June 2022
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
President
Rena Masten Leddy
Urban Place Consulting Group

Immediate Past President
Steve Snider
Downtown Oakland Association
 
Vice President
Austin Metoyer
Downtown Long Beach Alliance

2nd Vice President
Suzanne Holley
Downtown Center Business Improvement District (LA)

Secretary
Chloe Shipp
San Jose Downtown Association
 
Treasurer
John Caner
Downtown Berkeley Association
 
At-Large Directors
Shifra de Benedictis-Kessner
Oakland Chamber of Commerce

Kevin Clerici
Downtown Ventura Partners

Josh Coyne
Downtown San Diego Partnership

Kathy Hemmenway
Walnut Creek Downtown
Business Association

Christian Martin
SOMA West CBD

Steve Mulheim
Old Pasadena Management District

Andrew Robinson
The East Cut

Marisa Rodriguez
Union Square Alliance

Bettina Swagger
Downtown San Luis Obispo

Andrew Thomas
Westwood Village Improvement Association

Liz Lorand Williams
Downtown Sacramento Partnership
IN THE NEWS

Oakland A’s Clash With Shipping Industry Over Waterfront Ballpark
CityLab
The plan to turn an idled terminal into a stadium and mixed-use development has met resistance from maritime groups who say the project could add to supply-chain woes.

LA Metro will try to prevent gentrification near its future rail lines by ‘land banking’
Los Angeles Daily News
Whenever LA Metro builds a train line, land prices and property values near its stations skyrocket, edging out low-income renters and mom-and-pop...

California Reparations Task Force Calls for Housing and Tuition Support
Next City
In its first report, California’s reparations task force recommended the state provide housing grants or zero-interest loans to residents who have lost homes to government seizures, construction or racist attacks...

The Important Role Libraries Play in Building a Creative and Innovative Society
ArchDaily
As gateways to knowledge and culture, libraries play a fundamental role in society. Foundational in creating opportunities for learning, as well as supporting literacy...

CA law upheld requiring property owners to pay 1 month's rent to tenants being evicted
KCRA3
A federal appeals court has upheld a state law requiring property owners who legally evict tenants to pay one month of the tenant’s rent in order to reduce the cost of...

New Bill Would Create an Incentive to Go Car-Free in California
StreetsblogCal
n the search to offer relief for high prices, Governor Newsom has floated the idea of offering checks to car owners, and the legislature has come up with a different way of providing some payments directly to taxpayers, but not based on car ownership.
Letter from President of the Board, Rena Masten Leddy
The West Coast Urban District Forum in Reno, Nevada, held a couple of weeks ago, was a huge success, surpassing attendance expectations. After a two-year absence, the joy and camaraderie felt at the conference were palpable. We kicked off the two-day conference with a pre-conference tour of the much-lauded Nevada Cares campus and then some vibrant Master Talks by Brad Carney on Public Art and Creative Engagement, Ishmael Nunez, BDS Planning and Urban Design, on The Intersection of Race and Place, Derek Kirk, CA Governor’s Office of Business & Economic Development about Go-Biz Community Based Solutions and Carmen Zell, NOW Art, on The Forefront of Democratization and Revolutionizing Public Art. Each one of these Master Talks affirmed much of what we know about managing places and provided thought-provoking ideas to take back to our communities.  

As with other industries, there has been a lot of staff mobility with folks retiring and/or moving into new jobs. Approximately 30% of the attendees appeared to be in new jobs or new to the industry. In many ways, our work in place management has become more challenging. There are homelessness and quality of life issues, increases in the perception and reality of crime, rising inflation and housing costs, and vacant storefronts and office buildings. But, being together with colleagues, both new and old, always invigorates us. We are ready and able to take on the next phase of place management. 

A special thank you to Alex Stettinski and the staff and board of the Downtown Reno Partnership, the IDA Staff, and the CDA Program Committee, especially the Committee Chair, Chole Shipp. Thank you to all of the speakers and session presenters. Thank you to the following sponsors - we could not do this without you:

Urban Champion: IKE Smart City

District Advocates: District Works, Economic Development Authority of Western Nevada, Reno City Center,
Placer.ai, Streetplus

Ambassadors: Union Square Alliance, University of Nevada Reno, Research & Innovation

Friends: Downtown Sacramento Partnership,
Progressive Urban Management Associates (P.U.M.A.),
San Jose Downtown Association, Uptown & Downtown CBDs/Oakland Central, Walnut Creek Downtown,
Westwood Village Improvement Association

Rena Masten Leddy, CDA President
Urban Place Consulting Group
Government Affair Report by Jason Bryant

CDA’s Sponsored Bill to be Considered by the State Senate

This week CDA’s sponsored bill, AB 2890 by Asm. Richard Bloom (D-Santa Monica) which would significantly improve the process for the formation and renewal of PBIDs, is likely to be taken up on the Senate Floor on the “special consent file.” 
 
CDA is sponsoring AB 2890 this year because the legislation will: 
 
  • Clarify the special benefit of the programs, which will help PBID assessments avoid unnecessary and costly legal challenges.  
 
  • Amends the Streets and Highways Code § 36600 et seq. to give direction to engineers on how to accurately calculate the benefits in accordance with the law. 
 
  • Helps protect BIDs from litigation challenges that severely impede – or even eliminate – PBIDs and the benefits they provide.

CDA Supports Governor’s “CARE Court” Program – SB 1338 (Umberg) 
 
The CDA Board took a major step in helping stop the cycle of homelessness, incarceration and hospitalization due to mental health problems by taking a strong support position on SB 1338 by Senator Tom Umberg (D-Santa Ana). The legislation would establish the Community Assistance, Recovery, and Empowerment (CARE) Court Program, which would authorize specified persons to petition a civil court to create a CARE plan and implement services for individuals suffering from specified mental health disorders. If the court determines the individual is eligible for the CARE Court Program, the court would order the implementation of a CARE plan, as devised by the relevant county behavioral services agency, and would oversee the individual’s participation in the plan. The legislation would allow state and county governments to act earlier to support the most vulnerable in our communities to avoid the worst-case scenarios – incarceration, restrictive conservatorships or death. The bill has passed the Senate Floor by a vote of 39-0-1 and received strong support in the Assembly policy committees earlier this month. The bill now heads to the Assembly Appropriations Committee.  
 
CDA Takes an “Oppose Unless Amended” Position on Street Sweeping Bill  

The CDA Board flagged AB 1886 by Asm. Jim Cooper (D-Elk Grove) which would require the payment of “prevailing wage” for private street sweeping and maintenance agreements for publicly owned streets, roads or highways under contract. The CDA Board has taken an “oppose unless amended” position on the bill and is working with the author’s office on clarifying language to protect janitorial services provided by BIDs that focus on cleaning breezeways, walkways, storefronts, sidewalks and curb & gutters. The bill language can be found here
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CDA District Digest Copyright 2022
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