HomeMy WebLinkAboutDirection - Event Requests for 2020STAFF REPORT
CITY OF PALM DESERT
ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT DEPARTMENT
MEETING DATE: July 9, 2020
PREPARED BY: Vanessa Mager, Management Analyst
REQUEST: Provide direction to staff on official City response regarding event
requests for 2020
Recommendation
By Minute Motion, provide direction to staff on official City response regarding
event requests for 2020.
Strateaic Plan
This action has no impact on the Strategic Plan.
Background Analvsis
The City of Palm Desert is home to numerous annual events, including runs, festivals,
sporting competitions, parades and more. To date, the City, the Palm Desert Aquatic Center
(PDAC) and the Desert Recreation District (DRD) have each received a number of special
event applications for events to be held between September and December of 2020. Each of
the events held in Palm Desert requires months of planning and resources on the part of
event organizers, City staff and City contractors.
Mindful of current State mandates restricting gatherings and the ever -changing landscape of
the COVID-19 crisis, staff seeks direction from Council on how the City, PDAC and the DRD
should respond to these and any future requests. Despite strong staff support for the City's
event partners and the optimistic view of event planners, staff nevertheless anticipates that
all events will need to be canceled for the remainder of the calendar year.
Public Health and Safetv Review
After an internal review, staff concurred that it would be helpful to seek the professional
perspective of Dr. Cameron Kaiser, Public Health Officer of Riverside County. Specifically, staff
requested Dr. Kaiser's thoughts on whether events such as runs, festivals, parades and
competitive sports would be acceptable by end of year. Here is Dr. Kaiser's response:
"In addition to the alarming recent increases in cases and hospitalizations, unfortunately,
being gatherings by their nature, these events and others similar to them would uniformly
require the Governor's Stage 4 lifting of the Stay -at -Home order. Governor Newsom has
indicated on prior occasions that this would require either a vaccine or acceptable treatments,
July 9, 2020 - Staff Report
Provide direction to staff on official City response regarding event requests for 2020
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neither of which is currently the case, nor is this expected to change substantially by the time
these events would take place. At this time, it is unknown when the Governor would lift the
Stay -at -Home Order and permit these types of events, and in my professional opinion I would
be surprised to see it happen before the end of the calendar year."
While events such as runs, festivals, parades and competitive sports fall within Stage 4 of the
Stay -at -Home order, the County and State have approved and identified approved guidelines
for drive-in movies and drive-in concerts. Staff will return to the City Council for consideration
of these type of events for the Fall of 2020.
Fiscal Analvsis
If events such as runs, festivals, parades and competitive sports are cancelled for the
remainder of the calendar year, approximately $46,500 would not be awarded from the FY
2020/2021 budget. These funds are programmed in City -Sponsored Events Account No.
1104416-4306201 for Fiscal Year 2020/2021.
LEGAL DEPT.
REVIEW REVIEW
N/A TS
Robert W.
Thomas Soule
Hargreaves
Marketing &
City
Tourism
Attorney
Manager
City Manager Lauri Aylaian:
APPLICANT: None
ATTACHMENTS: None
DEPT. REVIEW
MA
Martin Alvarez
Director of
Economic
Development
FINANCIAL
REVIEW
�'yloow
Janet M.
Moore
Director of
Finance
ASSISTANT
CITY MANAGER
f ady Abnosakle
Andy Firestine
Assistant City
Manager