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February 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
 
Secretary
Chip
Downtown Association of Santa Cruz
 
Treasurer
Austin Metoyer
Downtown Long Beach Alliance
 
At-Large Directors
Emilie Cameron 
Downtown Sacramento Partnership

Maggie Campbell
MIG, Inc.

Karin Flood
Union Square Business Improvement District

Kathy Hemmenway
Walnut Creek Downtown

Suzanne Holley
Downtown Center Business Improvement District (LA)
 
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.
Central City Association
City of Los Angeles, Office of the City Clerk
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
Dinuba Chamber of Commerce
Downtown Association of Santa Cruz
Downtown Berkeley Association
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 San Diego Partnership
Downtown Santa Barbara, Inc.
Downtown Santa Monica, Inc.
Downtown SLO
Downtown Vacaville BID
Downtown Ventura Partners
Downtown Visalians, Inc.
Figueroa Corridor Partnership
Gateway to LA Airport Business District
Genetec
Gilroy Economic Development
Greater Broadway District
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
South Park BID
Sunnyvale Downtown
Telegraph BID
Temescal Telegraph BID
The River District
Tracy City Center Association
Tulare Downtown Association
Walnut Creek Downtown Business Association
Westwood Village Improvement Association 
Wilshire Center Business Improvement District


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MESSAGE FROM THE PRESIDENT
Andrew Thomas VP
Next month, BID leaders and downtown practitioners will come together to take part in the West Coast Urban District Forum (WCUDF), the signature annual event hosted by the California Downtown Association, the International Downtown Association, and this year’s host district, the LA Fashion District. If you have not yet registered for this event, I strongly encourage you to do so. CDA has lined up exceptional Keynote and Master Talk speakers, and the Breakout Sessions will focus on important issues that touch all of our districts. For a complete list of speakers, sessions and activities, please click the following link for the 2019 program .

If I had to quantify the value of the conference, I would say it is equal parts education, inspiration, networking and discovery. The educational and networking opportunities at WCUDF are clear. Participants learn best practices from industry experts across a host of fields, while meeting peers not just from California, but from across the country and Canada. There is also a touch of therapy provided at WCUDF gained by interacting with people who truly understand the challenges we all face. In all seriousness, where else can you find a large community of people that know exactly what it’s like to peel off stickers from light poles, plan a large event, and then advocate for policy all in the same day? 

Every WCUDF is unique in its own way, in no small part due to their host destinations. Conference attendees are certainly in for something special this year. The LA Fashion District BID, located in downtown Los Angeles, is one of the most culturally, socially, and economically diverse communities in Los Angeles. Please take time to explore this amazing district and take in everything it has to offer.

Hundreds of hours - many of them volunteer hours - have been invested into making the 2019 WCUDF a terrific conference that will spur creativity and bring additional value to our work. In advance of this year’s conference, I would like to thank everyone who has dedicated their time and energy to this event. I am excited to see you all in the LA Fashion District, and please take a moment to find me and say hello. I look forward to meeting you.


Andrew Thomas, CDA President
Executive Director
Westwood Village Improvement Association
WEST COAST URBAN DISTRICT FORUM
Join the LA Fashion District, California Downtown Association and IDA for the 2019 West Coast Urban District Forum March 19-21, 2019 . Master talks and breakout sessions will explore how downtowns serve as economic development resources beyond city boundaries, and how social equity plays an important role in the work that we do. Experts will share best practices on enhancing downtown quality of life and cultivating the next generation of leaders.
Explore the program on our website. Master Talk speakers include Michael Berne (MJB Consulting), Monique Earl (LADOT), Jamillah Jordan (MIG, Inc), Emilie Lewis (CMC), Mark Loranger (Chrysalis), Donald Shoup (UCLA), and Jonathan E. Sherin, M.D., Ph.D. (LA County Department of Mental Health).

Be sure to add a tour to your registration! Explore the LA Fashion District on the Downtown Los Angeles Bus Tour ($50) or The Fashion District: Building a Legacy & High End Design Walking Tour ($25). If you've already registered and would like to add a tour to your itinerary, please email registration@downtown.org . 

Already registered for the 2019 West Coast Urban District Forum? Pay only $50 in dues for the remainder of 2019 for your CDA membership (new members only). Download the application form and read all the details by clicking here .
CDA POLICY CORNER
A Record 2,576 Bills Introduced in the Legislature Before Last Friday’s Deadline 

As the bill introduction deadline approached last week, legislators and Capitol staff worked feverishly to introduce their legislative package for the year. Even though 2019 is the first year of a 2-year session and the houses have self-imposed a cap limiting the number of bills that can be introduced by each lawmaker, this year will likely break records with the number of bills moving through the legislative process.  

Although many of these measures are considered “spot bills” – essentially empty vehicles introduced now to meet the deadline – these bills will be amended by the author later in the year to tackle substantive policy issues. Additionally, nearly 700 of the 2,500 bills are referred to as “intent” bills that state the Legislature will develop specific policy around an issue in the coming months when legislative committees begin their work. 
With the bill introduction deadline cleared, the process of considering and hearing those bills in the policy and fiscal committees will occur over the next two months. On a parallel legislative budget process, the Governor and the Legislature will hear and debate the passage of the 2019-20 State Budget through a series of Budget Sub-Committee hearings and final negotiations with legislative leadership and the Governor in June.  

CDA’s Board will now begin the process of considering relevant legislation and considering a formal position on priority legislation. The Board took a “support” position on SB 23 (Wiener, D-San Francisco) a bill that would close a loophole in current law that prevents prosecution of vehicle break-in crime.  

Although staff will be analyzing hundreds of bills over the coming weeks, there are a number of bills that are of interest to CDA. They are:  

  • AB 36 (Bloom, D-Santa Monica) – expresses the intent of the Legislature to enact legislation in order to stabilize rental prices and increase availability of affordable rental housing. 
  • SB 50 (Wiener, D-San Francisco) – aims to increase housing near transit and job centers. 
  • SB 5 (Beall, D-San Jose & McGuire, D-Santa Rosa) – establishes a replacement funding mechanism for affordable housing 
  • AB 11 (Chiu, D-San Francisco & Bloom, D-Santa Monica) – allows cities/counties to create tax increment financing districts to fund affordable housing.  

To comment on these bills or any other legislation of particular interest, please feel free to contact me.  

Jason Bryant 
Bryant Government Affairs
February 2019 Legislative Update 
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Breed Prepares Bill to Make Affordable Housing Cheaper to Build
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UK Artist Brings Bright Idea to Sacramento Waterfront
CBS13
One of Sacramento’s most popular tourist attractions is about to get a little more colorful. New public artwork will soon be...

No Place Left to Go: Business Districts Keep Homeless Populations on the Move
Next City
In Denver and other cities, can private groups control access to public spaces?

Updated Rules Allow Local Communities to Reinvent Public Spaces
NBC7
You may have seen them around the City of San Diego - small areas right off the sidewalk with benches, trees or artwork.

L.A. City Council Committee Approves Fashion District Bridge Housing
StreetsBlogLA
This afternoon the L.A. City Council Homelessness and Poverty Committee unanimously approved developing bridge housing...

Warming to Transit Oriented Development in San Francisco
Planetizen
"San Franciscans appear to be warming to the idea of building denser housing around transit hubs, an issue that has proved...

Is California Affordable? Here’s Who Says Yes
The New York Times
Do you feel like you can afford to live in California? If you said no to that question, you’d be in good company…
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 2019
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