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September / October 2019
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
President
Andrew Thomas
Westwood Village Improvement Association

President-Elect
Steve Snider
Downtown Oakland and Lake Merritt-Uptown District Associations
 
Vice President
Liz Studebaker
City of San Diego
 
Treasurer
Austin Metoyer
Downtown Long Beach Alliance
 
At-Large Directors
Emilie Cameron 
Downtown Sacramento Partnership

John Caner
Downtown Berkeley

Karin Flood
Union Square Business Improvement District

Kathy Hemmenway
Walnut Creek Downtown

Suzanne Holley
Downtown Center Business Improvement District (LA)

Rena Leddy
LA Fashion District
 
Steve Mulheim
Old Pasadena Management District

Chloe Verrey
San Jose Downtown Association
 
Immediate Past President
Steven Welliver
Downtown Santa Monica, Inc.
CDA MEMBERS
Arlington Business Partnership
Arts District Los Angeles BID
Bixby Knolls Business Improvement Association
BLVD Association
Carmichael Improvement District, Inc.
City of Beverly Hills
City of Monterey Park
City of Ontario
City of San Diego - Economic Development Dept.
City of San Jose - Office of Econ Dev
Civitas
County of Santa Cruz - Office of Economic Development
Downtown Association of Santa Cruz
Downtown Berkeley Association
Downtown Business Association-Bakersfield
Downtown Center BID
Downtown Long Beach Alliance
Downtown Modesto Partnership
Downtown Oakland Association/ Lake Merritt Uptown District Association
Downtown Pomona Owners Association
Downtown Roseville Partnership
Downtown Sacramento Partnership
Downtown Santa Barbara, Inc.
Downtown Santa Monica, Inc.
Downtown SLO
Downtown Vacaville BID
Downtown Ventura Partners
Downtown Visalians, Inc.
East Hollywood BID
Figueroa Corridor Partnership
Gateway to LA Airport Business District
Genetec
Gilroy Economic Development
Greater Broadway District
Hollywood Property Owners Alliance
Kono CBD
LA Downtown Industrial District BID
LA Fashion District BID
La Jolla Village Merchants Association
LeerCorp
North Tahoe Business Association
Old Monterey 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
South Park BID
Sunnyvale Downtown
Telegraph BID
Temescal Telegraph BID
The River District
Times Square Alliance
Tracy City Center Association
Tulare Downtown Association
Union Square BID
Walnut Creek Downtown Business Association
Westwood Village Improvement Association 


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MESSAGE FROM THE PRESIDENT
Andrew Thomas VP
The California Downtown Association's West Coast Urban District Forum Programming Committee is determining Master Talks and breakout sessions for the 2020 event.

Please respond to our online Call for Sessions and let us know what subjects interest you so we can schedule expert speakers to present at our annual conference. The deadline to submit your proposals for the 2020 West Coast Urban District Forum is Monday November 4, 2019.

Thank you for your help in making this upcoming Forum the best yet!

Andrew Thomas, CDA President
Executive Director
Westwood Village Improvement Association
WCUDF 2020 SPONSORSHIPS
Please consider passing along the WCUDF 2020 sponsorship opportunities to companies that would benefit from working with other downtown organizations.
CDA POLICY CORNER
CDA PICKS UP LEGISLATIVE WIN, ASKS GOVERNOR NEWSOM TO VETO HARMFUL LEGISLATION

With the Legislature adjourned after the final month of the legislative session, CDA’s government affairs strategy has shifted from work within the Legislature to now focusing on the Governor’s Office. With two of the four major priorities still moving through the process, the California Downtown Association Board of Directors has asked Governor Newsom to veto two major pieces of legislation. The Governor has until October 13th to sign or veto all bills.  

The two priority bills on the Governor’s desk are:  

AB 1184 (Gloria, D-San Diego) OPPOSED – BILL IS ON THE GOVERNOR’S DESK
The legislation would place a new mandate on all public agencies, including BIDs, to require electronic storage of all emails that are public records for at least 2 years. As written, the bill creates no new disclosures or exemptions of any records, but still requires these emails to be saved even if those records are already being retained. CDA is helping to lead a coalition of public agencies including the California Special Districts Association and the League of California Cities who also oppose the bill and have asked for Governor Newsom to veto the legislation.   

SB 518 (Wieckowski, D-Fremont) OPPOSED – BILL IS ON THE GOVERNOR’S DESK
Working with a broad coalition including the California Special Districts Association, the League of California Cities, the California State Association of Counties and the Rural County Representatives of California, CDA is opposed to the bill because it removes an important tool that reduces excessive litigation, court costs and attorney’s fees in disputes involving the CPRA. Specifically, the bill eliminate the utility of the “Section 998 settlement” offer in lawsuits between parties where a public agency is involved. A “Section 998 settlement” allows a plaintiff or defense to make an offer to settle a dispute before proceeding to trial. If an offer is presented but not accepted, the litigating party is not entitled to post-offer costs and attorney’s fees should a litigant fail to receive a better result than the offer made. The “Section 998 settlement” encourages settlements of disputes and avoids unnecessary attorney’s fees and court costs. Our coalition has asked the Governor to veto this legislation.    

Other Priority Legislation for CDA:

AB 516 (Chiu, D-San Francisco) OPPOSE – BILL WAS HELD IN THE SENATE APPROPRIATIONS COMMITTEE AND IS DEAD FOR THE YEAR.
While we appreciate the policy objective of reducing impacts to vehicle ownership for lower-income Californians, this bill would have negative impacts California’s downtowns and business districts. The bill would allow vehicles to be parked in excess of 72 hours on public streets without the ability for law enforcement to remove the vehicle. Vehicles could be stored in business districts for 5 business days, taking parking spaces away from residents, customers and those conducting commerce in our downtowns.  CDA’s members throughout the state manage and promote special events in our downtowns – from cultural events, art exhibits, entertainment and other community enhancing attractions. Often these events require areas to be pedestrian only for a period of time to ensure the safety of the participants. Vehicles that are parked for a significant period of time without the ability to remove a vehicle poses safety and security risks for those who are managing the events and the residents and visitors who attend. The bill was held in the Senate Appropriations Committee and is dead for the year.   

SB 23 (Wiener, D-San Francisco) SUPPORT – BILL WAS HEALD IN THE ASSEMBLY APPROPRIATIONS COMMITTEE AND IS DEAD FOR THE YEAR.
In an effort to reduce burglary rates, this bill clarifies that the unlawful entry of a vehicle with the intent to commit theft establishes the crime of auto burglary. Under current law, to secure a conviction when an auto burglar is arrested, one of the elements prosecutors must prove beyond a reasonable doubt is that the vehicle was locked. Unfortunately, the fact that a victim’s window was broken does not, by itself, establish that the vehicle was locked. This evidence is especially challenging to obtain, particularly in cases where the victim is unavailable or unknown which is prevalent amongst victims who are tourists since they are unable to return to the jurisdiction where the crime was committed to verify the crime occurred. This bill was held in the Assembly Appropriations Committee and is dead for the year.  

Jason Bryant 
Bryant Government Affairs
September 2019 Legislative Update 
IN THE NEWS
In Its Search for New Approaches to Affordable Housing, Southern California Is Thinking Small
Next City
Finding an affordable apartment or house in California has become nearly a magical event.

This Small Italian City Might Have an Answer for L.A.'s Homeless Catastrophe
Los Angeles Times
Kerry Morrison had seen enough. She was not a clinician or policymaker, and she didn’t know what the answers were.

Trump and California See Same Homeless Problem, but Not the Same Solutions
The New York Times
Open-air heroin use. Sidewalks smeared in human feces. Blocklong homeless camps and people with severe mental...

North Lake Tahoe BID’s Proposed Tourism BID Focus of First Tuesday Talk
Sierra Sun
The North Lake Tahoe Resort Association is leading an effort to form a Tourism Business Improvement District, freeing up...

Palm Springs Is Making Great Strides in Downtown Development
San Diego Magazine 
One of the best ways to explore all the shopping, food, art and celebrity nostalgia in downtown Palm Springs is on foot. 

Sacramento is Perfect for Young Professionals, Report Says. Why Does it Get a Bad Rep?
The Sacramento Bee 
Reputations die hard and for Sacramento it’s been especially hard to get rid of some of its more inaccurate ones...

What Glendale’s Not-Rent-Control Law Means for Affordable Housing in the City
Next City 
As major cities in the U.S. become increasingly unaffordable, unsubsidized affordable housing is ever more crucial in...

State of Texas Wants U.S. Supreme Court to Overturn Ruling
Community Impact Newspaper
A potential court battle is brewing that could impact the future of laws on public camping, sitting and lying down across the...

Mobility Experts Discuss Uncertain Future
StreetsBlogSF
Are new technologies going to frustrate or help efforts to build more livable cities? Past experience may be key to...

New Research Ties Lack of Density to Lack of Affordability in California
Planetizen 
New research using the Terner Center California Residential Land Use Survey also connects demographic trends to...

Why Community-Owned Grocery Stores Like Co-ops Are The Best Recipe for Revitalizing Food Deserts
The Conversation 
Tens of millions of Americans go to bed hungry at some point every year. While poverty is the primary culprit, some...

Cities Adopt Geofencing to Corral E-Scooters
SFGate.com
Like scores of tourists who zip through Santa Monica on e-scooters every day, 21-year-old Elliot Stephenson had no...

San Diego Mayor Vetoing Controversial Proposal to Require Developers to Build More Low-Income Housing
The San Diego Union-Tribune 
Critics call plan a ‘tax on builders,’ but supporters say it can help solve housing crisis.

Immigrant Success: For Servando Orozco, The American Dream is Real
Long Beach Post News 
Servando Orozco is a longtime active member of the community. He owns three auto repair shops in the greater Long Beach...
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 2019
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