20 (30)
Susana Barrios
From:Angeles Ochoa Carmona <aochoa@occord.org>
Sent:Tuesday, May 7, 2024 4:35 PM
To:Public Comment
Subject:\[EXTERNAL\] Council Meeting 5/7 Public Comment
Attachments:Anaheim City Council 5_7_24 Public Comment - Google Docs.pdf
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Good evening,
Attached you can find my public comment for the Council Meeting tonight.
Best,
--
Angeles Ochoa Carmona
Digital Organizer
aochoa@occord.org
www.occord.org
1505 E 17th St, Suite 122, Santa Ana, CA 92705
1
Good evening Councilmembers and City Mayor,
My name is Angeles Ochoa and I am the Digital Organizer with Orange County Communities
Organized for Responsible Development (OCCORD). I am writing to express my profound
disappointment in the recent decision to approve the Disneyland Forward project on April 16th. I
strongly believe that this decision must be appealed due to the circumstances surrounding it, which
did not uphold a fair and transparent democratic process. Additionally, I want to stress the
importance of a rehearing.
Many residents remain opposed to this proposal due to the lack of sufficient information and their
awareness of the numerous negative impacts it will have on their community. Unfortunately, on the
day of the vote, the public comment section was influenced by Disney lobbyists, who arrived at City
Hall well before 3 pm. Their early arrival effectively blocked many residents from entering the City
Council Chambers, where they hoped to voice their concerns.
The logistics of the public comment process were also marred by confusion and discouragement.
City Hall staff made it difficult for residents to obtain speaker cards, and police presence around City
Hall was unnecessarily hostile towards community members who showed up to express their
views–unlike the treatment towards Disney lobbyists who were even escorted by the police. 15
community residents organized by OCCORD, many of whom reside on Walnut St, a community who
is being displaced due to redevelopment projects such as Disneyland Forward, showed up to voice
their opposition. Only ONE of them was able to give public comment, as many were placed at the
end of the queue, only to be called close to 11 pm, when they had already left. Unlike Disney
lobbyists and business owners, these residents do not have the privilege to stay late hours at City
Hall. It's concerning how the queue system worked that night, as numerous individuals who arrived
after our community residents and submitted public comment cards were called before them, which
didn't seem fair at all.
It is particularly disheartening to note the overwhelming support for the Disneyland Forward
Proposal from business owners and middle-class residents, while working-class residents, who will
be most affected by the project's problems, weren't heard that night. The subsequent 7-0 vote in favor
of the project by the City Council does not accurately reflect the sentiments of the Anaheim working
class community. Had the vote been based on transparent and fair public comment, it would have
been evident that the majority of actual Anaheim residents present were against making a decision
that night, in contrast to the paid Disney lobbyists who advocated for approval.
I urge you, as our elected representatives, to appeal the vote on the Disneyland Forward project and
to ensure that the voices of all Anaheim residents are heard and considered in future deliberations.
Sincerely,
Angeles Ochoa