01 & 14 (108)Public Comment
From: Johnny Ramos <
Sent: Saturday, April 24, 2021 4:53 PM
To: Public Comment
Cc: info@anaheimballet.org
Subject: Save The Anaheim Ballet Company And Its Home
Dear City Council,
To hear this not only deeply concerns me but it fills me with a morose sorrow. My great grandparents came from Mexico
and Italy and by chance wound up in beautiful Anaheim in the 1930s. Or at least it was beautiful then. I am only 21, but
I've heard magical stories from my parents of how lively and Electric downtown Anaheim was in the 60s, with its own
mom and pop shops, and specialty stores that have since been replaced by an obtuse and grossly designed grocery store
and the ever so grand "Anaheim Towne Center" with it's very own Jack in the Box. When you tell people you're from
Anaheim you get laughed at, first of all for the crime, and secondly because our city has no culture other than
Disneyland which only a small minority of its citizens can even afford to enjoy. The Anaheim Ballet is renowned in
Anaheim, Orange County, California, and all over the world. It's an institute that has encouraged the arts in our
community and enriched the lives of many young people with talent and dreams to better their lives through the arts,
something this beautiful city is lacking greatly. I have never seen any people doing drugs or living outside of the Anaheim
Ballet Company unlike a lot of establishments I have seen in Anaheim. It is also one of the only older historical buildings
in the downtown area left over with the art -deco architecture style that was prevalent and groundbreaking in the early
20th century, which was a pivotal time in Anaheim's history when Hollywood stars like Gene Autry and innovative
geniuses like Walt Disney were fascinated with the city of Anaheim and wanted to contribute to its business. I ask that
the city reconsiders all of the mistakes they have made thus far, and that they don't make another one in tearing down
and running out the Anaheim Ballet Company. Anaheim Ballet was named the resident ballet company of the city by
Anaheim's City Council in 1997. It's home lies in the heart of Anaheim, in the downtown area, ever since I was a little kid.
Don't take away the Anaheim Ballet's home. Thank you.
-Johnny Ramos