Carol Schatz, longtime chief executive of the downtown L.A. business group Central City Association, will have to wait a bit longer before she can take that vacation to the land down under. That’s because Schatz, 68, has agreed to stay on as chief executive through the end of this year, six months longer than she originally planned when she announced the transition earlier this month. And for at least a year beyond that, Schatz, who is often credited with shepherding downtown’s revival, will still head the Downtown Center Business Improvement District. She also hopes to remain involved in promoting the areas’ renaissance for the city’s bid for the 2024 Summer Olympic Games. Schatz discussed these and other issues in an interview with the Business Journal.

Question: What did you personally learn from all your time at the Central City Association?

Answer: You don’t do politics in the second-largest city in the country without it being blood sport. I learned that I was a lot tougher than I thought I was. You have to shake things up. I see myself as a different person than the person who came to the CCA in 1990. Sometimes I have to get in people’s faces; other times I have to say no forcefully. Sometimes I’ve had to deal with people who are extremely angry and I had to learn how to get through that and maintain the relationship with them. It was never my intention to be the most popular person; it was my intention to make a real difference and that required shaking things up.

Why did you choose this moment to announce your intention to step down as chief executive?

It was a slow, deliberate decision that I started to consider as my 25th anniversary with the CCA approached last year. For some time now, I’ve been running both the CCA and the Downtown Center BID – two full-time jobs. I came to the conclusion that demands were becoming unreasonable for one person; I just didn’t want to continue working 70 hours a week and weekends and vacations, too. I realized I needed to focus on the things I love and am most passionate about.

So what are those things?

I want to be in that position where I’m still politically connected to the city, but more focused on the promotion of downtown. I will always love policy and mixing it up in the political realm. As corny as it sounds, I really enjoy going to the ribbon-cuttings and programs where we are able to tout our successes. These events remind you of the enormous work and the enormous payoff of that work.

Is the homeless problem downtown – with the tents on Skid Row and the numbers of homeless proliferating – scaring away investors?

So far, no. That’s the good news. But we want to make sure that people who are coming here to live feel that the quality of life here in downtown is conducive to staying and raising families. If we cannot address the homeless problem satisfactorily, then it could start to scare people away.

How safe do you personally feel walking downtown, especially alone at night?

I still feel relatively safe. I’ve been doing this for 25 years and I’ve never taken steps to make sure I don’t walk at night. I basically follow the same rules whether I’m downtown or walking anywhere else. The only accommodation I’ve made: If I have to go more than a few blocks downtown, I may drive instead of walk. But that’s as much about time as it is about safety.

After you step down as CEO, you’ve said you still plan to remain in an advisory role at the CCA. What exactly does that mean?

First, I will plan to transition out of the chief executive post by the end of this year. I had originally announced the transition would take place by midyear, but after consulting with the CCA board, we agreed that we might need more time to find the right candidate to succeed me. Once the new CEO does come on board, I will assist that person with any advice on policy, membership and other administrative details to ensure that there is a smooth transition.

You still plan to head up the Downtown Center Business Improvement District for at least a year more. What’s at the top of your agenda?

First, we’ve got to go through our BID renewal process. The property owner vote to continue the BID for another five years will be coming up in about a year and a final council vote a few months after that. The key focus will be to promote investment in downtown and to market it. Also, we now need to focus more on culture and the arts.

Do you see yourself getting involved in the 2024 Summer Olympics bid?

Yes. Now that we have a real 24-7 downtown, it’s important that we sell downtown as a plus to the Olympic bid committee. I stand ready to assist the mayor in any way to help make that happen.

Who would you like to see light the Olympic flame?

Magic Johnson. He’s a multifaceted sports hero and L.A. icon!

You earlier told the Business Journal that you wanted some more time to yourself, to “have a life” as you put it. So what’s on your bucket list?

I’m a workaholic and that’s not going to change anytime soon. But that said, I haven’t been able to travel in any meaningful way for the last four years or so. I really want to go to Australia and New Zealand and to parts of Northern Europe I’ve never seen. In the past, when I’ve taken trips with my husband, Fred Muir, we’ve been so busy we were only able to read guidebooks on the plane; I would like the time to read guidebooks before we get on the plane. I also love hikes and taking walks in beautiful places. I want to do more of those things while I’m still healthy enough to do them.