Correspondence- #26 - Laserfiche WebLink

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Middleton, Samuel From: Tapferx4 <tapferx4@aol.com> Sent: Sunday, November 13, 2022 11:51 AM To: eComment Subject: Agenda Item #26/ SAVE THE BID Re: SAVE THE BID/ Agenda Item #26 Dear Mayor, City Council and Staff, I am writing to you in my personal capacity to plead with you to Save the BID. My name is Kim Tapfer and I am the part owner and property manager of the First National Bank Building (102-106 W. 4th Street.) It has been a great privilege to own the building and to continually restore this Historic treasure of the Downtown. We work hard to ensure that the First National Bank building is a vibrant and safe place for people to work. The partnership and support we have received from both Downtown Inc. and SABC Inc. has been tremendous and continually fuels our desire to stay and invest in the Downtown. Every week I am brought up to speed by the DTI Newsletter, I attend the monthly SABC board meetings, volunteer at events like Savor Santa Ana and the downtown breakfast. Because of the BID I have met all of you and feel totally connected with the City of Santa Ana. In times of difficulty, both with Ryan Smolar and Madeleine Spencer, the BID consultants, have been indispensable in helping us overcome various challenges. Because of the BID I feel like I am a valued member of the community and it makes the Downtown feel more like a home than just a place where I work. The ending of the BID would be devastating to me. This critical touch point for me would be no longer. The consultants I turn to, the Newsletter, Artwalk, the Board meetings, Savor Santa Ana, Boca del Oro would all be no more. I fear, rightly, that crime, vandalism and graffiti will all increase because of the lack of programming, advocacy and oversight by the BID. For me, if the BID is eliminated from the Downtown, the Downtown will feel totally different, much less welcoming and safe. WHY would you throw out the BID when both Downtown Inc. and SABC are more than open to improving our service in the downtown by combining and/or entire revamping how the BID operates? Isn't it wiser to attempt to fix what is wrong with the BID instead of just eliminating it? The voices of protest are important and should be listened to but their complaints can be satisfied easily with better communication and representation. In my view, ending the BID will cause irreparable damage to the Downtown and I fear the damage will go far beyond anything we can anticipate. Certainly, we know that years of work to build social media platforms, meaningful partnerships and enduring relationships will be just flushed down the drain. Because of all this I urge you to please save the Downtown BID. Sincerely, Kim Tapfer 106 W. 41h St, Suite 211 Santa Ana, CA 92701