Is your entire staff reading this newsletter? Please forward to your team and ask them to sign up!

As I embark upon my 7th year as a CDA Board member, I am humbled to say that I have accepted the responsibility to lead this fantastic and impactful organization as President of the Board of Directors for 2021. In a somewhat unusual occurrence, all of our veteran Board members are continuing their service in 2021, so we are able to build on the foundation we have established as an organization.

Six months ago, following the George Floyd murder at the hands of a police officer, I also offered to Chair CDA's first DEI (Diversity, Equity and Inclusion) Task Force. Issues of equity and inclusion are extremely important to me personally and I believe they are crucial to CDA, to our industry, and most importantly, to our respective communities. As we move into the last week of January, I am proud to say our Board has solidified its commitment to develop a strong equity lens for our organization and has pushed to host a special Board meeting on February 1st where we will examine and further develop both our Core Purpose as an organization and create our very first Value Statement for our organization. In my opinion, this is an indispensable exercise for any organization, and will provide a guiding vision for our future legislative efforts and our organizational priorities. Additionally, CDA will be working closely with our partner, the International Downtown Association (IDA), on presenting a DEI-focused webinar during the month of April, featuring expert speakers and panelists, and providing additional resources and recommendations on what your organization can do to move the needle on this essential issue.

Our top priority as an organization is YOU, our valued members. We exist to support you in all aspects of your work as an urban place management professional. We do this by sharing resources, best practices, and industry specific educational opportunities, such as the above-mentioned webinar, so you can continue to grow as a professional and be effective and efficient in your role as a leader in your own organization and community. As we seek to rebound from this pandemic in the coming months, your community is going to need all of you, and the best version of you, so please take advantage of the opportunities and resources provided by the California Downtown Association and our vast network of leaders and experts.

In closing, I would like to extend a heartfelt thank you to our outgoing Board President, Andrew Thomas, for his stellar two years of service and for the generous support he has provided me in transitioning into this role. It is a true honor to serve in this capacity. Please do not hesitate to reach out to me to learn more about the work we are doing behind the scenes and how you might be able to get more involved in our efforts. It's pretty clear WE HAVE WORK TO DO!

Executive Director

Downtown Oakland Association

On Monday, 1/25, the Governor announced the lifting of the state’s existing “stay at home order” in all of the major regions of the state which means these areas fall back to the color-coded / tiered reopening system that the state had implemented previously.

The Governor’s announcement would allow restaurants to reopen for outdoor dining (with modifications) as well as personal services like hair salons to open indoors (with modifications). While the Greater Sacramento Region had reopened in mid-January, the Governor’s announcement would allow Southern California, Central Valley and the San Francisco Bay Area to follow suit and reopen immediately.

Where we are: The state’s existing public health order (12/6/20) imposes a strict stay-at-home order in the state’s 6 major geographic regions if the ICU bed capacity in those regions drops below 15%. Since the signing of that order, the ICU bed capacity had dropped below 15% in most regions, forcing closure of restaurants, hair salons and personal services in those regions.

We are hopeful there’s a light at the end of the tunnel: The Governor’s announcement (1/25/21) takes affect immediately in all regions throughout the state, including the Southern California which affects 8 counties, including LA, San Bernardino, Riverside, San Diego. The announcement also affects the SF Bay Area and the 9 counties in that region including Sonoma, Napa, Santa Clara, Alameda, Marin because their ICU bed capacities are increasing.

Of course, local jurisdictions can continue impose stricter standards if they choose.

Read the full CDPH release here.

Kicking off the budget process that will be finalized over the next six months, Governor Newsom unveiled a much anticipated 2021-22 state spending plan during a lengthy budget briefing last Friday morning.

Against the backdrop of the COVID-19 pandemic, the $227 billion fiscal plan is flush with new spending with significant investment to reopen schools, financial support directly to taxpayers and aid to small-to-medium sized businesses who have been harmed by shut-downs that were imposed to prevent virus spread.

Thanks in large part to strong economic recovery among wealthier earners that have benefited from a red-hot housing market and record stock market gains, the Governor’s plan represents a dramatic shift in anticipated revenues from a year ago which were pegged at potentially a $50 billion budget deficit due to COVID-19 economic impacts.

To support small-to-medium sized businesses, the budget allocates $500 million on small business grants for those impacted by COVID and an additional $430 million in grants and tax credits for business expansion, as well as $71 million in business fee waivers. Eligibility and other information about small business stimulus grants and other relief can be found here.

Specific to spending on public health and COVID-19 response, the budget includes nearly $3 billion to expend COVID testing, improve contract tracing, and vaccine distribution. On homelessness and mental health related issues, the Governor is proposing the establishment of CalAIM – an overhaul of the state’s Medi-Cal program that would make it more efficient and effective in treating people with mental health issues, those experiencing homelessness, or substance abuse disorders and ensure people can receive coordinated care at one location. Additionally, the plan allocates $1.75 billion in one-time money to purchase more motels, coined “Project Homekey”, to help deal with increasing homelessness.

Regarding housing and new housing development, the budget plan commits $500 million one-time funding for infill infrastructure and an additional $500 million in low-income tax credits to support low-income housing development. The budget also provides $4.3 million for the Housing & Community Development Department to facilitate affordable housing production through monitoring, technical assistance, and existing housing production laws that require local jurisdictions to meet there affordable housing production requirements.

Bryant Government Affairs

January 2021 Legislative Update

Parks & Rec Business

Have you heard of “intersectional planning” as it relates to parks and recreation? Essentially, the term refers to “the integration between planning for green spaces and for other elements, such as transportation, housing, and water management,”

The Guardian

The city remains the nation’s priciest for renters, and the pandemic has dealt a new economic blow to residents

The Sacramento Bee

The Sacramento City Counc il took steps toward an updated General Plan that includes a variety of innovative planning proposals, including the elimination of single-family zoning by allowing up to four dwelling units on all residential parcels.

Streetsblog Cal

As it moves forward with plans to build its first protected bike lane, Pasadena got a reminder from the Pasadena Complete Streets Coalition to hold a steady course. 

Planetizen

Descanso Gardens in Los Angeles County offered the "Wishing Tree" for visitors to share their wishes and hopes for 2021. The public response was overwhelming, with over 10,000 notes hung on the tree in a matter of weeks.

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 us.