Civitas is helping in Puerto Rico recovery – Bringing tourists back to Puerto Rico is a top priority.
John Lambeth, President & CEO of Civitas, spoke today to over one hundred Puerto Rico elected officials and tourism leaders about the importance of travel and tourism and strategies for reinvigorating Puerto Rico’s travel industry. Mr. Lambeth, based in Sacramento, has worked with over one hundred destinations around the world on developing stable funding for […]
Districts on the Move: Sacramento Tourism Marketing District Renews for 10 Years!
“California begins here.” Sacramento is the star on the map of California and is recognized as America’s Farm-to-Fork Capital. The Sacramento Tourism Marketing District (STMD) was renewed for a ten-year term, beginning July 1, 2017. Hoteliers renewed the STMD with overwhelming support from each of the four zones this spring. The STMD was implemented July […]
Hiring 101: Part 5 – Thriving on Behavior
• Is the candidate a thinker or a doer? Meaning, do they gather a lot of information and take their time in making a decision – or do they make an immediate decision with the information readily available to them? • Does the candidate gravitate towards structure and organization, or do they prefer a less […]
California Public Records Act Updated by Court
The use of personal email accounts and devices by public officials is a hot topic throughout the United States. California has become the epicenter of the debate, with a new California Supreme Court ruling regarding the use of personal emails and text messages. All California property and business improvement districts, and any business or tourism […]
Best Practices: Are You Submitting Your Annual Report Properly?
Unfortunately, the answer may be no. We often see beautiful, detailed reports on everything our districts accomplished last year. And while those reports are a vital, wonderful tool for communicating with stakeholders, they usually don’t meet the requirements of the law. So, what do you have to put in your annual report? The guidelines herein […]
District Spotlight: Marina del Rey Voluntary Assessment District
In an unincorporated part of Los Angeles County lies the waterfront town of Marina del Rey. As the largest man-made small craft harbor in North America, Marina del Rey is a coastal playground with beaches and parks, an array of water activities and outdoor adventures, as well as a variety of restaurants. In an effort […]
Out with the Old, in with the New? Modernizing your district’s existing structure
Since 1989, California businesses have been able to partner and create improvement districts using the Parking and Business Area Law of 1989. At the time, this law was quite the revolutionary concept – businesses paying an assessment that could only be used to help them – oh my! A few years later, a new law […]
Working Together: Supplementing Traditional Districts with Wine, Beer, and Restaurant Districts
You have a property and business improvement district, perhaps even a tourism improvement district. To you, these are old news. The new news … is restaurant, wine, and brewery districts. Each of these districts can exist on top of your existing PBID, BID, or TID. And even better, these districts can supplement and build upon […]
Hiring 101: Part 4 – Skills Are Hard to Fake
By Melanee Cottrill, Civitas In our last issue, we wrote about ways to overcome confirmation bias during the interview process. In case you missed it, here’s a link to our last newsletter. Once upon a time, a company wanted to hire someone with a natural talent for writing and proofreading. Recognizing that those skills are easy […]
Gilroy Tourism Business Improvement District: 2018-2027
By Gina Trechter, Civitas Building upon the success of their five-year initial term, Gilroy hoteliers have successfully renewed their Tourism Business Improvement District (TBID)! With a unanimous vote by City Council, the district was approved for a 10 year term beginning January 2018. The Gilroy TBID will generate approximately $365,000 in its initial year of […]
