Jorian Wilkins - Executive Director, Downtown Association of Santa Cruz_2026-08-14 interview on KZSC's 'Bushwhacker's Breakfast Club'

The Downtown Association of Santa Cruz is owned by the Downtown Business Owners, made up of 300 public-facing business, mostly ground floor (retail, restaurant, services) but also upper floor business; with all of the development going on in downtown Santa Cruz, does the Downtown Association have a seat at the table? No, but they're invited to public input sessions - there is an open solicitation by the city for input on design guidelines that anyone can chime in upon; Jorian came to Santa Cruz as a kid, first to surf, but later lured by her mom....her husband grew up in New Hampshire, & they settled in Colorado to split the difference...but when they visited her mom in Santa Cruz when they were expecting their 3rd child, & her husband found out that his best friend lived downstairs from her mom, they made the move to Santa Cruz & have now been here 17 years; with all the development downtown, they are welcoming a lot of new families; during COVID, 33+ business closed, but a year and a half later, with the re-opening, there was a strong come back; "Downtown" extends from Laurel St. to the Clock Tower, & from Front St. to Cedar St.; discussion about the Farmer's Market & where they could move to; the Downtown Association is a "Business Improvement District", so businesses in the district arr required to contribute (at $600/year); development moving along, with many affordable & market-rate apartments already built & occupied; the Downtown Association *can* advocate for businesses (e.g.: Abbott Square); they have a Downtown Ambassador Team of 6 people who keep downtown clean, safe & welcoming; our downtown stores provide a 3rd space for people, with tons of new businesses, including Switch Bakery & Bistro & Alley Oop. An interview on "The Bushwhacker's Breakfast Club" with "Dangerous Dan" Orange airing Friday mornings on KZSC Santa Cruz, California. 2026 is Bushwhacker's 37th year on the air! Thanks for listening! To support KZSC (& these podcasts), please go to KZSC.FM and click on the "Donate to KZSC" button in the upper right-hand corner. Thanks!