03-02-10 I'm blaming the Winter Olympics for getting so far behind the past few weeks

7:00 I started the day with a breakfast at George's in the Galleria with Stan, the President of Civic Center Square. We discussed some of their current needs regarding the Raisin Administrative Committee and talked about some of their future plans for their project.



8:15 I had my one on one meeting with Wilma Quan, the Urban Planning Specialist for our department and the project manager for the downtown plans.


9:00 I had my bi-weekly meeting with the Mayor, Georgeanne White and Bruce Rudd. We went through a list of our projects, the schedule for the downtown plans. We have a monthly breakdown of each of our focus areas that make it pretty easy to follow along with us. I wish that I knew how to upload stuff to this blog so that I could share some of this stuff. Anyone out there know how?


10:00 Amy Huerta and I had a conference call with Stacy Mitchell from www.newrules.org/banking about city initiatives to place more city deposits in community banks. Amy works with the Community Banks Affinity Group.


10:45 I had a wonderful one on one meeting with our newest staff member Sandra Berney, who came to us from the Police Department through the mid-year budget reduction and the layoffs. Sandra is helping with the processing of vouchers for the Enterprise Zone. She also coordinates our AARP volunteers who help with our front desk and just about everything else!


12:00 I met my old friend, artist and downtown property owner Frank Arnold at Irene's in the Tower District http://web.mac.com/frankarnoldart/FrankArnoldArt/FrankArnoldArt.html I gave him an overview of the downtown plans and how they relate to the building on Mono and Van Ness. I broke a rule of mine, he beat me to pay for my burger. It is below the threshold of reporting gifts, but I thought that you should know. I tried, but he was quicker.


2:00 I had a phone meeting with Alejandro Lara who is on the Union Bank Housing Committee with me.


3:00 We had our Downtown and Community Revitalization staff meeting. We did an exercise where everyone in the department had to describe another part or project, something that they don't work on. So, for example, Wilma had to explain the Local Business Initiatives and Amy had to explain the Specific Plan. After that, we went through the long list of things that people are working toward and shared any information, like the impending update to Windows 7 and the due date for Form 700 that everyone needs to know about.


5:00 George and I went over our budget proposal.

After that I sent out a bunch of emails to folks who work downtown. I'll be guest bus boy at Kebab Express tomorrow (in the Virginia Hotel at Kern and L Streets). The asked for me to be guest chef, but that's been done to death, plus you don't want to a yalanchi that I have rolled. Kebab Express is one year old. The first year is a tough year for a business. Please go by and give them your congratulations and some business.