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In Re ~eso. No. Agreeing to Allocation of Funds for So.Main St. whiOh~l:~esult from the destruction of the parkways and trees growing along the highway. The widening of South Main Street will not remedy the downtown traffic situation, but on the contrary will create a greater congestion within our city. Should the street be widened from Delhi to Fairview Avenue or to the Southern limits of Julia Lathrop School grounds, we will then have a bottle-neck at one or the other of those two points, and will also have a bottle-neck at Delhi Road. In other words, traffic will flow in a normal channel to the two ends of this widened street and then, for the short distance it is pro- posed to widen the street, there will be a mad race of auto- mobile drivers to pass one another in the short wide space inthe highway. This will result in a congestion at each end of the widened strip. This city is not in a position to continue the widened street through the center of town, as such continuation would result in tearing down of all of the buildings tI~rough the center of town, including the First National Bank Building and the new City Hall. The proposed plan is to condemn and improve a five foot strip on the Western side of South Main Street only, at' the present time. This will result in a Jog in the highway on one side of the street only. The additional five foot width will have little, if any, effect, upon the traffic flow upon this highway. It is the admitted plan of the proponents of this street widenin~ to come back at a later date, (probably next year) and ask the city to pledge itself to~ondgmn a five foot strip on the Easterly side of this amme portion of the highway. After condemning a five foot strip on the East side of Southe Main Street, it is the admitted plan of these proponents to endeavor to acquire an additional five foot strip on each side of Main Street from the end of the present proposed widening up to First Street. Each of these addi- tional widenings will cost a great deal more than the amount which h-s been allocated to the city from Federal Government funds at this time, and will oblig§te this council to a continuous course of spending gas tax money upon a progressive plan for widening South Nain Street. The com- pleted widening of South Main Street as far north as First Street will result in a very severe bottle-neck at the inter- section of First and Main Streets in this City, at the point where traffic flowing Southerly toward San Diego on the Inland Route must be diverted from Lain Street. For many years the ~ity of Santa Aha has pointed with pride to the trees growing along its streets and highways. This city has created and appointed a Forestry Board whose major duty it is to plant, cultivate and look after the trees growing in the parkways in this city, and only at the last meeting of this City Council an approval was given to a request for additional Government funds to be expended by this city in the planting of additional trees along its streets and highways. The proposed widening of South Main Street will destroy the trees which have been growing on that highway for twenty to forty years. These trees are of good size and furnish smply wind protection and shade to ~his highway. I cannot agree with a policy which requests money for the planting of trees along our highways, and at the same time destroys the trees which have now reached an age where they are of some beauty and service to the city. After expending considerable time in attempting to ascer- tain the sentiment of the people of Santa Ana I am satisfied that a majority of the people of this city, when fully advised as to all of the features of this proposed improve- ment are opposed to this action. There are many other highways within the City of Santa Ana that are in greater need of improvement tl~an South Main Street. Among these ts~ WestFirst Street, which is a part of the highway system, as well as other streets which might have been suggested if the Council as a whole had been con- sulted in the first instance. The proposed improvement is in the same class as tleaf- raking' and other so-called boondoggling activities which have been so strongly condemned by the President of the United States. To accept this proposition would be in line with a person attending a bargain sale and buying an article for which he had no earthly need, because it was cheap. Since we neverhad this Government money, we have not lost it, merely because we do not spend it on something that is not only not required, but which will really be a detriment to our city. It is like buying an automobile which we do not need merely because we can get a discount, when we know the upkeep will be greater than we can afford. For these reasons, gentlemen, I am opposed to committing this Council to the progressive plan of widening South Main Street." A protest signed by thirty-four residents and property owners was read, against the proposed widening of South Main Street, stating that traffic does not Justify the widening and it would be an unnecessary expenditure of money, etc.