Cotati City Council
Agenda Staff Report
Item type: CONSENT CALENDAR (ACTION)
To: City Council
Subject: APPROVAL OF 2024 DIA DE LOS MUERTOS EVENT IN LA
PLAZA PARK
Date: October 8, 2024
Written by: Ashley Wilson, Recreation Manager
Recommendation
It is recommended that the City Council adopt a resolution approving the 2024 Dia De Los Muertos event.
Background
Carlos Pena is a Cotati citizen with longstanding ties to the community. He has been a member of the Cotati Chamber of Commerce Board, coached sports at several local high schools, and been involved with his church.
He is currently working with a local group to bring a Dia De Los Muertos event to the community to honor and remember deceased loved ones through altars. Día de los Muertos, or Day of the Dead, is a holiday celebrated in Mexico and other Latin American countries which honors the deceased through a joyful celebration of life and death. It is a time when families remember and welcome back the spirits of their ancestors.
Carlos believes that La Plaza Park would be a perfect fit for this type of cultural community event and is proposing to host it on Saturday, November 2, 2024, with the hopes of continuing the event on an annual basis.
Analysis/Discussion
Below is a summary of the event. Requests include the following: 1) exclusive use of La Plaza Park; 2) food truck and vendor sales of food and beverages; 3) amplified music Event Attendance Dates/Times (including set-up)
Dia De Los Muertos 50 Saturday, November 2nd 11:00 am - 8:00 pm The applicant is requesting exclusive use of the park and bandstand from 11:00 AM through 8:00 PM to allow for set-up, breakdown, and clean-up. The event at La Plaza Park will be free of charge.
Entertainment will include amplified music. Non-alcoholic beverages and food will be sold in association with the festival. The applicant has reviewed the City’s insurance requirements and has indicated that they will provide adequate insurance. A Condition of Approval has been included which requires proof of insurance be supplied to the City before the event.
Financial Considerations
This applicant has requested fee waivers for the event. Given that this is the first year of this event, the applicant does qualify for a one-time waiver of rental fees in accordance with the City’s Park Use and Special Event Policy.
The hope will be that this event is widely marketed by the host to increase the number of visitors to the City and local businesses, which has the potential to provide increased opportunities to promote economic development.
Financial considerations for the City would be the park rental fee waiver (per the Park Use and Special Event Policy) of $216 (permit fee + application fee). The City would still collect the $250 refundable deposit, which would be returned after the event if there is no damage to the park or facilities from the event.
Environmental Issues
This action is exempt from the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) because it is not a project which has a potential for resulting in either a direct physical change in the environment, or a reasonably foreseeable indirect physical change in the environment, pursuant to CEQA Guideline section 15378.