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June 2020
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
President
Andrew Thomas
Westwood Village Improvement Association

1st Vice President
Steve Snider
Downtown Oakland and Lake Merritt-Uptown District Associations
 
2nd Vice President
Emilie Cameron 
Downtown Sacramento Partnership

Secretary
Kathy Hemmenway
Walnut Creek Downtown
 
Treasurer
Austin Metoyer
Downtown Long Beach Alliance
 
At-Large Directors
Marshall Anderson
Downtown San Diego Partnership

John Caner
Downtown Berkeley

Karin Flood
Union Square Business Improvement District

Suzanne Holley
Downtown Center Business Improvement District (LA)

Rena Leddy
LA Fashion District
 
Steve Mulheim
Old Pasadena Management District

Chloe Shipp
San Jose Downtown Association
 
Immediate Past President
Steven Welliver
Downtown Santa Monica, Inc.
CDA MEMBERS
Arlington Business Partnership
Arts District Los Angeles BID
Improvement Association
BLVD Association
Carmichael Improvement District, Inc.
City of Beverly Hills
City of Monterey Park
City of Morgan Hill
City of Ontario
Civitas
Downtown Alameda Business Association
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.
Figueroa Corridor Partnership
Gateway to LA Airport Business District
Gilroy Economic Development
Greater Broadway District
Hollywood Property Owners Alliance
Kono CBD
LA Downtown Industrial District BID
LA Fashion District BID
Old Monterey Business Association
Old Pasadena Management District 
ParkSmart, Inc.
Paso Robles Main Street Association
Placerville Downtown 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
The Unity Council
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 Board of Directors stands in solidarity with the Black community in our downtowns, our state and across our nation. The senseless deaths of so many individuals are heartbreaking and infuriating and cannot continue. All people must stand together to combat injustice and systemic racism.

We downtown practitioners must do better to create inclusive and diverse spaces in our communities and our organizations. CDA is now determining how to expand our scope so we can do everything possible to create welcoming environments for everyone.

CDA also believes that we, and our membership, can do better. We must educate ourselves, our individual Board members and our constituents, and then commit ourselves to creating fairer and more equitable districts.

These are momentous times, and we are seeing history unfold on the streets of our downtown centers. CDA will respond to this moment, and we are just beginning our discussions regarding how we can lead for a more just future. CDA is also ready to listen and to learn from those who have suffered and sacrificed while waiting for change.

Andrew Thomas, CDA President
Executive Director
Westwood Village Improvement Association
LEGISLATIVE UPDATE
Legislature & Governor Strike Budget Agreement; CDA’s Government Affairs Coalition Work Helps Defeat Bill Nullifying Commercial Leases  

This week, Governor Newsom and Legislative leaders have come to agreement on the passage of the 2020-21 state budget – a deal that avoids significant cuts to public programs in the wake of a $54.3 billion budget deficit as a result of the pandemic.

In his “May Revise” budget plan submitted to lawmakers just over 30 days ago, the Governor had proposed major spending cuts to public health programs and to K-12 public schools, colleges and universities. Cuts to public education was slated at $14 billion – mainly to cuts to teacher compensation – have been avoided after Legislative leadership, teacher unions and school districts negotiated an alternative to those cuts that relies heavily on a federal stimulus or financial aid through congressional action later this year.  In an effort to close the budget deficit, the plan does enact reductions in compensation to state workers by roughly $2.8 billion as well as delaying roughly $12 billion in payments to schools in future years. Lawmakers will vote on the final state budget spending plan this Thursday, 6/25 and the Governor is expected to sign the plan by the end of the week, 6/26.

In other news, CDA’s advocacy and coalition efforts were tested last week when the Senate Appropriations Committee “held” SB 939 (Wiener) – a bill that would have forced commercial space lessors to provide rent-free space for an extended period of time with no specific end date. The bill also contained provisions that would have undermined and or nullified existing lease contracts. While CDA agrees with the author that the economic impacts of COVID-19 have been severe due to the state’s shelter-in-place order, the bill’s provisions went too far and would have exacerbated the economic impacts of COVID-19 slowing economic recovery, reducing tax revenues for cities & counties with a big hit to the state’s general fund. SB 939 was held in the Senate Appropriations Committee, which is Chaired by Senator Anthony Portantino (D-Pasadena) and Vice-Chaired by Senator Patricia Bates (R-Dana Point).

Jason Bryant 
Bryant Government Affairs
June 2020 Legislative Update 
IN THE NEWS
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In 1992, the last time Angelenos’ rage over police brutality boiled into an uprising, large swaths of South Los Angeles burned...

San Luis Obispo, CA Named Best US City for Biking
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The third annual PeopleForBikes City Ratings found San Luis Obispo, CA as the top U.S. city for bicycling.

From Jails to Sanctuary Planning: Spatial Justice in Santa Ana
Journal of Planning Education and Research
This article examines how these movements push for sanctuary while challenging jails’ political and economic places in cities.

Big Changes Ahead When Muni Rail Returns in August
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Get ready for a big addition to our COVID-19 Core Service Network: Muni Metro rail is scheduled to return in August ...

San Diego’s New Parks Plan Hopes for Quality over Quantity
NextCity
Growing up in City Heights in San Diego, Julie Corrales remembers tying a plastic-wrapped ball around a stop...

LA County Considers By-Right Housing Ordinance for Unincorporated Communities
Urbanize LA
Streamlining multifamily developments and permitting mixed-use in commercial zones.

Santa Monica to Pilot Zero Emissions Delivery Zone
Smart Cities Dive
As cities look to manage curb space and reduce congestion caused by large delivery trucks, they have increasingly...
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