Community jubilant as stretch of Anaheim Street gains designation from city.
07/03/2007
By Hanna Chu, Staff writer
Long Beach Press Telegram (Long Beach, Calif., USA)
LONG BEACH - After lengthy discussion and several public comments, the City Council voted 8-1 to designate the stretch of Anaheim Street between Junipero Avenue and Atlantic Boulevard as Cambodia Town.
The area houses many Cambodian businesses, and Long Beach is home to about 17,000 Cambodian-Americans, according to the city.
The council, with Councilman Patrick O'Donnell of the 4th District dissenting, approved the cultural designation and strongly urged the businesses to create a business improvement district.
"This is a historical date for us," said Danny Vong, an Anaheim Street property owner.
The BID, which would consist of area businesses and property owners, would generate funds and decide on issues such as security, graffiti removal and sidewalk repair.
Until a BID is in place, the community will not receive any funds from the city.
After the proposal was introduced in October 2006, the Housing and Neighborhoods Committee commissioned a survey that examined responses from property and business owners within the area.
With 27.4 percent of the 387 mailed surveys completed, the survey found that more than 90 percent of respondents were in favor of designating the area as Cambodia Town. They also indicated on the survey that they were willing to pay an annual fee of as much as $100.
O'Donnell and 8th District Councilwoman Rae Gabelich voiced their concerns on funding if the city officially created a Cambodia Town without also creating a BID.
"I believe it's critical to have a BID in place before designation. ... You don't want this to be a second thought and only successful for some," Gabelich said.
Vice Mayor Bonnie Lowenthal of the 1st District said she was not concerned about the impact on general funds.
"The Cambodian New Years' Parade was a huge success without any impact to general funds," she said.
Councilwoman Suja Lowenthal of the 2nd District said requiring a BID first would be unprecedented.
"What they've come to us for is the acknowledgment of their years of commitment to this city and a designation that will allow them to celebrate and market this area," she said.
However, a substitute motion to delay the Cambodia Town designation pending the creation of a BID was rejected.
"They came here from Cambodia looking for hope and freedom, and they got that tonight," said 6th District Councilman Dee Andrews.
The council also unanimously approved naming the new community center as Admiral Kidd Park, 2125 Santa Fe Ave., as "Congresswoman Juanita Millender-McDonald Community Center."
Memorabilia given by the late Democratic Congresswoman's family will also be displayed at the site. Millender-McDonald died on April 21 after serving as a representative of the Long Beach area for more than a decade.
Harvey Cochran had urged the council to approve the name.
"Putting a name on a building simply isn't enough," he said. "It's going to be a really great display and I'm looking forward to it."
The skate park proposal was taken off Tuesday's agenda and will come back later because a number of 5th District youth council members were unable to attend the meeting as a result of Fourth of July.
"The kids started the process together, and they deserve to finish the process together," said 5th District Councilwoman Gerrie Schipske in a written statement.
Schipske had presented six suggestions in the proposal in hopes that the park will treat skateboarding as a sport, discouraging youth from negative activity.
The suggestions were to do away with helmet and pad requirements and $200 citations and improving the quality of signs to let skaters know they're skating at their own risk, among other suggestions.
The current proposal pertains only to El Dorado Park West, but the parks commission could decide to include other skate parks in Long Beach, such as Houghton, Drake and 14th Street.
Hanna Chu can be reached at hanna.chu@presstelegram.com or at (562) 499-1476.
07/03/2007
By Hanna Chu, Staff writer
Long Beach Press Telegram (Long Beach, Calif., USA)
LONG BEACH - After lengthy discussion and several public comments, the City Council voted 8-1 to designate the stretch of Anaheim Street between Junipero Avenue and Atlantic Boulevard as Cambodia Town.
The area houses many Cambodian businesses, and Long Beach is home to about 17,000 Cambodian-Americans, according to the city.
The council, with Councilman Patrick O'Donnell of the 4th District dissenting, approved the cultural designation and strongly urged the businesses to create a business improvement district.
"This is a historical date for us," said Danny Vong, an Anaheim Street property owner.
The BID, which would consist of area businesses and property owners, would generate funds and decide on issues such as security, graffiti removal and sidewalk repair.
Until a BID is in place, the community will not receive any funds from the city.
After the proposal was introduced in October 2006, the Housing and Neighborhoods Committee commissioned a survey that examined responses from property and business owners within the area.
With 27.4 percent of the 387 mailed surveys completed, the survey found that more than 90 percent of respondents were in favor of designating the area as Cambodia Town. They also indicated on the survey that they were willing to pay an annual fee of as much as $100.
O'Donnell and 8th District Councilwoman Rae Gabelich voiced their concerns on funding if the city officially created a Cambodia Town without also creating a BID.
"I believe it's critical to have a BID in place before designation. ... You don't want this to be a second thought and only successful for some," Gabelich said.
Vice Mayor Bonnie Lowenthal of the 1st District said she was not concerned about the impact on general funds.
"The Cambodian New Years' Parade was a huge success without any impact to general funds," she said.
Councilwoman Suja Lowenthal of the 2nd District said requiring a BID first would be unprecedented.
"What they've come to us for is the acknowledgment of their years of commitment to this city and a designation that will allow them to celebrate and market this area," she said.
However, a substitute motion to delay the Cambodia Town designation pending the creation of a BID was rejected.
"They came here from Cambodia looking for hope and freedom, and they got that tonight," said 6th District Councilman Dee Andrews.
The council also unanimously approved naming the new community center as Admiral Kidd Park, 2125 Santa Fe Ave., as "Congresswoman Juanita Millender-McDonald Community Center."
Memorabilia given by the late Democratic Congresswoman's family will also be displayed at the site. Millender-McDonald died on April 21 after serving as a representative of the Long Beach area for more than a decade.
Harvey Cochran had urged the council to approve the name.
"Putting a name on a building simply isn't enough," he said. "It's going to be a really great display and I'm looking forward to it."
The skate park proposal was taken off Tuesday's agenda and will come back later because a number of 5th District youth council members were unable to attend the meeting as a result of Fourth of July.
"The kids started the process together, and they deserve to finish the process together," said 5th District Councilwoman Gerrie Schipske in a written statement.
Schipske had presented six suggestions in the proposal in hopes that the park will treat skateboarding as a sport, discouraging youth from negative activity.
The suggestions were to do away with helmet and pad requirements and $200 citations and improving the quality of signs to let skaters know they're skating at their own risk, among other suggestions.
The current proposal pertains only to El Dorado Park West, but the parks commission could decide to include other skate parks in Long Beach, such as Houghton, Drake and 14th Street.
Hanna Chu can be reached at hanna.chu@presstelegram.com or at (562) 499-1476.
6 comments:
WOW, Great work fellow KHMER!!!
I am proud to see our name in the history of American city.
At least we ordinary Cambodian courage enough to ask the SUPER POWER country (USA) to adopt CAMBODIAN TOWN name in their soil. What about our land in Southern tip VIETNAM? That land orignally was our and still as today but names has been changed but we (KHMER & KHMER KROM) never forget those names. Please keep up the good work fellow Khmers. You are doing great better than those in the government of HUN SEN. This is a first win for us to win over an obstacle but we have much more in Cambodia to tackle. BRAVO TO ALL KHMER+KHMER KROM>
excellent work, hope to see that the town will become very popular in the future
Samdach Hun Sen should be the Prime Minister of Cambodia in Long Beach.comment by Long Saroath
I don't think AH Long Saroath is old enough to understand what is the meaning of Cambodia Town when he is talking about to have AH HUN SEN as Prime Minister in Long Beach! First of all AH HUN SEN is a former Khmer Rouge and a dictator! Second, the reason AH Long Saroath want to mention AH HUN SEN as a leader for Long Beach because he want to kiss up to AH HUN SEN and so when he goes to Cambodia next time and he will receive a better treatment from AH HUN SEN and his thugs! Third, AH Long Saroath can never be leader of any Cambodian people because he had chosen AH HUN SEN dictator already! Finally, AH Long Saroath needs to recognize that he has mentality illness and defect from eating too much salt or inherited from his parent and I am not surprise he is on SSI!
I want to thank the City of Long Beach and to all the people of Long Beach and a special thank to Councilwoman Suja Lowenthal for all the hard work over the years in the creation of Cambodia Town!
Positive things can happen anywhere when people work together!
We, Khmers living in Cambodia, are proud of Cambodia Town in the USA and also proud of you, Khmers in the USA especially in Long Beach.
Good continuation
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