Thursday, January 21, 2010

01-19-10

My first meeting of the day was with the Fresno Chamber of Commerce Board Members.  Amy Huerta and I met with their Ruth Evans, Debbie Hunsaker, Rick Whitsell, Bruce Batti, Scott Miller and CEO Al Smith and Governmental Affairs Manager Kerri Ginis.

We met to update the Chamber on our Business Affinity Groups. This is an effort to support local businesses by getting "like" businesses together, having them set their top priories, and then helping them to collectively achieve their top goals or to remove their biggest obstacles. Some of the Affinity groups are: South Stadium Business and Property Owners, Licensed Contractors, Chinatown Business and Property Owners, Technology Companies, Community Banks and Credit Unions, H.R. and Personnel Agencies, Certified Public Accountants, Lowell Neighborhood Business Owners.



The one we were meeting with the Chamber about is the Independent Retailers and Restaurants Affinity Group. We have only had one meeting with this group so far. But they identified an on-line and a print directory as one of their top priorities. This would make it easier for people to find and support locally-owned businesses.


At 9:30 we had a meeting to re-write our staff report for the Fulton Corridor Specific Plan and Downtown Neighborhoods Community Plan contract that is going to the City Council at 9:15 on the 28th. The process is that we write the staff report, then it is submitted to the City Manager for review. We re-write if there are any changes. Then it goes to the City Clerk for publication and to the City Council Members in their packet of information for their next meeting.


I had my one on one meeting with Elaine Robles, our Neighborhood Revitalization Manager at 12:30.


1:00 We had a staff meeting with our whole department to review our department's goals and major projects and efforts for 2010. This wasn't a full work plan review, it was more of a greatest hits kind of overview. We wanted everyone to see what everyone was working toward and hoping to get accomplished. I'm not sure how to post a link to the excel spreadsheet onto this blog, but if anyone wants to look at it feel free to send an email to me and I'll give it to you as an attachment.


2:00 We had a meeting with Planning and some of the other related departments and agencies to talk about how to put more information on a user-friendly website. This was a first meeting, so it was very general.

4:15 Elaine and I met with Pastor Shane Scott of Saint Rest's Baptist Church. http://www.saintrest.org

We met to discuss the City's revitalization plans for downtown and Southwest Fresno. It was a very good meeting. I hadn't had the opportunity to meet with him before, although I had heard many good things about his involvement and passion for revitalization.


I was on the road to L.A. by 6:00. It was a very windy and stormy day, so there was concern about the conditions on the grapevine. I made it through without any problems and got to the Airport Hilton about 10:00. I had a chance to return some phone calls (hands-free) along the drive.

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