Festival OKd Despite Merchants’ Protest
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The controversial Tet Festival was given final City Council approval Tuesday despite an outcry from a group of local merchants who want the street fair moved away from the commercial corridor on Bolsa Avenue.
For the second council meeting in a row, more than 100 Vietnamese American residents showed up to loudly protest the festival’s planned location, contending that the street closure will hurt merchants by blocking access to their businesses.
Westminster city officials assured the group the problems have been anticipated and will be minimized during the Feb. 23-25 celebration, when Bolsa Avenue will be closed between Moran and Bushard streets.
The festival, a celebration of the Asian lunar new year, was approved in a 3-1 vote by the council Tuesday.
Councilwoman Margie L. Rice dissented, saying she supported the celebration but that the closure of Bolsa Avenue will create too many hardships for business owners and nearby residents. Councilman Frank G. Fry Jr. was absent.
A group of Little Saigon merchants, some of whom attended Tuesday’s meeting, has filed a Superior Court lawsuit attempting to block the festival.
A hearing in that case has been set for next week, officials said.
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