HomeMy WebLinkAboutItem 12b - Law Day 2024
DATE: January 16, 2024
TO: Honorable Mayor and City Council
FROM: Dominic Lazzaretto, City Manager
By: Justine Bruno, Deputy City Manager
SUBJECT: REPORT, DISCUSSION, AND DIRECTION REGARDING LAW DAY
2024
CEQA: Not a Project
Recommendation: Resume City Role of Organizing Law Day
SUMMARY
Law Day is a one-day event where volunteer attorneys offer free legal counseling to
community members in-need. Law Day has been held in Arcadia for over two decades
and has been provided with the assistance of the Arcadia Chinese Association, (“ACA”),
a 501(c)3 service organization, for most of the event’s existence. In 2020, in lieu of
cancelling the event due to budgetary issues at that time, the City Council voted to
transition the role of event organizer from the City to the Arcadia Chinese Association.
When Law Day was restarted in 2023, it became apparent that the event’s transition
from the City to the ACA was not well-understood or clear. Both the City and the ACA
recognize the importance of this event to the community and the benefit it provides to
those in need of legal assistance. With this understanding, the ACA has asked the City
to reconsider its involvement with Law Day. Currently, the proposal is for the City to
resume the role of event organizer, but still have the ACA provide day-of event support.
Based on the low-cost of hosting the event, the public benefit it provides, and the
relatively minimal effort required, it is recommended that the City Council add back Law
Day as an official event led and organized by the City, with the ACA providing support.
This would return the program to the format that worked well for so many years.
BACKGROUND
Law Day was the brainchild of former Mayor Gary Kovacic and has been held for more
than 22 years. Law Day aims to connect local attorneys with Arcadia residents and
other individuals who seek legal counseling on a variety of topics. For a few hours each
year, community members can receive free legal counseling through a 20-minute
meeting with a local attorney. Since the beginning, Law Day has been conducted with
Report, Discussion, and Direction – Law Day 2024
January 16, 2024
Page 2 of 4
the assistance of the Arcadia Chinese Association (“ACA”), which typically have
provided volunteers to staff the event. In addition, Mr. Kovacic and Mr. Bob Garrett, both
local attorneys, are instrumental in attracting volunteer attorneys and organizing their
workload on event day.
The attorneys that participate typically specialize in the areas of family law, immigration,
estates and trusts, real estate, business and labor law, bankruptcy, criminal law, and
landlord-tenant issues, among other areas. The attorneys offer their services pro bono
and are not permitted to market their services through this event. Without volunteer
attorneys, the event is not feasible.
In 2020, Arcadia was facing potential revenue shortfalls and uncertainty from the
COVID-19 Pandemic. At that time, the City Council was interested in cancelling the
event; however, the City Council indicated that it would support transitioning the event
to the ACA should they be interested in taking it over. Based on assurances received at
that time, the City Council felt comfortable directing staff to transition the role of event
organizer from the City to the ACA.
When Law Day was restarted in 2023, it became apparent that the ACA and the City
had different understandings of what the transition meant and how it would work,
leading to confusion and a lack of progress in organizing the event. On June 6, 2023,
the City Council received a presentation that provided an overview of the annual Law
Day event, including its purpose, history, the role of the ACA, and the City’s level of
participation during a transition year (see Attachment No. 2). At the conclusion of the
discussion, the City Council granted staff discretion to support the 2023 Law Day event
but requested that staff return with the ACA’s position regarding future Law Day events.
Law Day 2023 saw nearly 212 attendees served by 30 volunteer attorneys over the
three-hour event and was considered a success by all; however, the City was very
involved in the planning process to ensure the event ran smoothly.
At the September 5, 2023, Meeting, a City Council discussion was held regarding
several community events in Arcadia, including the City’s involvement with Law Day
going forward (see Attachment No. 3). During that meeting, the City Council reached a
consensus that Law Day was a valuable community event and it should be continued in
future years. Additionally, a few members of the City Council wanted to see more credit
given to the City and/or a better division of duties, if the City was going to revert to
producing the event as it had in 2019, before it was transitioned to the ACA.
Some members of the City Council also expressed an interest in hearing directly from
ACA Board Members about their request to have the City move back into the lead role
for Law Day. On December 14, 2023, Co-Presidents of the ACA, Susan Guo and Sho
Tay, authored a letter to the City Manager, which reiterated the Board’s full support of
this request as well as the value of partnering on such a beneficial event for the
Report, Discussion, and Direction – Law Day 2024
January 16, 2024
Page 3 of 4
community. A copy of the letter and e-mail correspondence are included as Attachment
No 1.
DISCUSSION
Based on City Council’s consensus to continue offering Law Day, coupled with the
ACA’s request to support the event in a secondary role, it is recommended that the City
reinstate Law Day as an annual event offering. Under this recommendation, the City
would be the lead producer of the event and responsible for attorney invitations,
providing event space, room setup, event materials (e.g. intake forms, table numbers,
water, signage, etc.), promotion and marketing, and overall event planning and
coordination.
Since its inception, on event day, the ACA has provided at least 20 volunteers to
organize the individual attorneys, gather information from participants, and queue the
attendees. This remains the most complicated part of the event. Following the event,
the ACA hosts a free luncheon for all participating attorneys as a token of their
appreciation. Absent a partnership with the ACA, Arcadia would become responsible for
obtaining the volunteers needed to facilitate attorney and public participation on event
day, or would need to budget for staff costs to carry out these critical responsibilities.
Due to the ACA’s interest in remaining involved with Law Day, their long-lasting
commitment to this event, and overall track-record with the City, it is recommended that
the ACA continue to serve as the primary partner for Law Day in 2024, and beyond. It is
further recommended that the City add back Law Day as an official City event. This
would mean that Law Day would once again be led and organized by the City, as it had
been for the first 22 years of its existence.
ENVIRONMENTAL ANALYSIS
The organization of a community event is not considered a project under the California
Environmental Quality Act (“CEQA”), and it can be seen with certainty that it will not
have any possible effect on the environment. Therefore, it is considered exempt from
CEQA.
FISCAL IMPACT
With the City taking the lead, Law Day costs in FY 2023-24 could total approximately
$3,500, which would include the one-time cost of banner replacement to advertise the
event, since the banner has not been renewed in at least 15 years. In subsequent
years, the Law Day budget could be reduced to $2,500 annually. When compared to
other free community events, Law Day is the least expensive event Arcadia offers.
Report, Discussion, and Direction – Law Day 2024
January 16, 2024
Page 4 of 4
Should the City choose to take over Law Day completely but not in partnership with the
ACA, higher costs should be expected. With City staffing instead of volunteers provided
by the ACA, there would be about $1,800 in added costs. Alternatively, another civic
organization could be identified to provide volunteer support for the event, but there
would be some additional staff costs in attracting and training new volunteers. In
addition, there would be costs if the City wished to continue providing a lunch for the
attorneys, which could add another $1,200 or more to the budget.
RECOMMENDATION
It is recommended that the City Council determine this action does not constitute a
project under CEQA; and add back Law Day as an official City-run event, continuing the
partnership with the ACA to provide this free event to the public annually.
Attachment No. 1: Letter from ACA Co-Presidents – December 13, 2023
Attachment No. 2: Staff Report, June 6, 2023 – Report, Discussion, and Direction –
Law Day
Attachment No. 3: Staff Report, September 5, 2023 – City Events and Sponsorships
1
Justine Bruno
From:Dominic Lazzaretto
Sent:Thursday, December 14, 2023 2:42 PM
To:Sho Tay Gmail
Cc:Susan Guo; Justine Bruno
Subject:RE: Law day in Arcadia
Thank you Sho. I will make sure this letter is included in the packet for our discussion of Law Day in January.
Have a great holiday season,
Dominic
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From: Sho Tay <shotay@gmail.com>
Sent: Wednesday, December 13, 2023 10:14 PM
To: Dominic Lazzaretto <domlazz@arcadiaca.gov>
Cc: Susan Guo <leileig@hotmail.com>
Subject: Law day in Arcadia
CAUTION: This email originated from outside your organization. Exercise caution when opening attachments or clicking
links, especially from unknown senders.
Dear City Manager Mr. Lazzaretto,
I am writing to underscore the significance of Law Day and its substantial impact on the City of Arcadia and its residents.
Throughout the year 2023, Law Day has been a recurring topic on the Arcadia City Council agenda, and I wish to
emphasize the pivotal role it plays in our community.
For the past two decades, the Arcadia Chinese Association (ACA) has been a steadfast collaborator with the City in
organizing Law Day events. Each year, these events have proven to be resounding successes, drawing in over 200
attendees from Arcadia and neighboring cities, with a notable majority hailing from our own community. These individuals
have had the invaluable opportunity to receive pro bono legal consultations across 13 specialized areas, making this
event a cornerstone in providing personalized assistance to our fellow Arcadians.
The collaboration between the Arcadia City and ACA holds immense significance, not only in augmenting the visibility and
recognition of Law Day within our community but also in fostering a greater sense of engagement among volunteer
attorneys.
In a recent decision, the ACA Board of Directors overwhelmingly voted in favor of reinstating the co-sponsorship with the
City of Arcadia for Law Day, maintaining the same level of collaboration that has proven so beneficial in previous years.
As Co-President of ACA, I stand firmly behind the decision to continue this partnership and am dedicated to ensuring that
Law Day remains a meaningful and beneficial event for our community.
Attachment No. 1
2
I urge the City to recognize the value of this collaboration and to support the continuation of the co-sponsorship between
the City of Arcadia and ACA for Law Day in the coming years.
Sincerely,
Susan Guo & Sho Tay
Co-President of Arcadia Chinese Association
DATE: June 6, 2023
TO: Honorable Mayor and City Council
FROM: Dominic Lazzaretto, City Manager
By: Justine Bruno, Deputy City Manager
SUBJECT: REPORT, DISCUSSION, AND DIRECTION REGARDING THE ANNUAL
LAW DAY EVENT
CEQA: Not a Project
Recommendation: Provide Direction
SUMMARY
At the Regular City Council Meeting on May 16, 2023, Council Member Kwan received
support to place the topic of reviewing Law Day on the June 6 City Council Meeting
Agenda. This Staff Report will provide a brief overview of the annual Law Day event,
including its purpose, history, and the City’s role in the event. At the conclusion of the
discussion, it is recommended that the City Council provide direction regarding the
City’s involvement in the annual Law Day event.
BACKGROUND
Law Day has been held in partnership with the Arcadia Chinese Association (“ACA”)
and the City of Arcadia for more than 22 years. Law Day aims to connect local attorneys
with Arcadia residents who seek legal counseling. For a few hours each year,
community members can receive free legal counseling through a 20-minute meeting
with a local attorney. The event was the brainchild of then-Council Member Gary
Kovacic, who remains highly involved in organizing the event and attracting attorneys.
The Arcadia Chinese Association (“ACA”) is a 501(c)3 service organization that seeks
to serve Chinese residents by bridging cultural gaps, enhancing the understanding of
government, citizenship, and civic affairs, and serve the community through
volunteerism. Since its inception, on the day of the event, the ACA provides significant
energy and resources to organizing the workloads of individual attorneys and queuing
the attendees. This remains the most complicated part of the event with 20-30 ACA
volunteers assisting with this effort. Following the event, the ACA hosts a free luncheon
for all participating attorneys as a token of their appreciation.
Attachment No. 2
Report, Discussion, and Direction – Co-Sponsorship of Law Day
May 2, 2023
Page 2 of 3
The attorneys that participate typically specialize in the areas of family law, immigration,
estates and trusts, real estate, business and labor law, bankruptcy, criminal law, and
landlord-tenant issues, among other areas. The attorneys volunteer their services pro
bono and are not permitted to market their services to attendees through participation in
this event.
Historically, the City covered any direct expenses related to this event. The majority of
the costs for Law Day were staff time in the City Manager’s Office to prepare and mail
letters, design flyers for the event, and print handout materials, if needed. In addition,
the event is advertised using an over-the street banner that needs to be updated
annually and replaced it deteriorates. There were some minor overtime costs each year
from hourly staff in the City Manager’s Office attending to help coordinate the event.
During the May 19, 2020, Study Session, former Mayor Roger Chandler introduced a
discussion about the City’s involvement with the annual Law Day event. Specifically, Mr.
Chandler expressed his belief that Law Day provided more benefit regionally than to
Arcadia residents, and thus, the City’s financial support of the event should be
discontinued. Following this discussion, the City Council learned that the ACA sought
sole responsibility for the Law Day event, including any associated expenses.
Based on this information, the City Council proceeded to eliminate the City’s
sponsorship of the annual Law Day event during its June 2, 2020, meeting. The City
Council accepted the offer from the ACA to transfer over the administration and direct
costs of the Law Day event and to waive any costs for the use of City facilities. The
motion was made by former Council Member Tom Beck and seconded by Council
Member Paul Cheng; this change was projected to save the City approximately $2,000
annually. The annual Law Day event was paused in 2020, 2021, and 2022 due to the
Coronavirus Pandemic, making 2023 the first year the Law Day event will occur since
2019 and the first time under this new model.
DISCUSSION
Historically, the Law Day event has been held at the Arcadia Public Library. Through the
use of a City facility, the room rental can be offered as in-kind services. The expectation
for 2023 is for the room rental fee of $375 ($125 per hour) to be waived as part of the
City Council’s directive, issued on June 2, 2020.
Additionally, the City helps promote Law Day through its print and digital platforms as it
has done for other events like the Arcadia Festival of Bands, Downtown Holiday Fair,
Patriotic Festival, Halloween Haunting, Derby Day 5K, Chamber of Commerce events,
and Menorah Lighting and Geld Drop. The City may choose not to offer this support if it
wishes to stop supporting the event altogether; there would be no discernable savings
for doing so.
Report, Discussion, and Direction – Co-Sponsorship of Law Day
May 2, 2023
Page 3 of 3
Any direct costs for this year’s event have been absorbed by the ACA, who are also
overseeing the administrative details for the event that were previously handled by the
City Manager’s Office. To date, the only known expense to the City is a cost of
approximately $75 to update the street banner, which the ACA will cover. The
installation of the banner was handled as part of the normal rotation of the banners by
City staff and these costs were not charged to the ACA. If the City Council has a desire
to eliminate all in-kind services provided for the Law Day event, the City could require
installation and removal be done by a private company and a $165 fee could be
charged for permitting the banner.
No staff from the City Manager’s Office will be attending the Law Day event, since the
administration is now handled by the ACA.
ENVIRONMENTAL ANALYSIS
The proposed action does not constitute a project under the California Environmental
Quality Act (“CEQA”), and it can be seen with certainty that it will have no impact on the
environment. Thus, this matter is exempt under CEQA.
FISCAL IMPACT
The City no longer incurs any direct costs related to the Law Day event; however, it is
possible for the City to charge the ACA for the in-kind services that are currently waived.
Should the City choose to take over Law Day completely, costs would likely exceed the
$2,000 that was once budgeted for the event. The increase in costs would be a result of
additional staff time incurred to replace the volunteer efforts of the ACA during the
event. The exact additional cost is unknown at this time, but it is expected to be less
than $5,000. Alternately, another civic organization would need to be identified to
provide the support staff for the event.
RECOMMENDATION
Based on the information presented in the staff report, it is recommended that City
Council provide direction regarding the City’s involvement in the annual Law Day event
with the Arcadia Chinese Association.
DATE: September 5, 2023
TO: Honorable Mayor and City Council
FROM: Dominic Lazzaretto, City Manager
By: Justine Bruno, Deputy City Manager
SUBJECT: REPORT, DISCUSSION, AND DIRECTION REGARDING CITY EVENTS
AND SPONSORSHIPS
CEQA: Not a Project
Recommendation: Provide Direction
SUMMARY
Over the past few months, the City Council has taken a series of steps to host and
sponsor more community events in Arcadia. These additional events and sponsorships
have also generated more questions about the City’s interests beyond 2023. To
understand the City Council’s interests going forward, more direction is needed on hosting
specific events and programs in future years, the level of resources allocated to each
endeavor, and determining the sponsorships to be offered.
This presentation seeks to solidify a path forward regarding the City’s role in the Patriotic
Festival and Law Day; funding the Moon Festival; hosting a Lunar New Year celebration;
and creating a Veterans Banner Recognition Program. This presentation will allow the
City Council to explore these remaining questions and receive additional information
regarding potential resource use for the proposed events, programs, and sponsorships.
If the City Council would like to add more events, programs, or sponsorships to Arcadia’s
existing offerings, more guidance is needed regarding those events and programs, and
the level of resources to be allocated in support of each. It is recommended that the City
Council provide direction regarding future City events and sponsorships.
BACKGROUND
On May 2, 2023, the City Council received a presentation that provided a comprehensive
overview of community events across Arcadia (see attached Staff Report). The events
highlighted in the presentation included those hosted by the City as well as events the
City helps support in some capacity. Support for these events may include providing in-
kind services, direct sponsorship with City funds as well as events the City staffs but
Attachment No. 3
City Events and Sponsorships
September 5, 2023
Page 2 of 8
recovers costs for. In addition to this overview of community events, a $20,000
sponsorship request for the 2023 Patriotic Festival was made by the Downtown Arcadia
Improvement Association, for the City Council’s consideration.
For the 2023 Patriotic Festival, the City Council directed staff to sponsor the firework show
up to $20,000, including waiving any ancillary costs for Police, Fire, and Public Works
Services. For future years, the City Council requested staff evaluate the possibility of the
City assuming full responsibility for the fireworks display and return with a proposal for
City Council to consider.
On June 6, 2023, the City Council received a presentation on the upcoming 2023 Law
Day event. During this presentation, the history of Law Day was reviewed including the
City’s involvement, the role of the Arcadia Chinese Association (“ACA”), and the City’s
level of participation during a transition year. At the conclusion of the presentation, the
City Council granted City staff discretion to help make the 2023 Law Day event
successful, but to return to the City Council in 90 days with the ACA’s position regarding
future Law Day events.
During a Special Meeting on June 28, 2023, the City Council discussed the possibility of
hosting a Mid-Autumn Moon Festival in Arcadia. Staff presented information on a potential
Moon Festival including timing, costs, and event components for City Council to consider.
At the conclusion of this meeting, the City Council directed staff to host a Mid-Autumn
Moon Festival on September 30, 2023, in partnership with the Arcadia Chinese
Association and the Chamber of Commerce. With this direction, the City Council
approved a $25,000 supplemental budget appropriation on July 18, 2023, to host the
event this year. More direction is needed about adding the Moon Festival to the City’s
event offerings and annual budget going forward.
During the discussion of the Mid-Autumn Moon Festival, the City Council also raised the
idea of hosting a Lunar New Year celebration in early 2024. While it was initially put forth
as an alternative to hosting the Moon Festival this year, the City Council indicated an
interest in adding both events to the calendar. For many years, Recreation and
Community Services and the Arcadia Chinese Association have co-sponsored an annual
luncheon at the Community Center to celebrate the Lunar New Year. More direction is
needed regarding the desire to have a Lunar New Year celebration, including any
partnerships, event offerings, and budget.
At the August 15, 2023, City Council Meeting, Council Member Cao received support to
place the topic of a banner program recognizing Arcadia Veterans on a future City Council
Agenda. This item will present options for the City Council to consider in support of this
program, including recommendations on potential locations, timing considerations, and
costs.
City Events and Sponsorships
September 5, 2023
Page 3 of 8
DISCUSSION
The following subsections identify the direction sought for each of the events listed above
along with some alternatives to be considered and related recommendations.
Downtown Arcadia Patriotic Festival
At the May 2, 2023, City Council Meeting, the City Council committed to supporting the
2024 Patriotic Festival, with the motion stating that the City would take over planning and
management of the fireworks show. In past years, the show has been seven minutes
long. The request for 2023 was to extend the show to 10 minutes, which was approved
by the City Council in their budget authorization; however, given the last-minute nature of
the approval, extending the program was not possible. The final cost to the City for the
fireworks was $17,562 instead of the budgeted $20,000; costs for Police, Fire, and Public
Works support for the event were also waived.
On August 21, 2023, the DAIA issued a letter to the City Council requesting funding for a
15-minute firework show at the 2024 Patriotic Festival, at a cost of $35,000 (see attached
letter). This new request represents a 5-minute/$15,000 increase from the 10-
minute/$20,000 firework show the City Council approved in 2023. The new request also
adds additional line items that are related to the fireworks show, including the cost of the
DJ. The $35,000 request does not account for the in-kind support the Police, Fire, and
Public Works Services Department provide in support of the event, which conservatively
totals $10,500 for the Patriotic Festival.
In addition, the letter asserts that the DAIA wants to maintain their role as the primary
producer of the fireworks display and requests the City participate as a financial sponsor.
In 2023, the Patriotic Festival cost $76,887 to produce ($66,387+ $10,500 in-kind
services), with $17,562 in direct financial support from the City. With the request to
expand the firework show to 15 minutes, the estimated budget for the 2024 Patriotic
Festival would be roughly $98,500, with the City funding 46% of that cost, or $45,500
($35,000 financial support + $10,500 in-kind services).
While taking over management of the fireworks program does put additional onus on City
staff to put on the event and could add to the City’s liability exposure, the City would be
better able to plan for and control its costs annually.
Does the City Council want to contribute the requested $45,500 to the Patriotic
Festival in 2024? If not, what is the appropriate amount? Should the City produce
the firework show and assume all related costs for supplies, labor, and insurance,
or simply provide funding?
City Events and Sponsorships
September 5, 2023
Page 4 of 8
Law Day
Law Day was initiated by the City more than two decades ago and has been supported
by the Arcadia Chinese Association throughout that time. In 2020, the City Council
outlined a new direction for the event that limited event support to waiving room
rental/facility costs. Law Day was not held from 2020 to 2022 due to the COVID-19
pandemic; however, in the process of reenergizing this year’s event, questions were
raised about the ACA’s interest and ability to host the event independently. While the ACA
undoubtedly led the event this year, City staff were much more involved throughout the
process than originally anticipated.
The ACA has expressed an interest in restoring Law Day to its original form, with the City
hosting the event, with the City taking the leadership role both financially and
administratively and the ACA providing support. This would reinstate the $2,500 in costs
formerly used to support the event. This would be staff’s recommendation as well. It
should be noted that a new banner for the event is long overdue, which would require an
additional cost of approximately $1,000 this year. If the ACA is expected to be a partner
in the event, then staff would recommend that the ACA logo be added to the banner when
it is updated.
The ACA has indicated that they may not have an interest in leading the event in the
future. Therefore, the seminal question before the City Council, really, is whether Law
Day should be held. If so, then the City Council should expect the City to lead the event.
Should Law Day be held in April each year, hosted by the City? If so, should the
ACA continue to be the primary partner in the effort?
Mid-Autumn Moon Festival
The 2023 Mid-Autumn Moon Festival (“Moon Festival”) will be held on Saturday,
September 30, and will offer musical performances, food offerings, cultural entertainment,
children’s activities, and local vendors. The event is free to attend and is being held in
partnership with the ACA and the Chamber of Commerce, who are offering in-kind
support for the event. Based on planning and general design of the event, it is anticipated
that a budget of $30,000 will be needed in future years for the City to continue hosting
the Moon Festival. However, unlike the current year, in future years, it may be possible
to seek sponsorships to write down the net cost of the event. Given that the event has
not been held at this time, this item may best be discussed during the budget process this
spring.
If the City Council wants to continue hosting this event, direction is needed on the
amount to include in the City’s budget in future years.
City Events and Sponsorships
September 5, 2023
Page 5 of 8
Lunar New Year Celebration
The Lunar New Year celebrates the arrival of the first full moon in the lunar calendar and
typically occurs between late January and early February, annually. Lunar New Year is
recognized by billions of people across China and other Asian countries. Typical Lunar
New Year celebrations are spent with family and include symbolic food dishes, religious
ceremonies to honor ancestors, dancing, fireworks, lanterns, and a celebration of the
Chinese zodiac animal for the year.
During the City Council’s discussion of the Moon Festival, the idea of hosting a Lunar
New Year celebration was presented. A Lunar New Year celebration in Arcadia could be
similar in size and scale to that of the Moon Festival planned for September. As noted
above, however, the City already has a Lunar New Year luncheon for seniors that is co-
hosted with the ACA. If the City Council wishes to add a citywide Lunar New Year event,
then direction would be needed on the future of the luncheon as well.
If the City Council would like to host a Lunar New Year Celebration in 2024, more
direction is needed on what the City Council desires for the event, the level of
resources to be used to host the event, and whether it would be in addition to the
current Lunar New Year event or if it would replace it.
Veterans Recognition Banner Program
The City maintains banners on select street poles throughout the community that typically
display Arcadia’s logo. The City also will change those banners out to promote special
events. For example, Santa Anita Park will use the City’s banner poles to advertise their
meets, which occur between September and November and again from December 26
through June each year. Additionally, banners for the Pasadena Pops are hung from
street poles on Baldwin Avenue, from May until mid-September.
Council Member Cao has requested that the City Council consider a banner recognition
program for military veterans around Veteran’s Day each year, which is on November 11.
This is an extremely tight timeline for 2023 to create and install the banners.
Council Member Cao has indicated a desire to have the name, rank, years of service,
and military branch located on each banner. The visual interest would be enhanced by
providing the logo of the branch of service for each veteran recognized. It also simplifies
the installation, as some communities will put photos on each banner, which requires
additional costs and considerably more effort from the families and City staff.
It is customary to see street pole banners concentrated in high traffic areas to maximize
visibility. In Arcadia, the highest traffic area is along Huntington Drive, most specifically
the intersection of Huntington Drive and Baldwin Avenue. In this stretch, it is estimated
that there are 145 street poles available for banner use. According to data collected by
City Events and Sponsorships
September 5, 2023
Page 6 of 8
the Recreation & Community Services Department, there are approximately 100 known
military veterans currently residing in Arcadia.
It is expected that with an ongoing, high-visibility program, additional veterans would be
identified for inclusion in the program. Submissions for the banner recognition program
would be open to Arcadia residents each year. Before proceeding with banner creation
and installation each year, staff would market the program and verify residency of all
interested participants. Should the number of known veterans grow beyond the 145
banner locations initially identified, direction will be needed on where to expand the
program, if the banners should be redesigned to accommodate multiple veterans on each
pole location, or if the program should be limited to a set number of participants each
year.
Throughout California, there are numerous communities that offer this type of recognition
program. In some cities, donations are encouraged to help offset the costs of banner
creation and installation. In other cities, some form of payment is required to participate
in the program, with costs ranging from $25 to $200 per banner (higher costs associated
with banners displayed year-round). In its initial year, establishing a banner recognition
program for 100 Arcadia Veterans is estimated to cost $20,000. This cost includes the
creation, installation, and removal of 100 custom, double-sided banners throughout the
high-traffic areas of Arcadia. In subsequent years, the annual cost is expected to
decrease by more than 60%, assuming the number of new banners created would be
significantly less.
At this time, banner creation, installation, and removal cannot be completed with existing
resources; this work would be completed by a third-party vendor. The City has reached
out to a local vendor that has assisted with banners in the past; they have indicated that
they can complete the installation by Veteran’s Day if all design information is finalized
prior to the first week of October. Given the amount of information that would need to be
verified by that date, it is advisable to wait until 2024 to start this program. An alternative
option could be to start with a much smaller portion of the overall list of known veterans
– say the 30-40 that could be readily identified by the cutoff date. The obvious downside
of that is that the veterans that are left out this year may feel slighted, which defeats the
inherent goal of the program.
Should the City have a Veteran’s Day Banner Program? If so, should the City start
in 2023 or 2024? How long should the banners be on display each year? What is
the budget for the program and how should it be funded (City funds, collect
donations, require some form of payment, or a combination)?
Other Considerations
With more conversation around creating and supporting community events, the City
Council has already received similar requests for assistance from other organizations. At
City Events and Sponsorships
September 5, 2023
Page 7 of 8
the August 15, 2023, City Council Meeting, two organizations requested support for their
events – the American Cancer Society’s Relay for Life and the Arcadia Performing Arts
Foundation. With this growing interest, the City Council may want to implement a plan to
address such requests in a consistent and holistic manner.
For instance, some communities have an annual call for sponsorship applications that is
conducted in concert with the annual budgeting process. Other cities set aside a specific
budget amount for sponsorships, so the total commitment is planned for in each budget
year, while allowing requests year-round that can be approved without impacting the
overall budget. Of course, another option is to continue with the current approach, which
is to respond to the requests as they are made.
Should the City develop a process/policy for community event sponsorship and
support? Does the City Council wish to support the Arcadia Performing Arts
Foundation and/or Relay for Life event in 2023?
ENVIRONMENTAL ANALYSIS
The direction being sought is not considered a project under the California Environmental
Quality Act (“CEQA”). Any future decision on City Council action related to City event
funding and support will return to the City Council with an accompanying environmental
analysis.
FISCAL IMPACT
In 2023, Arcadia will either host or provide in-kind support for over 22 different community
events. The City’s cost for supporting community events in 2023 is projected to total
$195,000, with sponsorships and in-kind support comprising $61,900, or 32%, of that
total.
If the City Council directs staff to add more events, programs, or sponsorships, more
resources will be needed to facilitate the increased offerings. Staff will provide estimated
costs depending on the direction received. If all of the events, programs, and sponsorship
options presented in this report are pursued in their entirety, the total costs to support all
new initiatives as proposed will be $129,000 broken out as follows:
Event Budget
Patriotic Festival Sponsorship
Law Day
Moon Festival
Lunar New Year Celebration
Veterans Banner Recognition program
$45,500
$3,500
$30,000
$30,000
$20,000
Total Potential Costs $129,000
City Events and Sponsorships
September 5, 2023
Page 8 of 8
Any of the events, programs, or sponsorships highlighted in this staff report would be
fulfilled though the General Fund and added to the Fiscal Year 2023-24 or the FY 2024-
25 Budget, depending upon event and sponsorship timing. There are no known grants or
other funding sources possible for these efforts on an ongoing basis. While the City could
legally utilize its American Rescue Plan Act funds, these expenditures would not fall
directly within the original intent of that funding, which has been the policy of the City
Council to date.
RECOMMENDATION
It is recommended that City Council provide direction regarding City events, programs,
and sponsorships; and specifically, the level of resources to be allocated to the Patriotic
Festival; Law Day; the Moon Festival; Lunar New Year Celebration; and the Veterans
Banner Recognition program.
Attachment No. 1: Staff Report, May 2, 2023 – Report, Discussion, and Direction – City
Event Sponsorships
Attachment No. 2: DAIA Sponsorship Request and 2023 Budget vs. Actuals