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Mitre -Ramirez, Norma From: Sami, Mojgan < Sent: Tuesday, August 15, 2017 1:06 PM To: eComment Subject: Letter of Support for a more Skateboard friendly Santa Ana Importance: High Categories: Correspondence August 15, 2017 Dear City Council Members of the City of Santa Ana: I wish to provide input supporting the inclusion of skateboarding elements in current plans for improving park access in the City of Santa Ana. Skateboarding is increasingly gaining popularity in southern California as an active mode of transportation and a healthy activity, for people of all ages. As the 2020 Olympics will include skateboarding as a competitive sport for the first time, this popularity is only expected to increase in the next three years. Santa Ana needs to be prepared for the increasing demand of skateboarders for access to parks. Santa Ana has committed to improving the biking and walking infrastructure of its streets and sidewalks over the last decade. You are commended for continuing to support investments in creating safer, healthier opportunities for community residents to travel. These investments have not yet expanded the vision of active transportation to other mobility uses, such as skateboarding. In an effort to meet the increasing demand of skateboarders, I urge you to include skate elements in parks currently planned for construction throughout the City. These elements must be designed in collaboration with the skateboarding community in Santa Ana to ensure their proper location, design and use. Kid Works has been working with me at UC Irvine to cultivate youth leaders in the skateboarding community to collaborate on skate elements (or skate spots) in parks, as well as building a skate park in the future. We have already conducted a Confident Skating class, in partnership with OC Ramps and Basics of Skateboarding and participated in International Skate Day in June. I look forward to answering any questions you have or concerns you may need addressed to ensure skateboarders have access to safe skating elements in parks throughout the City. I look forward to continued collaboration with the community on expanding the vision of active, healthy transportation in the years ahead. Sincerely, Mojgan (Mo) Sami Mojgan (Mo) Sami, PhD Member, Special Project Team, Health and Environment, WHO Academic Director, Diversity in Medicine, UCI Project Scientist, OC PICH www.ocpich.org Lecturer, Program in Public Health Department of Population Health and Disease Prevention University of California, Irvine (949)824-6306 msami@uci.edu