Restaurants and other food vendors ordered to close and allowed to reopen by Orange County health inspectors from July 10 to July 17.

Liquor Locker, 34092 Doheny Park Road, Dana Point

• Closed: July 17
• Reason: Cockroach infestation
• Reopened: July 18

Hiro Ramen & Udon, 5252 Beach Blvd., Buena Park

• Closed: July 16
• Reason: Cockroach infestation
• Reopened: July 17

AA Food To Go, 13900 Brookhurst St., Garden Grove

• Closed: July 14
• Reason: Cockroach infestation
• Reopened: July 14

College Drive-In, 425 S. State College Blvd., Anaheim

• Closed: July 11
• Reason: Rodent infestation
• Reopened: July 12

This list is published weekly with closures since the previous week’s list. Status updates are published in the following week’s list. Source: OC Health Care Agency database.

The Anaheim Union High School District Board of Trustees approved the consolidation plan in 2023, citing declining enrollment and long-term financial challenges. The district has lost about 5,500 students since the 2014-15 school year and, according to district staff, expects to lose another 3,900 by 2026-27. District officials have also said average daily attendance — which determines how much funding schools receive — has dropped, while costs tied to pensions, special education and other staffing issues continue to grow.

Orangeview most recently enrolled about 650 students, while Western High had 1,660, according to the latest figures from the California Department of Education.

Anaheim Union isn’t the only district making changes. As enrollment continues to drop across Orange County, other districts are also closing or considering the consolidation of schools. Last year, the Ocean View School District shut down Spring View Middle School and move its students to other campuses, and Orange Unified has also started exploring possible consolidations in response to declining enrollment.

“K-12 enrollment in Orange County has declined steadily over the past decade, with the most recent three-year drop totaling more than 22,000 students in traditional public schools — a trend largely driven by the high cost of living and declining birth rates,” Orange County Department of Education spokesman Ian Hanigan said in a statement.

District staff and educators in Anaheim Union said the school will adopt a more personalized, community-centered education model.

“We are at the forefront of rethinking what schools should be, and can be,” Bindi Crawford, co-principal of the new Orangeview-Western school, said during an update to the Board of Trustees meeting this week ahead of the start of school on Aug. 6.

District staff said the redesign introduces new academic structures aimed at boosting both learning outcomes and student well-being. That includes an eight-period block schedule on Mondays, three days of an advisory period each week, and twice-weekly late starts on Tuesdays and Thursdays.

“On Mondays there will be a single block anchor day in which students will be able to go to all of their eight classes and check in with their teachers. On the other days, they will have a four-block period,” said Sean Fleshman, a longtime history teacher at Orangeview.

“The team felt very strong that it would be important to start off the week where each teacher saw each of their students at least once,” Crawford added. “These are shorter periods, but each student will go through every single one of their periods, including advisory, to kick off the week. Each period will be approximately 35 to 40 minutes.”

The idea behind advisory, according to Yamila Castro, a Spanish teacher at Western, is to build smaller learning communities and ensure each student has consistent contact with a trusted group of teachers. At the new school, students will meet in small, consistent advisory groups multiple times a week to build relationships and receive academic and emotional support.

“It ensures every student is known by name, assets and needs,” Castro said.

Another key component of the new school program, modeled after Hillsdale High in San Mateo, is what teachers call “Kid Talk.”

“When we visited Hillsdale, one of the practices that we learned at Hillsdale is this opportunity for students, support staff, administrators, counselors to do a preliminary intervention discussion about student needs and strengths,” Castro said. “So teachers come together twice a month and discuss students that they have questions about, that they would like to learn more about, maybe they’re having an attendance issue.”

“So this is a discussion with all of the teachers and support staff before it gets to the next level of intervention,” she said. “This way, every teacher has the opportunity to discuss students in a structured way.”

On Tuesdays, staff will use the late start time for Kid Talk and advisory planning, Castro said. Thursdays will be used for staff meetings, department check-ins or committee work.

Students will also be able to start career technical education (CTE) classes as early as eighth grade.

District officials said they expect the new model to yield stronger academic, behavioral and emotional outcomes.

“We’re going to likely be doing this with other schools as we move forward,” Superintendent Michael Matsuda said. “We learn together.”

Crawford said the team is focused now on getting to opening day, but also the work won’t stop there.

“This is just Year 1. And what we told our community is that Year 1 should not look like Year 2. This is a cycle of continuous progress and improvement,” she said.

Board President Brian O’Neal agreed.

“I’m really looking forward to seeing what happens when the school opens and then how it is at the end of this first year,” he said.

The district is also planning another major campus move. Hope School is expected to close later this year and reopen on the former Orangeview campus in the 2026-27 school year, once that site is vacated.

“We have a committee working on thinking through the process of what will happen to that property,” Trustee Katherine Smith said.

Woodie Wagon Day is today and since a lot of us are heading to the beaches, what better time to explore the world of woodies.

CLASSIC OR JUST COLLECTIBLE?

So, are those polished and shiny Ford woodies from 1949 classic? Technically, no. The Classic Car Club of America has a list of approved models, and there are no Fords, Chevys or Dodges. The club’s definition of a classic is a fine and distinctive automobile produced between 1915 and 1948. That means there are a few woodies that make the list – say, a Chrysler Town & Country made between 1941 and 1948. It’s technically a classic, and you could also say it’s cherry and boss.

This 1948 Chrysler Town & Country is technically a classic.

CARRIAGE-LIKE CARS

In the 1920s, cars with wood paneling were mostly done by custom shops. Henry Ford bought 400,000 acres of forest land in Michigan in 1920 and shipped the wood out to be milled and assembled until Ford began milling in 1934.

General Motors used a separate company to make its woodies. The 1930 Ford at right sold for $30,800 this month. Trains, boats and cars were mostly made of wood in the 1920s and 1930s. The earliest woodies looked a lot like the wagons and coaches they replaced. By 1932, during the Great Depression, General Motors was selling about a third as many cars as it had three years earlier. Consumers began to regain confidence by 1935 and sales of woodies picked up, including luxury models like Packard’s wood-bodied cars for a premium price.

The original SUV

This ad for a 1939 Ford states the station wagon combines beauty with utility.

1940 Fords came in Standard and Deluxe models; this changed to Deluxe and Super Deluxe for the 1941-1948 lines. The structural framework was mostly maple, birch, mahogany or gum wood panels. Basswood was used for the longitudinal roof slats. In 1940, Ford built over 500,000 passenger cars, and of those about 8,700 were wood-bodied station wagons. Ford never used ash wood, but GM and Chrysler did. During World War II, domestic car production was essentially on hold. After the war, car companies began to produce new cars and since wood was readily available more wood-bodied cars came off the production line in the first few months after the war than in years past.

The look of woodies changed a lot in the late 1940s, not because of the wood, but because of steelmaking advancements. The all-steel roofs replaced the fabric roofs of the past. End of the production line By 1947, woodies had started to become unprofitable because of the labor needed to produce them. Chevy’s eight-seat woodie was its most expensive model and did not sell well. By 1951, Chevy stopped making wood-bodied cars. 1949 was the last year Oldsmobile made woodies. They were high-end family cars with a list price of $3,295, equivalent to about $34,000 now. Approximately 1,355 were built. A restored 1949 model sold for $78,100 in 2006.

This 1953 Buick recently sold for $55,000. It is one of only 1,830 made and has a V8 engine. It was made in the last year Buick constructed cars with real wood.

The downfall of wood

The wood that made the cars desirable was also their undoing. The demand for woodies declined rapidly in the 1950s because the wood panels required a lot more maintenance than steel bodies.

In my woody I will take you

By the 1960s, young surfers who needed a cheap car to transport their 10-foot boards latched on to the discarded wagons that were no longer mainstream. One man’s trash became the surfers’ treasure.

1960s SURF MUSIC

“Surfin’ Safari”

Early in the morning we’ll be startin’ out Some honeys will be coming along We’re loading up our woody With our boards inside And headin’ out singing our song -Released in 1962, the song was the Beach Boys’ first release with Capitol Records and first hit single, peaking at No. 14. Woody or Woodie? The Beach Boys used woody, but the National Woodie Club says they spelled it wrong.

“Surf City”

I bought a ’30 Ford wagon and we call it a woody (Surf City, here we come) You know it’s not very cherry, it’s an oldie but a goody (Surf City, here we come) Well, it ain’t got a back seat or a rear window But it still gets me where I wanna go Written by Brian Wilson of the Beach Boys and Jan Berry of Jan and Dean, the song became the first surf song to hit No. 1 on the charts, in 1963.

This 1952 Mercury was estimated to sell for $70,000 to $90,000 prior to it being auctioned in 2013. The car wound up being sold for $135,000. Some woodies can fetch more than $150,000.

Sources: Classic Car Club of America, Barrett-Jackson.com, Classic-car-history.com, Southern California Woodie Club, National Woodie Club, RM Auctions, Photos: Staff and Wiki Media Commons

County officials said they were responding to reports and growing concerns over Immigration and Customs Enforcement accessing sensitive information obtained from Medicaid or Medi-Cal data.

The Associated Press reported on Thursday that a data-sharing agreement would give ICE agents access to the personal data of 79 million people enrolled in Medicaid. Signed between the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services and the Department of Homeland Security, the agreement, which has not been announced publicly, would help in tracking down the location of undocumented immigrants.

The county HCA said in its statement that the possible access raised “serious concerns about the privacy and security of protected health information entrusted to public health systems,” but urged patients not to disenroll from Medi-Cal. Any data previously submitted to state or federal systems would not be erased by unenrolling, OC officials warned.

“The HCA is actively engaging with state and federal partners to assess the scope of this issue and to understand any potential impact to patients under our care,” the county statement said.

Data obtained by ICE could include personal and medical information, residential addresses, and ethnicities. The agency said certain Medicaid data must be submitted to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services under federal and state laws.

“We recognize that this issue may cause fear or uncertainty among patients and families who are seeking care. We want to reassure our community that the HCA’s mission is rooted in providing equitable, respectful, and confidential care to all residents of Orange County,” county officials said. “We remain firmly committed to protecting public trust and upholding the privacy rights of every person we serve.”

On Thursday, California Attorney General Rob Bonta said his office was “moving quickly to secure a court order” that would block the sharing of Medicaid data for immigration enforcement.

On track to be completed by the end of this year, the zoo is undergoing various construction projects to bring in new animals, update animal enclosures and improve the zoo’s landscaping and infrastructure.

A new enclosure — dubbed River’s Edge — will feature two to four male South American giant river otters. Additionally, various primate species, including up to 10 spider monkeys, will be able to travel above the otters and into their own enclosure, Zoo Director Ethan Fisher said.

Construction on River’s Edge broke ground in early 2022 and is on track to be completed by the end of the year.

Other exhibit updates, on track to also be finished up this year, include a new alligator enclosure and improved monkey habitats located in the zoo’s primate forest.

The zoo is also working to complete its Pathway Improvement Project, an effort to convert its dirt paths to concrete. Several paths are already completed, although there are still detours for the walkways still under construction.

The children’s zoo — in addition to getting a new alligator — recently opened its Goat Interaction Yard where guests can walk into the goat enclosure to pet the animals. Several buildings have also been repainted.

Another completed project is the butterfly exhibit, which features new butterflies each week from South America and Asia. The exhibit is open every day from May to September, although you might have to wait in an online queue before being able to enter.

While several projects are slated to be completed by the end of 2025, the zoo is continuing to fundraise for its north end expansion and additional primate enclosure space, Fisher said.

“We want to make sure we’re doing right by them,” Fisher said.

Future projects also include the zoo’s Education HIVE building, which would serve as a classroom and reception area for school field trips, and a security wall on the north side of the zoo.

In addition to construction projects, the zoo also began selling beer and wine at its onsite cafe this summer. Guests who are at least 21 years old can purchase alcohol and carry it with them as they walk around the exhibits.

So far, the zoo has spent around $9 million on construction. The city of Santa Ana and grants obtained by the Friends of the Santa Ana Zoo have helped with funding, Fisher said.

The construction projects were brought on after the Santa Ana Zoo lost its accreditation from the Association of Zoos & Aquariums in 2017. AZA accredits zoos based on their commitments to the health and safety of their animals and guest engagement and education.

In its report to the zoo, AZA cited a lack of modernization in the Santa Ana Zoo’s primate enclosures. The zoo reapplied for accreditation in 2022 and was told to continue making improvements, Fisher said.

The zoo submitted another application for AZA accreditation in March. Fisher and other zoo staff will travel to the AZA national conference in Florida in September to present before the AZA board, in hopes of securing accreditation, Fisher said.

AZA accreditation is not required for a zoo to remain open. The Santa Ana Zoo is still licensed under the federal Department of Agriculture.

The Santa Ana Zoo was first accredited by the AZA in 1985, but the zoo itself opened in 1952.

The zoo was originally home to more than 50 monkeys due to a stipulation by Joseph Prentice, who donated the land for the zoo as long as it kept at least 50 monkeys there.

The stipulation ended about two and a half years ago, Fisher said, and the zoo now has about 35 monkeys, ranging from larger white-handed gibbons to pygmy marmosets, one of the smallest monkey species.

General tickets to the Santa Ana Zoo, located at 1801 E. Chestnut Ave., are $14. Guests can purchase tickets at the zoo’s entrance or online, where more information about the zoo and its operating hours can also be found.

The zoo has extended hours during the month of July. It is open until 8 p.m. on Saturdays and Sundays. It is also open until 7:30p.m. on Wed, July 30, with ticket sales ending one hour before close. The zoo is open from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. all other days.

“I wanted to spend time with my family and have a good summer with them,” Visoso said.

Visoso, 24, hadn’t been to the fair in more than a decade. After all those years waiting, how would he spend his day on the fairgrounds?

“Hopefully get on all the rides, because I know there’s going to be a lot of people coming in,” he said. “And get some good food.”

The 2025 OC Fair will run through Aug. 17 — it is closed Mondays and Tuesdays. The 23-day event is expected to bring in more than a million guests. Daily attendence has been capped since the onset of the pandemic and popular days sell out each year.

New activities this year include an after-dark event at the Plaza Pacifica that will get people moving with swing dancing, Latin music and more on Friday, Saturday and Sunday nights.

Read also: OC Fair 2025: Here’s what you need to know to pay, play and park

New attractions, food and stands, including Tom’s Puffs and Pie, the 180-foot-tall Aviator and an exhibit paying tribute to the VHS tape era featuring movie poster art, have also been added to the mix.

Each year, hundreds of residents submit entries to the fair’s competitions. Everything from quilts to cupcakes to table settings.

With a list of his family’s 20 entries, Long Beach resident and event planner Dan Smith Chavira rushed to the glass cases displaying the winning entries, searching for any blue ribbon wins. This is his second year submitting baked goods with his family. His niece had been perfecting her eight recipes for months, he said.

“This is the moment when you can first see the results,” Smith Chavira said. “So we doorbusted to see how we did.”

His Portuguese Focaccia, inspired by his Italian grandmother and Portuguese grandfather, won the focaccia class and an overall award for the artisan leavened bread division.

He turned in his focaccia earlier in the week, as well as his Yuzu bar that won an honorable mention in the citrus bar category. Smith Chavira says he only bakes for the OC Fair.

“I’m not a baker, but I’m a competitor,” he said. His focaccia beat out 24 other entries in his category, decided by a panel of 13 judges.

He was the only division winner in his family.

He called this year’s win a “redemption” after his “overdone” French onion focaccia garnered no accolades last year. This year, he told himself, “Don’t overcook it, slow down, cook to your skill level, and relax.”

Even without any entries in the competition, Anaheim couple LuAnn Hillman and Steve Rosco made an early stop in the OC Promenade hall to see the winners.

“We see all the talent that’s in Orange County. Look at these bakers and what they’ve done,” Hillman said.

They’ve been visiting the fair for more than 40 years. And each year, they go on the first day. They say it’s the best time to catch the food entries, “when everything’s fresh.”

“It’s beautiful,” Rosco added. “It’s not professional like when you go into a bakery, these are regular average people that have these incredible, wonderful talents.”

Standing next to his table setting, Orange resident and administrative manager Tim Wyckoff was approached by fans of his work from previous years. Wyckoff has been decorating table settings for more than 30 years.

This year, his table in the Tropical Paradise division won second place.

“I want to make people smile,” Wyckoff said. “Since I’m not a master of a certain craft, but I like crafting in general, I like that this lets me do so many different versions of crafting.”

He designs every aspect of his table meticulously, including the floral arrangement, glassware and menu. For the theme, he even made an animatronic parrot from scratch.

“The pink in the orchids matches the pink in the salt and pepper shakers. The green and orange are pulled upward into the birds of paradise. Everything is coordinated,” Wyckoff said.

Brian Koch, a 68-year-old arborist, took off work Friday to visit the first day of the fair. It was his first fair in at least a decade, and he purchased a season pass to come back regularly.

“I enjoy going to fairs,” Koch said. “Mainly for the agricultural stuff, not for the rides or anything.”

Throughout the fair, various animal species will come and go for people to visit and watch in competitions. Cattle, chickens, donkeys and more will make their way to the fairgrounds over the next month.

During opening weekend, visitors will be able to see goats and llamas brought by breeders from around Southern California.

Eleven llamas at the fair on Friday belong to Eileen Ditsler.

“I discovered the llamas by accident at a fair like this,” said the 61-year-old San Dimas resident. “I’ve had llamas now for 30 years and they’re just so easy.”

She said a few years ago they exploded in popularity with people watching videos of them on TikTok, wearing llama T-shirts and even paying for them to be at weddings. They can even be taken out for a walk in the neighborhood with a lead rope.

They’re a hit with the fair crowds, especially Jim Wilson, 83, of Cypress, who was smiling in the livestock area as he watched the llamas munching on hay and showing off their poodle-like haircuts.

“It’s so great to see them,” Wilson said. “These guys are something different.”

If you go

When: Hours are 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Wednesdays, Thursdays and Sundays and until midnight on Fridays and Saturdays through Aug. 17

Where: The OC Fair & Event Center, 88 Fair Drive, Costa Mesa

Cost: General admission is $13 on Wednesdays and Thursdays and $15 on other days; seniors and children are $9 daily. Tickets must be purchased at ocfair.com/tickets and popular dates may sell out.

For more information: ocfair.com

Instead, after much back and forth at their meeting this week, councilmembers agreed to hold a joint special meeting with the commission within the next 60 days to discuss the proposed amendments. The City Council had been scheduled to debate a rewrite of the commission’s ordinance at a meeting earlier this month, but ran out of time to do so.

Commissioner Carlos Perea welcomes the meeting, saying the commission had been excluded from the process despite previously calling on the council to bring the proposed changes to the seven-member panel.

“I appreciate that the council decided to do a joint session, and I’m looking forward to that. I think that should have been done in the first place,” Perea said.

Established by the City Council in 2022, the Police Oversight Commission aims to increase police accountability and transparency, but commissioners have said they’ve struggled to make significant progress without an oversight director. Almost three years passed before the city hired T. Jack Morse as the director earlier this month.

The city manager’s office, which submitted the proposed changes to the City Council for review, said the changes are meant to “align” the commission with state law and maintain “best practices in law enforcement accountability.”

The proposed amendments to the commission are meant to address concerns regarding compliance with state law; clarification of roles and responsibilities, including that of the oversight director; training and to make enhancements that would safeguard information about police officers that may be considered “sensitive” to avoid risk of violating the Public Safety Officers Procedural Bill of Rights Act and possible subsequent lawsuits.

Changes to the ordinance include the removal of the word “independent” throughout and in Morse’s recently landed title as police oversight director. The commission would also be limited to reviewing cases involving in-custody deaths and instances where a First Amendment right was violated. It would not be allowed to investigate cases that haven’t been reviewed and confirmed as misconduct by the Police Department.

“These amendments would gut the Police Oversight Commission, turning a hard-won community victory into a powerless, symbolic body that protects the status quo instead of the people,” Chispa Policy and Political Director Bulmaro “Boomer” Vicente said Thursday. The organization that operates as a political advocacy group for young Latinx in Orange County helped launch the oversight police commission.

Vicente called the proposed amendments “concerning,” arguing that most would weaken police oversight. “This isn’t what the community demanded and fought for,” he added.

“I did raise my eyebrows when the ability to provide input and review the contracts of the Police Officer Association was taken out of the commission’s hands. That to me raised a lot of questions, because it is the largest contract in the city,” Perea said of the proposal. “There has been serious concerns over the last 10 years of the way in which the police officers’ association has been conducting business in city hall.”

The suggested changes were worked on with an ad hoc committee involving with Mayor Valeria Amezcua and councilmembers Benjamin Vazquez and Phil Bacerra, along with staff from the city manager’s office, city attorney’s office and the Santa Ana Police Department.

Staff writer Hanna Kang contributed to this story.

More than 26 million people in 2024 traveled to Anaheim, according to numbers released this week by Visit Anaheim.

Naturally, many of them were tourists making their way to Disneyland, but the count also includes those visiting the city for business, such as attending a conference at the Anaheim Convention Center.

Visit Anaheim President and CEO Mike Waterman has termed upcoming major events and developments coming to Southern California and Anaheim as a new “golden decade” of opportunity that will increase the number of visitors well beyond where it stands today.

“The future is so bright for tourism, both for visitors and the locals,” Mike Waterman said. “We’ve got the James Beard restaurants, OCVibe and new attractions with DisneylandForward. I’m so bullish for the golden decade.”

Visit Anaheim, which markets the city to travelers and books the convention center, found that about 500,000 more people traveled to Anaheim last year compared to 2023. Visitor spending also hit $6.6 billion in 2024.

The organization wants to shatter the visitation record set this year and bring in 30 million visitors annually by the end of 2028.

That’s when the Olympics will descend upon Southern California, including volleyball at the Honda Center. Paired with developments from OCVibe, which along with adding new housing is planning multiple music venues around the Honda Center, and DisneylandForward well underway, guests will have more reasons to stay in Anaheim and for longer, Waterman said.

“It’s nice to see us making progress toward that goal,” Waterman said. “We still have quite a ways to go. We are excited about the progress and the future.”

Leveraging the most out of the Olympics is the goal of almost every city in Southern California. But Anaheim is unique in OC by having the only event actually in the county (surfing at Lower Trestles south of San Clemente is actually in San Diego County). Spectators will have easy access to the dozens of hotels around the resort area.

One sign of the scramble to maximize the opportunity comes from Disney. The Disneyland Resort’s former president, Ken Potrock, was elevated last year to president of The Walt Disney Company’s major events integration, where he will “focus on maximizing the company’s value during large-scale global events, such as the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.”

But there are headwinds buffeting the travel industry.

In January, Waterman said there was a considerable drop in visitors that month due to the LA fires and people avoiding Anaheim, who might have been unaware how far the city was from the fires.

Leisure travel to Anaheim, Waterman said, has been softening, but Visit Anaheim is looking to spend $3 million on a marketing campaign to lure travelers. He pointed to a luxury travel campaign that cost a bit less last year as bringing in $100 million in incremental business.

An ongoing drop in international visitors, especially from Canada, the area’s largest international market, is another critical challenge.

There’s been a prolonged spat this year between Canadian and American leadership over trade and assertions from President Donald Trump that Canada should become the 51st state.

The state’s marketing organization, Visit California, said in an April report that “tariffs, policies and pronouncements from the Trump administration have contributed to a growing wave of negative sentiment toward the US among potential international travelers.”

The forecast for visitors coming from Canada saw the largest decline in the Visit California report.

More Canadians were expected to travel to California compared to pre-pandemic numbers, but recent projections have downgraded that to 19% fewer people visiting this year than in 2019, according to the report.

Full recovery of pre-pandemic international visitors isn’t expected to happen until 2028.

To staunch the bleeding, Visit California launched a “California Loves Canada” campaign and even featured Gov. Gavin Newsom giving his pitch to Canadians deciding where to travel this year.

“California is the ultimate playground — over 2,000 miles from Washington and a world away in mindset,” Newsom said in an April video ad, “from our iconic beaches and national parks to world-class wine, food, and outdoor adventure — there’s something here for everyone. Canada, come experience our California Love.”

Last month, the city partnered with the nonprofit Anaheim Community Foundation to launch Anaheim Contigo, which accepts donations from the community to fund emergency assistance grants for families affected by the sweeps.

The $250,000 in new money for Anaheim Contigo, approved by a split 5-2 City Council on Tuesday, July 15, would significantly bolster the fund, which had received $35,000 in donations to date.

“We are called right now to meet this moment with compassion and expediency,” Mayor Ashleigh Aitken said. “Current immigration actions are sowing fear among our residents and intimidating our communities. Unjust enforcement every day is tearing our families apart and it’s tearing at the fabric of our community.”

“It’s a facade of unity with the community if we’re not willing to put a dime toward helping our residents,” Aitken continued.

Only Anaheim residents who are low-income and can demonstrate an immediate need are eligible for the grants. Residents can apply at the city’s family resource centers.

The grants are meant to pay for rent, utilities and household essentials. City officials said some Anaheim residents have avoided going to work out of fear of coming into contact with federal immigration officials at their jobs, stressing the need for help to pay their bills.

The new funding is enough to help 500 people. The city already has more than 100 people who have reached out for assistance.

The City Council directed staff to look for any existing housing dollars or grants that could be allocated to Anaheim Contigo. The backup funding plan would rely on reallocating money from other city departments or cost savings that come up throughout the year.

City spokesperson Mike Lyster told the council about a single mother of two teens who has been unable to work as a delivery driver and a family of five whose father’s work at a nursery was affected by immigration enforcement activity at the facility. These are two examples, Lyster said, of people who have already received the grants; both received $500 to help with rent or utilities.

The Samueli Foundation contributed $10,000 to the Anaheim Contigo fund, and Councilmembers Norma Campos Kurtz and Carlos Leon donated a few thousand each to it as well.

Councilmember Natalie Rubalcava said she hoped the Samueli contribution would spur other large companies in the city to contribute, too.

Councilmembers Natalie Meeks and Ryan Balius voted against supporting Anaheim Contigo with city dollars.

“The council approved a budget three weeks ago, and I believed that there was no excess,” Meeks said. “A reduction of $250,000 will have impacts to our community. And this agenda item asks this body to take this action with no information about what those impacts are.”

City officials on Tuesday said there hasn’t been any federal immigration enforcement since July 9. A car wash on Euclid saw six people detained over two separate enforcement incidents and had to be closed over a busy Fourth of July, Lyster said.

In a 4-1 vote, the council denied an appeal of the planning commission’s earlier approval of the project, slated for 16800 Magnolia St. Those four councilmembers said they did not see a reason for the planning commission’s decision to be revisited.

“It’s going to be a big change for Fountain Valley,” Councilmember Patrick Harper said. “But with regards to the appeal and the items that were mentioned, I don’t think there’s a basis for appealing.”

Related: Fountain Valley City Council will consider a multi-use housing development plan on former Boomers! site

The planning commission originally approved the housing development on July 11, but the Supporters Alliance for Environmental Responsibility, a non-profit advocacy group that challenges developments believed to violate environmental regulations, initiated an appeal, requesting a new environmental impact report to be conducted on the project.

SAFER argued that there could be unknown environmental consequences not initially considered by the planning commission.

Mayor Ted Bui, the only council member who supported the project’s appeal, expressed similar concerns about the environment and traffic control. He called for the development plan to be sent back to the planning commission for additional hearings and evaluations.

The high-rise housing development at 16800 Magnolia St. is one of many projects aimed at addressing additional housing needs in Fountain Valley. Bui said he believed the plan needed more consideration to ensure it was not rushed through the approval process.

“A project of this magnitude, we need to look at it carefully,” Bui said. “We’re setting precedent for many other projects that are coming down the pipeline.”

In an almost three-hour process, the City Council heard from the housing developers, representatives from SAFER and Fountain Valley residents.

Some residents expressed concerns about increased traffic, parking availability and environmental impacts, including pollution and air quality.

The developers said parking would be restricted to the residential spaces and there would be no significant impacts air and noise quality levels.

The City Council denied the appeal but added a requirement for the development to include in its lease that residents and guests could not park in adjacent commercial parking lots.

Additionally, council members discussed a new traffic light and a barrier to block off a common illegal U-turn on Magnolia Street. While the housing developers expressed support for this, the City Council will have to request the California Department of Transportation to install both the light and the barrier.

“I will ask staff to make sure we do everything that we can to try and provide that to the residents,” Councilmember Glen Grandis said. “It’s the least we can do.”

The housing plan — submitted by the Holland Partner Group — consists of two seven-story buildings and two seven-story parking structures. There will be 4,460 square feet of commercial space on the ground floor, and 657 residential apartment units. It includes 980 parking spaces throughout the development.

Additionally, the housing development proposed an affordable housing agreement that will secure 78 deed-restricted low-income units.

The site is just off the 405 freeway, taking the place of the former Boomers! location — a family center with arcades, mini-golf, and go-kart racing — which closed in 2020.

With the project’s approval by the City Council, Holland Partner Group can begin its work on the development.