Paoli, Diana
From: Anna Stockel < [email protected]>
Sent: Monday, August 24, 2026 1:55 PM
To: City Clerk
Subject: Item 5A REQUEST: Proposed 2027 Fort Bragg Blues Festival agreement with Pam Bell Productions, be pulled from the consent calendar for separate consideration and continued rather than approved in its present form - REF: City of Fort Bragg, California pu...
Correcting incorrect email address in my first request.
Please include this email in the public record for the August 24, 2026 City Council meeting. - Forwarded message -
Mayor Godeke and Councilmembers:
Please include this email in the public record for the August 24, 2026 City Council meeting.
I request that Item 5A, the proposed 2027 Fort Bragg Blues Festival agreement with Pam Bell Productions, be pulled from the consent calendar for separate consideration and continued rather than approved in its present form.
My concerns are:
1. The contract requires no insurance.
The six-page agreement contains no commercial general liability, automobile liability, workers' compensation, event liability, or liquor-liability requirement. It does not require a certificate of insurance, name the City as an additional insured, or require primary and noncontributory coverage or a waiver of subrogation.
The City's website states that contractors and consultants must satisfy insurance requirements contained in its standard Professional Services Agreement. This agreement does not use or incorporate that standard agreement. The agenda materials contain no evidence that Pam Bell Productions carries the customary $1 million-per-occurrence/$2 million-aggregate coverage.
2. The advertised $53,500 limit is internally inconsistent.
The agreement provides Pam Bell Productions with a guaranteed $50,000 service fee, $3,500 for initial artist deposits, and a possible additional $10,000 profit-based incentive. Potential compensation is therefore $63,500, although the agenda and proposed resolution call the agreement "not to exceed $53,500."
1 3. The City assumes unlimited financial exposure.
The agreement states that the City bears all final financial liability, absorbs any event deficit, is responsible for operational overruns, and "will be billed accordingly." It establishes no maximum event budget or ceiling on the City's total liability.
4. The actual public contribution exceeds the contractor payment.
In addition to contractor compensation, the City must provide staff support, permits, venue access, utilities, maintenance, security, and public-safety personnel. The Idea Cooperative will also provide branding and marketing coordination under its separate City contract. These additional public costs are not included in the advertised $53,500 amount.
5. No complete festival budget or financial model is attached.
The agreement targets $90,000 in gross ticket revenue but provides no detailed expense budget, attendance forecast, committed sponsorship revenue, break-even calculation, maximum allowable deficit, or documented process for approving expenses and overruns.
6. The contractor receives the entire $53,500 before completing the work.
The second payment is due January 15, 2027, more than three months before the festival. No meaningful amount is withheld pending completion of the festival, financial reconciliation, or delivery and acceptance of the required post-event report.
7. The cancellation provisions favor the contractor and are unclear.
The agreement includes a $10,000 nonrefundable deposit and states that no paid fees or deposits will be refunded if the City cancels within 90 days. The force-majeure provision separately permits the contractor to retain the deposit and receive payment for documented hours. The relationship between these provisions is not adequately defined.
8. Other fundamental municipal protections are absent.
The agreement contains no indemnification, defense or hold-harmless obligation, audit rights, records- retention requirements, ownership provisions for marketing materials and attendee data, meaningful expense controls, or enforceable acceptance criteria.
9. Several obligations are aspirations rather than measurable deliverables.
Terms including "top-tier lineup," "data-driven marketing," "boost consumer confidence," "maximize revenue," and "potentially implement" another event do not establish objective performance or acceptance requirements.
10. The agenda materials disclose no competitive process. 2 They identify no public RFP, three-vendor quotation process, evaluation or scoring, sole-source determination, or four-fifths Council waiver of competitive procedures. Other qualified event producers apparently received no public opportunity to compete.
11. The possible $63,500 payment appears to exceed the City's $60,000 procurement threshold.
Fort Bragg Municipal Code Chapter 3.20 ordinarily requires at least three quotes and Council approval for purchases exceeding $60,000. The documents instead describe this as a $53,500 agreement while separately authorizing a possible additional $10,000 payment.
12. The records needed to evaluate this agreement have not been made available with the agenda item.
Today, August 24, 2026, I submitted the following California Public Records Act request:
"CALIFORNIA PUBLIC RECORDS ACT REQUEST — PAM BELL PRODUCTIONS, CONTRACT AWARDS, PAYMENTS, PERFORMANCE, AND FORT BRAGG BLUES FESTIVAL"
The request seeks records concerning Pam Bell, Pam Bell Productions, Pam Bell Events, and related City-funded events and services.
Those records should establish the history of the contract awards, payments, performance, insurance coverage, and procurement process. Council is being asked to approve another agreement before the public has had access to the records needed to evaluate these issues.
I am not asking the City to abandon the Blues Festival. I am asking the Council to protect the City and the public before committing funds.
Please continue Item 5A and require:
• A complete event budget and break-even analysis.
• A genuine ceiling on the City's total financial exposure. • Correction of the $53,500/$63,500 contradiction.
• Proof of appropriate insurance and all required additional-insured endorsements. • Standard indemnification, audit, records-retention, ownership, and acceptance provisions. • Documentation demonstrating compliance with the City's procurement requirements. • A transparent competitive process that gives other qualified local producers a fair opportunity to submit proposals.
• Production and public review of the responsive records before the agreement returns for approval.
Sources:
3 City Council Item 5A, Legistar File 26-355:
https://cityfortbragg.legistar.com/LegislationDetail.aspx?GUID=7A04C0AF-A4B0-441F-95D9- 6A59D7698682&ID=8184755&Options=&Search=
Fort Bragg Municipal Code Chapter 3.20:
https://www.codepublishing.com/CA/FortBragg/html/FortBragg03/FortBragg0320.html City Requests for Proposals, Bids, and Insurance Requirements:
https://www.fortbraggca.gov/government/requests_for_proposals_bids/index.php Anna Stockel
Anna Stockel
*MAIN Mobile & Text - Google VOIP (707) 409-0081*
CELL (707) 813-1185 (no service at home)
KM6OCF
Wild Woman LLC
www.annastockel.com
www.buzzgenie.org/fortbragg/
www.WildWomanKitchen.com
www.wwAdventureVacations.com
-- Forwarded message ---------
From: City of Fort Bragg California Public Records <[email protected]> Date: Mon, Aug 24, 2026, 1:42 PM
Subject: Your City of Fort Bragg, California public records request #26-310 has been submitted.
To: <[email protected]>
-- Attach a non-image file and/or reply ABOVE THIS LINE with a message, and it will be sent to staff on this request. -- City of Fort Bragg, California Public Records
Your record request #26-310 has been
submitted successfully.
Please be advised that City staff have received your CPRA request. Within the next 10 days, we will determine whether your request seeks copies of disclosable records in the City's possession or whether the City will require an extension. 4 View Request 26-310
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