01 & 14 (170)Public Comment
From: Nancy Graner <
Sent: Monday, April 26, 2021 12:16 PM
To: Harry Sidhu (Mayor); Jose Moreno; Stephen Faessel; Jordan Brandman; Jennifer Diaz;
Avelino Valencia; Trevor O'Neil
Cc: Public Comment
Subject: The Cultural Arts Building - Anaheim Ballet (Save Anaheim Arts)
Good morning Mayor Sidhu and City Council Members.
I'm sending this email to urge you to support and approve Housing Authority Agenda Item 1 and City
Council Agenda item 14 that will be before you on Tuesday, April 27.
The Cultural Arts building is a valuable community asset and should be preserved and protected. Yes
it doesn't appear on any lists or historic resources, but it is none the less a valuable and loved facility.
10 years ago no one considered mid century homes "historic". Now they are widely considered
among the most precious and revered resources in a city's housing stock. So to with the Cultural Arts
building. As is pointed out in the staff report this building has served multiple uses and has served the
community of Anaheim for over half a century. It is now home to the Anaheim Ballet, an organization
that has provided a much needed service to youth of our community for over 20 years.
Let me acknowledge that we do need senior housing, no one is denying that fact. However, we also
need space for non-profit service providers and community groups to engage the community in
general and the youth of Anaheim in particular. The Cultural Arts building and the Anaheim Ballet do
just that. Surely there must be a way to accomplish both goals: provide affordable senior housing and
preserve this valuable city asset while continuing
to provide a home to the Anaheim Ballet so they can continue their much needed and widely support
programs engaging Anaheim's youth.
The 2 items on your agenda covering this issue would give staff and city leadership time to consider
options and allow the Anaheim Ballet to continue their programs. The community has already shown
widespread support for both the preservation of the Cultural Arts Building and for the Anaheim Ballet.
With Covid-19 restrictions being lifted and activities opening up again after a very long hiatus we need
this program and programs like it more than ever. And we need assets like the Cultural Arts building
which provide homes for these services.
With a concerted effort and cooperation between city staff, elected officials, non-profit providers, and
the community there's no doubt a "best case scenario" can be achieved. Please support Housing
Authority Agenda Item 1 and City Council Agenda Item 14 and buy us the time to do just that.
Nancy Graner
Open Heart r
Open Mind
Be Humble
Be Kind