February 2017 | Business View Magazine

146 147 process, you’re solidifying its future success. Deci- sion making is also improved when based on group consensus.When everybody buys in, it’s much easier to make decisions, moving forward. Lastly, import- ant to the creation and success of the General Plan is creating equality of input and participation from all group members.We assign equal value to every single resident’s opinion, every single stakeholder’s opinion; every single business owner, public service provider, private sector partner, and any other stake- holder group, including educational professionals, religious leaders, and non-profit organizations ser- vicing the community.” For example, Cudahy has one main, commercial corridor, but no actual downtown where people can shop, dine, or enjoy entertainment opportunities. And Allen says that one of the top requests from its residents was to create such a downtown– a central tually taken to the street; staff has gone out and set up shop on the sidewalk where we expect a lot of foot traffic, like a church on the week- end or a school during drop-off or pick-up time. There, we could engage residents who typically don’t have time to participate in more tradition- al outreach to pose questions and conduct the community survey to get feedback on where they feel they’re at now and where they want the city to go in the future. It was a key priority to maxi- mize any possible way this plan could be driven by the community.” Allen strongly believes that the kind of com- munity input the city has engendered is key to the General Plan’s ultimate success for the next twenty years. “People generally support what they, themselves, create,” he maintains. “And so, if you can involve everybody in the creation AT A GLANCE Cudahy, California WHAT: A city of 24,000 WHERE: Southeastern Los Angeles County, California WEBSITE: www.cityofcudahy.com Cudahy, California