During the past year and a half, Little Tokyo stakeholders have watched with sadness as one of our community’s important landmarks, Toriumi Plaza, began to deteriorate.
While Little Tokyo continues to be a bustling community composed of over 440 mostly small businesses, many of those businesses are struggling to survive in the wake of the pandemic. This community is home to more than 1,000 senior residents, eight churches and temples, three pre-schools, two prominent museums, and most recently, a world-class recreation center. Forty percent of Little Tokyo’s residents live in some form of affordable housing.
Councilmember Kevin de León didn’t create the homeless crisis, yet he is determined to change its course. We applaud and support his efforts and call upon all government officials to take a holistic approach to addressing not only homelessness but also mental illness, drug addiction, and poverty. We understand that finding solutions is everyone’s responsibility, and we are committed to doing our part to make a difference.
Little Tokyo is more than a business district. It is where we serve others, where we live, and where we worship. It is where the heart of our culture can be found. It is our home.