General (22)
Susana Barrios
From:Marina Mondragon <mmondragon1322@outlook.com>
Sent:Tuesday, July 14, 2026 4:59 PM
To:Public Comment
Subject:\[EXTERNAL\] Request for Review of Community Event Permitting Process
You don't often get email from mmondragon1322@outlook.com. Learn why this is important
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.
Good evening, Mayor, Councilmembers, and City Staff,
My name is Marina Mondragon, Founder of the Anaheim nonprofit Wings of Kindness/Alas de Bondad.
I've had the opportunity to meet many of you over the years, and I know many of you believe in our mission of
connecting Anaheim families with the resources they need.
I grew up in Anaheim. As a child, my family lived in motels, and I watched my single mother struggle to access
the resources we needed just to survive. Those experiences gave me a lifelong purpose: to remove barriers
and make resources more accessible to families in our community.
My husband and I also own Mondragon Family Market, a neighborhood business that has served Anaheim
since 1978. Through our business and our nonprofit, we have built trusted relationships and worked to create
a safer, more connected neighborhood.
This is our fourth year hosting free community resource fairs because the need in Anaheim continues to be
significant.
I am writing because we have been working on permits for our July 24 community resource fair for several
months, and we still do not have final approval to close a small portion of the street for a two-hour event.
Throughout the past four years, the permitting requirements have changed from event to event. This year has
presented the greatest challenge. For a two-hour street closure, we have been required to fund a $2,200 trust
account, pay permit application fees, rent barricades from a private contractor, and pay for six hours of traffic
control labor.
What has become confusing is that I have been told other neighborhoods have been able to use City-owned
barricades for similar community events without incurring these additional costs. If that information is
accurate, I would simply like to understand why that option has not been available to our organization. If there
are existing partnerships or City programs that support these events, we would appreciate the opportunity to
participate.
We are not asking for special treatment. We pay our permit fees, we pay for required services, and we follow
every requirement that is given to us.
What we are asking for is a transparent, consistent, and predictable permitting process so organizations like
ours know exactly what is expected from the beginning.
1
This issue extends beyond our organization. We have built partnerships with nonprofits, small businesses, and
donors who trust us to deliver backpacks, food, school supplies, health resources, and other essential services
directly to families. We are also contacted by organizations that have funding and programs available but
struggle to bring those resources into neighborhoods or connect with the families they are intended to serve.
We are proud to help bridge that gap.
For these reasons, I respectfully request that the City review how our permitting process has been handled,
clarify why the requirements have changed from one event to the next, and consider developing a transparent
and streamlined process for recurring nonprofit community resource events.
We remain committed to hosting four free community resource fairs each year because the need is there, and
we look forward to continuing to partner with the City of Anaheim to serve our residents.
Thank you for your time, your consideration, and your continued commitment to our community.
Respectfully,
Marina Porras Mondragon
Executive Director, Wings of Kindness Alas De Bondad
??????? marina@wingsofkindnessalasdebondad.org
Secretary, Mondragon Family Market
Cell: (714) 309-8607
"A dream is a vision possible to become true." – MM
CONFIDENTIAL: This email and any files transmitted with it are confidential and intended solely for the use
of the individual or entity to whom they are addressed. If you are NOT an authorized recipient, you are
prohibited from using, delivering, distributing, printing, copying, or disclosing the message or content to others
and must delete the message from your computer. If you have received this message in error, please notify the
sender by return email.
2