It looks like the artists in downtown Santa Ana aren’t the only ones in the area pushing back against the powers that be.

A group of merchants from downtown’s Fourth Street have petitioned the city to end an a special assessment charged only in the downtown area, according to the OC Register.

From the article:

That fee — a special assessment charged only in the downtown area — was meant to pay for promotional banners and downtown ambassadors, litter pickup and marketing campaigns. But business owners now say it costs them too much and buys them too little in these days of bottomed-out bottom lines.

“They just play with our money — hard-earned money, in this economy,” said Nina Jun, who runs a small coin laundry. She hand-delivered nearly three dozen petitions to City Hall on Thursday demanding an end to the assessment.

The city established that annual assessment in 2008, essentially taxing downtown property owners to cover the costs of making downtown a better place. It brought in a nonprofit group called Downtown Inc. to manage the money; the group’s director sums up its top focus with three words: Safe and clean.

— ADAM ELMAHREK

Since you've made it this far,

You are obviously connected to your community and value good journalism. As an independent and local nonprofit, our news is accessible to all, regardless of what they can afford. Our newsroom centers on Orange County’s civic and cultural life, not ad-driven clickbait. Our reporters hold powerful interests accountable to protect your quality of life. But it’s not free to produce. It depends on donors like you.

Join the conversation: In lieu of comments, we encourage readers to engage with us across a variety of mediums. Join our Facebook discussion. Message us via our website or staff page. Send us a secure tip. Share your thoughts in a community opinion piece.