I have some out of town guests here this week and one of our destinations was the Santa Ana Zoo. Its a zoo more because they have a big sign that says Santa Ana Zoo than because there are a lot of animals there.
But it was a fun hour and half distraction.
When we got there, the parking lot was full and there was a line of about 100 people waiting to get in one entrance. Of course, I found another entrance, I don’t wait in lines, and my guests and I got in. Then I saw a sign "Senator Lou Correa Day".
It turns out that Senator Correa has been hosting his constituents at the zoo since he was in the Assembly. This was the 8th annual event. Around 3500 moms and dads and kids and grandparents showed up this Sunday. They get free admission, a picnic lunch and there was a free raffle, this year I think the grand prize was a flat screen TV. They also collected 2500 pounds of canned food to replenish the stocks at the Orange County Food Bank.
Correa’s constituents also brought toys for the Toys for Tots program. Representatives from the OC Health Care Agency, UCI Family Health Center, District Attorney’s office, OC Sheriff’s, Santa Ana Fire Dept. and CHP were there too. It shouldn’t be a surprise that I am kind of disappointed I didn’t get one of the CHP sticker badges all the kids got.
No matter what you think about Correa’s politics, this is a smart event and it helps several good causes.