The Santa Ana Zoo, like the Bowers Museum, has only one Latino director
The Bowers Museum used to be dedicated to local history – and it was an affordable place to visit. Today it is a “world class” museum and most people in Santa Ana cannot afford to visit very often, except for the rare “free” days.
The Santa Ana Zoo is a great place to take little kids. It has a lot of monkeys, is affordable and includes a train the kids love to ride. It is also small enough to walk through quickly – which is important as little ones get tired rather fast.
But now he zoo is working on a new exhibit that features “the South American grasslands known as the Pampas,” according to the O.C. Register. This is a big dollar addition and the zoo is still trying to raise more money. What will happen once this new addition opens up? Will the Santa Ana Zoo become the next Bowers? Will it become so expensive that the locals will be shut out?
I have often complained about the fact that there are very few Latinos involved in the governance of the Bowers Museum. Currently Santa Ana Mayor Miguel Pulido appears to be the ONLY Latino on the Bowers Board of Governors, which includes 36 members.
But did you know that the Santa Ana Zoo has only one Latino on their Board of Directors, which includes 17 directors (see the picture above)? And I wonder how many of these directors live in Santa Ana? Most of the Bowers governors don’t live anywhere near Santa Ana.
Currently it costs $6 for an adult ticket to the Santa Ana Zoo. I suspect this will creep up to ten dollars when the new Pampas exhibit opens up. That is what happened at the Bowers…what a shame. The irony is that millions of Santa Ana taxpayers tax dollars go to the Bowers and the Zoo – and we have lost control of both enterprises.
Very good question. Why is it that Latinos are not volunteering to work many hours for no pay to raise dollars to support the Santa Ana Zoo?
Those people in the picture and members of the “Friends of the Zoo” a volunteer non-profit org. that has paid for the most if not all the improvements the zoo has gotten over the years.
But, I hope that all the time and effort these volunteers pour into the zoo is not rewarded with big price increases in tickets, (that the city keeps).
My wife reads that article too, and she did have a question on the part about the cost of the Anteaters. At the end of 2007 during one of the many fund raisers, it was said that the Anteaters were a no-cost gift to the Zoo and all that was needed was the funds to build their new home.
Cook,
That is not how they are described on the Zoo’s website. They are referred to as the Zoo’s “Board of Directors.”
As for working for free, most Latinos in our town are working hard just to survive in this Bush depression. But as long as our money is being used by the city to run this zoo then we ought to have a say in how it is run.
It is shameful that a city with a 78% Latino population has only ONE director on the Zoo’s board.
Maybe the City Council could start meeting in the Zoo.
This exhibit fits into the zoo’s long-range masterplan focusing on the habitats of Central and South America (which includes part of Mexico). Although not well developed over the years, this “neotropic themed” masterplan for the zoo was adopted and approved by the City Council of Santa Ana in 1990 and is still the basis for future major developments at the zoo.
Bob,
I wonder what the admission fee was in 1990 for the Santa Ana Zoo? Mark my words, it will be ten dollars before long…
Gosh, I really hope not. Or maybe $5 for santa ana residents and $10 for non-residents?
O.J. Why not do something about it like pay for college scholarships? Then you have better educated people who make more money are interested in somehting other that day to day existance.