From left are Yuba City Vice Mayor Dave Shaw, Mayor Shon Harris, Sandee Drown and her two grandsons, and District-at-Large Councilmember Wade Kirchner. 

YUBA CITY, CA (MPG) - Former Yuba City Downtown Business Association (DBA) President Sandee Drown almost did not accept a city proclamation recognizing her leadership.

"It was a little hard to receive for a second," Drown said. "I even called a couple of the City Council (members) and said, "You thanked me enough."

But it wasn't enough for the Happy Viking owner.

Mayor Shon Harris and the Yuba City City Council honored the business owner and longtime leader on March 5 with priceless words encased in a shiny glass frame. The city proclamation signifies stellar leadership.

Harris read from the document that detailed Drown's tenure with the association, noting her service as the association's events committee chair from 2014 to 2017.

"Accomplishments by Sandy and the DBA are extensive and include creating the Bunny Hop and the Trick or Treat Street events, increasing the attendance and revenues of Summer and Christmas strolls," Mayor Shon Harris said.

Yuba City Mayor Shon Harris presents Sandee Drown, former Downtown Business Association president, with a proclamation of honor for her leadership.

According to the mayor, Drown also helped spearhead a new lighting system downtown to improve beautification and safety and was instrumental in strengthening the relationship between the Yuba City Police Department homeless liaison officers and downtown merchants.

Not to mention her work during COVID-19.

"Sandy was a strong advocate for small businesses to stay open during Covid and successfully lobbied for a $10,000 grant from Sutter County to assist downtown restaurants during the pandemic," Harris said.

It was not just her leadership that made the difference during the pandemic; it was the unified voice of the association, according to the former president.

"We said what are our three goals that we want to communicate to the city to have them help us, so we were very strategic about how we approached it and where we needed the city and county to help us," Drown said.

Humbly accepting the accolade, Drown credited the association for their hard work after thanking the mayor, councilmembers and city manager for the recognition. 

"I want to thank my family, who graciously allows me to share the time that I give to all DBA things," Drown said.

Speaking of family, Drown brought her two grandsons to the meeting, saying she hopes to instill leadership and community in the next generation the way her father instilled them in her.

"After he retired from the military, he gave 28 years to the Little League and here I am passionately giving back to a couple of organizations," Drown said.

Drown officially passed the president baton to State Farm Insurance owner Ryan Henshaw, who won the Downtown Business Association election for the post. As the immediate past president, Drown will remain on the executive board for two more years.

"When you see the energy of the downtown right now, there is has been a lot of really cool partnership with city and downtown businesses," Drown said.

While the association's future looks bright, Drown will be remembered by Yuba City with a proclamation stating her "leadership, dedication, professionalism, and commitment have helped make the downtown community a better place for all to experience, shop, dine and visit."