By Brooklynn Wong
While some in the city are opposed to Anaheim First, the Town Hall Meetings the nonprofit has been holding the last couple of Wednesdays have been popular.
Anaheim First was founded recently after the election of Mayor Harry Sidhu early this year.
Sidhu has said, “When I ran for Mayor, walking door to door talking with residents, what I heard most was a desire for City Hall to focus on neighborhoods. That’s the mission and vision of this program—to put residents first, give them a voice in their community, and support them by investing $250 million in our neighborhoods over the next ten years.”
There has been significant outcry against Anaheim First from some residents and community activists who think this large quantity of money would be better spent elsewhere, or that the group is too partisan in nature, too closely tied to Mayor Sidhu or to Disney.
However the City Council voted in April to support “the 2030 Neighborhood Investment Program” and to partner with Anaheim First, and to fund its first $250,000.
So Anaheim First has been given the initial go-ahead to proceed with its goals.
The initial phase of that has been holding Town Hall Meetings in each district, to begin to get an idea of the neighborhood investments that residents desire.
District 1’s meeting took place at the end of August, and District 2’s was last Wednesday at the Brookhurst Community Center.
Over 100 residents showed up to that one for a brief open house and large group gathering, which included a short address from the Mayor, then an hour-long small group activity where they wrote and stuck stickers on a blown-up map of the district, identifying the projects that were important to them. The last part of the evening was then devoted to a large-group discussion, where each small group gave a report, and questions were answered.
PlaceWorks, a community planning firm with 44 years of experience implementing programs to improve the quality of life across the state—including Anaheim’s Beach Boulevard Specific Plan—along with Arellano Associates, a community outreach firm, are working together to conduct the community assessment.
Residents who are unable to attend the Town Hall Meeting in their district also have the option to take a survey at AnaheimFirst.org to make known how they would improve their neighborhood.
Anaheim First’s end goal is the implementation of the 2030 Neighborhood Investment Program. Their efforts will take ten years, so for now, they are working to set the foundation for ongoing, long-term projects.
This summer they gathered initial data and launched the project website. This fall they are conducting round one of the Town Hall Meetings and generating a list of potential projects and investments, and will consult with the city on approaches and costs.
In Winter 2020 they will hold another round of Town Hall Meetings to review the results of the initial assessment.
Then in winter and into the spring of 2020, they will host a community-wide open house to share their recommendations prior to City Council hearings, and will then present a Community Assessment to the City Council for approval.
They will establish a tracking process to keep people posted on the progress of the improvements.
The initial Town Halls continue now through October 2.
District 3’s meeting is tonight (Wednesday, September 11), then they wrap up over the next three consecutive Wednesdays. The schedule is as follows:
-District 3
Wednesday, September 11
5:30-8:30 p.m.
The Ebell Club: 226 N Helena St.
-District 4
Wednesday, September 18
5:30-8:30 p.m.
Ponderosa Library: 240 E Orangewood Ave.
-District 5
Wednesday, September 25
5:30-8:30 p.m.
Calvary Baptist Church: 2780 E Wagner Ave.
-District 6
Wednesday, October 2
5:30-8:30 p.m.
East Anaheim Community Center: 8201 E Santa Ana Canyon Rd.
