The Santa Ana City Council Monday night approved a new downtown business tax, replacing a controversial special property tax that had divided downtown businesses and brought the issue of gentrification to the fore, according to the Voice of OC.
Under a settlement agreement, the city will for three years provide $400,000 annually for Downtown Inc.’s cleaning and security services. The proceeds of the new district will be equally split between two groups: Downtown Inc. and the Santa Ana Business Council, a group composed of business owners who opposed the special property tax and are likely to conduct more Latino-oriented promotions. The revenue from the new tax district, approximately $250,000 annually, is far less than the revenue generated by the previous property tax district.
So as I understand it we are going to have a split marketing effort in Downtown Santa Ana with one group promoting the area to hipsters and the gay community and the other to paisas. Continue reading
