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Downtown San Leandro Improvement Association reports growth in events, safety ambassadors and launches camera pilot
Summary
The Downtown San Leandro Improvement Association (a nonprofit) presented its annual update: expanded ambassador programs, higher event attendance including a 20,000-person Cherry Festival, public art grants, and a pilot coordinated safety-camera program. The report noted financial constraints ahead of the district's 2028 renewal.
The San Leandro Improvement Association (the downtown community benefit district) presented its annual report to the City Council on April 21, outlining public-safety work, events, arts grants and plans for a coordinated safety-camera pilot.
Morgan MacRose, executive director of the San Leandro Improvement Association, told the council the district is a nonprofit formed in 2013 with a 15-year mandate; it must seek renewal in 2028. She said assessments are based on property measurements and that the district's management agreement caps assessment increases at 3% annually (compared with 5% caps elsewhere), which presents a funding challenge as costs rise.
MacRose highlighted the district's cleaning and safety ambassador teams. Cleaning ambassadors work seven days a week from 7:00 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.; safety ambassadors operate weekdays 6:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. and weekends 12:30 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. She said ambassadors are cross-trained in de-escalation and track their work with handheld devices. "We have the lowest turnover rate of ambassadors in the entire Bay Area," MacRose said, describing both cleaning and safety teams.
MacRose reported expanded public programming in 2024, including monthly themed vendor markets (average attendance about 800, Mexipino ~3,000) and the Cherry Festival, which drew about 20,000 visitors and 200 booths. The district received a $10,000 Arts, Culture and Library Commission grant to convert a plaza fountain/planter into a mosaic and an additional arts grant for a mural project on a garbage enclosure.
The board is piloting a coordinated safety-camera program funded in part by a city grant. MacRose said the district has adopted "strict guidelines on who has access to the video, who can request footage, and how long the video will be kept." Pilot locations include the parking lot at Fieldworks, Dave's Hot Chicken and several village locations; installation is pending technical and Internet issues.
Public comment on the item included praise for ambassadors and requests to expand the program to other commercial corridors. Jenny Chang, an online commenter, said she used the ambassador escort service and encouraged expansion to the greenhouse marketplace. Douglas Spalding praised events and recommended broader deployment of ambassador-like services in other districts.
MacRose asked for continued city support and noted the district is banking funds ahead of the 2028 renewal process. She also flagged the management agreement's 3% cap on assessment increases as a constraint on maintaining services.
