The Dislocation of 200 Families in Anaheim’s Chevy Chase

The city of Anaheim recently announced a bold plan for the renovation of Chevy Chase, one of several deteriorating neighborhoods in Anaheim. The “bold” plan--as described in a Times article dated July 14--is nothing less than a brutal rapacity.

According to the Times report, Chevy Chase currently is home to about 3,000 residents. City housing authorities calculate that they will uproot and dislocate 200 Chevy Chase families--or more--to an unspecified “elsewhere.” Since past surveys have documented that more than 90% of the families residing in Chevy Chase are Latino and that Latino families in the area average two adults and 3.1 children, it is safe to assume that we are discussing the uprooting of over 1,000 residents. However, city authorities are quick to throw in a palliative to those who might evidence concern at such a massive uprooting of poor people.

It is noted that the city is prepared to furnish each of the 200-plus families with $4,000 or more to subsidize their rents at the unspecified “elsewhere,” that ever illusive “Brigadoon.” Assuming that the city subsidizes 200 families at $4,000 per family, the cost adds up to a rather awesome $800,000! Does the city really have $800,000 set aside to uproot, dislocate, and subsidize 200 poor families?

If the city has $800,000 set aside for this disruptive program, surely the same amount of money can be used to subsidize the same families in the renovated Chevy Chase.

The Times article also reports that the “city would set aside 25% of the units as affordable housing, which means it will be available to people who earn 80% of the Orange County median income”--for example, $31,760 for a family of four. We are not talking about families of four earning $31,760 or $662 per capita per month. We are talking about poor people earning $213 per capita per month. What bitter pills we are asked to swallow!

City housing authorities have made no concerted effort to inform all of the residents of Chevy Chase of their impending dislocation, nor has an effort been made by the city, or anybody else, to inform organizations that have an active interest in the community of the pending family-rupturing program.

Los Amigos of Orange County and its many friends will resist and make every effort to defeat the “Chevy Chase Dislocation Program.”

AMIN DAVID JR.

President Pro Tem,

Los Amigos of Orange County

Anaheim