Mayor Reveals “Garden Grove Magic” Driving City’s Success at State of the City Event
Today, Garden Grove Mayor Steve Jones delivered his annual State of the City address before a packed house at the Hyatt Regency Orange County. This year’s program themed, “Garden Grove Magic,” focused on the City organization and community as the driving force behind a number of successful City endeavors, and included performances by a recognized world champion magician.
“As you can tell, today is all about the magic—the Garden Grove magic! It’s what we see every day in our City organization and in our Garden Grove community. And it comes from the hearts and minds of many creative, dedicated, and spirited people who have a super natural passion for this city,” said Mayor Jones.
Opening the program with a video featuring returning and new members of the Garden Grove City Council, the mayor introduced magician Johnny Ace Palmer, for his first of several feats of magic.
A second video highlighted how Garden Grove is attracting younger audiences to the community through art, music, technology, and food. Describing the City organization as a “team with a strong bench,” the video referred to the recent appointments of City Manager Lisa Kim and Police Chief Amir El-Farra as finding the best candidates from within the organization, rather than through an external search.
The video also focused on how the City is addressing the homeless crisis through innovative projects that include the upcoming Central Cities Navigation Center; the recent announcement of Orange County’s first street medicine program, made possible through a unique partnership with CalOptima Health, and Healthcare in Action; and the City’s first supportive housing project, Stuart Apartments.
Turning to the City’s tourism outlook, Mayor Jones announced the City’s TOT, or hotel tax revenues, expecting to reach a record-breaking $27 million by the end of June 2023. Mayor Jones attributed the economic resurgence of the Grove District resort area to the “resiliency and hard work of our valued hotel partners, and all those involved in promoting our city and its attractions.”
Mayor Jones also introduced a new online software system called GG Ready that streamlines the building permit process.
The final video expanded on the success of the Grove District with the future addition of a Nickelodeon Resort, along with 4-star hotels Le Meridien, and the Kimpton. Also, the upcoming openings of the Home2 Suites by Hilton, located south of the Garden Grove SR-22 Freeway, and the Garden Brook Senior Village. Other project mentions included plans for a new Garden Grove Police Department headquarters; new amenities coming to several local parks; and the City’s Organics Recycling program with Republic Services.
A copy of the mayor’s complete speech along with photos and videos are available on the City of Garden Grove website at ggcity.org/state-city-2023.
