Mailer exploring possible Cambodia Town name lacks mention of the name Cambodia Town.
04/19/2007
By Mira Jang, Staff writer
Long Beach Press Telegram (Calif., USA)
LONG BEACH - The survey was in English, Spanish and Khmer. It was supposed to gauge business and property owners' opinions of a proposed Cambodia Town designation along a stretch of Anaheim Street. But those two words were nowhere in the five-page, 10-question survey.
"I was a little disappointed," said Richer San, one of the proposal's organizers.
Instead, the survey, which was written by a consulting firm hired by the city and mailed last week, asks respondents what they think about a "Culturally Designated Area."
For example:
"Are you in favor of the City of Long Beach officially recognizing a Culturally Designated Area along Anaheim Street from Atlantic Avenue to Junipero Avenue?"
"Do you think that a cultural designation for the Area will increase tourism and/or business activities?"
"If you are a business owner, would you feel comfortable with your business being part of a Culturally Designated Area?"
Travis Brooks, an economic development specialist with the city's Business Development Center, said the survey didn't mention Cambodia Town because that would appear biased.
Supporters of a proposed Cambodia Town are asking the city to designate the stretch of Anaheim Street between Atlantic and Junipero avenues. They say a city-sanctioned area will boost tourism and business and give greater visibility to the biggest hub of Cambodian cultural and economic activities in the country.
But opponents have said any ethnic or racial designation could fuel Cambodian-Latino gang violence and isolate non-Cambodian residents and businesses in the area.
Vice Mayor Bonnie Lowenthal said she would wait for the survey results before rushing to judgment. Surveys are due back April 30.
"I'm not going to bash my city," she said. "I'm very eager to see the results."
City officials and employees of the consulting firm NBS on Wednesday met with business and property owners for a town hall meeting at MacArthur Park to answer questions about the survey.
Some Cambodians asked how they could get another copy because many of them threw it away, assuming that the envelope with the Temecula return address (NBS's location) was junk mail. Those who opened the mail, they said, trashed it because they didn't know what it was for.
"Our people were confused," San said. "Half of them didn't understand it. They wondered why the words `Cambodia Town' were not in there."
The confusion surrounding the survey raises questions about its efficacy and how council members will use it.
At the meeting, Councilwoman Tonia Reyes Uranga asked what would happen if few surveys were returned. There were no plans to do further outreach, Terry Madsen of NBS said. He said his office had already received 20 completed surveys.
NBS wrote and mailed 389 surveys to business and property owners along Anaheim Street between Junipero and Atlantic avenues. Residents in the area did not receive the survey. Half of the survey asks respondents about a culturally designated area, and the other half asks about creating a Property and Business Improvement District, or PBID.
Leaders behind the Cambodia Town effort say it makes more sense to establish the cultural designation first before creating a PBID. They say Cambodians will be more willing to pay into a PBID if they're part of a Cambodia Town.
"This part of Long Beach isn't Belmont Shore," said Karen Quintiliani, an anthropology professor at Cal State Long Beach who is working on a pictorial about the Cambodian community.
"We have to respect the business networks that exist and the different processes."
A big portion of the town hall meeting was devoted to highlighting the benefits of a PBID.
"I was led to believe that it was about Cambodia Town," San said.
But San wasn't surprised by the glowing evaluation of a PBID, which included remarks by a Belmont Shore BID representative who offered to help Cambodians form their own PBID.
"The city has been trying to persuade us to adopt a PBID first, but we have shared with them why we need a designation first," San said. "We've been going back and forth on this."
The ongoing discussion goes back at least several months when former Councilwoman Laura Richardson of the 6th District decided, at the last minute, to nix her proposal for a Cambodia Town designation. Instead, she suggested creating a BID first.
Since then, the matter has been referred to a council committee, which will take up the issue next month once the survey results have been collected.
Mira Jang can be reached at mira.jang@presstelegram.com or at (562) 499-1278.
04/19/2007
By Mira Jang, Staff writer
Long Beach Press Telegram (Calif., USA)
LONG BEACH - The survey was in English, Spanish and Khmer. It was supposed to gauge business and property owners' opinions of a proposed Cambodia Town designation along a stretch of Anaheim Street. But those two words were nowhere in the five-page, 10-question survey.
"I was a little disappointed," said Richer San, one of the proposal's organizers.
Instead, the survey, which was written by a consulting firm hired by the city and mailed last week, asks respondents what they think about a "Culturally Designated Area."
For example:
"Are you in favor of the City of Long Beach officially recognizing a Culturally Designated Area along Anaheim Street from Atlantic Avenue to Junipero Avenue?"
"Do you think that a cultural designation for the Area will increase tourism and/or business activities?"
"If you are a business owner, would you feel comfortable with your business being part of a Culturally Designated Area?"
Travis Brooks, an economic development specialist with the city's Business Development Center, said the survey didn't mention Cambodia Town because that would appear biased.
Supporters of a proposed Cambodia Town are asking the city to designate the stretch of Anaheim Street between Atlantic and Junipero avenues. They say a city-sanctioned area will boost tourism and business and give greater visibility to the biggest hub of Cambodian cultural and economic activities in the country.
But opponents have said any ethnic or racial designation could fuel Cambodian-Latino gang violence and isolate non-Cambodian residents and businesses in the area.
Vice Mayor Bonnie Lowenthal said she would wait for the survey results before rushing to judgment. Surveys are due back April 30.
"I'm not going to bash my city," she said. "I'm very eager to see the results."
City officials and employees of the consulting firm NBS on Wednesday met with business and property owners for a town hall meeting at MacArthur Park to answer questions about the survey.
Some Cambodians asked how they could get another copy because many of them threw it away, assuming that the envelope with the Temecula return address (NBS's location) was junk mail. Those who opened the mail, they said, trashed it because they didn't know what it was for.
"Our people were confused," San said. "Half of them didn't understand it. They wondered why the words `Cambodia Town' were not in there."
The confusion surrounding the survey raises questions about its efficacy and how council members will use it.
At the meeting, Councilwoman Tonia Reyes Uranga asked what would happen if few surveys were returned. There were no plans to do further outreach, Terry Madsen of NBS said. He said his office had already received 20 completed surveys.
NBS wrote and mailed 389 surveys to business and property owners along Anaheim Street between Junipero and Atlantic avenues. Residents in the area did not receive the survey. Half of the survey asks respondents about a culturally designated area, and the other half asks about creating a Property and Business Improvement District, or PBID.
Leaders behind the Cambodia Town effort say it makes more sense to establish the cultural designation first before creating a PBID. They say Cambodians will be more willing to pay into a PBID if they're part of a Cambodia Town.
"This part of Long Beach isn't Belmont Shore," said Karen Quintiliani, an anthropology professor at Cal State Long Beach who is working on a pictorial about the Cambodian community.
"We have to respect the business networks that exist and the different processes."
A big portion of the town hall meeting was devoted to highlighting the benefits of a PBID.
"I was led to believe that it was about Cambodia Town," San said.
But San wasn't surprised by the glowing evaluation of a PBID, which included remarks by a Belmont Shore BID representative who offered to help Cambodians form their own PBID.
"The city has been trying to persuade us to adopt a PBID first, but we have shared with them why we need a designation first," San said. "We've been going back and forth on this."
The ongoing discussion goes back at least several months when former Councilwoman Laura Richardson of the 6th District decided, at the last minute, to nix her proposal for a Cambodia Town designation. Instead, she suggested creating a BID first.
Since then, the matter has been referred to a council committee, which will take up the issue next month once the survey results have been collected.
Mira Jang can be reached at mira.jang@presstelegram.com or at (562) 499-1278.
4 comments:
It may work and residents may value the proposition only if the proponent of designation lead grass root campaign in town hall meeting conducted by own Cambodian leadership.
Suggestion,many oppose because of the elites made decision upon own interests and self serving but not strategic interest.
Cambodians are still angry with insensitive matters over the period.Especially Richer San clan needs to get off white horses and trying walking barefeet to understgand how it felt...
Beware dirty laundry in public between the pro and con will leave more angers and humiliation to all Cambodians across the regions.
Do the right thing that is the right thing to do.
Do not think you are right, not the way to achieve common interest.
Richer San had been doing a good job in promoting Cambodia Town but it is the dirty politic and all the red tape that are in the way!!!
I believe in life there are those people who are against everything!!
I don't why they adopted such behavior in life as if the world is against them!!!I want to ask those people, Why are they so much against Cambodia Town concept that can bring only more positive things than all the bad thing??? The research had been done and showing more positive influence by having such a designated place!!!
Tell me what happen to Little Siagon in Garden Grove!!!!Korea Town! Thai Town! Little Tokyo! Little Italy ... Tell me! The designated place bring more positive influence in all of these places!!!!
Why can Cambodia Town bring a positive influence for the City of Long Beach????Why??? Please don't tell me that Cambodian people are racist people and please don't using scare tactic such gang problem because I had seen it all before!!!!ahahahahahhahh
Why?Because spanish r jaleous of cambodians ppl have nice cars ,business ,restaurants etc...
why? beacuse majority of the city cousels and oversee this proposal are buch of Mexicans. If they are AMerican, we'll definity get a green light along time ago,instead of linger on and on like this and it won't happen. These fucking beaners they will reject this Cambodian Town due to jealousy. We need to have another Cho Seung-Hui running loose to give them a wake up calls then they will pass it.
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