Construction has started on a new center to memorialize and celebrate the Santa Maria Valley’s Japanese pioneers, many of whom saw their lives uprooted
Honoring the Issei, first generation Japanese immigrants, the City of Santa Maria Recreation and Parks Department held its groundbreaking ceremony for the Enos Ranch Park and Japanese Community Center Wednesday.
The long-planned Santa Maria Japanese Cultural Center is moving closer towards completion after receiving $500,000 in government funding, which helps pave the way for official groundbreaking in the near future.