T-shirts and Chinese food: my wish list for next year

After having been closed for over a year, staff writer Alex Dominguez hopes Peking China will reopen in the coming year. (Photo by Alex Dominguez)

DOWNEY - As I prepared to sit down and write this article (as has been tradition for a while now), I went back and read my previous entries.

It’s amazing to see how far we’ve come in just a span of a couple of years; there’s most definitely been some lows in the city, at times seemingly outweighing the highs.

This time in 2020, we were fully ensnared in the wake of a pandemic, not to mention reeling from the effects of what would prove to be one of the most impactful elections in our city’s recent history. By 2021, pandemic fatigue had set in, and with it still, unrest within our city’s leadership. Entering 2023, we were looking to plug the holes we had sprouted, starting with the city manager.

But now the city finally feels to be on an upswing; we have fresh, new leaders at our administrative level, and - for the first time in a long time – a full city council.

With that momentum in mind, it’s time to present my yearly wish list for the city in the new year.

More Downey-centric merch

I remember being excited to learn that Downey had merchandise, specifically t-shirts. Unfortunately, I didn’t really connect with any of the designs.

Still, I love the concept.

I started to look elsewhere. Sure, I could easily do something custom or search online, but I’d prefer authenticity; I want something of Downey, for Downey, from Downey.

Be it from the city, another organization, a school, or even a small business, I would love to see (and buy) more merch to show off my Downey pride.

More support for Downey Historical Society

When I write these yearly wish list stories, I really try to not repeat myself from previous years. That said, I wrote about the Downey Historical Society needing more support last year.

However, I recently spent a considerable amount of time at the museum to do some research for an article, and experienced first hand just what condition it really is in.

It’s cramped and – in certain places – bursting at the seams; it’s not easy to spread out several materials at once. In an era of digital cataloging and research, some of the best they could offer was an old microfiche machine.

I pulled out a few folders of old newspapers, and the shelf broke, almost as if it had collapsed out of relief from a heavy load.

None of these revelations are jabs or digs at the Historical Society; I adore them from the bottom of my heart.

I share this experience to emphasize just how much help Bob, Bobbi, and the rest of the folks at the Downey Historical Society really need.

Their materials need to be digitized and cataloged. They could use tidying and reorganizing. In a perfect world, they’d have a new, bigger space.

All of that would require – at the very least – thousands of hours of manpower, and likely a fair amount of money to accomplish, and it can’t be done by their few members alone.

The Downey Historical Society needs volunteers. It needs donors. It needs partnerships. It needs support.

The city of Downey has always claimed to be invested and proud of its history; the Historical Society is a great place for it to start.

Trim the beginning of City Council meetings

Every second and fourth Tuesday at their regular council meetings, each member of the city council has time to speak on what they’ve attended since last they met, as well as pitch ideas for future agenda items, or updates on certain topics. Then, City Manager Roger Bradley gets his turn. Then, if there are any special presentations (awards and such), they come next.

It’s not uncommon for a meeting to have gone on for at least an hour before the city council gets to the actual business at hand that evening; to those unlucky enough to have items scheduled at the end of the meeting, vaya con dios.

In the meantime, public comment time has trended to be cut shorter and shorter, based on how many people have requested to speak.

Now, in full disclosure, I was in favor of the initial public comment cuts, having sat through countless meetings where gadfly Armando Herman and his supporting cast of naysayers could easily extend meeting times by one to two hours on their own. If I’m being honest, I rather like the city’s current format when it comes to public speaking time, as I think it has mitigated a lot of the challenges that one small group of individuals seems dead-set to impose.

But it becomes harder to swallow when the city council is so generous with their own time at the beginning of the meeting. There needs to be a balance.

I’m not saying that the city council shouldn’t say their piece, nor am I saying that awards should never be given; just that the city council could stand to cut the fat a little.

Keep initial comments brief. Make public presentations fewer and farther in between.

Most importantly, if the meeting is busy enough to cut the public's time to speak, it’s busy enough to cut the city council members' time too.

The return of Peking China

It’s been over a year since Peking China caught fire.

I know, I miss it too.

While neighboring Bastards has recently “soft opened” and is gearing up for a full return at the beginning of the year, little has been said concerning the fate of the Downtown Downey staple.

While nothing official has been announced in regards to a return, I recently called the Downey Planning Department and was told that permits for demolition (of the damaged components) had been pulled in September, with an inspection occurring in late November.

While it’s not much, I’m taking this as a good sign that things are moving forward towards a return of my (and many others) favorite Chinese restaurant.

Specialty stores

I know I asked for a Target last year; that doesn’t mean I don’t like specialty stores too.

I would love for Downey to see more niche brick and mortar shops that offer specific products to varying clientele.

Several stores have already popped up over the last few years. Brick LA Caters to sneakerheads and street wear enthusiasts. OG Collectibles to gamers and funko collectors.

Maybe it’s just me, but I think it’s high time we got ourselves a comic book store!

Businesses like these not only contribute to the economy, they provide a sense of personality and flair to the community.

Through the good and the bad, it has been my utmost pleasure and honor to be the staff writer at the Downey Patriot, and to keep the community – the community that raised me – informed on its news and happenings. Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays, and Happy New Year, Downey. I hope that the new year brings you peace, prosperity and health (and Chinese food).