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Orozco, Norma From: Ginette Sanchez <ginettesanchez@yahoo.com> Sent: Tuesday, March 21, 2023 3:25 PM To: eComment Subject: Downtown merchants Good afternoon mayor Amezcua and city council members. My name is Ginette Sanchez, I am a proud Latina Merchant in the downtown I have two businesses centro naturista (natural supplements, and gigis dance studio . I am here tonight to talk about a few of many problems that we have here in the downtown. We all know the ongoing OCTA construction impacted our businesses and some unfortunately went out of business. But I truly feel that these changes began a few years back and let me explain to you why. I started to notice less and less people were filling the streets of downtown, my longtime customers not coming back. When some of them did return I would ask why don't they come as often as before ?The response and feedback is always everything is different, everything has changed, I didn't think you were still in business, and we don't feel welcomed anymore . That breaks my heart to hear my customers say that, they feel as if they're not good enough anymore to come back and that's not ok with me and it shouldn't be with you either. The big question is why do people feel that way right?And mainly our Latino community our events have been pushed back to flower street . Fiestas patrias, noche de altares, 5 de mayo fair is completely gone . And I wanna know why our Latino community has been marginalized?Some people even say they feel discriminated by these changes.Just these two events were a huge success and would bring the majority of the community and outside people to the downtown . Mr jonathan Hernandez your a culture guy I hear you all the time talk about Chicano events and black history month but what about our Latino community?Why are we not reaching out to them our neighbors they are literally two three streets away our local residents . Why are we not interested in them anymore ! We are hardworking merchants that came to open business to provide for our families we do not want free money. We just want to work, but you have taken our tools away.The downtown is a ghostown. How are we suppose to stay afloat when you have destroyed that ?We didn't do it?You guys did . YOU DID IT, NOW YOU HELP US FIX IT ! Solutions I bring a few maybe you guys have more, bring back our Latino community, reach out to them .They are the very essence of the downtown that's what is was known for. Bring back fiestas patrias, noche de altares, 5 de mayo fair to downtown . Start promoting our businesses I get this all the time I thought you were gone or out of business. People think we are closed . And just stop the sabotages and just let us work. We have gone thru enough already. We are here to stay ! We aren't going anywhere ! We are gonna fight to be here we deserve to be here ! We worked hard to be here i In conclusion we need the city to take action now ! Our lives depend on it ! I invite you all to come to the downtown walk and see for yourselves . Our businesses were thriving before . We would produce revenue for the city. But how the hell are we gonna provide revenue after all that we have been thru ! You guys allowed the changes, the damage has been done now help us fix it ! Thank you i