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Pacific Beach Community Association:
Which Name Can Best Shape Our Future Success?
The PBTC desires to increase community awareness of the organization’s mission and accomplishments, and to grow membership. A major obstacle to this effort is a widespread misunderstanding of what the PB Town Council is, how it operates and who may participate.
Much of the confusion stems from the name, “Town Council.”
Many residents infer that the Town Council is governmental, a lower tier subgroup of the San Diego City Council. They do not understand that the PBTC is an all-volunteer membership organization. Many believe that the PBTC is “in charge” of establishing Pacific Beach regulations and that it plays a role in enforcement. Thus, the PBTC is often perceived as unresponsive and ineffective. This discourages membership and other forms of participation.
We often hear reluctance from potential members to join a “council” – they don’t realize it’s simply an association membership. These folks are unwilling to commit to joining what they believe will require a major commitment of time and effort.
The PBTC Board of Directors believes that the organization will benefit from a new name that is more accurate and immediately understood. The Board recommends a name change to the Pacific Beach Community Association.
The word “community” is viewed as welcoming and inclusive by potential members. It has a connotation of working together for positive change. In addition to being more inviting, the new name has the appealing initials “PBCA.”
“Pacific Beach Community Association” better positions the organization as part of the fabric of PB. Research indicates that “community” is an important concept and organizational attribute to potential new members. This is especially true among younger residents whose increased participation is essential to our future success. Expanding the membership of the organization gives us a bigger voice with civic leadership as well as a larger team for neighborhood enhancement activities.
PB Town Council members will vote on the proposed change at the general membership meeting on July 20, 2022. All members in good standing, whose 2022 membership dues have been received at least 30 days in advance of the meeting, will be eligible to vote. Members must attend the meeting in person (not on Zoom) to cast a vote.
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