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Council Increases Christmas Walk Funding; Supporters Said 34-Year-Event Was in Jeopardy
posted: June 29th, 2011 07:56 am |
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The future of the Corona del Mar Christmas Walk hung in the balance at Tuesday’s City Council meeting, with organizers saying proposed funding cuts could have doomed the 34-year-old event. But in the end, council members voted 7-1 to triple its budget from the city.
The Council also voted to bump up funding for the Newport Beach Film Festival, Newport Beach Restaurant Week event and the Race For The Cure breast cancer run.
Newport Beach city officials historically had waived fees and contributed to community events on a case-by-case basis. Last year, requests added up to more than $500,000, said Tara Finnigan, a city spokeswoman. And transparency was a concern because there was no oversight of special event funding decisions.
This year, the city created a Special Events Advisory Committee with members who are active in community events. The group sought event applications, then created a system of evaluating and scoring each based on a list of 10 criteria, which included whether events “advance the City of Newport Beach as an exciting place to live, play, learn, work, and visit.” Click here to see the staff report with all the criteria explained and how all applicants scored.
Public meetings were held this spring, and event organizers and members of the public were able to discuss the merits of events.
In the end, the Newport Beach Chamber of Commerce Christmas Boat Parade earned the top score and the biggest proposed funding amount of $30,000. The Newport Beach Chamber also received a proposal for $7,200 for the Taste of Newport event.
Some members of the public expressed concern that the Newport Chamber’s city funding was not appropriate because that chamber has a PAC, or political action committee. As part of the Council motion to approve funding for the group’s two events, members asked that city staff audit how city funds are spent to make sure that they are not used for political activities.
The Corona del Mar Chamber of Commerce had public support at committee meetings, with a few critics of the Newport Chamber’s event funding pointing out that the CdM Chamber does not have a PAC and is more worthy of city support.
The CdM Chamber sought $15,000 for the Christmas Walk, which is scheduled for Dec. 4. In the end, the committee recommended $3,000 in city funds.
Bernie Svalstad, vice president of the CdM Chamber, told Council members on Tuesday that the $3,000 donation would be a “zero sum” because the event pays $3,000 in city fees.
“The project could be in jeopardy,” he said.
The Christmas Walk began 34 years ago as a way to draw shoppers to the Corona del Mar village during the holiday season. The event draws thousands of visitors to Corona del Mar and includes live music, a beer garden, pictures with Santa and more.
“It’s totally a community event,” said Jim Walker, who owns the Bungalow Restaurant. “It would be a real shame and an economic disaster not just for me but for all the other merchants.”
In the end, Council members decided to add about $30,000 to the budget for special events, including another $6,000 for the Christmas Walk, another $5,000 for the Race for the Cure, $15,000 for the Newport Beach Film Festival and $10,000 for Restaurant Week. They discussed whether to increase the budget and spread it among all the applicants, but in the end they voted to increase funding to four events.
Several event organizers spoke at Tuesday’s meeting, thanking the Council members for funding and the committee members for their work.
“Thank you,” said Diane Daruty, who organizes the Spirit Run, which was given $14,000 of the $35,000 sought. “You’re helping to keep a 29-year tradition alive.”
