WESTMINSTER : Tree-Planting Project Set for Little Saigon

Efforts to transform the Little Saigon business district into a tourist attraction will get a boost next month with the start of a tree-planting program financed by a state grant.

About 20 trees will initially be planted in various locations along a 1 1/2-mile stretch of Little Saigon, from Ward Street to Magnolia Avenue, officials said.

Merchants from the hundreds of shops, cafes and other businesses in Little Saigon have agreed to help maintain the trees, Deputy City Manager Don Vestal said.

Vestal said a kickoff ceremony will be held at 3 p.m. Dec. 10. The project is funded by a $6,600 grant from the state Urban Forestry program.

The state grant is far less than $40,000 sought for the program, according to Giao Hoang, executive director of the nonprofit Economic and Employment Development Center, which proposed the project. Because of that, volunteers are needed to help plant the trees, Hoang said.

The tree-planting program was delayed this year when it became an issue in the unsuccessful attempt to recall four city officials in June. Members of the Westminster Firefighters Assn., who led the recall drive, charged that the city was planning to spend money planting trees in Little Saigon at a time when cuts were being made at the Fire Department.