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Disneyland Half Marathon: Feb. 1

The Disneyland Half Marathon is Sunday, Feb. 1, with a route through The Anaheim Resort and downtown, including neighborhoods around Pearson Park.

The run, which brings visitors and spending in between peak times for Anaheim's theme parks and convention center, will see road closures and other impacts in the early morning hours Sunday (see map below).

Most streets are set to reopen by 8 or 9 a.m.

If you are not taking part, you’ll want to plan ahead and go around route streets for your own convenience.

Businesses and homeowners may have brief periods with limited or no access to immediate streets. Anaheim Police traffic control will be on hand to help.

The Anaheim Resort: look for early morning closures along Harbor Boulevard, Katella Avenue, Disneyland Drive and Disney Way, with no Disney Way access from Interstate 5. Access the theme parks from the north using the Mickey & Friends Parking Structure.

Center Street Promenade and Vons/Anaheim Town Center: full street closures through 9 a.m. Employees and customers can access businesses, but usual parking won’t be available until after 9 a.m. Consider the red brick parking structure along East Center Street, just across the street. Be considerate if parking in neighborhoods.

Anaheim Boulevard, Ball Road: residents will have access out of their neighborhood via Midway Drive to southbound Anaheim Boulevard and Interstate 5 but will not have access in from about 4-8 a.m., with a goal of reopening Ball Road as early as possible.


Pearson Park neighborhoods: homes facing the park won’t have access to Lemon, Cypress and Sycamore streets as well as part of Harbor Boulevard from about 2:30-9 a.m. Consider parking vehicles on nearby side streets if needed during this time.

The half marathon is part of a weekend of events, including a 10K on Saturday, Jan. 31, which takes place within The Anaheim Resort area with no impacts expected beyond the immediate area.

The events are sold out and bring visitors to Anaheim supporting our hotels, restaurants and shops. That economic activity helps fund essential city services, including police, fire, parks, libraries and community centers.

Questions about the run? (909) 964-8728.

Black History Parade: Saturday, Feb. 7

The Orange County Black History Parade & Unity Festival returns to downtown Anaheim on Saturday, Feb. 7.

The parade and street fair feature marching bands, dancers and parade vehicles as well as music, food and more.

The event, put on by the Orange County Heritage Council and now in its 46th year, celebrates Black History Month and the contributions of African Americans to our city, region and nation.

Everyone is welcome!

• What: 46th annual Orange County Black History Parade & Unity Festival
• When: Saturday, Feb. 7
• Time: 9 a.m.-4 p.m.
• Parade: 10 a.m.
• Unity Festival: noon
• Parking: City Hall, Center Street parking structures
• Cost: free, with food and crafts for purchase

Parking is available at structures around City Hall (see map below). Note that the main City Hall structure will be available but impacted at times by closures on Broadway.

A good option is the red brick parking structure along East Center Street.

If you're not joining us, plan on avoiding the downtown area on Feb. 7 for your convenience. See map below.

Community Open Houses

No speeches, no rush, no pressure — Anaheim’s open house community meetings return in February, offering residents a flexible and informal way to connect with city staff and talk about priorities in your neighborhood.

You can stop by anytime during the two-hour meetings. Just drop in when it works for you and visit the city booths and tables that interest you most.

At each open house, you’ll be able to talk with city leaders and staff, ask questions and share your thoughts on issues important to your community.

All meetings run from 5 to 7 p.m. Here’s the schedule:

District 1: Wednesday, Feb. 4

Brookhurst Community Center, 2271 W. Crescent Ave.


District 2: Thursday, Feb. 5

Key Elementary School, 2000 W. Ball Road


District 3: Wednesday, Feb. 11

Downtown Anaheim Community Center, 250 E. Center St.


District 4: Thursday, Feb. 12

Ponderosa Park Family Resource Center, 320 E. Orangewood Ave.


District 5: Wednesday, Feb. 18

Sunkist Elementary School, 500 N. Sunkist St.


District 6: Thursday, Feb. 19

East Anaheim Community Center, 8201 E. Santa Ana Canyon Road

Not sure of your district? Use our interactive district map to find out.

For more details and updates, visit Anaheim.net/OpenHouse.

Immigration enforcement: what to know

Anaheim continues to see ongoing federal immigration enforcement in our city.

The city of Anaheim is not involved in federal immigration enforcement but tracks activity for public awareness and to prevent rumors and speculation.

You can see what may be going on, seven days a week, morning and night, at Anaheim.net/contigo, with Spanish translation and other languages available.

Incidents in our city are closely tracked with most reviewed onsite.

We know there are a range of opinions on this topic. Our real-time updates are designed to prevent misunderstanding as we have seen confusion with our own police and other local and state agencies, which, by state law, are not involved in federal immigration enforcement.

Anaheim sees incidents each week on average.

We primarily see two types of enforcement: targeted, typically by Immigration and Customs Enforcement, or ICE; or roving, which is usually led by Border Patrol, part of Customs and Border Protection.

Targeted enforcement, the most common, focuses on one or two specific people, while roving enforcement will see agents go to car washes, Home Depot, recycling centers, construction sites and other places.

You can find background on federal immigration enforcement at Contigo.

For Anaheim residents impacted by enforcement, we offer the chance to apply for emergency assistance grants for help with rent, utilities or food assistance.

We have referrals to vetted, trusted legal nonprofits for those detained or going through the immigration court process.

As a city, we don't support excessive immigration enforcement that disrupts families, businesses and neighborhoods.

But it's important to note that federal agencies have a legal basis to conduct enforcement operations here and across the country based on actions by Congress, court decisions and the U.S. Code, or the nation's compilation of federal laws.

We as a city do not have an ability to stop or impede enforcement activity.

How enforcement is carried out is a matter for the courts, and Anaheim has joined a lawsuit challenging excessive enforcement.

See Anaheim.net/contigo for more.

E-bikes: what to know

E-bikes are becoming more common on our street for kids and teens.

While fun and convenient, e-bikes come with responsibility for both riders and parents to understand how to use them safely and follow the law.  

We encourage parents of e-bike riders and riders themselves to learn the class of e-bike being ridden. Knowing e-bike classes helps determine where and how one can be ridden and what rules apply.

Just like traditional bicycles, e-bikes must follow traffic laws:

• Ride in the same direction as traffic
• Follow rules for slow-moving vehicles
• Use bike lanes when available, unless making a left turn, passing another rider or preparing for a right turn
• Sidewalk riding is limited. If you're riding on a sidewalk, you must travel at walking speed and yield to those on foot.

When riding e-bikes, helmets are required for all riders younger than 18. Helmets are required for all ages for Class 3 e-bikes, which reach speeds of 28 mph.

Those younger than 16 are not allowed to ride Class 3 e-bikes.

Let’s work together to share the road and keep our community safe — ride responsibly, Anaheim! 

Keep love in the air — not balloons

Valentine's Day brings sweets, cards, flowers and plenty of heart balloons.

While always thoughtful, balloons and power lines aren't love at first sight.

Metallic-coated Mylar balloons create serious problems if not handled right. They're a common cause of power outages in our city when they find their way into overhead lines.

Anaheim Public Utilities provides highly reliable, cost-effective electric service to our community. But preventing balloon outages is something we all play a part in.

When metallic balloons reach power lines, they interrupt the flow of electricity, creating a short circuit.

That can leave your home or business without power.

We will work as quickly and safely as possible to clear the balloon and get power flowing again.

But the best solution is preventing outages before they happen.

If balloons are part of your Valentine's or other celebration, follow these tips:



• Keep metallic balloons indoors whenever possible
• If used outdoors, securely teether and anchor balloons
• Deflate balloons before throwing them away

Keeping balloons secured isn't just about power reliability, as important as that is. It also helps protect the environment, as loose balloons can harm wildlife on land and in the ocean.

If you experience an outage, you can report or look up power outages online at Anaheim.net/outage.

Thank you for helping keep our community safe and powered. Happy Valentine's Day!