27 (06)
Susana Barrios
From:Ivon Peña <ipena@occord.org>
Sent:Tuesday, October 28, 2025 2:53 PM
To:Public Comment
Subject:\[EXTERNAL\] Public Comment- Item 27
Attachments:Public Comment for Item 27 Gate Tax Ivon Peña, Interim Co-Executive
Director, OCCORD 10_28_2025.pdf
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Hello,
Please find my public comment for tonight's council meeting attached below. Thank you.
Best,
Ivon
--
Ivon Peña
ipena@occord.org
https://www.occord.org/
1505 E 17th St. Suite 122, Santa Ana, CA 92705
Interim Co-Executive Director
1
Item 27 Public Comment – Ivon Peña, Interim Co-Executive Director, OCCORD
Anaheim City Council Meeting – October 28, 2025
Good evening, Mayor and Councilmembers.
My name is Ivon Peña, and I serve as the Interim Co-Executive Director of OCCORD (Orange
County Communities Organized for Responsible Development.)
For nearly twenty years, OCCORD has worked alongside Anaheim families to ensure that the
people who make this city run, our residents, workers, and neighborhood leaders, also share in
its prosperity.
Tonight, I’m here to urge you to place the proposed Tourism and Parking Tax measures on the
November 2026 ballot and give Anaheim voters—not corporations—the right to decide.
Every day, our communities feel the strain of a city budget stretched thin. Parks go unrepaired,
housing becomes less affordable, and youth programs disappear, all while billion-dollar
entertainment corporations like Disneyland, the Honda Center, and Angel Stadium benefit from
city resources without paying an admissions or parking tax and continue to raise prices.
That’s why this measure matters. It’s about fairness, accountability, and community
reinvestment.
A modest 3% Tourism Tax on ticket sales and a 10% Parking Tax on large private lots could
generate up to $160 million each year for Anaheim’s General Fund. But let’s be clear—our
support for this measure comes with a call for responsibility:
This new revenue must go back to the community, not to expand already oversized police
budgets.
Anaheim residents deserve to see these funds invested in:
● Affordable housing and pathways to homeownership,
● Green spaces and parks that families can safely enjoy,
● Youth programs and libraries that strengthen our neighborhoods, and
● Infrastructure improvements that make our city more livable and sustainable.
We know what happens when new revenue comes in– it is often claimed by departments that
already receive the largest share of the budget. As community advocates, we will continue to
ensure that this money uplifts working families, not deepens inequality.
A 3% tax would add just $4.50 to a $150 Disneyland ticket—a small amount for visitors, but a
transformational investment for our residents/communities.
Cities like Seattle, Cleveland, and Chicago already use similar taxes to reinvest in people and
neighborhoods. Anaheim deserves the same.
And to be clear, this is not a vote to impose a tax tonight—it is a vote to let the people of
Anaheim decide in 2026 whether corporations that profit most from this city should finally
contribute their fair share.
On behalf of OCCORD and the communities we serve—from Guinida to Pauline Street to
Ponderosa—I urge you to move these measures forward. Let’s ensure Anaheim’s economic
engine works for everyone—not just a few corporations—and that the revenue it generates truly
comes home to the people.
Thank you.
Ivon Pena, Interim Co-Executive Director, OCCORD