Mayor's Welcome

May is National Bicycle Safety Month, and the Garden Grove Police Department is encouraging more people to get active and bike ride safely.

“Bicycling is a great means of transportation and recreation, and everyone deserves to ride to their destination safely,” Garden Grove Police Chief, Amir El-Farra said. “Let’s look out for one another and share the road.”

During May’s Motorcycle Safety Awareness Month, the Garden Grove Police Department reminds drivers to always look twice for motorcycles. Safe riding and driving practices and shared responsibility from all road users will help everyone get to their destination safely.

“Motorcycles may be difficult to spot, so be extra careful before changing lanes,” Garden Grove Police Chief Amir El-Farra said. “Motorcycle riders do not have the same protections drivers and passengers do. Please share the road with motorcycles and drive safe.”

The City of Garden Grove announces the availability of funding for its JOBS 1st program, which provides zero-interest loans of up to $50,000 and grants of up to $25,000 to eligible businesses that create or retain jobs. The program was originally implemented in June 2020 to assist local businesses that were negatively impacted by COVID-19.

Great things are happening in the City of Garden Grove. When our Police Chief, Tom Dare retired, Deputy Chief Amir El-Farra was ready to take over and lead the Department forward. Congratulations Chief El-Farra, and thank you for your service Chief Dare. GGTV3 Reporter Breanna Greenup files this report. And Garden Grove takes care of our seniors. The staff at the H. Louis Lake Senior Center is serving up lunch and a lot of great activities for the mature crowd. Some of the members at the Center also enjoy volunteering to help out. GGTV3 Reporter Angela Cranon has the story.

The City's Garden Grove Day Camp program is moving to a new location! This year’s Garden Grove Day Camp will be held at Edgar Park, located at 12781 Topaz Street. Open to youth ages 5 to 12, day camp runs Mondays through Fridays, from 7:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m., June 12 through August 11. Participants may sign up for the entire 9-week program or on a week-by-week basis at ggcity.org/daycamp.

A complete listing of camp weeks, excursions, and fees follows:

The California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA) and the United States Department of Agriculture discovered Huanglongbing, also known as HLB or citrus greening disease, in Garden Grove and other Orange County cities.

The disease is spread by a pest called the Asian citrus psyllid, a small insect that feeds on citrus tree leaves, which causes a bacteria, called Huanglongbing, to spread. If a tree is infected, it can die in as little as five years.

HLB kills citrus trees and has no cure. The disease is not harmful to humans or animals.

The Garden Grove Police Department encourages the public to celebrate Cinco de Mayo responsibly by planning ahead and designating a sober driver. On Friday, May 5, 2023, from 4:00 p.m. to 2:00 a.m., the Garden Grove Police Department will have additional officers on patrol looking for drivers suspected of driving under the influence of alcohol and/or drugs.

From Monday, May 8 through Sunday, May 21, 2023, the public is encouraged to vote for their favorite Garden Grove homes nominated during the home beautification program, Garden Grove Gems. To vote, visit the Garden Grove Gems webpage at ggcity.org/gems.

Homes will be categorized by their respective Garden Grove voting districts, for a total of six districts. The public will vote for their favorite home for each district.