ReasonTV Replay: Is Santa Ana Choosing Foliage Over a Karate Legend’s Dojo?

“The Real Miyagi’s Dojo Threatened: Santa Ana Favors
Foliage over Small Businesses,” produced by Tracy Oppenheimer.
About 5:30 minutes. 

Here is the original text from the Jan 2, 2014 video:

Karate legend Fumio
Demura
 has shaped much of the karate culture we are
familiar with today. He’s trained iconic martial arts stars like
Bruce Lee, Chuck Norris, Steven Seagal, and Pat Morita, and has
also acted in popular martial arts films.

Demura’s credits include working as Mr. Miyagi’s stunt double
in The Karate Kid franchise,Mortal
Combat,
 Rising Sun, and The Island of
Dr. Moreau
The Real
Miyagi
 is a soon-to-be-released feature documenting
Demura’s life. Demura credits his “dojo,” or studio, in Santa Ana,
California for much of his success.

“A dojo is not just a studio, not just for fighting. It’s the
development of better human beings,” says Demura.

Yet Demura’s dojo may not be around for much longer. The City of
Santa Ana is planning to acquire his property as well as eight
other small businesses as part of the Bristol
Street Widening Project
. The project has been around since the
early 90’s, and is just now reaching the phase that threatens these
businesses.

“It’s just a very slow process,” says Santa Ana Mayor Miguel
Pulido. “You have to deal with every single homeowner, every single
business owner.”

Mayor Pulido says that this section of Bristol Street is
especially important because it’s a major gateway into Santa Ana,
and thus requires more lanes in order to ease traffic congestion.
However, the businesses believe that the city can indeed widen the
streets without acquiring their properties.

The city’s current plan allots 30 ft. for landscaping, and those
30 ft. are crucial for the businesses to be able to remain
untouched. Christina Rush represents the Bristol Street businesses,
and says they can take care of the landscaping themselves.

“We can give you that in our plan, through our landscaping,
through architectural elements, outdoor seating,” says Rush. “We
can achieve what the city wants, that park-like look, while still
allowing the businesses to retain their properties.”

Rush has met multiple times with city representatives, and
expects a resolution or at least more debate at the city council
meeting on Jan. 6. She says the businesses have no intention of
giving up their properties without a fight.

“I’d like to stay as much as I can, because this is an old
house. We fixed it. So hard we were working,” says Demura.

About 5:30 minutes.

from Hit & Run http://reason.com/blog/2014/01/05/is-santa-ana-choosing-foliage-over-a-kar
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