2 minute read
Our Economic Growth and Community Safety
By John Bwarie CEO, Alhambra Chamber of Commerce
This past month, we were honored once again to co-host the annual State of the City luncheon where our Vice-Mayor delivered the address to our city’s civic, business, and community leaders. Her remarks highlighted the investments the city is making in our community, as you will read about in this issue.
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Our city continues to evolve as new leaders ascend to lead the city. We are thankful for the service of retiring chief Kelley Fraser, who has led the Alhambra Police Department for the past two years at the conclusion of her multi-decade law enforcement career. With the appointment of Chief Garrett Kennedy, we look forward to the next chapter of working with our public safety professionals.
Safety remains a focus of our community as we recover and heal from the January 2023 Monterey Park shooting. The Alhambra Chamber has been working since February to raise funds to support the small businesses impacted by the tragic events. Last month, we hosted Congresswoman Judy Chu at the Courtyard by Marriott in Monterey Park for a special AMP Breakfast with over 100 business and civic leaders from across the San Gabriel Valley to raise more than $3000 for the Small Business Recovery Fund.
We continue to work with the City to retain and attract new businesses to Alhambra, while focusing on filling vacant storefronts along our main street corridors. On April 6th, the Chamber led an educational bus tour to examine the difficulties faced by property owners and brokers when attempting to lease sometimes large, often outdated spaces. Nearly every property that sits vacant is owned by an individual, family, or trust that typically lacks the capital to make upgrades and improvements to meet the needs of desirable tenants. The tour provided firsthand accounts from owners and real estate experts to inform future collaboration to invest in the community. As we all work towards a stronger community where businesses can thrive, please continue to shop locally in Alhambra!
