CORRESPONDENCE - WS-A 1 - Laserfiche WebLink

Home Browse Search

Mitre-Ramirez, Norma From: Huizar, Maria Sent: Monday, April 06, 2015 9:12 AM Cc: Cavazos, David; Cortez, Robert; Lawrence, Mark; Flores, Alma; Garcia, Jorge (CMO) Subject: Santa Ana Wellness Corridor - Workstudy Session Categories: Correspondence Mayor and City Council, Correspondence received on the Workstudy Session. -----Original Message ----- From: Michael Weisman [mailto:mike.weisman@me.com] Sent: Saturday, April 04, 2015 12:47 PM To: Huizar, Maria Subject: Santa Ana Wellness Corridor Mr. Mayor, City Manager and City Council Members: In 2000, along side my business partners, I made an investment in the Clty of Santa Ana. For years, our thriving advertising agency had been located only 10 minutes away on the corner of Main and MacArthur in Irvine. We came to Santa Ana because of the promise of a resurgence of a city that had been stagnating economically but beginning to show signs of progress. We brought with us a diverse group of people representing multiple ethnicities, cultures, and creeds. We committed ourselves to live, work and play and give back to the community through an investment of our financial resources, and our time --as members of the Chamber of Commerce, the Arts community, volunteering to help organizations like Taller San Jose, supporting local ALL local businesses. In fact, my family moved into Santa Ana over 5 years ago from south OC and are now proud to call Santa Ana our home. During the past 15 years, I've seen tremendous growth --financially and socially. Of course there has been constant noise about gentrification and ethnic cleansing-- both insidious remnants of a small but vocal group who simply remain opposed to progress of any kind. This group would rather push their dangerous social agendas rather than embrace progress. When they feel threatened they ramp up the rhetoric and rally outsiders who have no stake in our city to raise the level of noise. The current initiative being propagated by Latino Health Access represents a dangerous and enormous step backward. On the surface it seems innocent but scratch just below the surface and find the real agenda. We did not move our business and invest our futures to see the honest efforts for social and economic growth be threatened by a group who seek to highjack the political process. Their view is narrow. It does not support diversity. It does not represent the multiple cultures that make up our great city. Ironically, as they shout ethnic cleansing their actions show them as hypocrites. I recently found myself in the new and vibrant 4th Street Market one afternoon last week and as I stood in the middle of that crowded courtyard I was taken back. What I was witnessing was REAL, AUTHENTIC progress. I saw young merchants --black, white, latino, asian, male and female, young and old serving customers --black, white, latino, asian, male and female, young and old. A true melting pot. A melting pot that has been at the very core of this great experiment called The United States of America.