Cotati City Council
Agenda Staff Report
Item type: CONSENT CALENDAR (ACTION)
To: City Council
Subject: ADOPTION OF A RESOLUTION TO APPROVE THE 2026
ROTARY CLUB OF RANCHO COTATI CINCO DE MAYO
EVENT IN LA PLAZA PARK.
Date: March 10, 2026
Written by: Ashley Wilson, Recreation Manager
Recommendation
It is recommended that the City Council adopt a resolution approving the 2026 Rotary Club of Rancho Cotati Cinco de Mayo event in La Plaza Park.
Background
The Rotary Club of Rancho Cotati is a local chapter of a national non-profit organization whose mission is to provide service to others, promote integrity, and advance world understanding, goodwill, and peace through fellowship of business, professional, and community leaders.
Locally, the Rotary Club of Rancho Cotati is active in many service projects including food drives, toy drives, free luncheons and holiday dinners, scholarship programs, schoolbook giveaways, and more. With a desire to continue their goals of promoting peace and understanding, they are proposing the first annual Cotati Cinco De Mayo Festival.
The Rotary Club of Rancho Cotati is a recipient of the 2026 Cotati Cultural Grant Program award and will use the $5,000 in grant funding to produce the proposed Cinco de Mayo event on May 5, 2026 in La Plaza Park.
Analysis/Discussion
The proposed event will feature live music and entertainment, family activities, a car show, and vendors with local goods, foods, and other items for purchase.
The event is proposed to be from 4:00pm-8:00pm with street closures on La Plaza Street behind the park between Old Redwood Highway and West Sierra Avenue, as well as West Sierra Avenue between Old Redwood Highway and La Plaza Street. The street closure request would be from 2:00pm to 9:00pm to allow for setup and cleanup before and after the event. They would be in the park earlier than that but don‘t need the roads closed until 2:00pm. No park closures have been requested. The event would be free to attend.
The applicant has requested the use of amplified music, and authorization for vendors to sell goods, food, and beverages (including the sales of alcohol).
The exhibits attached to the resolution describe the street closures necessary for the orderly movement of vehicle and pedestrian traffic during street closures. City staff will place no parking signs on La Plaza Street and West Sierra Avenue the morning of the event.
A Condition of Approval has been included which requires a California Department of Alcohol and Beverage Control approved temporary permit to allow for the sale of alcohol to be supplied to the City before the event
Financial Considerations
The Rotary Club of Rancho Cotati has requested fee waivers for their event. In accordance with the Park Use and Special Event Policy regarding fee waiver requests, staff recommends that these costs be fully waived as this event is a first year of an ongoing free community event, and has the potential to increase the number of visitors to the City. The event would provide increased opportunities to promote economic development and increase sales tax revenue.
Total costs and waivers would be as follows:
Large Event Resident Park Permit Fee: $ 384
Small Street Closure Fee: $ 769
Large Street Closure Fee: $1,924
Special Event Application Fee: $ 54
Electricity Fee: $ 17
Restroom Cleaning Fee: $ 220
Refundable deposit of $500 prior to the event (not subsidized).
The subsidy of the total fees of $3,368 is provided through the City‘s General Fund.
In addition to the $5,000 grant award and will be used to offset the costs of producing the firsttime event. Grant funding will be used to hire event entertainment, purchase event supplies, and pay for event marketing.
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.