Cotati City Council
Agenda Staff Report
Item type: CONSENT CALENDAR (ACTION)
To: City Council
Subject: CONSIDERATION AND ADOPTION OF RESOLUTION
APPROVING THE 2026 CITY OF COTATI CLIMATE READY
COTATI FAIR
Date: January 27, 2026
Written by: Ashley Wilson, Recreation Manager
Recommendation
It is recommended that the City Council adopt a resolution approving the 2026 City of Cotati Climate Ready Cotati Fair.
Background
The City of Cotati has a goal to promote sustainability within the community, as well as lead by example in reducing resource use and environmental impact. One way that the City’s Community Development Department plans to educate and connect with residents, businesses, and organizations on climate readiness and sustainability is by hosting the 2nd Annual Climate Ready Cotati Fair. Given the success last year, the City would like to bring it back for 2026 and annually thereafter. The event is proposed to take place on Saturday, March 28, 2026, at the Cotati Train Depot property, connected City owned parking lot, Depot Way, and Sonoma County Transit owned bus driveway drop off area.
Analysis/Discussion
Below is a summary of the event. The request includes the following: 1) exclusive use of the Cotati Train Depot and surrounding City owned parking lot; 2) closure of public parking spaces and Depot Way; 3) food truck and other vendor sales; 4) live, amplified entertainment.
Event Attendance Dates/Times
Climate Ready Cotati 300 Saturday, March 28th (10:00am-2:00pm) California Vehicle Code Section 21101 (e) authorizes the temporary closing of any street for celebrations, parades, local events and other purposes when, in the opinion of local authorities having jurisdiction, the closing is necessary for the safety and protection of persons who are to use that portion of the street during the temporary closing. In this instance, the public parking spaces and Depot Way would be heavily used for food trucks, vendor logistics, porta-potties, and equipment, so closure would be in the best interest of public safety. The Police Department will notify the appropriate public and emergency response agencies of the closures.
The Climate Ready Cotati Fair is a free family friendly event in Cotati. The goal is to educate, empower, and activate the community to reduce resource use and environmental impact through personal and household actions, increase resilience to the impacts of natural disasters and extreme weather events, and connect with nature. The event will begin at 10:00 am with over 30 agencies/businesses in the Cotati train depot and surrounding patio area providing goods, services, and information to attendees. Exclusive use of the Cotati Train Depot and City owned parking spaces, as well as Depot Way, from 8:00am through 4:00pm to allow for set-up, breakdown, and clean-up, is requested. Additionally, the Sonoma County Transit owned bus driveway drop off area would be closed off, pending approval from SCT. Further event details can be found in the attached event summary.
Financial Considerations
This event will be widely marketed and could increase the number of visitors to the City. The event will provide increased opportunities to promote economic development. Financial considerations for the City would be expenditures of about $16,723 on staff costs and supplies which are currently accommodated in the FY 25-26 budget.
Staff Time - 83 hours, estimated cost $16,223, made up of the following:
• Community Development Staff prep work & day of event – 74 hours / $14,504 • Recreation Staff prep work & day of event – 5 hours / $955 • Public Works Staff closing and reopening parking lot –4 hours / $764 Supplies – $500
• Signage
• Promotional materials
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.