Community Development Agency
www.santa-ana.org/community-development
Item # 10
City of Santa Ana
20 Civic Center Plaza, Santa Ana, CA 92701
Staff Report
October 21, 2025
TOPIC: Memorandum of Understanding between the cities of Santa Ana, Garden Grove, and Fountain Valley aimed at enhancing cultural tourism, and promoting job creation and small business development within the City’s Vietnamese business community
AGENDA TITLE
Memorandum of Understanding Between the Cities of Santa Ana, Garden Grove, and Fountain Valley to Formalize a Collaborative, Multi-Jurisdictional Effort Aimed at Enhancing Cultural Tourism, Supporting the Formation of a Vietnamese-Focused Business Improvement District Under Streets and Highways Code §§ 36500 et seq, and Promoting Job Creation and Small Business Development within the City’s Vietnamese Business Community
RECOMMENDED ACTION
Authorize the City Manager to execute a Memorandum of Understanding with the Cities of Garden Grove and Fountain Valley for the period of October 21, 2025 to June 30, 2031 (Agreement No. A-2025-XXX).
GOVERNMENT CODE §84308 APPLIES: No
DISCUSSION
In March 2025, the City of Santa Ana, in collaboration with the cities of Garden Grove and Fountain Valley (collectively referred to as the “Tri-Cities”), applied for a Regional Investment Initiative Catalysts (RIIC) grant. This grant opportunity is part of the California Jobs First (CJF) statewide initiative, administered by the Orange County Business Council. In May 2025, the Tri-Cities were awarded a grant for the study of a Little Saigon Business Improvement District and Destination Opportunity Assessment in the amount of $1,050,000 to support efforts to revitalize Little Saigon.
The City of Garden Grove will act as the lead agency and fiscal agent with oversight of the budget, reporting, and consultant procurement. Each city will designate project management staff and planners to ensure coordination and community engagement.
This partnership aims to establish multi-jurisdictional efforts to enhance cultural tourism, explore the potential formation of a business improvement district (BID) under Streets and Highways Code §§ 36500 et seq in the Tri-Cities’ respective Vietnamese business communities, and stimulate job growth and small business development across each city’s jurisdiction.
MOU with Garden Grove and Fountain Valley for the Little Saigon Area October 21, 2025
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Each participating city will identify designated areas within their boundaries to represent their respective portions of the Little Saigon BID. These areas will be linked through a coordinated public transit route with planned stops in each city. The BID will incorporate streetscape improvements, landscaping, and urban design elements that reflect the cultural heritage and identity of Vietnamese-American communities, while also supporting local economic development.
Recently, two Requests for Proposals were released by the City of Garden Grove for a Marketing Assessment and a BID Formation. Contracts for both Requests for Proposals were executed by the lead agency, City of Garden Grove, at their September 9th City Council meeting.
By adopting this MOU, the City is committing to:
Staff time working with a consultant to analyze the feasibility of a tri-City BID. Staff time working with a consultant to provide data on the City’s Little Saigon BID area for the development of an economic market assessment. This assessment will include:
1. Cultural Visitor Profile,
2. Tourism Infrastructure Inventory,
3. Comparative Analysis,
4. Economic Opportunity Forecast,
5. Stakeholder Engagement, and
6. Digital and Marketing Assessment.
In addition, Consultant will prepare recommendations based on the outputs of the Destination Marketing Assessment for the tri-city Little Saigon BID area.
The BID consultant will be reaching out to Little Saigon property owners to determine if there is a desire to form a BID. Staff will report the results to the City Manager’s Office for a determination to be made regarding whether to pursue the formation of a BID that would be run by one (1) management association. The BID would be funded from mandatory fees assessed to property owners in the BID. If pursued, this would require a separate City Council action, anticipated for consideration next year. Staff estimates that the creation of a BID could generate approximately 10 hours of staff time per month to provide input and review of activities by the BID management association.
The second deliverable will be an economic market assessment for the Little Saigon business area. This assessment will equip the City of Santa Ana with data-driven insights into local market conditions, consumer demand, and economic gaps, helping identify the types of businesses most likely to succeed in the area. It highlights the Little Saigon business area’s unique cultural and economic strengths, informs targeted business recruitment, and supports strategic planning for infrastructure and policy improvements.
The assessment will also provide a strong foundation for attracting investment by offering credible data to developers and stakeholders, while aligning business attraction efforts with community needs and long-term economic goals.
MOU with Garden Grove and Fountain Valley for the Little Saigon Area October 21, 2025
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Upon expenditure of the grant funds, there is no obligation for the City to allocate additional funding toward this project. The completed economic market assessment will serve as a resource for the Community Development Agency’s Economic Development staff to support future business attraction efforts.
Background of Little Saigon:
Little Saigon, founded in Santa Ana by Vietnamese refugees after the Vietnam War, has grown the largest Vietnamese community outside Vietnam, spanning Westminster, Garden Grove, and Fountain Valley. Centered on Bolsa Avenue, it is known for its vibrant markets, cuisine, festivals, and media, and has served as both an economic hub and a symbol of resilience and identity for Vietnamese Americans over the past 50 years.
As a cultural tourism destination, Little Saigon offers authentic experiences through heritage tours, culinary adventures, and festivals such as Mid-Autumn, Tet Lunar New Year, and Viet Film Fest. With strategic investment in infrastructure, signage, marketing, and partnerships, it can attract visitors from across California and beyond.
This initiative will revitalize key areas across Santa Ana, Fountain Valley and Garden Grove, with Vietnamese American–inspired design and enhanced public spaces, driving job creation, business growth, and cultural vitality while strengthening the regional economy.
FISCAL IMPACT
There is no fiscal impact associated with this action.
EXHIBIT(S)
1. MOU with cities of Garden Grove and Fountain Valley
Submitted By: Michael L. Garcia, Executive Director - Community Development Agency Approved By: Alvaro Nuñez, City Manager