Thank you and good afternoon, everyone. Doesn’t it feel great to be back together again?! I have a lot to share with you today, but before I get started, I’d like to welcome Garden Grove’s very own Charade Dance Academy, here to perform “Better Together!” Let’s give them a big round of applause!

Thank you to Charade Dance Academy for that outstanding performance!

This year, along with thanking the Garden Grove Chamber of Commerce for coordinating my annual address, I’d like to congratulate and thank Cindy Spindle, outgoing Garden Grove Chamber President and CEO, on her recent retirement and outstanding years of service to our local businesses. I’m happy to know that she’s already enjoying her retirement!

I’d also like to take a moment to introduce some very special people in the audience, starting with my beautiful wife Manivone, and my two handsome, smart, and talented sons, Jaden and Ashton.

The World’s Cutest Mayor for the Day, Raegan Phengdara.

La Palma Councilmember Marshall Goodman, aka: Ras MG from Sublime and The Long Beach Dub Allstars.

And, last but not least, Bradley Mayo aka: Knowmadik.

Over the last year, our city has been on a winding road to recovery. We’ve made significant progress to put the pandemic behind us, but our destination still lies ahead. During this time, Garden Grove’s focus has been on ensuring a safe and sound passage. For us, it’s all about the journey that begins with healing and strengthening our minds and bodies and celebrating our extraordinary spirit of community.

Key to successfully accomplishing this meaningful journey is the incredible support of my City Council colleagues who have been personally committed to our community’s return to health and wellbeing. My deepest thanks to:

  • Mayor Pro Tem District 3 Deidre Thu-Ha Nguyen
  • Council Member District 1 George S. Brietigam III
  • Council Member District 2 John R. O’Neill
  • Council Member District 4 Patrick Phat Bui
  • Council Member District 5 Stephanie Klopfenstein
  • Council Member District 6 Kim Bernice Nguyen

My thanks as well to our City management team for leading City operations that provide programs, services, and resources vital to achieving a successful recovery:

  • City Manager Scott Stiles
  • Assistant City Manager Maria Stipe
  • Assistant City Manager and Community and Economic Development Director Lisa Kim
  • Police Chief Tom DaRé
  • Orange County Fire Authority Division Chief Ron Roberts
  • Community Services Director John Montanchez
  • Finance Director Patricia Song
  • Human Resources Director Laura Stover
  • Information Technology Director Anand Rao
  • Public Works Director Bill Murray.

Prior to the pandemic, 1 in 10 adults in the United States reported having symptoms of anxiety or depression. In the early part of the pandemic, that number rose to 4 in 10.

While some issues associated with the pandemic, such as social restrictions and rising unemployment have been overcome, many mental health professionals agree that the deeper impacts of COVID-19 could remain for a very long time.

Realizing the importance of providing more accessible and responsive mental health services to all members of the community, particularly to our more vulnerable homeless population, the City launched the “Be Well OC in Garden Grove Mobile Response Team.” Let’s learn more about this unique program and that big blue van!

Be Well OC in Garden Grove

Since the program’s inception, the team has responded to a total of 1200 calls for service. 85% of the calls did not require patients to be transported to other services, and 56% of the calls did not require involvement from the police department. My deepest appreciation to Police Chief Tom DaRé and Community and Economic Development Director Lisa Kim for introducing this wonderful program to our city!

The “Be Well OC in Garden Grove Mobile Response Team” and other services geared to assist individuals experiencing homelessness, often associated with mental health, are part of the City’s Comprehensive Strategic Plan to Address Homelessness. The plan outlines the City’s long-standing efforts to reduce homelessness by creating a 5-year roadmap for solving short- and long-term impacts of the pandemic and identifying alternative solutions to end homelessness.

During the last quarter alone, the City allocated over 1.3 million dollars to provide programs and services to more than 16,000 individuals experiencing homelessness or at-risk of becoming homeless.

One of the strategic actions outlined in the 5-year plan is the development of a navigation center. A navigation center is a referral-based, temporary shelter that helps individuals experiencing homelessness regain stability, connect to essential support services, and access stable and permanent housing options.

The Garden Grove City Council recently approved a memorandum of understanding with the cities of Fountain Valley and Westminster as a first step towards exploring the development of a future navigation center in our city. My thanks to the Cities of Fountain Valley and Westminster for their commitment to help end homelessness in Orange County. To find out more about the City’s current and future efforts directed to homelessness, visit ggcity.org/endhomelessness.

Staying physically healthy and fit at the height of the pandemic posed difficult challenges for us all but spurred an amazing trend towards health-consciousness in our daily routines that Garden Grove has helped provide.

At the start of 2022, Garden Grove celebrated the grand opening of our first Sprouts Farmers Market at Pavilion Plaza West on Chapman Avenue. This healthy grocer inspires wellness by focusing on wholesome, innovative products that offer organic, plant-based, and gluten-free ingredients. Take a closer look at how we’re all about eatin’ good in the neighborhood!

2022 Sprouts Grand Opening

Other businesses coming soon to Pavilion Plaza West include The Habit, Jersey Mike’s, and Ulta Beauty.

In 2020, dozens of water wells throughout Orange County, including Garden Grove, were temporarily shut down after the State of California lowered the Response Level advisories for chemicals that make up PFAS. PFAS are a group of man-made chemicals used for over 70 years in a variety of industries worldwide that due to their prolonged use, are being detected in water sources across the United States.

To ensure that the City’s water supply remains safe, reliable, and above drinking water standards, the City of Garden Grove, in collaboration with the Orange County Water District, became one of the first cities in Orange County to operate a PFAS treatment facility. West Haven Well 21 is the first of four upcoming treatment plants in Garden Grove, with a second facility now at Haster Basin that filters PFAS from the groundwater. Kudos to Public Works Director Bill Murray and his water services team!

As more and more people are taking to the great outdoors to relax, exercise and enjoy many of the amenities that were restricted during the pandemic, the City placed heightened efforts on obtaining grant funding to improve what our local parks have to offer. These include:

A 6-million dollar grant by the California Department of Parks and Recreation from Proposition 68, for Woodbury Park, to install a new walking trail, outdoor fitness equipment, recreational swimming pool, two playground areas, picnic shelters, a skate spot, basketball courts, and more.

A Proposition 68 Per Capita Grant for a new playground and picnic shelter at Magnolia Park. Congratulations to District 2 Councilmember John O’Neill!

One million dollars from Senator Lou Correa’s relief funds for improvements to Haster Park, Jardin de los Niños, and Westhaven Park. Special thanks to District 6 Councilmember Kim Nguyen!

And a 1.3 million dollar Garden Grove Park playground and picnic shelter improvement project, currently in the works, funded by Community Development Block Grant and Park Fee funds. Great news for Mayor Pro Tem Deidre Thu-Ha Nguyen!

My thanks also to Community Services Director John Montanchez, Community Services Manager Janet Pelayo, and the Community Services Department for all their efforts!

Despite the difficult times we’ve faced, our best defense against the pandemic has been our spirit of community. It’s our energizing lifeforce that’s kept us united, inspired, compassionate, positive, and enthusiastic, and deepened our love for this very special city.

One way we celebrated our spirit of community was through the Garden Grove Strong heroes’ recognition.

Approximately 40 individuals from each of our city districts, nominated by the community for their selfless actions during the pandemic, were honored by the Garden Grove City Council.

Among the honorees’ heroic acts of service were: donating and distributing meals, PPE, and personal care products to the community; providing emergency childcare for essential workers; and volunteering at COVID-19 testing and vaccination clinics. It was a privilege to recognize these community heroes!

Shout out to Nailing It for America, Bracken’s Kitchen, Operation Be Kind, Patti Widdicombe, and many others!

Another Garden Grove hero who personified the meaning of community spirit, like his five fallen police brothers who came before him, was Police Lieutenant John Reynolds. During this year’s Garden Grove Police Department Call to Duty Memorial, Garden Grove honored Lieutenant Reynolds with the unveiling of his memorial plaque. His profound spirit, along with that of Sergeant Myron L. Trapp, Officer Andy Reese, Officer Donald F. Reed, Officer Michael Rainford, and Master Officer Howard Dallies Jr. will live forever in the minds and hearts of our community.

This year marked the long-awaited return of the Garden Grove Strawberry Festival and parade! As with all other strawberry festivals, credit for Garden Grove’s largest and most iconic community event, deservedly goes to the Garden Grove Strawberry Festival Association. What a great way to showcase Garden Grove’s unwavering spirit of community and hometown pride!

Before we celebrated strawberries, we celebrated open streets! This year also marked the highly-anticipated return of our Re:Imagine Garden Grove Open Streets event! Thousands of attendees left their cars at home to walk, bike, and ride 2.2 miles of open Garden Grove roads, enjoy family activities, and even watch some great Lucha Libre.

2022 Open Streets

Huge thanks to District 4 Councilmember Patrick Phat Bui for hosting a significant part of that route! And, also to World Power Wrestling owner Martin Marin and his amazing crew!

At last year’s State of the City, I talked about economic forecasters predicting that California’s post-pandemic economy would re-bound at a “euphoric” pace. However, the leisure and hospitality sectors were expected to lag.

After taking a brutal 28-million-dollar loss in Transient Occupancy Tax due to a 70% drop in tourism during the pandemic, our TOT is starting to show steady increases, marking a return of tourism to Southern California. While our TOT numbers are not yet at pre-pandemic levels, May’s numbers were the highest we’ve seen for that month in the last five years! Our TOT estimate for Fiscal Year 2021/2022 is expected to come in at around 22.5 million dollars.

Recently, the City received the remaining half of its 48-million-dollar American Rescue Plan Act allocation, needed for Capital Improvement Projects that were delayed due to financial losses from the pandemic. These projects will include major infrastructure and facility improvements. Hats off to Finance Director Patricia Song and her outstanding Finance team for their tremendous work and financial expertise!

Hand-in-hand with our financial wellness is economic development. Most of our current development projects experienced little interruption from the pandemic and continued to move closer towards accomplishing significant milestones.

For example, a top-of-the-line Le Meridien by Marriott and Kimpton Hotel are anticipated to break ground on a 4.3-acre site in the Grove District – Anaheim Resort later this year.

Nearby, plans move forward for a Nickelodeon Resort, while the Great Wolf Lodge is remodeling over 100 of its non-themed rooms into Wolf Den family suites. Also in the resort area, Raising Cane’s is now open for business.

On Harbor Boulevard south of the 22 Freeway, the Home2 Suites by Hilton, offering a salt-water pool, is slated to open this summer.

On the south side of Garden Grove Boulevard near Brookhurst Street, Garden Brook Senior Village is nearly complete with a grand opening coming soon.

And, on the north side, our largest mixed-use project, Brookhurst Place, will enter its next development phase offering 120 apartment homes.

At the corner of Brookhurst Street and Garden Grove Boulevard is the future site of a proposed 50-unit residential development with nearly 19,000 square-feet of medical office and retail space. My congratulations to Dr. Michael Dao and thanks for all of your philanthropy in our community!

In West Garden Grove, Phase II of West Grove Center includes the renovation of a bowling alley, the addition of a Starbucks, and other retail and restaurants. Nearby, Valley View Center is ready to welcome new tenants, along with a renovation of the former Coco’s site for a new restaurant, Estrada’s Grill. Huge compliments to District 1 Councilmember George Brietigam!

And today, I have the pleasure of announcing the first tenants of Cottage Industries, an innovative project in the civic center area featuring unique eateries, shops, and more within repurposed Craftsman homes.

They are:

Congratulations to District 5 Councilmember Stephanie Klopfenstein on this great new civic center addition! Stay tuned for Cottage Industries opening announcements coming soon.

Another project recently launched that relies on the community’s participation is the Civic Center Community Engagement effort. Members of the community can take part in exploring and providing feedback for improving public amenities in the civic center area that includes replacing the outdated police department facilities. To learn more about this project and provide your ideas, visit ggcity.org/civic-center.

Bringing strength, healing, and support to the minds, bodies, and spirits of others has been the work of many in our city. To end this year’s program, I’d like to highlight one very special group, for which this has been a natural calling…

Support Canine Program in Garden Grove

From Garden Grove to Uvalde, Texas, our support canines, Misha and Nellie, along with School Resource Officers Patrick Julienne and Derek Link, have brought amazing joy, comfort, healing, and support to students, educators, families and so many others.

But instead of me telling you, I think they would like to show you...

On behalf of the City of Garden Grove, thank you all for attending. Please feel free to come up and visit with our canine therapy team, following a closing announcement by the Garden Grove Chamber of Commerce. Until next year, stay strong Garden Grove!