TITLE
Recommendation to request City Manager, in coordination with City Attorney, City Prosecutor, Police Chief, and Special Events and Filming, return to City Council with a proposal to address unpermitted events that pose a threat to the health and safety of our communities, in 90 days.
DISCUSSION
Public safety is of the highest concern to the Office of Special Events and Filming. To ensure the safety of the public at events, the Office of Special Events and Filming may require a magnitude of safety plans detailing all aspects of the event. In some cases, mainly in our coastal areas, Coastal Commission and Los Angeles Regional Water Quality Control Board sign off is also required. Because of these requirements, event organizers are required to pay rather costly fees to host events so the City can recover some of its costs. For unpermitted events, the City and community is left scrambling to try to make arrangements with minimal notice and no cost recovery. These arrangements include pulling police officers off patrol and bringing in additional staffing across multiple departments.
The Granada Beach Parking Lot has become a popular destination for unpermitted events that neglect all aspects required to ensure the safety of attendees and community members. Emergency vehicles have no access. Our contracted parking enforcement team face harassment for ticketing when attendees park on sidewalks, accessible parking spots, emergency lanes, or refuse to pay for parking. Trash piles up, lines to restrooms get extremely long, and unwilling participants get trapped in traffic jams1. Without the necessary resources dedicated to respond to an event of hundreds without prior awareness via the approval and permitting process, our Police Department have issued citations but are mainly faced with the decision to shut down the parking lot or do their best to manage traffic.
The additional layer of challenge is that there is no designated Event Organizer as the events are planned through various social media pages. Our intention is not to criminalize these Event Organizers or attendees, but to find a pathway that would allow these events to continue safely while seeking the same cost recovery as permitted events. We cannot allow these unpermitted events to continue on a regular basis knowing it poses a threat to public safety and that we have minimal tools for enforcement. This matter was reviewed by Budget Analyst Joe R. Guerrero on May 1, 2023.
EQUITY LENS STATEMENT:
Staff are recommended to consider issues of equity and access with any program proposals brought forward to ensure the City’s commitment for everyone reaching their highest level of health and potential for a successful life, regardless of background, neighborhood, or identity.
FISCAL IMPACT
This recommendation is requesting City Manager to return to City Council within 90 days with a proposal to address unpermitted events within Long Beach. Any fiscal impacts of the potential proposal will be discussed as part of the report back. The requested action is anticipated to require moderate level of staff hours beyond the budgeted scope of duties and a moderate impact on meeting other City Council priorities in order to meet the requested time frame. There is no local job impact associated with the recommendation.
SUGGESTED ACTION
Approve recommendation.
Respectfully Submitted,
KRISTINA DUGGAN COUNCILMEMBER,
THIRD DISTRICT