The short answer, of course, is no, of course not!
It just seems that way sometime. ;-D
In the summer of 2005 I moved from Costa Mesa to Santa Ana, Ca..
It has the advantage of being centrally located in the part of the county, north of Newport Beach, and is the County Seat for Orange County, has 2 very popular Malls, several popular museums, a well respected Community College, and equally well-respected Private High School, an Amtrak Station, my choice of 3 Target Stores to choose from, several popular Parks, and Bike Trails, and more, to recommend it.
It also prides itself in its motto of "Education First!"
Born in 1886 the city with the #1 Neighborhood in the Nation, has seen a lot of change, and just as the Water Tower is finally going to get a makeover, so the city itself has gone thru a change that has altered not just the ethnic make-up of the city, and its new All-Latino City Council, but the county as a whole, over the past 25 years.
In recent years, however, the motto, like the weatherbeaten tower is adorns, has taken a beating, and in recent weeks that beating has become very severe.
An ongoing audit of the State's 5th largest School District's class-size-reduction program will expand into ninth-grade English and math classes.
At least 1 local Blogger is closely following this story.
This coming on top of continuing bad news with regards to Student Test Scores, and massive budget deficits, as a new leader takes the helm, and tries to deal with all this ( Read Editorial, here. ).
It is no secret that this city of over 350,000 people ( Far more when Illegal immigrants are considered. ) has a population that is 76% Hispanic, 11% Asian, and 11% White, and that over 300,000 of the Hispanics, and Asians, speak a language other than English at home.
All over Southern California, from East LA, San Diego, the OC, and Pomona ( Where I grew up. ), and the Inland Empire, the numbers have been increasing for 20 years.
You can not walk the street, ride the bus, or go to a shopping mall, without finding yourself surrounded by people speaking Spanish.
I have written about the Illegal Immigration issue, and about life in Santa Ana, both serious, and humorous, and linked to others who have as well.
If you are interested you can check 2 of my archives for those Blog Entries ( Just scroll up, and down thru the achives. ):
Now there is an Innitiative being planned, by the Chamber of Commerce, that recognizes that the city has a huge problem that is affecting its economy, among other things, and will attempt to change things for the better.
When I say the city has a lot to offer it I mean it.
The Old downtown has undergone positive changes that include an Artist Village ( Open House is 1st Sat. of the Month! ) with the popular Gypsy Den Grand Central Cafe ( Known for its Open Mic nights, Jazz and Swing Jams, and Poetry Readings and healthy food menu. ), and Memphis Cafe, anchoring one end.
Lofts have been built in many old buildings, and people have been making their homes there.
Some of the best places to eat, and go Grocery Shopping are Hispanic, and even Asian.
You can attend movies, and plays, parades, and a Farmer's Market.
But, all that being said, there is the problem of the language barrier.
I ride the bus almost every day, and go shopping, and eat out, in the city.
I have ate at the usual fast food restuarants we all know, and love, but for years have been bothered by the fact that the employess spoke only Spanish, unless dealing with a customer who didn't speak it, too.
Hey, they work behind the counter, and after the 2 minutes it takes to order, I don't have to worry about it....
Except that, often, when they call out the order number they ALWAYS call it out in Spanish, usually twice, before the light bulb goes on, and they call out the number in English.
Things have actually gotten worse on a couple of occasions!
I went to a Jack in the Box on the north end of Bristol, once, and tried to order a simple breakfast, with an upsize, and an additional item, but the encounter was a disaster because the cashier DID NOT SPEAK, OR UNDERSTAND, A WORD OF ENGLISH, and so I walked out.
At the same restuarant, further South on Bristol, I encountered a Cashier whose English was rudimentary, and I ended up coralling a Manager for help.
Now, it must be admitted that, due to turnover, since, I've had no problems ordering, at either place, in recent months.
I went into a certain Hispanic Supermarket, and could not find anyone who spoke English to help me.
This led to my deciding not to buy my Bus Pass there, and choosing to go across the street to a Check Cashing place where though the employees are Hispanic, the customers, legal and Illegal, are Hispanic, and the guy selling pirated DVD's on the sidewalk by the front door is Hispanic, I can count on the folks behind the windows to speak English quite nicely, thank you very much!
Around the corner from the Artist Village is a well known 4 block stretch of Downtown, that is one of the busiest Hispanic Shopping Districts in Southern California.
I have had no reason to shop there yet, but when walking up, and down, its streets, one will encounter employees standing by the doors, enticing passers-by in Spanish, passing out fliers, and literature, in Spanish, and more.
All this leads me to the story that was recently broke in the LA TIMES, and in a report on the FOX NETWORK yesterday, and this morning:
The Santa Ana Chamber of Commerce has initiated a $4.5-million campaign to get 50,000 residents to learn the language over the next four years.
As part of its project, the chamber last month launched an aggressive advertising campaign, with messages urging residents to learn English plastered on buses and at bus shelters, the train station, supermarkets and self-service laundries.
Census statistics show that at least 51% of city residents "speak English less than very well." More than half the city's employees speak Spanish, most Asian merchants have learned the language, and nearly every retail business has Spanish-speaking employees.
Business owners need employees who speak English, chamber officials said.
"Business owners are screaming for workers, but they need them to speak English," said Mike Weisman, a chamber board member and partner of DGWB Advertising and Communications in Santa Ana, which created the advertising campaign.
Weisman said English proficiency could boost a resident's income.
"If you can't speak English, you might not find a good job," he said. "You might not buy a home. You might not do many things. It's a problem affecting all of central Orange County."
In addition to the advertising, teams of people hired by DGWB have been dispatched to the streets to promote the free English classes, which are offered by the Rancho Santiago Community College District.
There is NO OTHER CHAMBER IN THE STATE that is PROMOTING ENGLISH PROFICIENCY!!
Not even Los Angeles??
Can you BELIEVE THAT??
In reading the article I was pleased to see the Market mentioned earlier is playing a role in the project so may just wander back in for a shopping trip.
Advertisements for the program include photographs of Santa Ana workers, including a farmhand, construction worker and a hotel maid.
The ads suggest learning English can help residents get ahead with messages in Spanish such as "Two Jobs?," "Does It Take You More Than Two Hours to Get to Work?" and "You Work and Work but You Still Can't Make It."
They are followed by the Spanish-language slogan "Saber Para Subir," which means "Know to Progress."
Now, to tell you the truth I have not seen the ads ( Maybe I need to take my head out of the book I read when walking down the street, or riding the bus! ), and it is interesting to read that while some people are interested, though concerned about how to find the time, there are many others who DO NOT WANT TO LEARN ENGLISH.
Santa Ana Community College will play a part in the District program, which offers English in 70 classes in various locations, and could offer more to meet demand.
Read the LA Times Piece here.
Read the Article by the Chamber of Commerce Newspaper, CityLine, here.
Visit the Chamber Website, here.
THAT'S the big question in all this: Demand, and Interest.
The Hispanic Community, at least the legal members anyway, needs to be informed of the importance of learning English, and assimilating into the American Fabric.
English Proficiency is the most important skill an immigrant can have.
My Dad may have learned Spanish 1st, in the early 1950's, because he lived in a Migrant Workers Camp, and his 1st job was in a Hotel Kitchen, but eventually he had to learn English to make a better life for himself ( And to woo my Mom to be!! ), and so he did.
His English was not the best, being the weakest of the languages ( The others were the languages of his native Yugoslavia. ) he spoke, but it was good enough. ;-D
Of course there are people who will see conspiracies in all this, spew hate, and distrust about the goals, and purpose of the effort.
One commentor, among all the uproar, on the Save Our State Website Forum, put a crimp in all the whining:
On the other hand....have you noticed that those who learn the language, assimilate, and improve their position in life end up hating illegal aliens that don't do all those things?
Hee, hee! ;-D
Look, I agree that there are too many Spanish Language Radio, and TV Stations, and am of the view that the best Spanish Language Newspaper is LA Opinion, so why do they need more, but hey if they added subtitles to the Novelas, and Mexican Cinema offerings, this film buff would be a happy camper, and not complain as much! ;-D
Like all immigrants before them, as more Hispanics realize the importance of learning English for making a better life for themselves, and their families, assimilation in to the American Fabric will occur, and the need for Bilingual Services, and Documents will be reduced, and disappear.
That is the THEORY, anyway. ;-D
Ending the hiring of people simply because they are bilingual, and requiring all business, especially Government Business, to be done in English won't work until more people learn English.
This is a start at dealing with a huge problem for our state, and should be given a chance to work, and show results.
A Latino Blog makes a very good point:
This is not an English only campaign but rather a way to get the mostly Spanish speaking population to speak also English. I have to commend the city's efforts including the fact that they are offering free classes. Hopefully the classes have flexible hours so that learning another language can be used to its maximum benefit, to push oneself forward but never forgetting where you come from.
I like Santa Ana, despite its problems, and hope to live here for the rest of my life.
There is a lot to explore in this city, and a lot to learn about.
I plan on getting out and doing just that, and sharing with readers of this blog what I find.
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