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August 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
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
We want your help! 

The California Downtown Association Board of Directors is forming two committees to assist with the planning of the 2020 West Coast Urban District Forum to be held in downtown San Jose from March 4 – March 6, 2020 (please save the date!). We value our members’ input and experience, and we hope you will consider serving with us on a committee.

CDA members are welcome to join the Programming Committee or the Sponsorship Committee. The Programming Committee will determine the WCUDF Master Talks and breakout sessions. The Sponsorship Committee will assist with fundraising.
If you are interested in serving on one of these committees, please contact me at andrew@thewestwoodvillage.com. Thank you in advance for volunteering to make this upcoming conference the best event to date.


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 Priority Legislation to See Action in Legislature’s Fiscal Committees This Week 

With the Legislature reconvened after a month-long summer recess, CDA’s government affairs program is pushing ahead on this year’s major legislative priorities. The final month of session takes on a sprint-to-the-finish-line feel as bill author’s, staff and advocacy organizations make their final push to advance – or defeat – major legislative priorities.  

During the final month of session there is one major legislative deadline that will have a greater impact on the outcome of nearly every major piece of legislation over any other. That deadline is the final fiscal committee deadline referred to as the “Appropriations Suspense File” hearing. Faced with the reality that the state’s general fund cannot support every bill that is advancing through the legislative process, the Assembly & Senate Appropriations Committees are charged with prioritizing the remaining “fiscal” bills. It’s during this final “Suspense File” hearing – set for August 30 – where the fate of most bills, including many of CDA’s priorities listed below, will be determined.  

Priority Legislation for CDA:

SB 23 (Wiener, D-San Francisco) SUPPORT 
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. The bill has been referred to the Assembly Appropriations Committee and will be heard on August 30th. 

AB 1184 (Gloria, D-San Diego) OPPOSED 
The legislation would place a new mandate on all public agencies, including BIDs, to require storage of every transmitted email for at least 2 years. As written, the bill creates no new disclosures or exemptions of any records, but still requires all emails to be saved, regardless if the email is a public record or not. CDA believes there is no value to saving inconsequential emails – particularly if they are not required to be released under the California Public Records Act. 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. As was expected, the bill was approved by the Assembly and is now in the Senate and will be heard in the Appropriations Committee on August 30th. 

SB 518 (Wieckowski, D-Fremont) OPPOSED 
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. The bill was approved by the Senate and is now in the Assembly and has been placed on the Assembly Appropriations “Suspense File” where it will be heard on August 30th.   

AB 516 (Chiu, D-San Francisco) OPPOSE 
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. AB 516 has been referred to the Senate Appropriations Committee and will be heard on August 30th.  


Jason Bryant 
Bryant Government Affairs
August 2019 Legislative Update 
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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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