Honorable Mayor and Members of the Hermosa Beach City Council
Regular Meeting of May 10, 2022
Title
APPROVAL OF ADDITIONAL 2022 IMPACT LEVEL III SPECIAL EVENTS INCLUDING: ASHER’S BASH AND RAINBOW DASH TO CURE CHILDHOOD CANCER (6/18); AND JERSEY MIKE’S USLA NATIONAL LIFEGUARD AND JUNIOR LIFEGUARD CHAMPIONSHIP (8/8-8/14)
(Community Resources Manager Lisa Nichols)
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Recommended Action:
Recommendation
Staff recommends City Council approve the Parks, Recreation and Community Resources Advisory Commission’s recommendation to include the following additional Impact Level III Special Events on the 2022 Special Event Calendar:
1. Asher’s Bash and Rainbow Dash to Cure Childhood Cancer on Saturday, June 18 on the Greenbelt between Gould Avenue and Pier Avenue and at Valley Park subject to the conditions imposed by the Parks, Recreation and Community Resources Advisory Commission; and
2. Jersey Mike’s USLA National Lifeguard and Junior Lifeguard Championship on Monday, August 8 through Sunday, August 14, in and out of the water north of the Pier with removal of the beach tennis courts.
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Executive Summary:
The City of Hermosa Beach is a highly sought-after destination for special events, especially those taking place on the beach. The Community Resources Department is tasked with overseeing these event requests and permits following an extensive review and approval process that includes both the Parks, Recreation and Community Resources Advisory Commission (Commission) and City Council, depending on the Impact Level of each event. Impact Level III events, which are the largest impact events or new events to the City, require a Public Hearing by the Commission and City Council for formal approval on the Special Event Calendar.
At its May 3, 2022 meeting, the Commission, through a Public Hearing deliberation, recommended approval of the following additional Impact Level III events to the 2022 Special Events Calendar:
• Asher’s Bash and Rainbow Dash to Cure Childhood Cancer on Saturday, June 18 on the Greenbelt and at Valley Park; and
• Jersey Mike’s USLA National Lifeguard and Junior Lifeguard Championship on Monday, August 8 through Sunday, August 14, in and out of the water north of the Pier with removal of the beach tennis courts.
Background:
In 2017, the Special Event Policy Guide was implemented, which outlined an updated approval process for special events consistent with each event’s categorized Impact Level. Impact Level III events, which are the largest impact events or new events to the City, require review and approval by City Council through Public Hearing deliberations. Impact Level II events require review and approval by the Commission, and Impact Level I events are approved by staff. Impact Level III events are given priority review and approval.
Staff began accepting applications from all event producers interested in applying for 2022 event dates, regardless of their individual Impact Levels, on September 27, 2021. Event producers with Impact Level III event requests were required to submit a special event application by October 24, 2021 to be included within the first round of review and approval of Impact Level III events by the Commission and City Council in December. Staff continues to accept applications from event producers after the initial due dates that meet the processing timeframe and requirements based on the event’s Impact Level as outlined in the Special Event Policy Guide.
Staff received a total of two additional Impact Level III special event applications for 2022. The additional Impact Level III event requests recommended for approval are included on the 2022 Special Events Calendar (Attachment 1).
Discussion:
A brief summary of each event request recommended for approval by the Commission is included below. Event overview sheets containing additional event details, estimated permit fees payable to the City, and a corresponding site plan for each event are included as attachments.
Asher’s Bash and Rainbow Dash to Cure Childhood Cancer
Northwestern Mutual and the Pediatric Cancer Research Foundation request to hold a fundraising event for the Asher Michael Johnston Fund on Saturday, June 18, 2022. This is a new event request to the City. The event producer requests use of the Greenbelt between Gould Avenue and Pier Avenue for a community walk/run and Valley Park for community friendly activations such as a bounce house, mini-golf, face-painting, tie-dye station, and photobooth. The event producer would also have an information booth present at Valley Park to inform the community of the purpose of the event.
The purpose of the event is to celebrate what would have been Asher Michael’s first birthday, a South Bay resident who was born and diagnosed with Rhabdomyosarcoma, a type of cancer, and to raise funds for the Pediatric Cancer Research Foundation in his honor. The Los Angeles County Fire Department would be present to guide event participants safely across the street between Valley Park and the Greenbelt.
The event producer requested event load-in to begin at 6:30 a.m. on the day of the event to allow for certain event activities to begin at 8:00 a.m. At its May 3, 2022 regular meeting, Commission recommended approval of the Asher’s Bash and Rainbow Dash to Cure Childhood Cancer under the condition that the event’s load-in time begin no earlier than 8:00 a.m. and that the City work with the event producer to ensure enough volunteers are present along the Greenbelt between Gould Avenue and Pier Avenue. The motion passed with a 2-1 vote.
The Commission stipulated the later load-in out of concern that allowing a start-time earlier than 8:00 a.m. would impact the nearby residents and to remain consistent with past practice in permitting events or activities at Valley Park. Therefore, the event producers have adjusted their load-in time to 8:00 a.m. with certain event activities beginning at 9:30 a.m. Additionally, the event producer would have volunteers present along the Greenbelt between Pier Avenue and Gould Avenue to provide water to participants, to guide participants along the path, and to respond to any public inquiries about the event. Staff would work with the event producer to ensure the total number of volunteers is sufficient.
The event date is concurrent with other events scheduled within the City; however, the events are planned for different locations and different times. Therefore, staff does not anticipate any conflicts. Additional event details are included in the Asher’s Bash and Rainbow Dash to Cure Childhood Cancer event overview sheet (Attachment 8). Estimated permit fees payable to the City are included in Table 1 below.
Jersey Mike’s USLA National Lifeguard and Junior Lifeguard Championship
The LA County Surf Lifesaving Association (LACoSLSA) requests to hold the USLA National Lifeguard and Junior Lifeguard Championship on Wednesday, August 10 through Saturday, August 13 with load-in Monday, August 8 through Tuesday, August 9 and load-out Sunday, August 14. LACoSLSA requests to hold the event on the north side of the Pier, in and out of the water, with removal of the beach tennis courts.
This event last took place in Hermosa Beach in 2016, prior to the adoption of the Special Event Policy Guide. Therefore, it is required to follow the review and approval process of a new event to the City. This event consists of swimming, running, board paddling, surf boat rowing, and surf ski paddling adult and junior competitions. The requested event dates are concurrent with other events scheduled within the City. LACoSLSA has worked with the event producers of the International Surf Festival, Triathlon, and the CBVA Volleyball Tournament to address any conflicts between the events, all which also take place within the commercial zone on the beach during some of LACoSLSA’s requested event dates. Additional event details are included in the Jersey Mike’s USLA National Lifeguard and Junior Lifeguard Championship event overview sheet (Attachment 9). Estimated permit fees payable to the City are included in Table 2 below.
The Special Events Policy Guide (Attachment 10) provides limits to the number of Special Events eligible for permitting within the City per calendar year. It allows a maximum number of 15 event days per month (outside of the Peak Season) and the following maximum number of event days on the Beach or Pier Plaza in the Peak Season, which extends between Memorial Day and Labor Day:
• Maximum of 30 event days used by Impact Level III events;
• Maximum of 40 event days used by Impact Level I and Impact II events, and City Sponsored/Contracted Events (on days not used by Impact Level III events); and
• Events under a Long-Term Agreement are categorized by their Impact Level.
These guidelines allow a total of 70 event days throughout the Peak Season on the Beach or Pier Plaza. If City Council approves the Jersey Mike’s USLA National Lifeguard and Junior Lifeguard Championship, it would exceed the maximum of 30 event days used by Impact Level III events, providing a total of 57 event days used by Impact Level III events. However, the total amount of event days would be 61 out of the allotted 70 event days throughout the Peak Season for events on the Beach or Pier Plaza.
The maximum number of event days allotted for Impact Level III events during the Peak Season on the Beach or Pier Plaza does not provide enough event days to accommodate all returning Impact Level III events on the Beach or Pier Plaza. In addition, it does not allow staff to accept and move forward with consideration by Commission and City Council of any new event requests on the Beach or Pier Plaza in the Peak Season without further exceeding the maximum number of event days allotted for Impact Level III events at those locations during the Peak season. Any new event request to the City is categorized as an Impact Level III event. Therefore, staff and the Special Events Subcommittee will review the Special Event Policy Guide, including the Impact Level Characteristics Matrix, to provide recommendations in advance of the upcoming calendar year in response to the maximum total number of event days allotted for Impact Level III events on the Beach or Pier Plaza during the Peak Season being exceeded.
General Plan Consistency:
This report and associated recommendation have been evaluated for their consistency with the City’s General Plan. Relevant Policies are listed below:
Governance Element
Goal 5. Small beach town character is reflected throughout Hermosa Beach.
Policy:
• 5.7 Visitor and resident balance. Recognizing the desire and need to balance visitor-serving and local-serving uses as a key to preserving character and the economic vitality of the community.
Parks and Open Space Element
Goal 3. Community parks and facilities encourage social activity and interaction.
Policies:
• 3.1 Community-friendly events. Encourage, permit, and support community group, nonprofit, or business organized events on City property that support physical activity, beach culture, and family-friendly social interactions.
• 3.2 Social and cultural events. Design and program parks and open space to accommodate unique social and cultural events to foster connectedness and interaction.
• 3.3 Commercial use of facilities. Regulate and enforce commercial use of City parks and open spaces to ensure activities do not impact general use and enjoyment.
Goal 7. The beach offers high quality recreational opportunities and amenities desired by the community.
Policies:
• 7.3 Recreational asset. Consider and treat the beach as a recreational asset and never as a commercial enterprise.
• 7.5 Designated recreational uses. Continually evaluate and explore devoting certain portions of the beach to different preferred recreational uses while providing access for all users and meeting the recreation needs of visitors and residents.
Fiscal Impact:
If approved, estimated event revenue would be approximately $15,188.
Attachments:
1. 2022 Special Event Calendar
2. Link to December 7, 2021 Commission Staff Report
3. Link to January 4, 2022 Commission Staff Report
4. Link to March 1, 2022 Commission Staff Report
5. Link to May 3, 2022 Commission Staff Report
6. Link to December 14, 2021 City Council Staff Report
7. Link to January 11, 2022 City Council Staff Report
8. Asher’s Bash and Rainbow Dash to Cure Childhood Cancer Event Overview Sheet
9. Jersey Mike’s USLA National Lifeguard and Junior Lifeguard Championship Event Overview Sheet
Respectfully Submitted by: Lisa Nichols, Community Resources Manager
Noted for Fiscal Impact: Viki Copeland, Finance Director
Legal Review: Mike Jenkins, City Attorney
Approved: Suja Lowenthal, City Manager