27 (05)
Susana Barrios
From:Angeles Ochoa Carmona <aochoa@occord.org>
Sent:Tuesday, October 28, 2025 2:36 PM
To:Public Comment
Subject:\[EXTERNAL\] 10/28/25 Council Meeting Item #27 Public Comment
Attachments:Item 27 Public Comment - 10_28 Council Meeting.pdf
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Good afternoon,
Please see attached.
--
Angeles Ochoa Carmona
Digital Organizer
aochoa@occord.org
www.occord.org
1505 E 17th St, Suite 122, Santa Ana, CA 92705
1
October 28, 2025
Agenda Item #27 Public Comment
Dear Mayor and Councilmembers,
I am writing as the Digital Organizer with OCCORD to express my strong support for Item 27 – the
Tourism and Parking Tax measures. Through my work, I work closely with Anaheim residents in our
Neighborhood Unions — families in the Guinida, Pauline Street, and Ponderosa neighborhoods — who
are fighting for safer streets, affordable housing, and stronger community services.
Every day, these families feel the strain of a city budget that struggles to meet basic needs. We need a
budget that reflects the people who make Anaheim run – residents, workers, and neighborhood leaders –
so they can finally share in the prosperity they help create. That’s why the Tourism and Parking Tax
measures matter.
Right now, Anaheim’s largest entertainment venues – Disneyland, the Honda Center, and Angel Stadium
–- benefit from our roads, public safety, and the everyday labor of our residents. Yet Anaheim collects no
ticket or parking tax from these venues. Disneyland alone attracts over 27 million visitors a year, and the
City receives revenue only from sales tax on food and merchandise – not from ticket sales. Meanwhile,
our neighborhoods face broken sidewalks, aging parks, and rising rents.
The proposed Tourism and Parking Taxes would change that – by adding a modest 3% on ticket sales and
10% on paid parking at major venues. Together, these measures could generate up to $160 million every
year for Anaheim’s General Fund – without raising costs for residents. A 3% tax adds only $4.50 to a
$150 Disneyland ticket – barely noticeable to visitors, but transformative for Anaheim neighborhoods.
But let me be clear:
This revenue must go into community needs – not into expanding policing.
Residents already see how much of our General Fund is consumed by police spending, while community
services and programs fall behind and families face increasing instability. Real safety comes from stable
housing, safe public spaces, and strong youth programs – not from over-policing our neighborhoods.
In 2022, when Anaheim considered a 2% gate tax, opponents raised concerns that the tax could force
ticket price increases. Yet even without any tax, Disneyland has continued to raise ticket prices year after
year, and the City still receives no revenue from admission sales–meaning residents bear the costs while
the companies benefit.
These types of taxes are not new — and they work. Seattle collects a 5% admissions tax to support arts
and culture. Cleveland’s 8% and Chicago’s 9% taxes fund essential public services. Anaheim’s 3%
proposal is far more modest by comparison, but because of the scale of our tourism economy, it would
still deliver extraordinary benefits.
And to be clear, this is not a vote to impose a tax tonight. It is a vote to let Anaheim voters decide whether
corporations should finally contribute their fair share. This is about fairness, transparency, and democratic
accountability.
Our Neighborhood Unions expect to see a city that invests in them as much as it invests in tourism. On
their behalf, I urge you to move these measures to the November 2026 ballot so residents – not special
interests – have the final say.
Let’s ensure Anaheim’s economic strength lifts everyone – not just the few at the top.
Thank you,
Angeles Ochoa Carmona
Digital Organizer
Orange County Communities Organized for Responsible Development (OCCORD)