Anaheim will pump as much as $250 million over 10 years into roads, public safety and other infrastructure needs of its neighborhoods, with a $20 million commitment for the 2019-20 fiscal year, Mayor Harry Sidhu said Tuesday, March 5.
The pledge came in Sidhu’s first State of the City address, given to about 860 people at the City National Grove of Anaheim and sponsored by the Anaheim Chamber of Commerce.
To figure out how the money would be best spent, Sidhu is joining and expanding a chamber initiative called “Anaheim First,” which will create resident commissions in each of the city’s six voting districts. The commissions will discuss neighborhood needs, vet project ideas and make recommendations to the City Council.
A $20 million chunk planned for fiscal 2019-20 would come from existing city funds, state transportation money and borrowing against an over-funded reserve, according to city information. Beyond that, Sidhu said, resources are expected to come from “new city revenue” generated by economic development, such as the draw to the resort area that Disneyland’s Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge opening is expected to have, and two luxury hotels set to open in 2020.
“Investing in our neighborhoods cannot be a vague promise,” Sidhu said. “It must be a real commitment. And from today forward, it will be.”
Sergio Gonzalez, a retired firefighter, is one of 30 residents that launched the chamber’s Anaheim First effort last fall. In his Anaheim Hills neighborhood, he sees needs relating to crime statistics showing more mom-and-pop businesses getting robbed and wildfire dangers, he said.
The chamber-appointed group also checked out how Buena Park has spruced up its segment of Beach Boulevard – Anaheim’s stretch could use some attention, Gonzalez said.
“What was kind of common to every district,” he said, “was the need for a lot more infrastructure in terms of law enforcement and fire safety.”
Historic preservation consultant Cynthia Ward, a longtime resident who ran for mayor last fall, agreed with the need to invest in infrastructure such as streets and sewer lines, and she said she’s optimistic about the resident committees.
But she want to know more about how the existing Anaheim First members were chosen and where the pledged $250 million will come from.
Sidhu’s other big initiative of the speech was a task force to look at transit options to move people between the Anaheim Resort District’s theme parks, hotels and convention center, and the Platinum Triangle, home to the Honda Center, Angel Stadium and eventually, new stores, restaurants and entertainment venues.
As potential ideas to explore, Sidhu named Tesla founder Elon Musk’s plan for underground tunnel transit, an Uber project to offer on-demand drone flights, and Disney’s Skyliner, a gondola system to traverse Walt Disney World Resort.
“Transportation and mobility connections continue to evolve,” Sidhu said. “It is time we update our thinking and our knowledge on all the options.”
Ward was more skeptical about the push to connect the resort district and Platinum Triangle.
“There aren’t enough passengers to fill buses,” she said. “What’s the need here? Where’s the ridership?”
A city fact sheet on the transit task force noted it would not consider revisiting prior plans for a streetcar, which were quashed by a previous City Council.
How the city will recruit, vet and appoint members for the transit task force and Anaheim First resident advisory boards will be announced in coming weeks.
