Contact: Tim Gallen Nancy Amaral Gallen.Neilly o-(925) 930-9848 c-(925) 915-0673 Tim@Gallen.com Nancy@Gallen.

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Downtown Oakland Association and Lake Merritt/Uptown District Association Honor Several of Oaklands Finest at their Third Annual Breakfast Meeting
Oakland, CA (June 21, 2012) The third annual joint CBD (Community Benefit District) breakfast of the Downtown Oakland Association and Lake Merritt/Uptown District Association, including for the first time a mini-district expo, was held on Thursday, June 14, and honored several of the Districts finest. The sponsored breakfast featured a report on the accomplishments of both Districts as well as the presentation of the annual CBD awards, including: For the Downtown Oakland Association: Spirit of the District Award: Peter Sullivan Associates Inc. & popuphood Ambassador of the Year (Maintenance Ambassador Program): Roman Taylor Ambassador of the Year (Safety Ambassador Program): Slone Willingham Police Officer of the Year: Officer Charles OConnor For the Lake Merritt/Uptown Association: Spirit of the District Award: Betti Ono Gallery & Brog Properties Ambassador of the Year (Maintenance Ambassador Program): Pedro Diaz Ambassador of the Year (Safety Ambassador Program): Durrell Sanders Police Officer of the Year: Officer Marcos Campos

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Joint District Awardees Include: City of Oakland Employee of the Year: Deanna Santana & Captain Jeffery Israel Volunteer of the Year: Elizabeth Clark (Fitzgerald Abbott & Beardsley) With over 200 people in attendance, the group celebrated the work of the district sponsored Safety and Maintenance Ambassadors, district management staff, as well as the community members that have worked to help make Oakland a vibrant and flourishing city. In addition to the award ceremony, the Kaiser Center Foyer was transformed into a mini-district with informational booths representing various businesses in the area while displaying life size examples of District beautification projects contributing to the new vibrancy of the Downtown and Uptown areas. Our mini-district installation highlighted some key CBD projects and partnerships that have contributed to making our program a success. It also featured some businesses, organizations and individuals that exemplify whats right with Oakland, said Steve Snider, manager of both the Downtown Oakland and Lake Merritt/Uptown District Association. Since we launched our Ambassador program in early 2009, the hard work of our Ambassadors has made a noticeable and significant improvement in the quality of life in the Downtown and Uptown Districts. The small steps taken daily by our Ambassadors to help beautify the central business district have culminated in big transformations for the City as a whole. Our Annual Breakfast meeting is our opportunity as stakeholders and as a community to acknowledge key contributors for their excellent work said Deborah Boyer, President of Lake Merritt/Uptown District Association. Some of the key projects and businesses participating in the mini-district included: Art Murmur, Pandora Radio, Inner City Advisors, 2.Oakland (formerly InOak), The Great Wall of Oakland, Oaklandish, Visit Oakland, Oakland Grown, Awaken Caf, Farleys Caf, East Bay Bike Coalition, Walk Oakland Bike Oakland, BART, Joyce Gordon Gallery, the City of Oakland, popuphood, Betti Ono Gallery, Uptown Runway Style House, and The Free Broadway Shuttle. The Downtown Oakland and Lake Merritt/Uptown District Associations commenced operations in February, 2009. Property owners in both Downtown Oakland and the Lake Merritt/Uptown districts voted by a margin of almost 8 to 1 to support a voluntary property tax to fund services that would improve the quality of life in their respective communities. The assessment funds generate approximately $2.2 million a year dedicated to community improvement projects and revitalization of the Downtown area. The associations meet and function jointly. Services funded by the districts include maintaining cleanliness and order in the public rights of way, improving district identity and advocating on behalf of the area property owners, business owners and residents.

1981 North Broadway, Suite 400, Walnut Creek, CA 94596 P: (925) 930-9848 F: (925) 930-9903

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