Latest news with #AshleighAitken
Los Angeles Times
16 hours ago
- Politics
- Los Angeles Times
ICE raids upend Latino life in Orange County as climate of fear spreads
A handful of shoppers strolled through the sparsely populated aisles of the Anaheim Indoor Marketplace on a recent afternoon, a desolate scene in the wake of ICE raids in Orange County and across Southern California. Having served to illustrate Anaheim's changing demographics in the past, O.C.'s largest indoor swap meet now tells a somber story. Once home to more than 200 businesses under one roof that sold everything from jewelry to clothing, many stands have shuttered in the past week — and aren't coming back, according to shopkeepers that remain. 'Hopefully, things will get better soon,' said one vendor who asked to stay anonymous out of fear, even though they are a U.S. citizen. 'But right now, it seems like [ICE] is approaching anyone who is Latino.' Shopkeepers declined on-the-record interviews, but told the same story of fretting over making rent for their stalls, as business is in a freefall. On Father's Day weekend, the crowds disappeared. Scheduled music and cultural performances at the Anaheim Indoor Marketplace were canceled. Videos of masked federal agents arresting a man on June 12 at Pearson Park in Anaheim went viral on social media and amplified fears racial profiling. Prompted by the images, an Anaheim council member spoke to U.S. citizen who was stopped at the park by the agents who interrogated him about his immigration status. Sensing a climate of fear, Anaheim Mayor Ashleigh Aitken made a personal plea during the Anaheim City Council meeting on June 10. 'If you have a neighbor that is afraid to go to the grocery store to get food or necessities for their families, check in on them,' Aitken said. 'If you have a mother in your community that maybe is afraid to take her kids to camp or drop them off at school, perhaps offer a ride.' 'We need to stick together in these uncertain times,' she added. The raids are not only affecting businesses in Latino neighborhoods in O.C., but workers, too. Five jornaleros, or day laborers, sat in the shade next to a Home Depot in Anaheim as they awaited work. 'Are you la migra,' one asked a TimesOC reporter wearing a press badge, referring to ICE. The men expressed a fatalistic view as the pool of day laborers has dried up since the ICE raids arrived earlier this month, comparing them to death. 'If they take us, ni modo,' one day laborer said. 'Oh well.' He pointed up toward the sky before saying, 'With God, we will fortify ourselves.' Before the raids, dozens of day laborers congregated in different pockets of the vast parking lot, the men said. But that's no longer the case. 'The targeting of the most vulnerable people, either waiting on street corners or outside stores like Home Depot and Lowe's increases fears,' said Palmira Figueroa, a spokesperson for the National Day Laborers Organizing Network. 'People are staying home, even though that is not sustainable.' The five laborers, who had searched for work in Anaheim since 6:30 a.m. without much luck, accounted for about half of those present. 'I have a family, that's why I'm here,' a Mexican immigrant told TimesOC. 'I have to work because there's no other option.' The following morning, video surfaced of federal agents raiding the area. A witness saw day laborers running away before an unknown number of arrests were made. 'We do not have any specific knowledge,' said Mike Lyster, an Anaheim spokesperson, 'but it appears to be consistent with other federal enforcement activity that we've seen in our city.' In downtown Santa Ana, the raids have punched the city's restaurant scene in the gut. Luis Perez, a chef at Lola Gaspar and Chapter One, noted a 40% drop in sales at Lola Gaspar, a Mexico City-inspired gastrobar, even though it doesn't typically serve a working class Latino clientele. Amid a tumultuous week that saw ICE raids, protests and the deployment of the California National Guard in downtown, the back kitchen is where the impact hits hardest. 'My staff has been with me for over 10 years,' said Perez, a son of immigrants. 'It's seeing the fear in their eyes in not wanting to come to work and not wanting to leave their homes.' Two of Perez's Chapter One employees quit out of fear. 'These people are the backbone,' he said. 'I thought I'd never see this happen.' Back in Anaheim, the lunch rush at Tacos Los Güeros No. 2 was no rush at all. With tacos stuffed with choice meats at $1.80 each, the taquería usually attracts a line of patrons that coils out the front door of what once was a Carl's Jr. restaurant. Tacos Los Güeros No. 2 provided affordable meals for working class Latinos during the worst of the pandemic and the high inflation that followed. ICE raids are another matter. Most patrons trickle in and take orders to go. No more than four to six people sat down for a meal at a time in the dining area. The absence of patrons provided a clear view of a telling image through the windows. Rows of tables sat empty while a red 'Take America Back' Trump flag flapped from the backyard of a home that abuts the taquería's parking lot.
Los Angeles Times
30-04-2025
- Business
- Los Angeles Times
Mayor Ashleigh Aitken hails Anaheim as a visitor city for all in annual address
The Dapper Dans of Disneyland crooned as they introduced Anaheim Mayor Ashleigh Aitken during her annual State of the City speech at the Grove of Anaheim. Taking helm of Orange County's most populous city three years ago in a time of turmoil and political corruption, Aitken implied by omission that Anaheim is in a more harmonious place now. With Disneyland's 70th birthday a few months away and the Honda Center investing in renovations ahead of playing host to Olympic volleyball in 2028, Aitken looked forward to 'greater things' to come. Eschewing a lectern, she confidently strolled along the Grove's stage on Tuesday while boosting Anaheim as a city of immigrants and a global destination. 'As a visitor city, we welcome everyone; from those around the world who have made Anaheim their adopted home to those who come here to visit and enjoy all our city has to offer,' Aitken said. While Disneyland's milestone arrives in July with commemorative merchandise already on the shelves, Aitken touted the arrival of a 'new era' with DisneylandForward, a $2-billion expansion plan on its existing properties. 'Our city has cleared the way with approval on zoning and planning that will expand Anaheim as a global visitor economy in the decades to come,' she said of Anaheim City Council's vote approving DisneylandForward a year ago. With nearly 70% of Anaheim's general fund coming from the Anaheim Resort District, Aitken expected Disneyland's expansion to bring more money for the city's parks, libraries, community centers and public safety. Anaheim also negotiated additional community benefits from Disneyland beyond expected tax revenue increases. 'In the coming weeks we will see Disney's first $15 million contribution to affordable housing in Anaheim,' Aitken said. 'It is the first of two payments, with another $15 million coming in the next few years.' The corporation has also pledged to contribute $8 million to the city's parks. Aitken hailed OC Vibe, another multibillion-dollar project in Anaheim, as 'transformative.' The development will turn the land around the Honda Center into a hub of entertainment and housing. 'OC Vibe represents a $4-billion — with a 'b' — investment in our city,' Aitken emphasized. 'That's not even counting the $450 million being directly invested in our Honda Center.' For as vibrant as the business climate in the city appears to be, the Anaheim Chamber of Commerce almost disbanded before the speech in the wake of an FBI political corruption probe that first surfaced three years ago. Todd Ament, the Chamber's former president and chief executive, pleaded guilty to four felonies, including wire fraud, in connection to the investigation. Ament cooperated with federal agents and surreptitiously recorded former Anaheim Mayor Harry Sidhu wanting to ask for $1-million from Angels Baseball in political spending in return for negotiating the now-defunct deal to sell Angel Stadium and the land around it to a company controlled by team owner Arte Moreno. A judge recently sentenced Sidhu to two months in federal prison for related crimes. Slated to close, a new board of directors announced that the Chamber is going to reorganize a day before the speech. The Chamber also passed a resolution disassociating itself from the Anaheim Chamber of Commerce PAC, a spending vehicle that poured hefty sums into mayoral races, including in support Sidhu against Aitken in 2018. 'Having a chamber of commerce is a good thing, in general, for cities and it's a way to bring businesses together for the common good,' said Tom Tait, who served as Anaheim mayor from 2010 to 2018 and butted heads politically with the local trade association. 'That wasn't was what the Chamber was in Anaheim. It was run by special interests for special interests. Time will tell if this will truly be a fresh start.' The Chamber's political influence in Anaheim even extended to past State of the City addresses that it organized until Tait wrested the event away from it in 2015. 'Ament wanted to control my speech,' Tait said. 'If he couldn't, he threatened to have Councilwoman Kris Murray give the State of the City.' Aitken mentioned political corruption in her past two State of the City addresses and the city has approved several reforms under her tenure as mayor to increase accountability and oversight, including the hiring of an ethics officer. But in her latest speech, Aitken preferred to focus on the changes coming to Anaheim, from east to west. She touted Rebuild Beach Boulevard, an effort to redevelop seedy motels along the highway into housing and retail. The city has spent nearly $35 million buying, closing and clearing motel properties on Beach. 'In the days ahead, we will tear down the Rainbow Inn, our fourth demolition in four years,' she said. 'That will clear the way for townhomes and affordable apartments.' Aitken praised popular chains slated to come to the intersection of Beach Boulevard and Lincoln Avenue, which will also be home to the first Dutch Bros location in Anaheim. 'As a city, we are building on a track record with our transformation of the Anaheim Resort, downtown Anaheim, the Platinum Triangle, and we are now leading the way on Beach,' she said. The mayor also praised Little Arabia, an enclave populated by small businesses, as a continuum of the immigrant entrepreneurial spirit that led Germans to start a wine colony in the late 1850s that turned into the modern city Anaheim is today. She concluded with a Disney-like message on Anaheim's behalf to anyone looking to come to the city and better it by their own ambitions. 'To all looking to build their American Dream, to inspire their imaginations, to find prosperity and success, to embrace the future and to be part of something bigger than ourselves,' Aitken said, 'well, you've come to the right place.'
