STAFF REPORT
Meeting Date: August 15, 2023
To: Honorable Mayor & City Council
From: Magdalena Davis, Community Outreach Manager
Subject: Recommendation of the Beverly Hills City Council Liaison Rodeo Drive / Special Events / Holiday Program Committee Regarding the 2023 Rodeo Drive Holiday Lighting Celebration Proposal and Additional Seasonal Programming
Attachments: 1. Proposal for Rodeo Drive Holiday Lighting Celebration on November 16, 2023
2. Rodeo Drive Holiday Décor & Lighting Celebration Budget Comparison, 2019-2023
3. City Council Liaison/Rodeo Drive /Special Events /Holiday Program Committee August 8, 2023 (Without Attachments)
INTRODUCTION
This item provides a recommendation of the Beverly Hills City Council Liaison Rodeo Drive / Special Events / Holiday Program Committee, Vice Mayor Friedman and Councilmember Bosse (Liaisons), regarding the Rodeo Drive Holiday Lighting Celebration including street pole banners and extended holiday programming; and Approval of a Fiscal Year 2023- 2024 Purchase Order in a Not to-Exceed Amount of $958,493 to J. Ben Bourgeois Productions, Inc. for the Rodeo Drive Holiday Lighting Celebration on Rodeo Drive.
DISCUSSION
Each year the City sponsors a signature holiday program designed to celebrate the season and attract visitors from around the region to shop, dine and stay in Beverly Hills.
On July 18, 2023, the Beverly Hills City Council reviewed and approved the proposal from the Rodeo Drive Committee (RDC) for the 2023 Holiday Décor elements, themed “Up, Up and Away Holiday”. The Rodeo Drive / Special Events / Holiday Program Committee (Liaisons) reviewed separately the RDC proposal for the Holiday Lighting Celebration on August 8, 2023.
The Liaisons recommended the full proposal of the Rodeo Drive Holiday Lighting Celebration on Thursday, November 16, 2023 (Attachment 1), as well as the preferred street-pole banner design, and extended music programming throughout the holiday season.
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Meeting Date: August 15, 2023
Council approval is requested for the event elements for the celebration, the banner design, extended programming for the holiday season, the street closures associated with the event, a waiver of permit fees, and budget for the aforementioned.
On July 18, 2023, Council approved the Rodeo Drive décor theme “Up, Up and Away Holiday” including the following elements:
• Rodeo Drive Holiday Decor lit from November 16, 2023 – January 2, 2024 o Palm tree lights
o Lights draped throughout rose bush landscaping
o Hot-air balloon themed median décor
The additional décor elements recommended are the street-pole banners that match the theme “Up, Up and Away Holiday”, with elements of hot-air balloons, gifts in silver and blue, red and white. Two designs, one median banner design and one sidewalk design, can be found in Attachment 1.
The RDC’s proposed programming elements recommended by the Liaisons for the 2023 Holiday Lighting Celebration include:
• Holiday Lighting Celebration on Thursday, November 16, 2023 from 5pm-8pm o Three stages with LED screen backdrops
o Multiple live vocal performances from the stages including: a barbershop quartet, Bollywood spectacular, and “The Maccabeats” (an all-male Jewish Acapella group)
o A headliner performance, to be announced
o Additional stage programming includes a DJ with percussionist, a “shoppers delight” dance production to feature local stores, holiday choral performers, and holiday tap-dancers
o Photo activation on midblock stage for the public
o Appearance by Santa on a Beverly Hills Fire Department truck, following the Beverly Hills High School Marching Band
o Interactive roaming performers including roller-skaters, oversized bicycle, and stilt performers
o Fireworks show
o Wine Garden from a local business
o Food trucks (with at least one Kosher food option), as well as promotion of local Beverly Hills restaurants with a “BH Restaurant Guide” created by the Chamber of Commerce, so that reservations may be made in advance
It should be noted that while Liaisons understood that headliner agreements will be negotiated and made in advance of the event, they are not yet signed, and the announcement of the performer will be conducted at a later time. In previous years’ promotion for the event including the headlining performance began in Fall. • Liaison recommendation of full street closures from Wednesday, November 15 at 9pm until Friday, November 17 at 6am are also requested:
o Rodeo Drive from S. Santa Monica Boulevard to Wilshire o Dayton Way from Rodeo Drive to the alleyways to the East and West o Brighton Way from Rodeo Drive to the alleyways to the East and West ▪ Access to the Rodeo Collection Garage on the 400 block will be discussed with impacted tenants
▪ Access to the City’s Brighton Garage and Two Rodeo Garage will be maintained through the alleyways.
Meeting Date: August 15, 2023
• Extended Holiday programming recommended by Liaisons includes:
o Speaker system with a curated Holiday themed playlist made in advance by “DJ Z” to play for 7 weekends throughout the holiday season on Rodeo Drive (from the weeks of November 16, 2023 to January 2, 2024) o Music will be specially formulated to blend the transitions between songs and include a mix of holiday classics, Hanukkah, and Christmas tunes o Thursdays-Fridays from 3-8pm
o Saturdays-Sundays from 11am-7pm
Staff has identified funding in the FY 23/24 budget for the Rodeo Drive Holiday Lighting celebration funding request of $958,493. The proposal from the RDC also includes a request for the City to waive or absorb several fees as in years past. Those include costs for labor for police, fire, public works personnel, as well as permits. The total estimated cost for fee waivers and personnel is $58,080. Additionally, the RDC and JBB prioritized fiscal responsibility for the 2022 event and décor, leaving a surplus of $39,880, which has been applied to this year. Both these amounts are listed in the overall event budget in Attachment 1 to show the true cost of the event itself.
Lyn Winter, Inc. (RDC public relations agency) and BOLD LA (RDC Social Media Agency), as well as the Beverly Hills Conference and Visitors Bureau, the Beverly Hills Chamber of Commerce, and the City of Beverly Hills, will be planning and executing a coordinated marketing plan that includes social, digital, and print media. Additionally, the CVB has planned to launch their destination marketing campaign and specific videos in early November, and the Chamber will create the local BH Restaurant Guide, in advance of the event.
The RDC has also requested City Council support to absorb the cost of local print advertisements in the three local newspapers for Beverly Hills specific community marketing and publicity initiatives. Funding is available for local advertisements in the current approved Policy and Management budget.
FISCAL IMPACT
Staff has identified funding in the FY 23/24 Policy & Management budget for the Rodeo Drive holiday decor in the requested amount of $958,493. Including the Rodeo Drive holiday décor budget of $485,960, the cost would total $1,444,453 for the 2023 holidays.
The 2023 Rodeo Drive Holiday Decor and Rodeo Drive Holiday Lighting celebration are funded by the Tourism and Marketing budget (00101311). For reference, the previous costs for the 2022 RDC Holiday Lighting Celebration totaled $903,780. Available FY 23/24 funding for other Tourism & Marketing programs, including Holiday Lighting Celebration and Rodeo Drive Holiday Décor for Holidays 2023, currently totals $1,545,870, and is available to cover the total holiday décor and lighting celebration cost of $1,444,453. A full comparison of the previous RDC Holiday budgets can be found as Attachment 2.
It should be noted that funding for the Rodeo Drive Holiday Decor as well as the Rodeo Drive Holiday Lighting Celebration comes from Transient Occupancy Tax (TOT). The City has maintained a policy of funding its tourism and marketing programs from a specific allocation of TOT. The City collects a total of fourteen percent TOT based on gross room sales from the City’s hotels. Two of the fourteen percent, or one-seventh of the total TOT Meeting Date: August 15, 2023
revenue, has been the basis of calculating the funding for the Tourism and Marketing budget for approximately 25 years.
The TOT revenue budget is $49,500,000 for FY 23/24, with the one-seventh amount at $7,071,428. Staff has allocated this funding for various Council-approved programs, such as the Concours d’Elegance, the Conference and Visitors Bureau work plan, the Rodeo Drive Committee work plan, a portion of the Beverly Hills Chamber of Commerce work plan, intellectual property legal services, and landscaping on Rodeo Drive, leaving the remaining $1,545,870 for other tourism and marketing events, such as the approved 2023 Rodeo Drive Holiday Decor and the proposed Rodeo Drive Holiday Lighting celebration.
RECOMMENDATION
It is recommended that the City Council provide direction regarding the 2023 Rodeo Drive Holiday Lighting Celebration and approval of the following:
• Approval of the street closure requests for Rodeo Drive and portions of Brighton Way and Dayton Way from Wednesday, November 15 at 9pm through Friday, November 17 at 6am for the 2023 Holiday Lighting Celebration; and • Approval of the Street Pole Banner Design for Rodeo Drive as presented in Attachment 1; and
• Agreement with the recommendation of the Liaisons for both the Rodeo Drive Holiday Lighting Celebration elements, as well as extended programming; and • A waiver of City permit, street closure, and personnel fees of approximately $58,080; and
• Approval of a Fiscal Year 2023-2024 Purchase Order in a Not-to-Exceed Amount of $958,493 to J. Ben Bourgeois Productions, Inc. for the Rodeo Drive Holiday Lighting Celebration.
Keith Sterling,
Deputy City Manager
Approved By
Attachment 1
Thursday, November 16, 2023
Up, Up & Away
Holiday !
THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 16, 2023
HOLIDAY LIGHTING
CELEBRATION
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Up, Up & Away Holiday will float into Beverly Hills this season, bringing the magic and adventure of the holidays to Rodeo Drive. The City of Beverly Hills and Rodeo Drive represent the epicenter of iconic style, and will be the place to be on Thursday, November 16th for this year’s annual Holiday Lighting Celebration.
Guests will experience an enchanted evening, wrapped-up in over-the-top entertainment and festive holiday décor.
Rodeo Drive will be the North Star, guiding and delighting in the spirit of the holidays. Sparkling with excitement from Santa Monica to Wilshire Boulevards, three electrified performance zones will engage guests throughout this joyous evening. The family fun leads us to the much anticipated “WOW” moment, when the Mayor and City Council, assisted by Santa and his jolly helpers, “push the button” to illuminate Rodeo Drive’s center median, bringing to life Up, Up & Away Holiday! Holiday guests will be dazzled by thrilling entertainment, fanciful fare from our favorite local food trucks and many festive photo ops, leading to our evening’s crescendo – a brilliant fireworks spectacular to light up the night sky!
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City Partnerships
Chamber of Commerce to promote the event on their main social media channels of Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, and on NowBeverlyHills channels of Instagram and Facebook
Chamber to feature the event in upcoming eNewsletters for members and nonmembers (with a distribution size of ~10,000 email subscribers) Chamber to feature the event in upcoming eNewsletters for NowBeverlyHills (with a distribution size of ~5,000 email subscribers). Promotion of the event in the NowBeverlyHills newsletter and on NowBeverlyHills social media channels a week to 10 days out.
Chamber to do a restaurant guide of where to eat on event night, including kid friendly restaurants, and reach out to Chamber members to coordinate calendars to avoid conflicts with businesses.
Chamber will announce the event during upcoming committee meetings, and meetings with businesses to additionally promote the event.
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• Chamber of Commerce to promote the event on their main social media channels of Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, and on NowBeverlyHills channels oflnstagram and Facebook
• Chamber to feature the event in upcoming eN ewsletters for members and nonmembers (with a distribution size of -10,000 email subscribers) • Chamber to feature the event in upcoming eNewsletters for NowBeverlyHills (with a distribution size of -5,000 email subscribers). Promotion of the event in the NowBeverlyHills newsletter and on NowBeverlyHills social media channels a week to 10 days out.
• Chamber to do a restaurant guide of where to eat on event night, including kid friendly restaurants, and reach out to Chamber members to coordinate calendars to avoid conflicts with businesses.
• Chamber will announce the event during upcoming committee meetings, and meetings with businesses to additionally promote the event.
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City Partnerships
CVB will create an event listing on
LoveBeverlyHills.com with pertinent information
and link to RDC website for more information.
CVB will promote the event on their social media
channels, including Instagram, Facebook,
Twitter, and Pinterest. Social media posts will
link to CVB event page, where applicable.
CVB will also create an event image “slider” on
their website home page which will link to the
event page listing.
CVB will feature the event in their upcoming
eNewsletters for Visitors, Media, Trade, and
Partner Partners, Trade and Media audiences
with a distribution size of ~38,000 email
subscribers.
CVB will do create a “round up” of ancillary activities on the event night from restaurants, hotels and other
partners. The round-up article will be featured on
their website and promoted through their channels
leading up to the event.
The CVB plans to launch a be-spoke holiday
campaign in early November featuring destination
content and hotel links, as well as a media buy
targeting affluent travelers to visit Beverly Hills
during the holidays.
CVB will create destination and Rodeo Drive Holiday
Lighting Celebration videos to be promoted and
distributed via its media partners and owned
channels.
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CVB will create destination and Rodeo Drive Holiday
Lighting Celebration videos to be promoted and
distributed via its media partners and owned
channels.
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• CVB will do create a "round up" of ancillary activities on the event night from restaurants, hotels and other
partners. The round-up article will be featured on
their website and promoted through their channels
leading up to the event.
• The CVB plans to launch a be-spoke holiday
campaign in early November featuring destination
content and hotel links, as well as a media buy
targeting affluent travelers to visit Beverly Hills
during the holidays.
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CVB will create an event listing on
LoveBeverlyHills.com with pertinent information
and link to RDC website for more information.
CVB will feature the event in their upcoming
eN ewsletters for Visitors, Media, Trade, and
Partner Partners, Trade and Media audiences
with a distribution size of -38,000 email
subscribers.
CVB will promote the event on their social media
channels, including Instagram, Facebook,
Twitter, and Pinterest. Social media posts will
link to CVB event page, where applicable.
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• CVB will also create an event image "slider" on
their website home page which will link to the
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CITY OF BEVERLY HILLS
RODEO DRIVE - HOLIDAY LIGHTING CELEBRATION
EVENT: Thursday, November 16, 2023
TIME: 5:00pm - 8:00pm
INSTALLATION: November 15, 2023 @ 9:00pm/Out by 6:00am on November 17, 2023 ESTIMATED 2023 1 OPENING NIGHT CELEBRATION - Thursday, November 16, 2023 $222,750.00 2 (3) Staging Platforms, Lighting, Audio, Technical & Video/LED Wall Elements 3 OPENING NIGHT CELEBRATION - Technical Labor & Overnight Crew $142,074.00 4 Labor for all Technical Departments, Technical Direction, Crew Chief & Leads 5 OPENING NIGHT CELEBRATION - Entertainment Elements $195,540.00 6 Opening Night Talent, Headliner, Santa Moment, Featured & Specialty Acts 7 OPENING NIGHT CELEBRATION - Production Management & Specialty Elements $219,837.00 8 Production, Restrooms, Rentals, Photo Activations, Fireworks & Wine Garden 9 $46,140.00 10 Opening Night Generator Power, Back Up Generator & Heavy Equipment 11 SECURITY, PRINTING & MISCELLANEOUS EXPENSES $42,960.00 12 Event/Overnight Security, Event Signage & Cleaning Services 13 $45,672.00
14 Audio System, Technician, Installation, Removal, Curated Music & Production 15 TRAFFIC CONTROL & STREET MANAGEMENT - Equipment & Labor $83,400.00 16 Traffic Control Plan, K-Rails, Message Boards, Equipment, Trucking & Labor 17 $998,373.00
18 OVERALL 2022 HOLIDAY EVENT BUDGET - Surplus <$39,880.00> 19 Remaining Funds - 2022 Rodeo Drive Holiday Lighting Celebration 20 CITY OF BEVERLY HILLS - Personnel, Event Permit Fees & Management WAIVER of $58,080 21 Police, Fire, TCO's & Street Closure Permits/Meters
22 MARKETING, PUBLIC RELATIONS, DIGITAL MEDIA & AD BUYS CITY/PARTNERS 23 Event Marketing, PR Campaign, Digital Media Outreach & Ad Buys 24 $958,493.00
GRAND TOTAL - HOLIDAY LIGHTING CELEBRATION
POWER AND ELECTRICAL DISTRIBUTION/CENTER MEDIAN & SHOW
2023 HOLIDAY LIGHTING CELEBRATION - City of Beverly Hills Requested Funds (7) WEEKEND NIGHTS ENHANCED AUDIO SYSTEM - Holiday Music & Production Elements
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Attachment 2
Budget Comparison 2019-2023
Rodeo Drive
Holiday Decor
Holiday Lighting
Celebration Event Total
2019 $360,248 $959,789 $1,320,037
2020 $352,702 N/A* $352,702
2021 $397,189 $541,276** $938,465
2022 $449,592 $903,780 $1,353,372
2023 $485,960 $958,493 $1,444,493
*There was no holiday lighting celebration in 2020 due to COVID. **Significant discounts were offered for a smaller event in 2021 by several vendors and subcontractors as business was just returning.
6 Attachment 3
CITY OF BEVERLY HILLS
POLICY AND MANAGEMENT
MEMORANDUM
TO: City Council Liaison/Rodeo Drive /Special Events /Holiday Program Committee
FROM: Magdalena Davis, Community Outreach Manager
DATE: August 8, 2023
SUBJECT: Proposal from the Rodeo Drive Committee for the 2023 Rodeo Drive Holiday Lighting Celebration on November 16, 2023
ATTACHMENT: 1. Proposal for Rodeo Drive Holiday Lighting Celebration on November 16, 2023
2. Rodeo Drive Holiday Décor & Lighting Celebration Budget Comparison, 2019-2023
INTRODUCTION
This report provides the Beverly Hills City Council Liaison/Rodeo Drive /Special Events /Holiday Program Committee (Liaisons) of Vice Mayor Friedman and Councilmember Bosse with an overview of the proposed Rodeo Drive Holiday Lighting celebration to occur on the evening of Thursday, November 16, 2023.
DISCUSSION
Each year the City sponsors a signature holiday program designed to celebrate the season and attract visitors from around the region to shop, dine and stay in Beverly Hills. On July 18, 2023, the Beverly Hills City Council reviewed and approved the proposal from the Rodeo Drive Committee (RDC) for the 2023 Holiday Décor elements, themed “Up, Up and Away Holiday”.
The Citywide Holiday Decor elements were also reviewed by the Liaisons on April 24, and May 1, 2023. This overview is specific to the Rodeo Drive Holiday Lighting Celebration, proposed for Thursday, November 16, 2023 (Attachment 1). Additionally, the RDC also requests a recommendation for the street-pole banner design, as well as extended programming throughout the holiday season.
Approved Rodeo Drive décor theme “Up, Up and Away Holiday” includes the following elements:
• Rodeo Drive Holiday Decor lit from November 16, 2023 - January 2, 2024 o Palm tree lights
o Lights draped throughout rose bush landscaping
o Hot-air balloon themed median décor
The additional décor element for Liaison review are the street-pole banners that match the theme “Up, Up and Away Holiday”, with elements of hot-air balloons, gifts in silver and blue, red and white. Options for the median banner design, and sidewalk design are requested for review. 2 of 3
The RDC’s proposed programming elements for Liaison review for the 2023 Holiday Lighting Celebration include:
• Holiday Lighting Celebration on Thursday, November 16, 2023 from 5pm-8pm o Three stages with LED screen backdrops
o Multiple live vocal performances from the stages including: a barbershop quartet, Bollywood spectacular, and “The Maccabeats” (an all-male Jewish Acapella group) o A headliner performance
o Additional stage programming includes DJ Z with a percussionist, a “shoppers delight” dance production to feature local stores, holiday choral performers, and holiday tap-dancers
o Photo activation on midblock stage for the public
o Appearance by Santa following the Beverly Hills High School Marching Band o Interactive roaming performers including roller-skaters, oversized bicycle, and stilt performers
o Fireworks show
o Wine Garden from a local business
o Food Trucks (with at least one Kosher food option) as well as promotion of local Beverly Hills restaurants with a BH Restaurant Guide created by the Chamber of Commerce so that reservations may be made in advance
• Liaison recommendation of full street closures from Wednesday, November 15 at 9pm until Friday, November 17 at 6am is also requested:
o Rodeo Drive from S. Santa Monica Boulevard to Wilshire o Dayton Way from Rodeo Drive to the alleyways to the East and West o Brighton Way from Rodeo Drive to the alleyways to the East and West ▪ Access to the Rodeo Collection Garage on the 400 block will be discussed with impacted tenants
▪ Access to the City’s Brighton Garage and Two Rodeo Garage will be maintained through the alleyways.
• Extended Holiday programming for Liaison review includes:
o A curated Holiday themed playlist by DJ Z to play for 7 weekends throughout the holiday season on Rodeo Drive (from the weeks of November 16, 2023 to January 2, 2024)
o Music will be specially curated to blend the transitions between songs and include a mix of holiday classics, Hanukkah, and Christmas tunes o Thursdays-Fridays from 3-8pm
o Saturdays-Sundays from 11am-7pm
Staff has identified funding in the FY 23/24 budget for the Rodeo Drive Holiday Lighting celebration funding request of $958,493. The proposal from the RDC also includes a request for the City to waive or absorb several fees. Those include costs for labor for police, fire, public works personnel, as well as permits. The total estimated cost for fee waivers and personnel is $58,080. Additionally, the RDC and JBB prioritized fiscal responsibility for the 2022 event and 3 of 3
décor, leaving a surplus of $39,880, which has been applied to this year. Both these amounts are listed in the overall event budget in Attachment 1 to show the true cost of the event itself.
Lyn Winter, Inc. (RDC public relations agency) and BOLD LA (RDC Social Media Agency), as well as the Beverly Hills Conference and Visitors Bureau, the Beverly Hills Chamber of Commerce, and the City of Beverly Hills, will be planning and executing a coordinated marketing plan that includes social, digital, and print media. The RDC has also requested City Council support to absorb the cost of local print advertisements in the three local newspapers for Beverly Hills specific community marketing and publicity initiatives. Funding is available for local advertisements in the current approved Policy and Management budget.
FISCAL IMPACT
Staff has identified funding in the FY 23/24 Policy & Management budget for the Rodeo Drive holiday decor in the requested amount of $958,493. Including the Rodeo Drive holiday décor budget of $485,960, the cost would total $1,444,453 for the 2023 holidays.
The 2023 Rodeo Drive Holiday Decor and Rodeo Drive Holiday Lighting celebration are funded by the Tourism and Marketing budget (00101311). Funding is available to cover the lighting celebration funding request by the RDC of $958,493. For reference, the previous costs for the 2022 RDC Holiday Lighting Celebration totaled $903,780. Available funding for other Tourism & Marketing programs including Holiday Lighting Celebration and Rodeo Drive Holiday Décor for Holidays 2023 currently totals $1,545,870, and is available to cover the total holiday décor and lighting celebration cost of $1,444,453. A full comparison of the previous RDC Holiday budgets can be found as Attachment 2.
It should be noted that funding for the Rodeo Drive Holiday Decor as well as the Rodeo Drive Holiday Lighting Celebration comes from Transient Occupancy Tax (TOT). The City has maintained a policy of funding its tourism and marketing programs from a specific allocation of TOT. The City collects a total of fourteen percent TOT based on gross room sales from the City’s hotels. Two of the fourteen percent, or one-seventh of the total TOT revenue, has been the basis of calculating the funding for the Tourism and Marketing budget for approximately 25 years.
The TOT revenue budget is $49,500,000 for FY 23/24, with the one-seventh amount at $7,071,428. Staff has allocated this funding for various Council-approved programs, such as the Concours D’Elegance, the Conference and Visitors Bureau work plan, the Rodeo Drive Committee work plan, a portion of the Beverly Hills Chamber of Commerce work plan, intellectual property legal services, and landscaping on Rodeo Drive, leaving the remaining $1,545,870 for other tourism and marketing events, such as the approved 2023 Rodeo Drive Holiday Decor and the proposed Rodeo Drive Holiday Lighting celebration.
RECOMMENDATION
Staff requests the City Council Liaisons review and provide feedback regarding the 2023 Rodeo Drive Holiday Lighting celebration event and street closure requests as described further in Attachment 1 to this report. If recommended by the Liaisons, Staff will bring forward an item at the August 15, 2023 City Council Meeting for the full City Council to review and approve.