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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 DISCLAIMER: InformaƟon in this message and any aƩachments may be privileged or confidenƟal. It is for the exclusive use of the intended recipient(s). If you are not one of the intended recipients, you are hereby informed that any use, disclosure, distribuƟon, and/or copying of this informaƟon is strictly prohibited. If you receive this message in error, please noƟfy the sender immediately and delete all copies of this message. 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