STEVE JONES, mayor of Garden Grove, at Wednesday’s State of the City luncheon at the Hyatt Regency Orange County (Orange County Tribune photo)l

By Jim Tortolano

Striking a series of musical themes and chords, Mayor Steve Jones sang … uh, spoke … the praises of Garden Grove at the annual State of the City luncheon held today (Wednesday) at the Hyatt Regency Orange County.

The event is co-sponsored by the city and the Garden Grove Chamber of Commerce.

“Throughout the course of our lives, there are special times when the stars align and we may find ourselves in exactly the right place, at the right time, surrounded by the right cast of characters coming together in perfect harmony, and we are able to create truly magical outcomes,” he said.

He then introduced Arabian Prince (Kim Renard Nazel), a founding member of the famous NWA rap group, who is working to position Garden Grove as a center for competitive “e-sports.”

Then the spotlight went to Marshall Goodman (Ras MG) from the popular Long Beach ska punk band Sublime, which recorded the tune “Garden Grove” about a trip to the Big Strawberry.

He also cited Todd Marinovich, the former USC and Oakland Raiders quarterback who painted the “Roots” mural on the south wall of the Gem Theater and well as NHL Hall of Famer Teemu Selanne – formerly of the Anaheim Ducks – who opened the The Penalty Box restaurant at the SteelCraft outdoor food hall in the downtown area.

Jones told the large group that filled the ballroom of the hotel at Chapman Avenue and Harbor Boulevard in Garden Grove that the community has “tapped into a formula for wild success.”

Although the address did not include any major news announcements, it featured updates on projects such as hotel and  other commercial development, homeless outreach, “active transportation” and transit such as the OC Streetcar linking Santa Ana to Garden Grove.

In closing, he returned to the musical theme. “Let’s keep the band together and continue enjoying our magical moment right here in Garden Grove,” he said.

A video of the event, along with a copy of the speech will be posted on the city’s website: https://ggcity.org.