Mayor's Welcome

The annual Black Friday Goes BiGG giveaway offers Garden Grove shoppers a chance to win "BiGG" prizes starting on the biggest shopping day of the year, Black Friday, November 29, 2024 through Thursday, December 19, 2024. For every $50 spent at any Garden Grove business, shoppers will have the opportunity to win cash and prizes! For more information, visit ggcity.org/bigg/blackfriday.

On the Saturday morning of Memorial Day weekend you will usually find some Garden Grove streets temporarily blocked off and a colorful feast for the eyes and ears streaming by. The Garden Grove Strawberry Festival Parade has delighted crowds for over 60 years. A lot of work and planning go in before this parade can go on. GGTV3 reporter Mark Bedor takes a look behind the scenes to see how all of the ingredients come together.

The ribbon is cut as Harbinger officially opens their new headquarters in the City of Garden Grove. Mayor Steve Jones says he is "charged" to welcome Harbinger here and District 1 Councilmember George Brietigam says it is "awesome" to have a business like this come to the City and his district. The company manufactures medium duty electric vehicles and plans to hire around 100 people during the year. The building previously housed the Next Level Sports Complex on Knott Street. GGTV3 reporter Breanna Greenup has the story.

In observance of the Labor Day holiday, Garden Grove City Hall and the H. Louis Lake Senior Center will be closed on Monday, September 2, 2024. Street sweeping services will not be provided on the holiday and will resume the next day. Trash pick-up will be delayed by one day for the remainder of the week.

For more information on street sweeping, please call (714) 741-5382.

The City of Garden Grove is now accepting online applications for sworn and non-sworn positions with the Garden Grove Police Department. The deadline to apply is Thursday, August 29, 2024. To apply online, visit ggpd.org/join.

Job openings for full-time and part-time positions include:
• Police Cadet
• Police Recruit
• Police Recruit – Academy Enrolled
• Police Officer – Academy Trained
• Lateral Police Officer
• Reserve Police Officer – Level I

Yesterday, the City of Garden Grove and the Garden Grove Police Department held a ribbon cutting for the Garden Grove Police Canine Training Facility, a first-of-its-kind in Orange County. A two-year pilot program, the Garden Grove Police Canine Training Facility will provide field training for apprehension dogs as well as support canines for law enforcement agencies in Orange County. The training field is located in Pioneer Park, north of Warren Elementary School, at 12722 Chapman Avenue, Garden Grove.

The City of Garden Grove’s Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) will offer a free 20-hour workshop to train individuals to prepare for and recover from disasters, as well as learn various life-saving skills. The program will be held on Wednesdays, September 11, September 18, September 25, and on Saturday, September 28. Classes will meet from 6:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. on Wednesdays, and 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. on Saturday. To register and for class location, visit www.ggcity.org/cert or email lmorin@ggcity.org.

On Friday, August 16 and Saturday, August 17, the Garden Grove Police Department will conduct a driving under the influence (DUI) checkpoint from 9:00 p.m. to 3:00 a.m. at an
undisclosed location.

DUI checkpoint locations are determined based on data showing incidents of impaired driving-related crashes. The primary purpose of DUI checkpoints are to promote public safety by taking suspected impaired drivers off the road.

The Fall 2024 Garden Grove Parks and Recreation Guide is now available for viewing at ggparksandrec.com. The fall guide provides a number of programs, classes, activities, and special events through Monday, December 30 2024. Residents and visitors are encouraged to register for classes in advance to avoid class cancellations. To view the guide and to register, visit ggparksandrec.com.

The City of Garden Grove has updated its First-Time Home Buyer Program that provides no-interest loans to income-eligible homebuyers looking to purchase a home in Garden Grove. The program now includes a down-payment assistance loan of up to $50,000 for moderate-income households whose household incomes fall below the moderate-income limits in Orange County. For households below the low-income limits in Orange County, the program will continue to offer loans of up to $110,000.