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Annual Membership Meeting
Wednesday, September 12th, 2001
8:00 - 10:00 am

______________________________________________________________________________________

• Breakfast and Networking
• Call to Order
• 2002 Elections
• 2001 Program Overview - Maintenance, Security and Marketing
• 2002 Program and Budget
• New Business
• Closing

2001 WCBIC Programs

• Maintenance
• Security
• Marketing
  

Maintenance Program

Sidewalk Maintenance
Service provided by Portals, a non-profit community based provider of mental health rehabilitation services, 4 days a week.

• Sweeping and removal of litter and other debris - 3672 gallon bags removed, averaging 10 bags per shift
• Removal of flyers/posters from city property
• Removal of light graffiti
• Repainting of defaced public property - 276 street poles and signal boxes
• Developed strong partnerships with local businesses and community residents, City of Los Angeles Maintenance Department, MTA Operations and California Security

Tree Maintenance
Service provided by TruGreen landcare

• Began with 173 trees on July 1, 1996
• Planted 1,519 trees as of August 1, 1998
• 18 varieties
• Weekly maintenance - weeding, watering, staking, pruning, fertilization, insect control, mulching of all trees, shrubs and planter

Security Program

Security Bike Patrol
Service provided by California Security

• Along Wilshire Blvd., between Hoover St. and Wilton Place
• Monday - Friday from 10:00 a.m. to 6:30 p.m.
• Nine Officers on Bike Patrol, 1 Car Patrol

Achievements

• Officers act as goodwill ambassadors greeting, directing and assisting visitors, residents, workers and merchants daily
  (Officers are fluent in English, Spanish and Korean)
• Responded to over 100 phone calls requesting assistance from high-rise office buildings, apartment complexes and local businesses
• Daily removal of transients with referral to meal and shelter services.
• Officers have made over ten felony arrests, stopping crimes in progress.
• Officers have reunited nine lost children with parents and assisted numerous children locked in cars.
• Car burglary rate reduced to one of the lowest in the City
• CS Officers high visibility and cooperative relationships with building security, LAPD, parking attendants, merchants contributes to a safer environment and reduction in crime in Wilshire Center area.

Marketing & Public Relations Program

Media Relations

• Developed Press Kit including Historical Timeline, Wilshire Center Fact Sheet, BID At-A-Glance, Taste of Wilshire Center, Economic Development in Wilshire Center, BID Map, Historical Landmarks in Wilshire Center, Living in Wilshire Center
• Wrote and distributed press releases on Leasing Activity, MTA Developments, SBA, Hue & Cry, Portals, LAUSD/Charter High School, Aroma Wilshire Center

Business Development

• Distributed brochures and video to property managers
• Copyrighted Wilshire Center logo
• Revised, updated and added links to website
• Developed Welcome Package for new tenants/employees
• Worked with Chamber to develop a Wilshire Center Directory
• Researched and updated Year 2000 Census Data
• Coordinated installation of Wilshire Center Banners
• Developed partnerships & relationships with Chambers, business and ethnic organizations in the community
• Developed working relationships with municipal agencies - Council Ten, MTA, LAUSD, CRA, Mayor's Office

Events

Assisted Chamber with Hue & Cry event

• Coordinated Summer Concerts-For-Lunch
  
• Assisted Aroma Wilshire Center with Grand Opening
  
• Coordinated logistics, production promotion of Awards Ceremony honoring Councilman Nate Holden
  
• Secured Angel's Walk program to be implemented over 3 years
  
• Researching implementation of weekly Farmers Market

2002 WCBIC Marketing &
Public Relations Programs

Branding & Positioning Wilshire Center as a place to "Live, Work, Shop"

• Continue to reinforce brand, corporate and community identity using logo and "Wilshire Center" on all correspondence, signage, marketing, website.
  
• Focus on assets that promote Wilshire Center as a livable and workable community including new schools, transportation, history/culture, affordability, ethnic diversity, new/renovated/historic housing.

Website

• Community Outreach via website, e-mail and fax updates
  
• Add Press/Media Relations section to website
  
• Add audio/video components to website
  
• Send e-mail and/or broadcast fax monthly updates to community and BID board/members
  
• Research and add more links to and from other sites (real estate, business, government, tourism)

Business Development

• Outreach from 6th - 3rd streets for increased assessment area in 2003
  
• Demographic Update from 2000 Census
  
• One-page Sell Sheet
  
• Maps with good simple graphics
  
• Welcome package for new tenants

Events/Promotions

• Develop Master Calendar (churches, Wiltern, Atlas, hotels, schools, chamber, community groups) to be posted on website and distributed in monthly e-mail/fax)
  
• Develop Consumer/Visitor Map
  
• Implement "Good Citizen" program with Bike Patrol
  
• Implement weekly Farmers Market
  
• Multi-cultural Event (tied in with Chambers, Consulates, Tourism Boards, schools, residential community) Create a week into weekend event that will be a draw for greater Los Angeles and draw dayworkers back on weekend with family & friends

Media & Community Relations

• Media Lists
  
• Local News - broadcast, daily & weekly newspapers
  
• Business & Commercial Real Estate - magazines and daily newspapers
  
• Ethnic - Korean, Spanish, Filipino, Armenian
  
• Online media - real estate guides, business guides, city/visitor guides
  
• Community Groups
  
• Commercial and Residential Property Managers/Owners
  
• Wilshire Community (Associations, residents, day-workers)
  
• MTA Board
  
• LAUSD Board
  
• Retail/Restaurant Business Owners
  
• Churches & Social Service Organizations
  
• Ethnic Community - Korean, Filipino, Black, Hispanic, Jewish
  
• Hotel Concierge/Management
  
• Continue Distribution of Press Kit

Grants

• Continue researching and applying for community and cultural grants to fund projects.

Wilshire Center Business Improvement Corporation
9/1/2000

Www.wilshirecenter.com: The redesign of the our web site is about 95% complete and in September launch an ad campaign and outreach program to promote the site. We currently get over 16,000 hits per month. There is an ad spot on the video screen at Aroma Wilshire Center.

Wilshire BRT issue - We have had some successes in trying to stop the Wilshire BRT. If the BRT is constructed it will now start at Wilshire and Western and run west verses at Wilshire and Vermont. We did get the L. A. Council to vote 11 to 1 to oppose the BRT along Wilshire. We have gotten over 90% community support for our position. We have had an impact on MTA's plans to build the Wilshire BRT. Santa Monica and Beverly Hills have been very critical of the Wilshire BRT plan.

Street Performance - a new marketing idea. Wilshire Center Street Performance is a program who's objectives are to stimulate public interest, obtain press coverage for Wilshire Center, serve the community through the arts, and bring various community groups together. The program's hope is to obtain the above objectives by staging "spontaneous" performances on Wilshire Boulevard between Western Avenue and Vermont. The idea is to have a group of artists appear, on weekdays at lunchtime, and entertain the lunchtime crowd with song, dance and various forms of interactive performance art. The performances would begin in September and there will three performances. The first one planned, "spontaneous", performances is scheduled at 3701 Wilshire Blvd. along the sidewalk on a Friday at noon. Log back to our web site for a date.

Expansion of the assessment area - is in the works. The Beverly/Kinglsy Neighborhood Association is taking the lead in getting community support for the expansion. They have started a pilot sidewalk cleaning program along Third Street. I believe we do not have the mechanism in place to implement the expansion this year. We should have the community support by next year.

We have continuing success with our on going programs with the help our consultants and contractors in the area of Marketing, Security Patrols, Sidewalk Maintenance and the Landscape Maintenance. The following is about this year's successes and some ideas for next year.

Marketing Effort - Stoorza Communication

• Positioned Wilshire Center as Internet Alley before the media
• Provided updated lists of new and incoming Internet businesses to media; fiber-optic stories
• Presented Wilshire Center as an involved and concerned community
• Education stories
• Wilshire Bus Rapid Transit--Active Protector of Community
• Web site Reorganization for re-launch-Visually compelling, easy to navigate, one-stop shop

Marketing Effort
• Wilshire Center is "wired"--Media 2001
• Ambassador--issue updates
• Website, website, website
• Affordable lease rates, available space
• Community commitment to preserve the area/issues
• Fiber-optics; ideal location for Internet businesses
• Urban setting, nightlife options
• Great place to live, work and shop
• Support evolution of brick & mortar to brick & click
• Maintain lessor outreach program
• Audit of existing Internet businesses
• Tenants coming/Tenants staying

Marketing Effort - Web site Public Relations
• Spotlight website as center for current information on the area
• Resource for Internet businesses
• Call to action so readers are enlisted to learn more about Wilshire Center
• Comparison piece on Wilshire Center vs. "competitor" areas
• Outline opportunities for brick and mortar companies to grow to brick and click

Security Patrols - California Security, Inc.

• Has provided security services for Wilshire Center since 1997
• Officers have made nine felony arrests since the beginning of the year
• Average approximately ten calls per week from services in Wilshire Center requesting assistance
• Nine-person team reflects the diversity of the area
• Participates in bi-monthly meetings with LAPD to ensure cooperative working relationship

Security Patrols
• Forged critical community ties towards community policing
• 100 % response rate to security concerns
• Received approval and gratification from Wilshire Center occupants for services provided
• The coalition of California Security & LAPD has transformed Wilshire Center into a safer and friendlier place.

Sidewalk Maintenance Crew - Portals

• Non-profit community-based provider of mental health rehabilitation services
• The employment services program of Portals helps individuals with psychiatric disabilities develop necessary work skills and move on to competitive employment within the community.
• Portals has successfully transitioned 16 crew members from sheltered employment into competitive employment
• Has provided the opportunity for 58 consumers of mental
health services to work as productive members of the community
• Success rate for improving or maintaining acceptable housing for its members is 96 percent
• Built strong relationships with community

Sidewalk Maintenance Crew
• 20 members of maintenance crew, working on a rotating basis
• Provide weekly street maintenance services four days a week on Wilshire, 6th and 7th Streets, also Vermont, Normandie and Western
• Sweeping & removal of litter and other street debris
• Removal of flyers/postings from city property
• Removal of light graffiti
• Continuous removal of graffiti proven to be deterrent to local vandals
• Repainting of defaced public property

Sidewalk Maintenance Crew - Service Accomplishments
• Developed a schedule that allows for continuous removal of graffiti--deterrent to local vandals
• Continues to realize goal of establishing regular painting schedule of all street poles and signal boxes
• Assists in keeping flower boxes litter-free
• Has collected and removed 1,976 bags of litter and street debris
• In addition to regular sidewalk maintenance, the crew has also consistently removed large amounts of public dumping from properties throughout the area

Landscape Maintenance - TruGreen Landcare (California Landscape Maintenance)

• Began contract in 1996 servicing 173 trees
• Now maintains 1678 trees along Wilshire and surrounding community areas
• Working with Portals; one member on tree maintenance staff
• This Winter, certified arborist will inspect trees and make pruning recommendations to ensure proper structure and form for next year
• Due to trees' maturity and reduced need for water, 2001 budget will be reduced from this year

Landscape Maintenance
• Ongoing maintenance services include:
• Deep watering of trees
• Maintenance of basins around trees
• Mulching
• Deep root fertilization
• Insect & disease control
• Pruning
• Weeding
• Checking stake ties
• Trees continue to respond well to maintenance program