Advocacy Update
California State Capital. Courtesy: Amanda Elliott.
Advocacy Bulletin: AB 1669 Stalls Out in Appropriations
By: Brooke Fox, Marketing and Communications Consultant
AB 1669, The California Historically Significant Commercial District Initiative, was held in the Appropriations Committee of the California State Assembly and will not be moving forward this legislative session. It joins nearly 300 other bills the committee cut from the nearly 2000 bills submitted for consideration.
AB 1669 was written to create a new state program for commercial corridor organizations (like California Main Street) to expand technical assistance services, conduct place-specific outreach, and connect Main Street small businesses to resources. The bill would have also created a subgrant program for Main Streets and Cultural Districts to execute locally driven strategies in support of underserved small businesses.
READ MORE: AB 1669 Fact Sheet | AB 1669 Text As Introduced | Current Status of the Bill
California Main Street is grateful to AB 1669's Author Assemblywoman Sharon Quirk-Silva and Principal Co-Author Senator Ben Allen for introducing the bill and helping to guide it through the legislative process.
The bill had gathered considerable momentum with advocates from inside and outside the Capitol. Both the Committee on Arts, Entertainment, Sports and Tourism along with the Committee on Jobs, Economic Development and the Economy voted unanimously with bipartisan support to pass AB 1669.
In addition, over 30 Main Street Organizations and their allies submitted letters of support including:
Actors' Equity
Anaheim Chamber of Commerce
CAMEO - CA Association for Micro Enterprise Opportunity
Cardiff 101 Main Street
Carlsbad Village Association
City of Bellflower
City of Brentwood
City of Livermore
Mainstreet Coronado, Ltd.
Downtown Alameda
Downtown Brentwood Coalition
Eureka MainStreet
LA Jolla Village Merchants Association
LISC San Diego
Livermore Downtown, Inc.
Main Street America / National Main Street Center
The Leucadia 101 Main Street Association
MainStreet Oceanside
Making Hope Happen Foundation
Microenterprise Collaborative of Inland Southern California
Ocean Beach Main Street Association
Park Street Business Association
Redwood Region Economic Development Commission
Santa Paula Chamber of Commerce
Small Business Majority
Tri County Chamber Alliance
The Unity Council
Uptown Fox
Viva Downtown Redding
Although AB 1669 has stalled, the work to unlock funding and resources for our communities continues. “I learned a great deal about how to navigate California’s legislative process while building relationships that will ultimately help us achieve our short- and long-term goals,” said Amanda Elliott, Senior Program Officer and Director of California Main Street at Main Street America.
Read more about our advocacy efforts on behalf of Main Streets >