DOWNTOWN STOCKTON ALLIANCE // 2021 ANNUAL REPORT
1 Exhibit 2
2021 ANNUAL REPORT // DOWNTOWN STOCKTON ALLIANCE
2 Exhibit 2
DOWNTOWN STOCKTON ALLIANCE // 2021 ANNUAL REPORT
3 BOARD OF DIRECTORS
LETTER FROM THE CEO
DSA STAFF
DOWNTOWN BY THE NUMBERS
MARKETING
ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT
2021 & 2022 BUDGETS
SPECIAL EVENTS
GOALS FOR 2022
14 15
17 19
21 5
6 8
10 For decades, Downtown Stockton was an
urban core awaiting renaissance. Today, we
are experiencing new investment & business
openings, housing development, and an
explosion of cultural and arts initiatives.
The Downtown Stockton Alliance (DSA) is a
major partner contributing to environmental
improvements and economic development
downtown. We are an advocate for great
downtown projects, a partner in strategies for
promoting investment, and a liaison to many
community partners interested in downtown
events and opportunities.
DSA oversees the safety, maintenance, and
hospitality of downtown; supports public and
private partnerships; encourages investment;
co-sponsors special events, arts, and cultural
activities downtown. These efforts are funded
through the 123-square block Downtown
Property Based Business Improvement District
established in 1997 and recertified in
2002, 2007 and 2017. Our PBID promotes
business, housing, arts & entertainment to
help create a vibrant, sustainable, and urban
community in Downtown Stockton.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
OUR MISSION
Exhibit 2
2021 ANNUAL REPORT // DOWNTOWN STOCKTON ALLIANCE
4 Exhibit 2
DOWNTOWN STOCKTON ALLIANCE // 2021 ANNUAL REPORT
5 Not Pictured:
STEVE KIHLTHAU, Stockton Police Department
2021 BOARD OF DIRECTORS
TONY YADON
Parents By Choice
MATT AMEN
Huddle x LaunchPad
MARCIA CUNNINGHAM
San Joaquin County
CARLOS JIMENEZ
MXGlobal
DAVID LIPARI
SJ Regional Rail Commission
TINA MCCARTY
City of Stockton EDD
MAHALA BURNS
Cort Companies
MERAB TALAMANTES
SJ Regional Transit District
BEJAN BROUKHIM
Property Owner
RUDI BLONDIA
Excelitas Technologies
JANE STEINKAMP
Gypseyproject LLC
BEJAN BROUKHIM
Simply Divine Inc.
KARI MCNICKLE
SJ Bike Coalition
Exhibit 2
2021 ANNUAL REPORT // DOWNTOWN STOCKTON ALLIANCE
6 MESSAGE FROM THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
2021 was the road back to normality
in Downtown Stockton. With COVID-19
cases waning, businesses, schools,
and restaurants reopened; Downtown
started to come back to life. People
were able to enjoy their favorite
restaurants, crowds poured back into
the movie theater, and Stockton Arena
and Bob Hope (Fox) slowly began to
reopen for shows and events. The
Stockton Ports had fans return to enjoy
America’s pastime and the children
that attend our schools in downtown
came back to in-person classes.
The Downtown Stockton Alliance
(DSA) staff returned to the office after
working from home for several months.
It was nice to have everyone back. I
really enjoy the daily interaction of these
amazing people that work effortlessly
to make our beautiful downtown a
destination for work, live, and play.
Throughout all the adversity, we
accomplished a lot of work downtown.
This year, we began operation of a
Portable Bathroom Shower Unit (PBSU)
at St John’s Church. This program has
exceeded our threshold for success and
gives some hope to the underserved
through providing a dignified place to
use the restroom and take a shower.
Open Monday through Friday, the
PBSU serves an average of forty
users a day. Along with other partner
organizations that provide clothing,
COVID-19 testing and vaccinations, and
laundry service on site, the DSA began
to provide sandwiches three days a
week from Orlando’s Market. We have
noticed a behavior change in some
of the individuals served. Everyone
feels better after a hot shower and a
good lunch. Deacon Steve Bentley
recently shared with me that a large
percent of people attending mass at
his services on Sunday are people
that utilize the PBSU. My thanks goes
out to our DSA Ambassador Shirley
Griffith who supervises the unit and
the two Ready to Work Attendants
who work very hard at enrolling users
and keeping the units clean and
stocked with product. These three
have befriended some and counseled
others who are looking for information
of additional services in order to put
themselves in better living situation.
We finished the Chung Wah Lane
Chinese Plaza, a project of which I am
immensely proud. A year in the making,
this fifty-two-year-old historic plaza, with
two-hundred-foot dragons inlaid one
rock at a time into the ground, is now
active. The area is now seen with visitors
taking selfies next to the Foo Dogs
guarding the entrances. In February,
our City Manager Harry Black was a
keynote speaker for the reclamation
dedication. The event was attended
by hundreds of people that included
local dignitaries of the City of Stockton
and San Joaquin County, members of
Chinese communities, and the public.
We held the Mid-Autumn Festival at
Chung Wah in September with live
performances, food, and mooncakes.
We participated in the COS Miner
Avenue Street Improvement Project.
This improvement project will give
Miner Ave. a completely fresh look;
it will be one of the most beautiful
streets in Stockton. The avenue will
be converted from a four-lane street
into a two-lane with bike lanes. In
addition, a wonderful, landscaped
median, with a roundabout at the Sutter
intersection, will feature the Spire that
once graced the city as the center
piece in the Hunter Square fountain.
This amazing piece of art is being
repurposed for all generations to enjoy.
Speaking of Hunter Square, we are
currently working on this beautification
project. The location, near the Bob
Hope (Fox) Theater, is traveled by
hundreds of people daily going to
work, visiting the Courthouse, or
waiting for a show. We entered into an
agreement with the City of Stockton to
relandscape the area; add two huge
abstract art pieces; paint the utility
box, kiosk, and light poles with vibrant
colors; and add banners to celebrate
our city as the most diverse community
in the country. “Diversity Plaza” will
become an area for all to enjoy and a
representation of our many cultures.
As part of the recovery from the
pandemic, we were a partner in
the Relief Across Downtown (RAD)
program. The RAD cards offered a
dollar-for-dollar match for people
that use the card to purchase food
at our participating restaurants.
We participated in the City of
Stockton’s Investor Summit that was
attended by over two hundred interested
parties in hopes of bringing commerce
Exhibit 2
MESSAGE FROM THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
and redevelopment to Downtown.
In May, we started a Tuesday night
music series in Janet Leigh Plaza
to help bring people downtown to
experience live music and visit new
businesses. Every Tuesday, we hosted
the same band to entertain the crowds
at this free community event. Our
first month, we hosted the Take Five
Jazz Professors from UOP for Jazz in
the Plazz. In September, we hosted
Torres Tuesdays with the Mike Torres
Jr. Band. When we received positive
community response, we followed up in
October to host Total Request Tuesdays
with the Phillip Moncrease Band. In
2022, we will continue to expand
on our Tuesday night music series.
Looking into the success of our
Safety Ambassador program and the
overwhelming positive feedback from
businesses, residents, employees, and
visitors of Downtown, we expanded
the program by adding another patrol
vehicle and four more Ambassadors.
Additionally, our digital content
continued to develop with new projects.
We added Doorways to Downtown,
which featured local businesses,
started a new vlog series to highlight
life in downtown, added new episodes
to the Spirits of Downtown series
and continued our Talk to Downtown
series with Courtney Wood as our host.
To wrap up the year, we purchased
Christmas toys for underserved children
and donated them to Parents by Choice,
One TLC School for Homeless Children,
and the Hell’s Angels annual toy drive.
I want to thank the amazing Board of
Directors led by Chair, Kari McNickle, for
their guidance, support, and oversite of
the DSA organization. The Board is made
up of volunteer property owners, business
owners, City and County representatives,
residents, and Downtown employees.
Lastly, but most importantly, I want to
thank the staff at the DSA. They inspire
me and I am honored to work side by
side with each one of them. These are
some of the most committed people
I have ever had the pleasure to lead
and without their enthusiastic pride and
passion for the mission we would not be
able to accomplish the great work that
we do in Downtown. I want them to all
know that I am thankful and grateful for
the 100 percent effort they make every
day, and that Downtown is truly blessed
to have them.
Looking forward to the future,
Michael Huber
DSA Executive Director
Exhibit 2
CHARISSE LOWRY
Office & Operations
JOHNNY PALACIOS
Ambassador
COURTNEY WOOD
Economic Development
ARNDREA WATERS
Safety Ambassador
SHIRLEY GRIFFITH
Ambassador
DSA STAFF
BEN SANCHEZ
Marketing
Exhibit 2
DOWNTOWN STOCKTON ALLIANCE // 2021 ANNUAL REPORT
9 Maintenance Team
(Top Photo,
Left to Right)
Seth Elwell,
Ricky Washington,
Jesse Correa,
Robert Carranco,
Ed Severn,
Bobby Jones,
Steve Murray
Safety Ambassadors
(Bottom Photo,
Left to Right)
Chavelle Simms,
James Harris,
Ace Waters,
Dejon Underdue,
Jeffrey Ascheman
Exhibit 2
Exhibit 2
Exhibit 2
2021 ANNUAL REPORT // DOWNTOWN STOCKTON ALLIANCE
12 800800
HOSPITALITY HOURSHOSPITALITY HOURS
DEMOGRAPHICS
5,378
PUBLICATIONS
4,243
VISITORS ASSISTED
1,325
BUSINESS CONTACTS
HOSPITALITY
Population
within 1 mile
Employment
Rate
HOSPITALITY
ESCORTS
Average
IncomeHouseholds Families
30 22,104 7,885 4,179 85.65% $39.2K
DISTRIBUTED
989
EVENTS ADDED
TO CALENDER
SAFETY
Exhibit 2
DOWNTOWN STOCKTON ALLIANCE // 2021 ANNUAL REPORT
13 MAINTENANCE
PBSU PROGRAM
Exhibit 2
MARKETING
This has been quite a year for many of
us. Last year, the DSA marketing team
navigated through these challenges in the
pandemic by focusing on digital marketing
with consistent scheduling, giveaway
contests, and video content. The marketing
shift remains the same in 2021. We fine-
tuned our marketing approach toward a
creative, and authentic process to visual
storytelling. Blog content fell in line with
video content and focused on featured
articles rather than a micro blog approach.
We introduced vlogs as another avenue
to showcase life in downtown Stockton;
Doorways to Downtown as a way to
showcase businesses; and Instagram reels
to integrated more visual content.
While Doorways is very structured in
the presentation, vlogs feel lighthearted,
unscripted, and natural. Reels became
a new starting point for our downtown
stories on Facebook and Instagram, as they
continue to highlight original content. Both
play key roles in assisting businesses and
informing the community about events and
announcements.
What if the business owner spoke
directly to the audience? This was the idea.
Help direct business owners and have
them address the community about their
small business. Throughout this process,
we enhanced Doorways to Downtown
content, highlighting the people behind
the business. These reels were successful
month-to-month, with our highest reel over
14,000 views.
We developed a similar approach to
the DSELF program. The DSELF program
needed an authentic story to share with the
business community about the success and
impact on a specific storefront in downtown.
The shift in style directly changed our
stories and vlog segments, adding new
layers of promotion through short clips and
screenshots.
Capturing screenshots from our videos
started a trend throughout the year. We
snapped moments from videos and noticed
more engagement to help promote our
Y ouTube channel. Promoting our YouTube
channel was one main goal in 2021. With
the success of Spirits of Downtown and Talk
to Downtown in 2020, we revitalized the
channel, offering more varied content and
sprinkling in shorter videos featuring our
vlog thoughts or introducing new people at
the DSA.
Additionally, social media platforms
continue to grow in 2021 with our
Instagram account reaching over 10,000
followers! We continued swag giveaways,
engagement with historic downtown
photos, business events, and highlights.
The positive feedback from the community
helped us continue to develop the changes
you see on Instagram. Stories created
first person immersion as we explored
downtown and felt the vibe and culture of
old and new spaces. We hosted National
Night Out 2021, our first large-scale in-
person event since 2019. This event had a
great turn out of community participants and
local vendors gathering for a night of music
and activities.
The transitional period in 2021 for the
marketing team brought new challenges
with new members coming onboard to
the Downtown Stockton Alliance. These
changes brought new insight for our website
development. We realize our website
is a large component for our content,
events calendar, directories, and general
information. At this time, our new website
project is scheduled to launch in Spring
of 2022. With a creative, fresh design
providing more functionality and interactive
features for desktop and mobile users, we
are excited to share this with the community
and new visitors when the website launches
in 2022.
Best,
Ben Sanchez,
DSA Marketing Coordinator
2021 GROWTH
Instagram Followers YouTube Lifetime ViewsTwitter Followers Facebook Followers Website
10,344 4,459 7,632 15,057
+7.1%
56,415 New Users
99,795 Page Views
+0.49% +18.8% +49.5%
Exhibit 2
DOWNTOWN STOCKTON ALLIANCE // 2021 ANNUAL REPORT
15 2021 STATS
ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT
The first half of 2021 looked similar to
2020 for the Downtown Stockton economy,
but midway through the year, workers
began trickling back into their offices,
and event venues began hosting sporting
events, concerts, and comedy shows once
again. We may not be fully back to pre-
pandemic levels of business activity, but we
are certainly on our way!
This year, Downtown saw the opening of
at least 18 new businesses, the closing of 21
businesses, and the sale of 48 properties.
At year’s end, there were at least 423
businesses in the district and 50 properties
listed as for sale or for lease in our real
estate directory.
DSA continued pandemic support for
stakeholders this year by maintaining our
COVID-19 resource page; promoting the
Relief Across Downtown (RAD) Program;
sending 8 COVID-19-specific resource
enewsletters; sharing COVID-19 resources
via social media; participating in City of
Stockton COVID-19 Community Resource
meetings; and encouraging businesses
to take the Stockton Healthy Pledge. Our
Downtown Stockton Enterprise Loan Fund
(DSELF) Board continued deferral of both
payments and interest for DSELF loan
borrowers from January – July 2021.
We also were selected to participate
in a disaaster recovery research study
conducted by the International Economic
Dev. Council (IEDC) which is aimed at
discovering what strategies are most
effective at helping economies recover
from events like the pandemic.
Outside of COVID-19, 2021 was a busy
year for communicating with, supporting,
and highlighting our stakeholders.
We continued to send out targeted
monthly enewsletters (12 to property
owners; 12 to business owners) to keep
stakeholders informed about resources,
the work of the DSA, and what’s happening
Downtown. We also sent 7 additional
enewsletters regarding non-COVID-19-
related grants, events, and resources..
We hosted a 2nd season – 13 episodes
– of monthly Facebook Live series Talk
to Downtown. This series has been an
avenue for business owners, property
owners, residents, and visitors to learn what
organizations and leaders in our community
do, and what new things are coming
to Downtown! Our 12 regular episodes
featured representatives from:
• COS Building Dep.
• COS Economic Dev. Dep.
• COS Mayor’s Office
• COS PD & CS Division
• COS Public Works
• COS Special Events
• SJ Council of Governments
• SJ District 1 Supervisor
• SJ Joint Powers Authority
• SJ Office of Education
• SJ Regional Transit District
• DSA
We also hosted a bonus episode in May – a
retail business panel featuring KTJ Design,
Martinez Tailor Shop, and FarOut Foliage –
as a part of Small Business Week. All Talk to
Downtown videos are archived on our
Y outube Channel -- check them out!
In addition to our regular blogs and
social media features supporting Downtown
businesses, this year we launched a
monthly video series called Doorways to
Downtown! This series captures business
owners talking about their vision, products/
services, and unique value proposition. It’s
a great way to help the public get to know
our businesses and the real people behind
them! We created 9 videos, featuring:
• KTTS
• UNIQO
• Beas Auto Sales
• Martinez Tailor Shop
• FarOut Foliage
• Wall 2 Wall Fashion
• Huddle x Launchpad
• Dealerz Choice
• Parents by Choice
We offered additional business support this
year through our 1st Grow with Google
livestream -- Sell More With An Engaging
Email Marketing Strategy.
In terms of real estate or property features
in 2021, we continued the 4th year of our
weekly #propertymondays campaign, with
38 posts highlighting 31 unique properties,
resulting in 30,685 views on Facebook, and
helping us to achieve over 1,044 page views
of our Real Estate Directory. We also added
2 new Spirits of Downtown episodes which
explored paranormal activity in the Mansion
House and the Masonic Temple.
In 2022, we will provide continued
economic development support
through enewsletters, digital promotion
of businesses and properties; Talk to
Downtown; Doorways to Downtown; Spirits
of Downtown; DSELF information sessions;
and several planned events. We are happy
to support you, our stakeholders, in the new
year!
Best,
Courtney Wood,
DSA Economic Development Director
YouTube Lifetime Views
12 Business
Owner
Newsletters
12 Property
Owner
Newsletters
8 COVID-19
Resource
Notices
+49.5%
+18.7% 44% Open Rate 33.6% Open Rate26.3% Open Rate
Exhibit 2
2021 ANNUAL REPORT // DOWNTOWN STOCKTON ALLIANCE
16 Exhibit 2
DOWNTOWN STOCKTON ALLIANCE // 2021 ANNUAL REPORT
17 2021
2022
INCOME
Assessments
Annual Security Revenue
Banner Income
Full Moon Riders
Contracts - WMN & Sanitation
Equipment Rental
Outside Service - Contracts
Outside Service - Miracle Mile
Outside Service - LAZ
Budd Alley Compactor Service
CDBG Restroom Funding
TOTAL INCOME
$1,161,771.00
$24,000.00
$6,500
$2,000.00
$63,768.00
$300.00
$600.00
$61,914.00
$231,896.00
$12,000.00
$220,000.00
$1,784,749.00
EXPENSES
Payroll & Benefits
Education & Networking
Advertising/Marketing
Event Expenses
Banners
Economic Development
WEB Projects/Security
Office Expenses & Supplies
Maintenance & Cleaning
Safety Ambassador Program
Insurance
Taxes
Utilities/Rent
Professional & Fin. Services
Miscellaneous Expense
Reserves
Outside Service Contract
Projects
TOTAL EXPENSES
$1,010,029.00
$14,300.00
$24,000.00
$7,600.00
$5,200.00
$86,000.00
$258,000.00
$29,900.00
$128,000.00
$40,000.00
$41,000.00
$1,020.00
$79,500.00
$26,200.00
$2,000.00
$10,000.00
$22,000.00
$1,784,749.00
$1,748,772.35TOTAL INCOME $1,696,066.74TOTAL EXPENSES
Assessments
Annual Security Revenue
Banner Income
Full Moon Riders
Contracts - WMN & Sanitation
Equipment Rental
Outside Service - Contracts
Outside Service - Miracle Mile
Outside Service - SP Plus
Power Washing Services
Insurance Reimbursment
Miscellaneous Income
Budd Alley Compactor Service
CDBG Restroom Funding
CARE Funds
Transfer from Assessment Account
Transfer from Outside Services
Other Income
$1,126,115.44
$22,248.00
$7,100.00
$338.95
$63,674.72
$0
$300.00
$64,950.99
$142,436.00
$5,375.00
$17,252.08
$130.74
$13,376.46
$134,030.03
$40,810.06
$10,631.08
$100,000.00
$2.80
INCOME
$1,004,336.13
$11,122.59
$17,031.54
$3,581.21
$3,913.29
$124,354.79
$131,954.75
$16,160.20
$182,645.47
$64,923.79
$231.51
$78,279.26
$26,739.32
$1,756.20
$10,000.00
$19,036.69
Payroll & Benefits
Education & Networking
Advertising/Marketing
Event Expenses
Banners
Economic Development
WEB Projects/Security
Office Expenses & Supplies
Maintenance & Cleaning
Insurance
Taxes
Utilities/Rent
Professional & Fin. Services
Miscellaneous Expense
Reserves
Other Expenses
EXPENSES
NET INCOME $52,705.61
Exhibit 2
2021 ANNUAL REPORT // DOWNTOWN STOCKTON ALLIANCE
18 Exhibit 2
DOWNTOWN STOCKTON ALLIANCE // 2021 ANNUAL REPORT
19 Chinese Harvest Moon Festival
Chung Wah Grand Opening
Full Moon Riders
Grow With Google Marketing Webinar
Music in Janet Leigh Plaza
National Night Out
Santa Saturday in Janet Leigh Plaza
Community Resource Meetings
Parents by Choice Trick or Treat
Downtown Business Watch
Downtown Investor Summit
Homeless School Toy Drive
Intl. Economic Dev. Council (IEDC) Pandemic
Study
Parents By Choice Christmas Toy Drive
RAD Card Program Launch
SJCOG RTP/SCS Working Group
Stockton Hell’s Angels Toy Drive
Stockton PD Trunk or Treat
General
Bank of Stockton
Caltrans
City of Stockton (COS)
COS Economic
Development (EDD)
COS Parking
Cort Companies
Intl. Economic Dev. Council
LAZ Parking
Mexican Heritage Center
Miracle Mile Improvement
District
Parents by Choice
Port of Stockton
SJCOG
SJC Economic Development
Stockton Heat
Stockton Kings
Stockton Police Department
Stockton Ports
Visit Stockton
Chung Wah Grand
Opening
Chinese Benevolent
Association of Stockton
City Manager’s Office
Councilmember Christina
Fugazi
Little Manila
Red Phoenix Rising
Diversity Plaza
COS EDD
Full Moon Riders
Blazin’ Cajun
Dealerz Choice
Dry Cleaners
Elissa’s Kitchen
Empresso Coffeehouse
John Thomason Art
La Placita
Luna Jimenez
Misaki
Nash + Tender
Patti’s Junk Art
Performance Bicycle
SJ Bike Coalition
Stockton PD
Mid-Autumn Festival
Chinese Benevolent
Association of Stockton
Central Valley Asian-
American Chamber
Chinese Cultural Society of
Stockton
Filipino American National
OUR 2021 PARTNERS
EVENTS PARTICIPATED IN
SPECIAL EVENTS & PROJECTS
EVENTS HOSTED OR ORGANIZED
Chung Wah Lane Revitalization
Diversity Plaza
Doorways to Downtown
Downtown Vlog
PBSU Homeless Shower Program
Spirits of Downtown
Talk to Downtown
PROJECTS
Historical Society
Locke Foundation
Joy Neas
Sylvia Minnick
National Night Out
105.9 The Bull
COS Stockton EDD
COS Stockton Fire Dep.
HATCH Workshop
LAZ Parking
Parents By Choice
SJ RTD
Stockton City Council
Stockton PD
Stockton Ports
The Write Place
Visit Stockton
Music To Our Ears
Hotel Stockton
Parents By Choice
The HUB
PBSU
Loads of Hope Laundry
Orlando’s Deli
Ready to Work
SJC Public Health Services
St. John’s Episcopal Church
Talk to Downtown
COS Building Department
COS EDD
COS Mayor’s Office
COS PD & CS Division
COS Public Works
COS Special Events
SJ Council of Governments
SJ District 1 Supervisor
SJ Joint Powers Authority
SJ Office of Education
SJ Regional Transit District
Exhibit 2
2021 ANNUAL REPORT // DOWNTOWN STOCKTON ALLIANCE
20 Chung Wah Festival
Exhibit 2
DOWNTOWN STOCKTON ALLIANCE // 2021 ANNUAL REPORT
21 • Continue operation and maintenance
of the Portable Bathroom & Shower
unit at St. John’s Church.
• Expand the outreach of our Safety
Ambassador program and
collaboration with Stockton PD.
• Complete new beautification
projects.
• Continue with our webinar series
Talk to Downtown, the Downtown
vlog, Spirits of Downtown , and
Doorways to Downtown.
• Promote our DSELF program.
• Continue hosting music in Janet
Leigh Plaza and Full Moon Riders.
• Continue to advocate for property
owners.
•
Recruit, support, & promote
downtown businesses.
2022 GOALS
Exhibit 2
2021 ANNUAL REPORT // DOWNTOWN STOCKTON ALLIANCE
22 Exhibit 2
DOWNTOWN STOCKTON ALLIANCE // 2021 ANNUAL REPORT
23 Exhibit 2
125 Bridge Place, 3rd Floor
P .O. Box 2375
Stockton, CA 95201
www.downtownstockton.org
POSTAGE
Exhibit 2