Carlos Franco Points to Record of Advocacy for Buena Park Latino Community

## Councilmember Carlos Franco Highlights Record of Advocacy for Buena Park’s Latino Community

### Social media post points to neighborhood investment, small-business advocacy, youth opportunity and a governing philosophy focused on giving residents a pathway forward

**BUENA PARK, Calif. — September 6, 2026** — Buena Park Councilmember Carlos Franco is highlighting a series of City Hall decisions and community initiatives he says demonstrate his commitment to Buena Park’s Latino community, pointing to investments in underserved neighborhoods, advocacy for working families and small businesses, and expanded opportunities for local youth.

**Councilmember Carlos Franco** highlights his record of advocacy for Buena Park’s Latino community, including Coyote Park, street-vendor education, small-business protections, youth entrepreneurship and e-bike safety.

In a recent Instagram post, Franco opened the conversation around a question he says he hears frequently: **What have you done for the Latino community?**

Rather than framing his response around symbolism, Franco pointed to actions taken during his time on the City Council — including the development of Coyote Park, his dissenting vote on tougher street-vending enforcement, concerns he raised over the economic effects of Buena Park’s gas-powered landscaping equipment phaseout, partnerships designed to expose Latino students to entrepreneurship, and his approach to youth e-bike safety.

“For me, representation has to mean more than being Latino and sitting behind the dais,” Franco said. “It means understanding how decisions at City Hall actually land at someone’s kitchen table — whether that’s a gardener trying to provide for his family, a street vendor trying to become a legitimate business owner, a parent worried about their kid riding an e-bike, or a family that simply wants a park within walking distance of home.”

## From Enforcement to Opportunity

One of Franco’s most visible breaks with his City Council colleagues came in January 2025, when the Council voted 4-1 to strengthen enforcement against unpermitted street vendors.

Franco cast the lone dissenting vote.

At the time, Franco argued that the City should develop a clearer pathway for vendors to operate legally rather than focusing primarily on enforcement. The permitting process can require multiple approvals, including a Buena Park business license and sidewalk vending permit as well as applicable county health permits.

The issue has particular significance in immigrant and working-class communities, where sidewalk vending can serve as an entry point into entrepreneurship.

Franco said his position was not that vendors should be exempt from health, safety or business requirements. Instead, he wanted City Hall to pair those requirements with education and assistance.

“The goal shouldn’t be to catch somebody doing something wrong,” Franco said. **“The goal should be to show people how to do it right. If someone is willing to work, follow the health rules, get permitted and build something for their family, I want Buena Park to help them understand that process.”**

## Standing Up for Landscapers and Working Families

Franco also raised concerns in 2025 when Buena Park adopted an ordinance phasing out the use of gas-powered landscaping equipment.

Under the ordinance, restrictions began taking effect for landscaping businesses in July 2026, with additional prohibitions scheduled through January 2028.

While the policy was intended to reduce emissions and transition the community toward electric equipment, Franco warned that the cost of replacing professional equipment could fall disproportionately on smaller landscaping businesses and ultimately their customers. He specifically raised the possibility that residents on fixed incomes could face higher landscaping costs.

For Franco, the debate illustrated a larger principle: environmental goals and economic realities should be considered together.

“We can care about the environment and still ask who is paying the price for a policy,” Franco said. “A small landscaper shouldn’t become collateral damage because he doesn’t have thousands of dollars sitting around to replace equipment overnight. Good government has to understand the people behind the policy.”

## Bringing Investment Into Neighborhoods

Franco also pointed to **Coyote Park**, a new neighborhood park being developed in an area of Buena Park with limited access to open space.

The project has become one of Franco’s signature examples of what he describes as neighborhood-level equity: bringing public investment directly into communities where families can experience it in their everyday lives.

“A park may look like a small thing on a spreadsheet,” Franco said. “But ask a family whose kids haven’t had a neighborhood park to walk to. Ask the grandparents who want somewhere nearby to sit outside. That’s when government becomes real.”

The park is expected to include neighborhood amenities such as chess board tables, a little library with a seed library, and a coyote statue reflecting the community’s local identity.

## Giving Latino Youth a Path Into Entrepreneurship

Franco’s post also highlighted collaborative efforts involving local educational and business organizations and the Mexican Consulate aimed at connecting Latino youth with entrepreneurship and economic opportunity.

The philosophy, Franco said, is to expose young people not only to traditional career paths but also to the possibility of creating businesses, becoming employers and building generational wealth.

**“I want our kids growing up believing they can own the restaurant, own the landscaping company, build the startup or create something none of us have thought of yet,”** Franco said. “Sometimes the difference is simply having somebody open that first door.”

## Balancing E-Bike Safety With How Young People Actually Travel

Franco has taken a similar approach to Buena Park’s evolving e-bike regulations.

As city officials considered updating local rules in June, one option discussed would permit electric mobility devices on sidewalks subject to a 10-mph speed limit. Franco emphasized that the City should encourage bicycle and electric-mobility use while establishing enforceable rules for irresponsible behavior.

Buena Park officials reported eight e-bike or e-scooter collisions since 2024 and 29 incidents involving e-bikes reported by the Orange County Fire Authority since 2021, underscoring the need to balance mobility with pedestrian and rider safety.

Franco said young riders should be educated and given realistic rules rather than policies that ignore how students actually get around their neighborhoods.

## “Judge Me by the Work”

Taken together, Franco said the examples reflect the kind of representation he wants to provide: culturally aware but focused on practical results.

He acknowledged that residents will not agree with every vote he casts. But he said the measure of representation should ultimately be whether residents feel heard and whether government is creating opportunities for them to succeed.

“I don’t expect people to support me simply because my last name is Franco,” he said. “Judge me by the work. Did I show up? Did I listen? Did I speak up when working families needed somebody in the room? Did we leave the neighborhood better than we found it?”

For Franco, that is also why the Instagram post was framed as the beginning of a conversation rather than the final word.

**“Our Latino community isn’t one issue and it isn’t one voting bloc,” Franco said. “We’re homeowners, renters, students, veterans, business owners, gardeners, teachers, parents and grandparents. We don’t all think alike — and that’s a good thing. My job is to make sure those voices have a place at the table.”**

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