01 Attachment 6 - Council Member SuggestionsInit 1 - Post-Covid Economic Recovery and Revival DRAFT
ATTACHMENT 6
Consider: Mid and Long-Term approach to save businesses and jobs in
response to the economic effects of the pandemic.
In order to not only survive this pandemic, but thrive on the other side, we
must do more. We need to start now, at the peak of the pandemic, to
look forward and emerge stronger.
It’s not only about our businesses--it’s about our residents and workers.
WSJ: “The covid-19 recession is the most unequal in modern U.S. history.
Job losses from the pandemic overwhelmingly impacted low-wage,
minority workers”
1. Reallocate balance of $1.9M to small business projects across the
whole Town and create a $5M revitalization fund
2. Explore new funding sources via public-Init private partnerships, state
and federal programs
3. Stand up an Economic Revitalization Board
4. Accelerate the recommendations of the Dixon parking report
5. Develop a world-class configuration for N Santa Cruz
6. Most importantly, as a Town continue to work to be “easy to do
business with”
A little more detail:
1. Immediately reallocate the balance of the $1.9 million from the
Town beautification budget to recovery for small businesses, find at
least $3M from other projects that do not need to move as quickly
and combine with new funding sources (2. below) creating a $5M
revitalization fund not to be used for individual businesses but for
business improvement projects not just in Downtown but ACROSS
THE WHOLE TOWN.
2. Explore new funding sources via public-private partnerships, state
and federal programs. These could be Town-wide programs as well
as providing easy access to business-specific programs.
3. Stand up an Economic Revitalization Board (appointed on Ad Hoc
basis by Town Council) with the best retail, financial, and
entrepreneurial minds in Town (Chamber of Commerce plus non-
member businesses, retired executives and others). This board could
make recommendations of expenditures of >$100k to the Council
and <$100k to Town Manager. Town staff will create rules for
qualification of business improvements and will provide normal
oversight. This will create transparency and encourage community
input.
4. Accelerate the parking improvements of the Dixon report short of
building a parking structure. Provide direction to motorists to
available parking--start with better signs while moving to electronic
wayfinding. As our restaurants are recovering due to the parklets,
the removal of parking is putting additional pressure on retail that is
already struggling.
5. Develop a world-class streetscape and configuration for N Santa
Cruz --a downtown retail reconfiguration of North Santa Cruz
Avenue to allow maximum outdoor seating--that is complementary
and compatible with retail activity. Scope would include location
and spacing of sidewalk, seating, awnings, streetscape and traffic
flow. This would start with a study of the best examples in the US,
especially those with history and character.
6. Most importantly, continue to work to make Los Gatos easy to do
business with - it's not just about fees, more about speed: hand-offs
between permitting, licensing, planning, etc., creating a culture of
continuous improvement. We need to measure key metrics in order
to improve.
Getting back to where we were isn’t enough. The Town should not only
survive this pandemic, but thrive, going forward.
Note: The economic recovery items approved on 1/19/2019 are primarily
short-term and form the foundation of this mid and long-term initiative.
These 6 elements could be selected and implemented independently to
some degree.
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Another related initiative, not proposed for 2021 (More on this later):
Innovation Economy
Every morning of the work week there is a brain drain from Los Gatos, in
which our most talented residents get in their cars and board the big
white busses and leave Town for a job up the Peninsula or in the City. Why
not reverse this flow? Why not cultivate high-paying jobs for our own
residents and create new opportunities for adjacent retail and restaurant
businesses?
What is an Innovation Hub? A concentration of inventive talent working
in collaborative spaces where novel technologies (tech, biotech,
medtech) are created and developed. A hub typically includes:
● Facilities for entrepreneurs with the necessities for a startup
● Offices for venture capital, other investors and professional services
firms
● Places for customers of innovation (often representatives of large
companies) to work, stay, and be a part of the “innovation
ecosystem”
Init 2 - Serving Our 60+ Community DRAFT
Consider: Enhanced services for our 60+ residents through an engaged
and activated community organization (re-vamped Commission), as well
as providing additional opportunities for 60+ to serve the greater
community
Characteristics of our 60+ community in Los Gatos:
● Make up ⅓ of our voters--yet we haven’t very much asked them
what they want and need
● Include a wide range of lifestyles from still working, to tapering down
a little, to no longer working for a paycheck
● Many range from having virtually no free time, to lots of time; from
being as fit as ever, to grappling with serious health issues; from
looking for ways to volunteer, to coping with unmet needs.
Needs and concerns (from >120 survey responses and several listening
sessions):
● Safety is a big concern--not only crime statistics but also wildfire
concerns
● Many would like to stay in Town, but many believe that they will
have to move away, especially as they get older
● Many prefer to drive because of the flexibility, autonomy, and
speed, but will be faced with obstacles
● Rather than providing shuttles which do not offer flexibility,
autonomy, and speed, but cost money--perhaps Uber/Lift vouchers
and instruction on their use, and addressing the obstacles from
medical providers, would be more effective?
60+ residents as a service force
Our 60+ residents are not only a community that needs better services,
but even more importantly, they are a source of skills and services to our
entire community. Our 60+ residents have some fantastic skills and ideas
to share--some examples:
● Intern jobs for seniors
● Match 60+ with young families who don’t have grandparents nearby
or could use help
● One-stop online notification for volunteering
● Website, social networking, and publicity of opportunities
● Contributing to community newspaper or news source
● Talent, mentor, meet-up groups
● Start with Inventory of 60+ talents
Additional ways to serve our 60+ residents:
● Consider transitioning to an outsourced senior services model (similar
to Saratoga)
● Develop cooperative agreements to access neighboring community
resources
● Long-term: Develop a top-class activities center for 60+ residents