The Santa Ana City Council is holding a special meeting on Wednesday, August 24, at 5 pm. The biggest item on the agenda is a public hearing regarding the controversial Downtown Santa Ana PBID – an annual assessment that has succeeded in cleaning up and marketing Downtown Santa Ana.
I have no idea how the Santa Ana City Council will approach the PBID, but I do know that Mayor Pro Tem Claudia Alvarez has a real problem with Downtown, Inc., the organization that runs the PBID. I think Downtown, Inc. can count on Mayor Miguel Pulido and Council Members Carlos Bustamante, Vince Sarmiento and David Benavides. I am not sure where Council Members Sal Tinajero and Michele Martinez are on the PBID. I think they are supportive of the proposed changes to the PBID’s boundaries, bit they may want even more changes.
Here are the details about the Public Hearing:
PUBLIC HEARING – AMENDMENT OF MANAGEMENT DISTRICT PLAN TO ADJUST THE BOUNDARIES FOR THE DOWNTOWN SANTA ANA COMMUNITY MANAGEMENT DISTRICT – Community Development Agency
Set for public hearing at the August 1, 2011 City Council Meeting by a vote of 5-0 (Pulido and Sarmiento abstained)
Legal notice published in the Orange County Register on August 12, 2011, and notices mailed to business and property owners on August 11, 2011.
RECOMMENDED ACTIONS:
1. Adopt a resolution.
A RESOLUTION OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF SANTA ANA MODIFYING THE MANAGEMENT DISTRICT PLAN TO ADJUST THE BOUNDARIES AND ENGINEER’S REPORT FOR THE DOWNTOWN SANTA ANA COMMUNITY MANAGEMENT DISTRICT
2. Approve the Amended Downtown Santa Ana Community Management District – The Management District Plan and Engineer’s Report reflecting the boundary modifications.
3. Authorize staff to submit the FY 2011-12 Downtown Santa Ana Community Management District special assessment data to the Orange County Auditor-Controller on August 25, 2011.CITY COUNCIL AGENDA 13 AUGUST 24, 2011
CITY COUNCIL AGENDA ITEM
Pursuant to Santa Ana Charter Section 411, any member of the City Council may place items on the City Council Agenda to be considered by the City Council.
85A RESOLUTION OF INTENT TO SET PUBLIC HEARING DATE – DISESTABLISH THE COMMUNITY MANAGEMENT DISTRICT (CMD) –
Mayor Pro Tem Alvarez
RECOMMENDED ACTION: Adopt a resolution.
A RESOLUTION OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF SANTA ANA STATING ITS INTENTION TO DISESTABLISH THE DOWNTOWN SANTA ANA COMMUNITY MANAGEMENT DISTRICT, AND SETTING A TIME AND PLACE FOR PUBLIC HEARING THEREON
I for one would like to see Alvarez and the city council take a more pro-active roll in shaping Downtown. I support Downtown Inc. and all of their marketing successes but we need to have council members with community roots, not just select moneyed property owners guiding,shaping, and owning up to gentrification policies. Is Downtown Santa Ana going to live up to it’s “Arts and Culture Mecca” potential? or is it going to turn into a bastardized Bar Mall?
Downtown Inc. and the city council can do Downtown S.A. right if they put vision before political squabble and/or bottom dollar tax revenue. See you at the parking meeting this Thursday night! City Council Chamber. 6:00 to 8:00 p.m.
At least Downtown Inc. has hired young local hispanics, unlike other certain new downtown Restaurants. Get some sleep Admin.
I fully support Downtown Inc. They have done a great job thus far.
Downtown Inc. has not done anything for the merchants of 4th street, some of them are properties owners and family business and we tenants are helping them to paid the assesment, we have been in this area more than 25 years and thanks to us that we clean the place.
Now the City and Downtown Inc,. is telling us ” is time to go”.
Is Downtown (4th St) will be a restaurant and bar action
let it be, but dont come later and blame on the merchants or the hispanic community.
I am not affiliated with Downtown, Inc in any way, but I can say they have brought in consumers! The City and Downtown Inc is not saying “time to go”, it is saying time to ramp up. Stay open when the people come.
Sean Mill says, “Admin is being a pussy!” Write a new article already.
Working on it! Calmate!
You guy’s have NO idea of what really happens, all you know is that it’s a good place to party! Educate yourselves so when you post your comments you do not sound like idiots, idiots!
Hispanic, Asian, Arab, European and Jewish property owners that are rallying against the PBID do not care about whether Chase is Jewish or a fat cat land owner. That is beside the point.
As property owners what they care about is:
1) The PBID was established illegally and it breaks numerous state laws, including the ability to disestablish the PBID district with a majority vote. Currently, the disestablishment committee has more then 40% majority of petitions to disestablish. (Only 15% needed to initiate disestablishment as mandated by Federal and State law. [State streets and Highway Code Section 36670(a)]) Also, City owned buildings count as the largest percentage (38%) of pro-PBID votes. Really !!!!!!!!
2) The PBID assessment has more then doubled property owners property tax payment and has also devalued their property value.
3) Their PBID and Downtown Inc’s funding is used to fund activities to attract clients to Irv Chase’s tenants, ONLY (i.e. night security, rock concerts, and skate events). Why should the other owners pay this exorbitant assessment if they do not receive any benefits? How does the laundry, travel agency and furniture store benefit from the Downtown Inc. activities????
What these multi-ethnic business and property owners are against, is the illegal and damaging PBID and how it affects their businesses and their livelihoods. Moreover, they are fed up with the dishonest behavior by Downtown Inc. and their activities. These disillusioned property owners do NOT care about Irv Chase’s Jewish ancestry, it’s a non-issue. What they care about is that they can keep their businesses open and to make ends meet. After all, business is business and they are all in it to make a buck, why should they make a pay for Chase and his tenants?
Who pays the PBID?
If a twenty five year owner of a building has seen their property tax go from 1.5 percent to 3 percent of an 25 year old value because of the doubling by the pbid.
How does that compare to the current value of the building? Maybe 300 percent increase?
And the rents being charged to the tenants? maybe increase by 125 percent above twenty five years ago.
If some of the owners think it was illegal, then get yourself a lawyer and sue.
And to think none of this would have happened is those same building owners would cleaned up their property on a daily basis. Their buildings, sidewalks and streets.