GARDEN GROVE : Bilingual Sign Proposal Rejected by Council

A proposal to encourage minority-owned businesses to use bilingual signs, with English as the primary language, has failed to gain support from the City Council.

In voting 4 to 1 this week to reject the proposal, council members said the change is unnecessary because city code now allows bilingual signs. They also said an English language requirement cannot be enforced anyway without violating the business owners’ First Amendment rights.

Voluntary compliance would be useless, the council said.

“We’re wasting our time if this is not binding,” Councilman Tony Ingegneri said.

Councilman Ho Chung proposed that bilingual signs be 60% in English in response to what he said were complaints from residents confused about the Korean-language signs on many businesses along Garden Grove Boulevard.

Chung said that residents have complained that the signs have created a “foreign feel.” In addition, Chung said, Korean businesses would attract more customers if they used English-dominated signs that would help identify their establishments.

Aside from Chung, no one spoke in favor of the sign change during a public hearing before the council vote on Tuesday.

At a recent forum on community issues, several Korean business owners said they are in favor of bilingual signs because it would help project a positive image in the community.

But Euiwon Chough, who owns a printing business in Anaheim but has customers in Garden Grove, said it would be a mistake to have the English-language requirement in the city sign ordinance.

“It tarnishes our freedom of expression,” Chough said.