The La Jolla Village Merchants Association is seeking more participation in its upcoming events, including its board election.
Board members and Executive Director Jodi Rudick went over the various ways the organization is doing that while meeting Aug. 14.
Among them is the associate membership program, which was launched in 2019 and enables businesses outside the 30-block La Jolla Business Improvement District to receive some of the benefits of LJVMA membership (except to vote in elections).
Rudick said her goal is to have 100 associate members by the end of the fiscal year in June. The board has approved 20 associate memberships so far.
The board also creates and distributes a survey every few years and is reaching out to local businesspeople to participate in this year’s version.
“We were going to do one last year, but we wanted to let things settle post-COVID,” Rudick said. “The results inform our strategic planning process.”
She said the board is hoping for about 300 responses and has received about 280 so far.
The survey has been distributed via the LJVMA mailing list, events and one-off gatherings and the group’s list of contacts outside the business district.
It also is being distributed during Street Team outings, in which volunteers and board members introduce themselves to new members and those in a certain geographic area.
The organization also been holding Next Gen events, which invite younger members of the business community to network. The next one will begin at 6 p.m. Tuesday, Aug. 27, at the Modernist Cuisine Gallery, 1241 Prospect St.
Additionally, the board is looking to increase participation in its October election, in which nine seats are available, each with a two-year term.
The board agreed to keep in-person voting rather than consider electronic voting as a way to boost participation.
Election information was mailed recently to the 1,200 members eligible to vote. The revamped mailings now include a resource guide for merchants and information on to how to run for a seat and how to vote.
Last year, 67 ballots were submitted; 61 met the requirement that voters be active Business Improvement District members.
“We had the highest turnout last year of any election,” Rudick said. “What we came to think about is, do we want people who have never been to our meetings before to be able to just go online and vote just because they are members? The people who are coming are the ones who should be deciding who is on the board.”
Board member Bill Podway said having the voting in person “brought in more members of the community than we had ever seen,” which provided opportunities for face-to-face interaction and introduction to new members.
The deadline for members’ self-nominations is 3 p.m. Friday, Sept. 6.
In-person voting will take place from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Tuesday and Wednesday, Oct. 1-2, at the LJVMA office, 7734 Herschel Ave. Transportation will be available for those who need it.
Ballots will be opened during LJVMA’s meeting Wednesday, Oct. 9, with the winners announced that day. The winners will be sworn in during the November meeting.
The board next meets at 4 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 11, at the La Jolla/Riford Library, 7555 Draper Ave. Learn more at lajollabythesea.com. ♦
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