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Public Comment
From:senadanielcano <senadanielcano@gmail.com>
Sent:Tuesday, August
To:Public Comment
Subject:\[EXTERNAL\] Supporting Little Arabia
Warning: This email originated from outside the City of Anaheim. Do not click links or open attachments unless you
recognize the sender and are expecting the message.
As someone who was born and raised in Anaheim, and spent the majority of my life in D2 living next to Little Arabia, I
fully support a formal designation of Little Arabia District in Anaheim. The Arab/Arab-American community in Anaheim is
an important and beautiful community in our City. Many of my friends and my parents friends are of Arab descent, as
well as many of our neighbors.
Not only would a formal designation bring in more tourism and therefore economic profit to the City of Anaheim, but
the City of Anaheim would be demonstrating its acceptance and support to the robust Arab community orgs, school(s),
mosque(s) and businesses along Brookhurst.
Little Arabia is undisputedly the heart of West Anaheim. It connects us to Little Saigon to the west and to the freeways
to the east. Little Arabia has been bringing life to the Brookhurst corridor, our neighborhoods and to the City, for over a
decade, by contributing to the social, cultural and economic landscape of our City.
Many media sites including NPR, LA Times, Fox News, KCET have recognized Little Arabia. It's also been recognized by
many tourist sites even by Visit Anaheim. An official designation as a cultural site could help businesses in the Little
Arabia District continue to grow, which in turn helps strengthen the local economy and be a marker of pride in our City.
Little Arabia is a beloved cultural district in Anaheim. According to a 2021 poll by the Immigration Policy Center at UC
San Diego, more than 75% of Anaheim residents who visited Little Arabia District approve of its designation. As a
location of many immigrant-owned small businesses, the recognition of Little Arabia as a cultural and business district
will uplift the entire West Anaheim community.
Further, many businesses in Anaheim are still recovering from the COVID-19 pandemic and government-ordered
shutdowns. Providing this cultural and economic district with a formal designation will improve and aid all businesses,
ultimately assisting Anaheim's recovery.
Thousands of visitors, shop, dine, worship, and celebrate within the vibrant ethnic community of Little Arabia, located
on Brookhurst Street between Crescent and Katella Avenue. The Arab-American community has contributed to the
economy and culture of Anaheim by opening restaurants, cafes, ethnic grocery stores, clothing stores, hair salons,
mosques and churches, and other destinations for those wishing to experience Middle Eastern culture.
Therefore I urge you to support the formal designation of Little Arabia. There is no excuse not to.
We must begin by acknowledging the area as Little Arabia, and we must celebrate the Arab American community who
have persevered, invested, and cultivated a thriving area that we know as Little Arabia.
Sent from my iPhone
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