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September 2018
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
President
Steven Welliver
Downtown Santa Monica, Inc.
 
President-Elect
Andrew Thomas
Westwood Village Improvement Association
 
Vice President
Steve Snider
Downtown Oakland and Lake Merritt-Uptown District Associations
 
Secretary
Dominic Tartaglia
San Luis Obispo Downtown Association
 
Treasurer
Blage Zelalich
City of San Jose
 
At-Large Directors
Chip 
Downtown Association of Santa Cruz

Emilie Cameron 
Downtown Sacramento Partnership

Maggie Campbell
MIG, Inc.

Austin Metoyer
Downtown Long Beach Alliance
 
Steve Mulheim
Old Pasadena Management District
 
Liz Studebaker
City of San Diego
 
Immediate Past President
Karin Flood
Union Square BID
CDA MEMBERS
Arlington Business Partnership
Bixby Knolls Business Improvement Association
Carmichael Improvement District, Inc.
Central City Association
City of Citrus Heights 
City of Folsom
City of Glendora
City of Lancaster
City of Los Angeles, Office of the City Clerk
City of Ontario
City of San Diego - Economic Development Dept.
Civitas
County of Santa Cruz - Office of Economic Development
Dinuba Chamber of Commerce
Downtown Association of Santa Cruz
Downtown Berkeley Association
Downtown Long Beach Alliance
Downtown Los Angeles
Downtown Modesto Partnership
Downtown Oakland Association/ Lake Merritt Uptown District Association
Downtown Oxnard Merchants Association
Downtown Pomona Owners Association
Downtown Roseville Partnership
Downtown Sacramento Partnership
Downtown San Diego Partnership
Downtown San Mateo Association
Downtown Santa Barbara, Inc.
Downtown Santa Monica, Inc.
Downtown Vacaville BID
Downtown Ventura Partners
Downtown Visalians, Inc.
Figueroa Corridor Partnership
Gateway to LA Airport Business District
Gilroy Economic Development
Hollywood Property Owners Alliance
Ironsmith, Inc.
Kono CBD
LA Downtown Industrial District BID
LA Fashion District BID
MJM Management Group
North Park Main Street
North Tahoe Business Association
Old Pasadena Management District 
ParkSmart, Inc.
Paso Robles Main Street Association
Playhouse District Association
Progressive Urban Management Associates, Inc.
R Street Sacramento Partnership
Riverside Downtown Partnership
San Jose Downtown Association
San Luis Obispo Downtown Association
South Park BID
Sunnyvale Downtown
Telegraph BID
Temescal Telegraph BID
The Downtown Burbank Partnership
The Placemaking Group
The River District
Tracy City Center Association
Tulare Downtown Association
Union Square BID
Walnut Creek Downtown Business Association
Westwood Village Improvement Association 
Wilshire Center Business Improvement District


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PRESIDENT'S MESSAGE
Dear Colleagues:

Last week, students in UC Berkeley Law School’s Policy and Advocacy Clinic released a report criticizing the role of California BIDs in engaging with the homeless population, characterizing BIDs as “Homeless Exclusion Districts.” The report is poorly researched, at best; at worst, it threatens and undermines decades of work by leaders in our industry committed to alleviating homelessness and serving the most vulnerable population in our urban places.

The report makes several direct recommendations to the state legislature and municipal elected officials. It suggests use of assessment dollars to support advocacy efforts is a violation of BID enabling legislation and should be forbidden. It proposes an exemption from assessments for all publicly-owned properties. It recommends a prohibition on security programs and suggests municipalities should refuse to cooperate with districts who have any interaction with the homeless as part of their mission.

Following the report’s release, press conferences and protests took place in Los Angeles, San Francisco, Sacramento, Denver and Portland. Articles appeared in the LA Times , on Next City , and opinion pieces – mostly in support of the report – have appeared in a handful of publications.

We anticipate new legislation, or possibly a re-introduction of prior homeless rights bills, when the legislature is back in session later this year.

The California Downtown Association is committed to a strong, strategic response in light of this misguided research. While we are working quickly to finalize materials, possible strategies include:

  1. Developing materials to refute the research for use by our members. 
  2. Proactive education of key members of the state legislature on BID engagement with issues of homelessness.
  3. Gathering stories about positive advocacy efforts and direct engagement by BIDs that has improved the plight of homeless individuals.
  4. Opinion pieces in key publications refuting the report’s claims.
  5. Convening a legislative advocacy day for direct conversations with elected officials about the critical importance of BID engagement in solutions to homelessness.

As always, your membership contributions to CDA directly support our advocacy efforts on behalf of the industry and urban place management districts statewide. If you’d like to discuss this report further, please don’t hesitate to let me know.

Best,




Steven Welliver
Deputy Chief Executive 
Downtown Santa Monica, Inc.
CDA POLICY CORNER
Sidewalk Vending Legislation Signed into Law 

Last week, Governor Jerry Brown signed SB 946 (Lara) into law which seeks to decriminalize sidewalk vending and allows cities to establish permitting programs for all street vendors.  

According to Senate Floor analysis, outdated laws expose street vendors to harassment, criminal prosecution and even deportation.  Many sidewalk vendors are undocumented immigrants, and sidewalk vending offers a way for those immigrants to be self-sufficient and improve their economic situation. But local governments throughout the state have overly restrictive ordinances that close off this opportunity to many vendors. In addition, the Trump administration’s recent change to immigration enforcement means that a minor violation of a local ordinance can result in severe consequences. SB 946 directly addresses these problems by establishing parameters for local regulation of sidewalk vendors to ensure that local governments can’t directly or indirectly ban sidewalk vending.

Although CDA maintained an “oppose” position on SB 946, advocacy efforts were critical in securing amendments to the bill that allow a city to prohibit sidewalk vendors in areas located within the vicinity of a permitted certified farmers’ market or area designated for a temporary special permit. These amendments give additional tools to local governments to ensure permitted events like concerts, weddings and farmers markets can be appropriately managed.  The amendments add higher fines for vending without the appropriate permit and requires sidewalk vendors to hold business licenses, maintain health and safety policies and pay all state and local taxes under the law.  

SB 946 will take effect on January 1, 2019.  


“No on Proposition 10” Update 

The No on Prop 10 campaign now has over 301 organizations, businesses, elected officials and individuals that have joined as coalition members. To view the online coalition list, or to sign up for yourself, visit www.Prop10Flaws.com . Some of the big endorsements over the last month include: 

  • Asian Americans In Commercial Real Estate
  • San Francisco Housing Action Coalition
  • California Manufacturers and Technology Association
  • California Land Title Association
  • Asian Business Association
  • California Asian Pacific Chamber of Commerce

The NO on 10 campaign launched digital ads on social media and is live on television with our “What Does Prop 10 Mean?” ad. You can view the ad on our website’s homepage at www.Prop10Flaws.com . 

Both of the No on Prop 10 campaigns coordinated efforts in securing dozens of local elected officials and former elected officials to join the coalition and oppose Prop 10. A press release was sent out which then prompted gubernatorial candidate Gavin Newsom to formally announce his opposition to Prop 10 as well. You can read the press release online here and below are some of the major elected officials that announced their opposition to Prop 10 in the release:

  • Antonio Villaraigosa, former Mayor, City of Los Angeles
  • Lee Brand, Mayor, Fresno
  • Adam Gray, Assemblymember
  • Bill Quirk, Assemblymember
  • Jim Cooper, Assemblymember
  • Patrick O’Donnell, Assemblymember
  • Tom Daly, Assemblymember
  • Chuck Reed, former Mayor, City of San Jose

Four newspapers have come out in opposition to Proposition 10: The Mercury News, The East Bay Times, The San Francisco Chronicle and the San Diego Union-Tribune . You can read the two Bay Area News Group papers HERE , the San Francisco Chronicle HERE and the San Diego Union-Tribune paper HERE .

Jason Bryant 
Bryant Government Affairs
September 2018 Legislative Update 
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E-Scooter Deaths Show Urgent Need for Safer Streets
StreetsBlogUSA
How many e-scooter riders have to die before cities realize they can’t just ignore their safety?

California Considers Creating Directory of Buildings Most Likely to Collapse in an Earthquake
Planetizen
Cities like San Francisco and Los Angeles already keep lists of vulnerable buildings, but a new piece of legislation would require all California cities do the same. The catch?

Legalizing Street Food, a Fixture of L.A.’s Landscape
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Ever since the days when Angelenos sold tamales out of horse-drawn carts, street food has been a fixture in this city.

Stackable Stalls Turn Empty Spaces Into Vibrant Markets
Pop-Up City
Every weekend, two empty public squares along the Han River in Seoul transform into the Bamdokkaebi night markets.

Marketing with a Purpose Works for Nike
SFGate.com
Nike caused an uproar this month with its ad featuring former NFL quarterback Colin Kaepernick that debuted just as...
Spread the Word
Do you have your ear to the ground when it comes to the latest downtown news in your region? To submit news to be considered for inclusion in the newsletter, please contact Allison Shashok at allison@downtown.org .
CDA District Digest Copyright 2018
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