GARDEN GROVE Mayor Steve Jones gave the annual “State of the City” address from the stage of the Gem Theatre on Wednesday (City of Garden Grove image).

In an address that looked back over a year of coronavirus pandemic and forward to good things to come, Garden Grove Mayor Steve Jones gave the 2021 “State of the City” speech on Wednesday not in person, but in a virtual format.

Standing on the stage of the Gem Theatre on Main Street, Jones noted that, “In 2020, COVID-19 set the stage for what would be a year none of us will ever forget. And in fact, we shouldn’t. The coronavirus spawned an unprecedented global health crisis that impacted our community’s physical, economic, and social well-being. It closed businesses, took away jobs and homes, prohibited human interaction, and kept us in lock-down and in fear of the unknown.

But he also noted that the economic downturn that struck was starting to reverse itself, with implications for Garden Grove.

“The re-opening of the Disneyland Parks and Resort as well as our own Great Wolf Lodge Southern California, mark the revival of our local financial recovery,” he said.

Jones noted the variety of programs initiated by the city and financed in large part from state and  federal funds that lessened the impact on businesses in Garden Grove and the people they employ.

With an eye to the coming months, Jones took the wraps off the new “Foods of Garden Grove” promotion that will highlight the many varieties of eateries and cuisines in the city. He also pointed toward the planned opening of the 394-unit Garden Grove Senior Village – long derided as the stalled “Rusty Skeleton” – and the new Pavilion Plaza West development which will be anchored by a Sprouts Farmers Market upscale grocery store.

He closed with a “special thanks” to community front line health workers in Garden Grove, with the “Garden Grove Strong” program to honor such local heroes.