Jack London District Association vs Jack London Mail
I heard one of the most silly things ever yesterday and in a day full of frustration regarding the Jack London District, this one thing in particular took the cake.

I own a business here in the neighborhood. I know it's a convenient spot for people to come in to ask about neighborhood stuff, but it's still a business. I know I'm here most of the time, so it makes me an easy trap for people to ask questions or pass along news. But just keep in mind that it's a business (sorry to keep repeating) and that even if I don't have customers in the store at that moment, it doesn't mean I'm not working on something for a customer who isn't physically in the store.

I can't tell you how frustrating it is every day to be asked the same two issues repeatedly. Parking can be an all day subject full of drama and disagreements as to whether the current permit scheme is the right thing to do or not. For the record, I believe it is the right thing to do, but too late in happening and not a whole lot of hope of it lasting past the first year since it's doubtful that the City will sell 1100 permits at the $150 price. The history is worth reading, but I'm not going to tell the tale again here. Go back and read old issues or blog entries. Please, whatever you do, don't ask me about it in the store. I need a time out from the subject.

The other issue I get asked about daily is the grocery store. I've said it so many times that I feel like a broken record. No, there is currently no signed deal for a grocery store here in the District. The ground floor of the Amtrak parking garage being built is, in theory, where a grocery store will go since the developer was required to put in retail space on the ground level, but it's not a guarantee that a grocery store will go there. I hope I'm wrong, but I don't think it will happen anytime soon. I'd love to be wrong because of how much I'd love for a grocery store to be right there. But I'm a fairly logical person and logic tells me that with new construction are big costs, which equate to high rents. When you further look at it from a grocery store's standpoint, they need super low rents because they have a relatively low margin (even in high end grocery stores) compared to overhead costs, so I just don't see it. Like I said, I hope I'm wrong. I would really love to be wrong.

So out of about a dozen people that came to see me before noon yesterday about non-business stuff, one person shocked me partly because he wasn't asking about either of these two most popular issues. He was asking about something completely different. When I suggested going to JLDA to discuss the issue, I was given some wierd answer about how JLDA is a "waste of time" and that they're only interested in the Waterfront Warehouse District.

You could easily have knocked me over with a feather. How is it that people have this perception? The JLDA Call is providing more info on JLDA than I provided back when I printed the Jack London News. Certainly the most recent issue I read of the JLDA Call had no articles that I can recall on the subject of the Waterfront Warehouse District. Parking seemed to be the biggest topic.

When asked why this person felt the way he does about JLDA, he said that "even the colors on the website were the same colors as on the WWD signs". Uh, yeah, but how does that make it all about the WWD? I just looked at the site and the National Night Out event info (it's TONIGHT!) is on the front page with other articles on Kimball's withdrawing a cabaret license request for a new space they had been considering, the new waterfront access map, and a report on the District 3 candidate forum. There are links on the left side which point people to specific subjects such as development, the community calendar, parking, crime & safety, etc.

So how do people have that perception? Because this person told me that most people he knows seem to feel the same way. Is that true?

I was a founding member of JLDA. I gathered a group together to form into the new JLDA so that it wasn't just about a "neighborhood", but about the entire district. JLNA (Jack London Neighborhood Association) had disappeared a few years earlier and rather than resurect that, a group of us decided to go for a broader name to include the businesses in the area, not just residents.

JLDA has monthly meetings that ANYONE & EVERYONE is welcome to attend. You should, as a courtesy, let them know that you will be going so as to make sure there are enough chairs/space. The next meeting is Monday, August 18th at 7pm at the Egghouse - 229 Harrison at Third Street. Send an email to info@jlda.org if you will be attending. Go! Find out for yourself what they are talking about and working on. See if you can provide some help. If you have an issue you want to discuss, let them know. They're an easy group to talk to. I, however, am NOT on the Board. So talking to me about stuff that they need to know about isn't the way to go. I realize that this sounds pretty harsh, but it's true.

Getting involved in your neighborhood is an investment in your home, business, or whatever else brings/keeps you in the neighborhood. Expecting someone else to get involved for you is unfair. It's the organizing of the masses that creates change. This District has slowly been evolving in that direction and I hope that evolution continues. But it won't happen if people go out trying to get things done individually - because our voice isn't as loud as individuals as we are as a group.

Need a notary, to ship a package, or to rent a mailbox? Come on down to Jack London Mail.

But if you need to talk about the neighborhood, want to get involved, or ask questions about the neighborhood contact JLDA or go to their next meeting August 18th. Trust me, it won't hurt a bit... well, maybe a tiny bit, getting through some of the required bureacracy, but only by getting involved can you expect anything to change.

I'm going to keep taking a break from events and meetings. It's someone else's turn to get involved!
Posted 8/05/2008