Camarillo City Council
AGENDA REPORT
Date: June 25, 2025
To: Honorable Mayor and City Councilmembers
From: Greg Ramirez, City Manager
Submitted by: David Sanchez, Community Development Director Subject: Heritage Days Fiesta 2025 Special Event Permit, Street Closure
BACKGROUND
The Camarillo Old Town Association (COTA) was established in 2009 and is an organization of businesses and property owners in the Camarillo Old Town business district, including area residents and stakeholders. The organization strives to improve economic vitality and enhance the neighborhood's reputation as a vibrant, friendly, clean, and exciting place to attend performances, dine, shop, and invest in business opportunities and properties.
In May, COTA submitted a complete Special Event Permit to host the Third Annual Old Town Heritage Days Fiesta from Wednesday, July 16, 2025 through Sunday, July 20, 2025. The proposed event will include a street fair, car show, carnival, concert, live art, and food trucks. It is proposed that the event will commence on the evening of Wednesday, July 16, 2025, in the parking lot and grounds at the Studio Channel Island Art Studios (SCIArt) and former courthouse building (courthouse). The event will continue with this footprint on Thursday, July 17, 2025, and Friday, July 18, 2025. Starting Saturday, July 19, 2025, the event will expand the current footprint into Ventura Boulevard requiring street closure.
Staff has worked with COTA and has held numerous meetings to discuss the event’s proposed footprint, traffic control and safety measures, waste management, and other location specific logistics.
DISCUSSION
COTA submitted an application for the event and the request was circulated to various agencies and departments for review. The request, along with the recommended permit conditions, is being presented to the City Council for consideration. There are no major changes from last year’s event.
Heritage Days Fiesta 2025
June 25, 2025
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Event Schedule – The proposed hours and activities for each day are as follows:
Wednesday, July 16th from 5 p.m. to 10 p.m.
•Carnival (ticket sales end one-half hour before closing). •Food vendors.
•Entertainment.
•Beer/wine service area.
•No street closures – parking closures on the south side of Ventura Boulevard between Fir and Elm Street and four spaces on the north in front of American Pie Records for a stage with DJ.
Thursday, July 17th from 5 p.m. to 10 p.m.
•Carnival (ticket sales end one-half hour before closing). •Food vendors.
•Bingo.
•Entertainment.
•Beer/wine service area.
•No street closures – parking closures on the south side of Ventura Boulevard between Fir and Elm Street and four spaces on the north in front of American Pie Records for a stage with DJ.
Friday, July 18th from 4 p.m. to 11 p.m.
•Carnival, (ticket sales end one-half hour before closing). •Food vendors.
•Concert.
•Entertainment.
•Beer/wine service area.
•Live Art Display.
•No street closures – parking closures on the south side of Ventura Boulevard between Fir and Elm Street and four spaces on the north in front of American Pie Records for a stage with DJ.
•Saturday, July 19th from 10 a.m. to 11 p.m.
•Carnival, (ticket sales end one-half hour before closing). •Food vendors.
•Concerts – Main stage and American Pie Records stage.
•Entertainment.
•Beer/wine service area.
•Live art displays.
•Car show – On Arneill Road overpass.
•Non-food vendors - Street closures starting at 5 a.m.
•Historical Exhibit.
Heritage Days Fiesta 2025
June 25, 2025
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Sunday, July 20th from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.
•Carnival, (ticket sales end one-half hour before closing). •Food vendors.
•Concerts – Main stage and American Pie Records stage.
•Entertainment.
•Beer/wine service area.
•Live art displays.
•Car show – On Arneill Road overpass.
•Non-food vendors – Streets re-open at 11 p.m. following cleanup. •Historical Exhibit.
Event Activities & Entertainment
The carnival will be located in the parking lots of the old courthouse and SCIArt, as well as within the campus of SCIArt. The carnival operator (Kastl Amusements) is under contract with COTA and is applying for a separate permit. Additionally, live art will be on display within the SCIArt campus and visitors can watch painters create temporary murals based on historical images of Camarillo that will be removed at the conclusion of the event.
Beginning Wednesday, July 16, 2025, all public parking spaces on the south side of Ventura Boulevard between Fir Street and Elm Street will be closed to accommodate food vendors during the event. Complementing this will be a small stage occupying four parking stalls on the north side of Ventura Boulevard that will be placed in front of American Pie Records and provide live entertainment. Additionally, Ventura Boulevard between Fir Street and Palm Drive and the southbound lanes of the Arneill Road overpass will close starting at 5 a.m. on Saturday, July 19, 2025, until 11 p.m. on Sunday, July 20, 2025. This area will be used for the street fair and will be set up with a variety of vendors, including local businesses. The Arneill Road overpass will also host a car show during the road closures. A single lane from the Lewis Road off-ramp to Arneill Road and across the overpass will be maintained.
COTA also submitted a separate Special Event Permit Application for a beer garden within the entire fenced, grassy area behind the courthouse on SCIArt’s property. The beer garden will have a main stage for live entertainment and each night’s entertainment will be focused around a different locally relevant cultural style. Additionally, there will be food trucks, two beer and wine serving areas, and four large tents encompassing seating and consumption areas. Alcohol consumption at Heritage Days will be restricted within the beer garden area and access in and out of the beer garden will be strictly monitored.
For initial access into the area, participants must provide ID and be 21 years of age or older and will receive a colored wristband. The wristbands will be a different color each day. ID checks will also be done at the point of sale. As part of the recommended conditions of approval for the Special Event Permit, the applicant will be required to provide security at the event to verify that alcohol is not sold to minors and to monitor the Heritage Days Fiesta 2025
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entrances and exits to the beer and wine service area. The beer garden hours mirror those of Heritage Days.
On July 17, 2025, there will be a bingo competition and fundraiser sponsored by SCIArts from 5 p.m. to 10 p.m. within one of the tents in the beer garden. On July 19, 2025, there will be a touch-a-truck event sponsored by the Ventura County Sherriff Office on the southern part of the grass field near the beer garden as part of their outreach program.
The applicant was required to provide insurance naming the City as an additional insured for this event area.
Street Closures
Approval is requested for street closures for two days only: Saturday, July 19, 2025, and Sunday, July 20, 2025, on Ventura Boulevard from Glenn Drive to Fir Street and the southbound lanes of the Arneill Road bridge over the 101 Freeway. There will be no street closures from Wednesday through Friday evening. This footprint is consistent with street closures for previous events of this size held in Camarillo Old Town. The closures include traffic control and barricades for the security of attendees. A Public Safety Plan has been submitted and approved by the Fire Department.
Parking
Due to the carnival and street closure, 205 public parking spaces will become inaccessible. The applicant has signed a contract with the property owner of Harley Bowl to allow the use of the 140 parking spaces located south of the bowling alley. From this location, attendees can walk to the event in Old Town. Additionally, the Metrolink parking lot can accommodate some of the demand generated by the event, and street parking in and around Camarillo Old Town will absorb the remainder. Additionally, the advertisement (see attachments) recommends taking the Metrolink to the event.
Recommended Conditions of Approval
Staff met with the applicant to review the permit and recommended conditions that will address challenges associated with large events of this nature that have taken place in the past in Camarillo Old Town. As has been the practice, all vendors must provide Certificates of Insurance to COTA but will not need to provide endorsement forms. COTA and the carnival operator have submitted complete Certificates of Insurance and endorsement forms to the City naming the City as additional insured. The recommended conditions of approval are attached.
Banners
Eight off-site banners have been proposed for this event at local Camarillo schools including Monte Vista and Las Colinas Middle Schools, Camarillo Heights STEM Academy, Pleasant Valley School of Engineering and Arts, Los Primeros School of Heritage Days Fiesta 2025
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Sciences and Arts, and Las Posas, Rancho Rosal, and Tierra Linda Elementary School.
One on-site banner has been proposed on SCIArt’s property.
Carnival Operator
Kastl Amusements will operate the carnival and has submitted a Special Event Permit application that has been processed.
FISCAL IMPACT
Funds for in-kind services from numerous City departments and the Sheriff's department with an estimated cost of $43,300 will be included in the FY2025/26 General Fund budget, Account No. 101-4500-469.46-41.
CEQA DETERMINATIONS
City staff has determined, in accordance with Section 15061(b)(3) of the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) Guidelines, that the Heritage Days Fiesta 2025 Special Event Permit is not subject to CEQA review because it can be seen with certainty that there is no possibility that the Heritage Days Fiesta 2025 Special Event Permit may have a significant effect on the environment. In this case, a special event permit can be seen with certainty that there is no possibility to have a significant effect on the environment. Therefore, this item is exempt from CEQA.
RECOMMENDATION
1. Find that the Heritage Days Fiesta 2025 Special Event Permit is exempt from the California Environmental Quality Act (“CEQA”) under the State CEQA Guidelines §§ 15061(b)(3); and
2. Authorize issuance of a Special Event Permit for the 2025 Old Town Heritage Days, including street closures on Ventura Boulevard from Palm Drive to Fir Street on Saturday, July 19, 2025, and Sunday, July 20, 2025; and
3. Allow COTA to operate a beer and wine service area behind the courthouse.
ATTACHMENTS
1. Special Event Permit Application
2. Draft Conditions of Approval
3. Event Organization
4. Site Plan
5. Public Safety Plan
6. Traffic Control Plan
7. Advertisement
REFERENCE MATERIALS – AVAILABLE FOR REVIEW AT CITY HALL None