Have you been wondering what all the fuss is about the Santa Ana PBID? Well, wonder no more. I got a hold of all the city documents related to the PBID, and you can view them by clicking here. This link will take you to a Google Documents folder with numerous documents related to the PBID, including:
So what is the PBID? It is a property assessment, which is to say a tax, on businesses and property owners in much of Downtown Santa Ana. Recently the Santa Ana City Council redrew the PBID’s boundaries, making it smaller, in order to get rid of some of the businesses that were complaining about the PBID.
The PBID funds are administered by Downtown, Inc., an organization that is run by a Board that holds officer elections in March. Click here to read their latest meeting agenda. Click here to see their latest meeting minutes. Click here to see their 2010 Annual Report. And click here to see their latest newsletter. Click here to see their Financial Review.
Irv Chase recently resigned from Downtown, Inc.’s board. Who else is on their board? That is hard to say. I could not find a current list of their Board Members, but here is what I found in their last annual report, relative to their board and staff:
Board Directors, 2009/10 Officers
Term Expiration:
Property Owners – Directors
Neighborhood Representative Property Owner
Merchant Representative Business Owner
City of Santa Ana Representatives
Staff
Note that Cindy Nelson is also off their board now, as she retired. She was the one who came up with the PBID idea, along with now retired Santa Ana City Manager Dave Ream. Together they cooked up a scheme that allowed the PBID vote to be somewhat rigged as the City of Santa Ana had a bunch of votes, due to the fact that they own a lot of land in the Downtown area. The PBID passed essentially with less than a majority vote – and today a lot of folks say they didn’t even have a chance to vote.
I am hearing that some of the folks who are upset about the PBID are going to sue the City of Santa Ana. They are going to demand that the PBID be cancelled. I am told that they are open to having a new PBID election – and it would likely fail without the scheming duo of Ream and Nelson.
Has the PBID been effective? In many ways, yes. Downtown Santa Ana is clean and safe and there has been of marketing. However critics say that the marketing has only benefited a few – primarily the bars and restaurants.
I am a fan of Downtown Inc.’s Executive Director, Vicky Baxter. She has worked very hard and done the best job possible under trying circumstances. That said, the problem with PBID is how it was put together by Ream and Nelson. What they did was unjust and quite possibly illegal. Until this is dealt with the PBID will remain a sore spot and there will not be peace in Downtown Santa Ana.
Personally I believe a new PBID election is warranted. That is the only way to resolve the issue. The longer the Santa Ana City Council sits on their hands the worse the situation will become.
I also think that while the Downtown Inc. promoter, Archer Altstaetter, has been effective in marketing both Downtown Santa Ana and the new East End Promenade, he has also ventured into politics – in particular he has declared war on Santa Ana Mayor Pro Tem Claudia Alvarez. That was very ill-advised. Downtown, Inc. should have remained above the fray. Now they have pissed off Alvarez and her allies. That won’t end well, I can assure you.
There has in fact been talk among the Archer contingent of launching a recall against Alvarez. Good luck with that. If they do that I am quite sure that the Santa Ana City Council will summarily cancel the PBID.
One more thing – the artists in the Santa Ana Artists Village are not happy about the move by Archer to extend the monthly Art Walk to the East End Promenade. I went to the last Art Walk and saw for myself that extending the Art Walk both East and West has in fact diluted the crowds at the Santora Building. This extension is going to prove costly for the artists.
UPDATE: According to comments left on this blog by past mayoral candidate Stanley Fiala and Art Lomeli, a dentist who also owns property in Downtown Santa Ana, many of the property owners are collecting signatures and tabulating the amounts of assessments of anti-PBID owners. When they get to 50% they will be able to go to the City Council and demand that the PBID be canceled.
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Stanley Fiala says:
September 10, 2011 at 3:55 pm
“Injustice anywhere in Santa Ana is a threat to justice everywhere in Santa Ana.”…… Hmmmm
Empirically based, if you will use the above language you will get nowhere.
If you want succeed it must be strictly business based.
Injustice/ Justice are bad words to use.
This is not about social justice, this should be about the business.
THE POINT IS THAT IF ONE LETS WHATEVER YOU WANT TO CALL THIS PBID ARGUMENT IN DOWNTOWN ......SOMETHING SIMILAR OR IDENTICAL CAN OCCUR ANYWHERE ELSE LOCAL OR OUTSIDE THE CITY.
"Fighting injustice is everybody’s business Stanley."..... Hmmmm
This is not time and place do that.
We each follow our own muses.
"We each follow our own muses"..... Hmmmm
Some of us will fail and some of us will prosper.
However, I know who will do what.
So obviously I cant help.
You have already helped. Gracias Stanley.
One correction, Admin:
Unfortunately for those against the PBID, the city of Santa Ana wrote its own PBID law and took out the clause allowing property owners to petition to disestablish the district.
This is something I wrote about in February:
http://www.voiceofoc.org/oc_central/article_d9dc1e16-3648-11e0-85ad-001cc4c03286.html
The state law regarding the PBID is irrelevant in Santa Ana's case. So much of Marco Li Mandri's FAQ about the PBID doesn't apply to Santa Ana. You have to look at the city's municipal code here:
http://library.municode.com/index.aspx?clientID=14452&stateID=5&statename=California
Also, one other thing. It's unlikely that Nelson and Ream wrote the city's PBID law, as they know very little about such districts.
Here's a little hint about who actually did write it: There are only a handful of consultants in the state that specialize in PBIDS, and, although Li Mandri was brought in to do a feasibility study early on, the city did not use New City America to assemble the district.
That's also something I wrote about here: http://www.voiceofoc.org/oc_central/article_88f4a9e4-434c-11e0-9585-001cc4c03286.html
Good luck!
Gracias Adam. This will be a good fight!
It is funny how out sidede intrest continue to drill pipelines off the artist village for theyre own benifiet and not give credit where credit is due can you say "BITE 'RS" phuckin shylocks great article Art
Adam
The city argues that theirs is a version of the State PBID. They name it Community Management district. That santa Ana is a charter city so they do not need to follow PBID State Law formation protocol.
They have done so to the letter except the 50% majority rule democratic process and constitutional right of the property aowners to have the democratic majority rule. And the democratic constitutional right to petition to dissolved a conested tax.
I DO NOT BELEIVE A CHARTER CITY IS EXCEMPT FROM THE USA CONSTITUTION AND THE DEMOCRATIC PROCESS.
Cties can make laws that are unconstitutional. Having a law does not mean much, only if not challenged.
Your story on this is just reporting what the city told you. Nothing investigative.
Adam said:
"The state law regarding the PBID is irrelevant in Santa Ana’s case. So much of Marco Li Mandri’s FAQ about the PBID doesn’t apply to Santa Ana. You have to look at the city’s municipal code"
In your interview with Mandri, you wrote:
"Mandri,after studying how the district was established, said he agrees with the disgruntled property owners."
No one said Ream and Nelson wrote the Community management District(CMD). They directed the formation and text.
Who was responsible for creating the PBID
A YES Councilmember’s
Alvarez Benavides Martinez Tinaiero
Well what do you know, the mayor pro tem was in charge of the vote and the final vote needed to pass. She created the Frankston monster known as PBID.
Thanks Art P for posting the documents.
And God created the world but he still found it necessary to flood it a few years later. Credit Alvarez for coming around.
"And God created the world but he still found it necessary to flood it a few years later"... Hmmmmm
It was not the God!
It was global warming as result of greenhouse gasses and CO2 produced by a large quantity of sheep expelling intestinal gas through the anus including fermentation of vine and cheese.
The history repeat itself.
Great reading this Sunday morning. I have a greater understanding of the issue. I see the pros and cons of the Community Management District. I agree that there needs to be some adjustments to the organization, ie, how to become a member of Downtown. Inc board. Its obvious the city would like to see the rebirth of downtown while the mom and pop merchants would like to see the area remain the same. Change doesn't come easily to many people but, as many counsel members pointed out during the special counsel meeting, the ball is rolling and the change is going to come. The change is in the best interest for ALL of Santa Ana.
Sounds like big trouble in little clowncil rat nest hah!