism law following a Friday morning arrest outside the Federal Building.

Supporters say the incident involved sidewalk chalk, though SAPD has not confirmed that allegation. The case has sparked questions about transparency, the application of California's vandalism law, and its discouraging impact on community ICE watchers.

Police confirmed an alleged vandalism citation but not the underlying conduct. ICE watchers say it involved sidewalk chalk, calling the arrest an overreach intended to discourage community members from monitoring ICE activity.

07/07/2026

Thinking about running for local office?

The process begins months before Election Day and involves meeting eligibility requirements, filing official paperwork, and qualifying for a place on the ballot. But act fast, as the filing window opens July 13.

A step-by-step (unofficial) guide on running for office in Santa Ana.

06/30/2026

The U.S. Supreme Court has reaffirmed that the Fourteenth Amendment guarantees birthright citizenship for nearly all children born in the United States, rejecting President Donald Trump's effort to restrict the right through Executive Order 14160.

The Court concluded 6-3 that children born in the United States are citizens under the Fourteenth Amendment regardless of whether their parents are undocumented or temporarily present in the country, reaffirming more than a century of constitutional precedent.

CORRECTION: An earlier version of this post incorrectly stated that the U.S. Supreme Court's decision in Trump v. Barbara was decided by a 5-4 vote. We regret the error and have since corrected the article. WASHINGTON, D.C. — In one of the most consequential constitutional decisions in

06/19/2026

Thousands of Santaneros took to the Bristol and McFadden and Downtown’s Calle Cuatro to celebrate México’s win over South Korea on Thursday.

📝+🎥: Daniel Diaz/The Santanero

06/17/2026

Mayor Valerie Amezcua and Councilmember Johnathan Ryan Hernandez were the only elected officials to address the police shooting death of 15-year-old Jaden Michaca during Tuesday’s Santa Ana City Council meeting.

The teen was killed in a police shooting Sunday night after officers responded to a reported domestic disturbance at the 3400 block of South Main Street. Police said Jaden was armed with a knife. The investigations remain ongoing.

Hernandez offered condolences to Michaca’s family and questioned whether more could be done to help and de-escalate situations involving children in crisis, while saying he would respect the ongoing investigations.

Amezcua spoke about the role of families in keeping young people engaged and away from violence, arguing that parents ultimately bear responsibility for their children’s actions and that city officials are limited in what they can do.

The video above shows both electeds comments uncut and transcript is available on our website at santanero.org.

🎥: City of Santa Ana YouTube Channel

06/02/2026

See live election results as they come through on our website. We’ll also be posting race calls on our Instagram and Facebook stories.

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05/06/2026

The Santa Ana City Council voted unanimously Tuesday night to approve a new ordinance regulating self-checkout operations in retail drug stores, marking a major shift in how stores like CVS and Target may operate self-service kiosks in the city.

The ordinance establishes new staffing and operational requirements aimed at reducing retail theft, improving customer safety, and easing workloads on employees supervising self-checkout lanes. The ordinance goes into effect 30 days after the second reading at the next city council meeting.