2:00am | As a prominent advisor to the Downtown Long Beach Associates (DLBA) board of directors resigned from his position this week, sources say the decision brings to light ongoing problems and a general disconnect between the DLBA and the businesses it is tasked to serve.
Steve Goodling, President and CEO of the Convention & Visitors Bureau (CVB), resigned from his post as an advisor to the DLBA board of directors on Monday evening although he preferred not to explain the details of his decision.
“I’ve had conversations with Kraig [Kojian, president and CEO of the DLBA] about my concerns,” Goodling told the lbpost.com on Tuesday night. “Kraig knows what the issues are and he and his organization can address or not address them as they deem appropriate.”
Voicemails to Kojian’s cell phone were not immediately returned.
The loss of Goodling – a prominent and well-liked city figure – was deemed by some as a huge blow to the DLBA in its mission to stimulate community and economic development downtown.
While other areas of the city have survived or even succeeded during tough economic times, downtown Long Beach has struggled and some businesses are voicing their frustrations.
“I can just say that we’re not happy he resigned,” said Scott Hamilton, president of DOMA Properties, a real estate company with its main office on Pine Avenue. “He’s one of the guys that actually gets things done. It’s not good for us and it’s not good for businesses.”
Hamilton declined to comment on Goodling’s decision because he was not fully aware of the circumstances surrounding the resignation. But sources say that Goodling was fed up with ongoing actions by the DLBA that asked Goodling – a volunteer advisor – to increase his responsibilities while offering him negative reinforcement as motivation.
“This was a long time coming,” said one source close to the situation.
The final straw was an e-mail sent to Goodling last Friday that asked the CVB to take on additional responsibilities that some felt were too intensive to ask of a volunteer. Among the requests – decided during a Retail Vision Steering Committee meeting that Goodling did not attend – that “the committee felt the CVB needed to personally accept,” as the e-mail states, were to take the lead in conducting a study on downtown visitors and their habits and to serve as a co-lead (with the DLBA) to align ongoing marketing and branding campaigns.
The committee also felt that Goodling and the CVB should provide support for three additional new programs to study and build new LED lighting, document crime rates and the perception of safety in the city, and develop a program to encourage downtown residents to shop local retail.
The request did not sit well with some downtown business owners who have expressed displeasure with the DLBA and what they say are continued attempts to relinquish responsibility while the association boasts a large budget and is subject to little administrative overview.
Among recent DLBA decisions that have frustrated business owners are inconsistent changes to local parking rates and moving a popular Pine Avenue event to the nearby Promenade.
“The parking structure behind us used to be two hours free with validation, and now it’s a three-dollar flat rate,” said Jimmy Loizides, owner of George’s Greek Café on Pine Avenue. Loizides says it’s the third time in two months that parking rates have changed, confusing customers and businesses.
An underground structure below Bouchee’s at Smooth’s and Sevilla has also been changed from two hours free parking with validation to a five-dollar flat rate.
“It should be more flexible and cheaper, not costing more,” Loizides said. “It’s gotten to be a little confusing and the trick to any business is simplicity. We don’t have that, it’s not simple, it’s not uniform and it’s ending up costing more to our guests which doesn’t make any sense in this economic crisis.”
Reached by phone last week, DLBA Vice President Kris Larson countered that parking at City Place structures a few blocks down Pine Avenue is now free. Larson said the decision was made in an attempt to change the perception of limited available parking downtown, but acknowledged that the rate change directly surrounding Pine Avenue’s restaurants was made to fix a traffic jam effect that occurs when they are busy at night.
“We’re trying to make the process easier for patrons,” Larson said. “[Free City Place parking] is a huge benefit for any business owner along Pine Avenue or nearby corridors because it no longer requires patrons to purchase something for free parking.”
Owner of Taco Beach Kevin Vance and co-owner of Bouchee’s at Smooth’s John Morris said they were unaware of changes to make City Place a free parking zone, and echoed sentiments that the DLBA had not been communicating with businesses.
Vance also said a number of business owners were unhappy that the annual Pink Party is being moved from Pine Avenue to the Promenade, where there are fewer businesses that would benefit from the patronage. The Pink Party is a gay-themed event aimed at raising funds for The Center that has gained a strong following as it approaches its third year. It was held on Pine Avenue for the first time last year.
“I don’t understand why they moved it off Pine Avenue, of course it’s going to affect us,” said Liozides, who said that there is only one restaurant on the Promenade and that residents strongly oppose loud events in the area.
Kojian explained last week that the Pink Party could be an opportunity to bring life to the Promenade. He also said that Pine Avenue is often shut down for large events such as Halloween, New Year’s Eve and opening celebrations for the Long Beach Grand Prix. It’s the Promenade’s turn, Kojian said.
“We felt as though the Pink Party might be a good opportunity to activate the Promenade because of new development [there],” Kojian said. “There is a cost savings on placing events on the Promenade because we don’t need street closures, which is something that we have to weigh from an economic standpoint.”
He also said that the Pink Party will be a gated event that charges admission, which lends itself more favorably to the Promenade’s slim corridor that Pine Avenue’s bustling street. Still, restaurant owners on Pine Avenue feel left out.
It isn’t the first time they have voiced frustration with the DLBA, specifically Kojian. An effort by Hamilton and others to remove Kojian last year was unsuccessful when the DLBA executive committee pledged their support. Speaking optimistically, he and Larson point to restaurants that will soon open downtown such as Le Creperie. Kojian says that he’s spoken to restaurant owners that are doing better now than they were a year ago. Larson agreed and said new restaurants will provide opportunities for downtown Long Beach to emerge from a “period of destruction” with stability.
“I think we’ve really turned the corner,” Larson said.
A few days later, the resignation of Goodling and his parting words aimed at Kojian seem to signal a growing disconnect between the DLBA and the business owners it serves.
Disclosure: The DLBA is an advertiser of the lbpost.com.