1 TO: Mayor and City Council
FROM: Ryan Smoot, City Manager
PREPARED BY: Emma Kelley, Recreation Manager
MEETING DATE: February 7, 2023
SUBJECT: Discussion and Consideration of City of Lomita Special Events 2023
RECOMMENDATION
Discuss and approve the City of Lomita special event calendar for 2023.
BACKGROUND
The City’s annual events require advance planning and outreach to keep our community informed and ensure that as many residents as possible are able to participate. After internal discussion, and preliminary planning among the City’s departments, staff has planned and budgeted for the following 12 City run special events for the 2023 calendar year. These events are planned and organized by City staff. • April 8th, Easter at Lomita Park at 9:00 AM.
• May 19th, “Night at the Museum” at the Lomita Railroad Museum at 5:00 PM. • May (TBA) Gang and Drug-Free Walk at Lomita Park
• May 29th, Memorial Day at Veteran’s Park 9:00 AM
• June 24th – June 25th, Founders Day in Downtown Lomita. Saturday, 10:00 AM - 9:30 PM Sunday, 10:00 AM –6:00 PM
• July 15th, Movies Under the Stars, City Hall Front Lawn 8:30 PM • July 29th, Movies Under the Stars, City Hall Front Lawn 8:30 PM • August 1st, National Night Out, City Hall Front Lawn 6:00 PM – 8:00 PM • October 2nd or 9th (TBD), Annual Golf Classic & Mayors Cup • Oct 28th, Halloween at Lomita Park, 12:00 PM – 3:00 PM • November 11th, Veterans Day at Veterans Park 11:00 AM • December 1st, Tree Lighting Ceremony, City Hall Front Lawn 5:30 PM Many of these events are annual events that the City has continued for many years.
Some of them are relatively new or have been significantly enhanced in recent years.
There are a few events that have been the subject of discussion in recent years, and for
CITY OF LOMITA
CITY COUNCIL REPORT
Item No. SCH 8a
2 which the City team is looking for direction from the Council. These events are discussed in more detail below.
Returning and New Events:
New to the events calendar this year will be “Night at the Museum” event - a concept put together by our Lomita Railroad Museum staff that will take place at the Lomita Railroad Museum. Museum Staff is working on the artwork, presenters, and volunteers for the evening. The Lomita Railroad Foundation will be present at this event as well to support the railroad museum.
City staff will also be overseeing the planning and organizing of this year’s Memorial Day and Veterans Day events to bring new life to the events and will be seeking assistance from the Lomita VFW Post 1622 as they are available. This year the start time for the Memorial Day event will be adjusted to begin at 9:00 AM rather than 11:00 AM to help ensure the weather is suitable for our guests and residents in attendance.
Movies Under the Stars will only take place in the month of July to ensure a bigger turnout.
In recent years, we have received feedback from our participants that because of the LAUSD start of school in August, and planned family trips, it is more difficult for families to attend. Halloween at Lomita Park will continue to be held on the last Saturday of October from 12:00 PM – 3:00 PM. Staff received positive feedback from participants who attended last year’s event. Participants enjoyed the day and time of the event. Many stated it was nice not to rush from work and expressed that they were better able to plan accordantly.
City-Supported External Events:
In addition to the community events planned and scheduled internally, the city team will be supporting events planned and organized by external organizations as follows:
Lomita Chamber of Commerce with 2 events this year and a Farmers Market held the last Sunday of every month.
• Lemonade Day, July 22, 2023
• State of the City, November 16, 2023
Lomita Railroad Foundation with 3 events:
• Sunday Afternoon Tea, April 30, 2023
• Family Fun Day, September 23, 2023
• Santa Event, December 10, 2023
3 DISCUSSION
The following events have been topics of discussion in recent years, and we are seeking direction from the Council about and desired amendments, changes, or replacements for these events.
Golf Classic and Mayor’s Cup:
The annual Mayor’s Cup golf tournament has traditionally been a fundraiser to help offset the costs of youth sports and recreation programs for members of the Lomita community who need assistance. In recent years, the event has become more expensive and requires a significant amount of staff time and planning. As a result, revenues raised by the event have significantly decreased. The Council has generally discussed considering alternatives to the event, but no specific alternatives have been suggested. Examples that staff has considered could include a Cornhole tournament to take place at Lomita Park, a poker tournament (we held this event one year in the past), or other local events as the Council might see fit.
Should the City Council direct staff to continue with the planning of the golf tournament, staff is recommending that the Golf Classic and Mayors Cup continue to be held in the month of October instead of in the month of June as was previously the case. This is to ensure adequate staff time and resources can be dedicated to the planning of the event and avoid conflicts with other city events – e.g. Founders Day.
Anti-Gang and Drug-Free Walk:
The City has hosted this event for many years in coordination with the City’s Public Safety and Traffic Commission and the local schools from LAUSD that serve Lomita. The event generally includes an LASD escort for students to walk from their respective schools to Lomita Park where they hear speakers encouraging them to remain drug-free and to avoid interaction and participation in gangs. The students are provided lunch at the park.
In recent months, the Public Safety and Traffic Commission has discussed amendments to this event, with a couple of members assigned to make recommendations, and we are seeking direction from the Council as to how to carry the event forward.
OPTIONS
1. Approve the events schedule as suggested.
2. Discuss, and provide direction.
3. Take no action/provide nor direction and maintain events as planned previously. 4 FISCAL IMPACT
There is no additional fiscal impact to these events beyond the current budget. Should events be added or amended, the costs and/or revenues may change accordingly, Approved by:
___________________________ __________________________
Gary Y. Sugano Ryan Smoot
Assistant City Manager City Manager
Prepared by:
______________________
Emma Kelley
Recreation Manager