Garden Grove : Code Would Require Use of English on Signs

Commercial signs in Garden Grove’s heavily Korean and Vietnamese commercial districts may soon have to include English lettering and translation.

An amendment to the Municipal Code making those requirements was approved by the city Planning Commission Thursday night on a 6-0 vote. If approved by the City Council, the provisions could affect many signs in the city’s large and growing Asian business districts.

The council is expected to consider the new sign regulations before the end of the year.

Under the new rules, all signs with non-English letters would also have to have English letters big enough to be seen from the street or parking lot, primarily to help emergency vehicles responding to calls for aid.

According to planning officials, the impact on Asian and other businesses catering to recent immigrants may vary by nationality.

“I went out to look for signs that had no English, and I discovered it wasn’t easy to find them,” said Patrick Richardson, advance planning supervisor for the city. “What seems to be naturally happening is that the longer the businesses are here, the more they want to reach out to a broader clientele.”

He also suggested that Korean firms, located primarily along Garden Grove Boulevard between Brookhurst Street and Beach Boulevard, have been moving toward signs that are bilingual or English-only. The Korean business community in Garden Grove began developing in the mid 1970s.

Vietnamese businesses, mostly along Bolsa Street in the Little Saigon area and along Westminster Avenue, are more likely to feature Vietnamese-only signs. Immigrants from Vietnam began establishing shops in the area in the early 1980s, Richardson said.

Some commissioners expressed disappointment that a tougher standard could not be imposed.

“I wonder if we’re protecting the city from liability if someone is hurt because an emergency vehicle can’t find a place,” commented Planning Commissioner Bart Blakesley.