Andy's Updates is back in its monthly form, sharing news about all aspects of the Anaheim community. Thanks for tuning in!
This week's issue includes:
- COVID-19 update
- Remembering 9/11
- Hope for the homeless
- Redistricting
- Win an eBike!
|
|
COVID-19: encouraging trends, challenges ahead |
The summer 2021 wave is showing some signs of easing with lower growth in weekly cases for the past few weeks.
We hope this marks a peak, but it’s still too soon to tell. We’re watching for any rise in cases among kids back in classrooms and in the wake of the long Labor Day weekend.
It’s great to be free of the restrictions of the past year, but we all still need to be COVID smart.
The first and best thing you can do: get vaccinated, if you're not already. Vaccines are safe, effective and widely available. Check out Anaheim.net/vaccines for more.
Yes, vaccinated people can still be infected. But the rates of infection are a fraction of those for the unvaccinated, with less spread and nearly always only mild cases.
Ultimately, vaccines are our only way out. We don’t have to think about polio, measles, hepatitis B, whooping cough and other conditions because of high rates of vaccination for those diseases. We need to get to the same place with COVID-19.
We’re all sick of masks, but wear them where required and consider them in indoor public spaces and other areas of concern.
And opt for outdoors when getting together with others.
The last thing we want is to go back to the days of school and business closures, with all the devastating impacts to our economy and our daily lives.
So do your part by getting vaccinated, getting a booster when it's available and by taking basic precautions to put COVID behind us for good.
|
|
9/11: Anaheim marks 20 years |
If you lived through it, it still seems like yesterday.
The horror, tragedy and heroism of Sept. 11, 2001, are forever etched into our minds.
On Saturday, Sept. 11, 2021, Anaheim will mark the 20th anniversary of the terrorist attacks with a moving video presentation on AnaheimTV and the city’s social media.
The video presentation includes remarks by Anaheim Fire & Rescue Chief Pat Russell, Anaheim Police Chief Jorge Cisneros and Mayor Harry Sidhu.
The video ceremony honors the 343 New York Fire Department firefighters, 71 police officers and all 2,977 lives lost on 9/11.
We call out one loss that hit home here in Anaheim: Charles “Chic” Burlingame, pilot of American Airlines Flight 77 that crashed into the Pentagon after being overtaken by hijackers.
Burlingame grew up in Anaheim, graduated from Anaheim High School in 1967 and was an Angels fan until the day he died. Sadly, he was on his way to Anaheim to celebrate his birthday at an Angels game the following day.
We’ll also take you to an Anaheim fire station to be part of a yearly memorial ceremony observed by all fire stations in our city.
Then we’ll show you the last alarm bell ceremony for fallen firefighters and the laying of a wreath in memory of all lost that day.
You can tune in for our video ceremony at 9 a.m. on Saturday, Sept. 11, on channel 3 for Spectrum cable TV subscribers and at the city of Anaheim’s Facebook page and YouTube channel.
|
|
Buena Esperanza brings hope to the homeless |
Anaheim and partner Jamboree Housing recently celebrated the grand opening of Buena Esperanza, a groundbreaking affordable housing project providing 69 beautiful apartments for formerly homeless residents, veterans and those with mental health struggles.
Buena Esperanza transformed an outdated Econo Lodge motel that had outlived its usefulness on La Palma Avenue in west Anaheim into much-needed permanent supportive housing that benefits both those who need a place to live and the surrounding community.
The first of its kind in Anaheim and Orange County, Buena Esperanza was made possible thanks to Anaheim's innovative Motel Conversion Program, approved by the City Council in 2019. It paves the way to convert outdated and underutilized motels into affordable housing.
The completely renovated, Spanish-style building includes 69 fully furnished studio apartments with kitchenettes, as well as common areas, onsite laundry, barbecues and a community kitchen, as well as office space for social workers and other supportive services.
Many residents have already moved in, including a full-time onsite property manager, with room preference given to Anaheim residents experiencing homelessness.
Buena Esperanza is a model for similar projects at the county and state level, as well as future motel conversions in Anaheim.
Anaheim Housing Authority is looking into other projects to bring to underutilized motels in the future to bring more housing for low-income and homeless residents.
|
|
The final 2020 Census results are almost ready, and they’ll give us the latest picture of Anaheim’s community. The data includes population numbers as well as information on demographics, socioeconomic status and more.
So now it's time to take another look at our City Council districts. Anaheim is made up of six districts, each with its own elected representative. We launched this district model in 2016.
Every 10 years, when the Census counts come out, cities engage in the redistricting process. Our current districts are based on data from 2010, so this is a chance to update them based on the new numbers.
We're kicking things off by launching a dedicated redistricting website and hosting several community meetings.
-
Wednesday, Sept. 8: 6:30-8:30 p.m., virtual via Zoom (link coming soon)
-
Saturday, Sept. 11: 10 a.m.-noon, West Anaheim Youth Center, 320 S. Beach Blvd.
-
Saturday, Sept. 11: 2-4 p.m., Ponderosa Park Family Resource Center, 320 E. Orangewood Ave.
-
Wednesday, Sept. 15: 6:30-8:30 p.m., Sunkist Branch Library, 901 S. Sunkist St.
-
Thursday, Sept. 16: 6:30-8:30 p.m., Brookhurst Community Center, 2271 W. Crescent Ave.
-
Monday, Sept. 20: 6:30-8:30 p.m., East Anaheim Community Center, 8201 E. Santa Ana Canyon Road
And head over to AnaheimRedistricting.org to find information on how the process works, how to get involved, upcoming meetings, FAQs and more!
|
|
Do you drive an electric or plug-in hybrid vehicle?
Enter our video contest for a chance to win an eBike!
Anaheim Public Utilities is looking for EV drivers to submit a short video showing the best parts of going electric.
Emission-free transportation helps keep our city green, and we want to spread the word about how awesome it is to drive an EV.
Submit your video online by Oct.3. We'll choose a winner on Oct. 5.
All entries will be entered to win a gift card to a local store or restaurant, and one grand prize winner will get a new eBike.
Click here to enter the We Drive EVs video contest now.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
