CITY COSTS FOR OUTDOOR
SPECIAL EVENTS:
OPPORTUNITIES EXIST TO
ENHANCE CUSTOMER SERVICE
A Report from the City Auditor
Issued June 2025
http://www.sanjoseca.gov/auditor
Presenters: Joe Rois, City Auditor
Brittney Harvey, Supervising Auditor
Michael O’Connell Jr., Program Performance Auditor II
Dilnoza Khudoyberganova, Program Performance Auditor I
Community & Economic Development Committee, June 16, 2025 Item (d)1 City Auditor’s Office, 1
City Auditor’s Office, 2
Background
• In FY 2023-24, 84 outdoor special events
required permits and services from multiple
City departments.
• Estimated attendance totaled 330,000
attendees over 300 event days.
• City costs totaled $622,000 total City cost—
labor costs were the biggest driver, totaling
$436,000.
Police Staffed at an Intersection for
an Event
Source: Auditor photo at the 2025 Shamrock Run.
Finding I: More Transparent and Predictable
Police Staffing Costs Can Help Event Organizers
• Police staffing costs accounted for 51%
of overall City costs.
• Cost estimates are not consistently
provided and not all rates charged were
posted on the special events webpage.
• Fully staffing sworn personnel at events
has been a persistent challenge.
• Roles and responsibilities for sworn
officers, non-sworn staff, and private
security are not clearly defined.
City Auditor’s Office, 3
Recommendations: The Administration
and the Police Department should:
Identify a threshold for which cost
estimates are to be required
Update the City’s website for sworn
and non-sworn rates
Update the Special Event Guidelines to
define and prioritize roles for private
security and non-sworn staff
Finding 2: Improving Coordination in the Event
Process May Help Enhance Customer Service
• The current process meets some of the
goals of the City's Customer Service
Vision and Standards.
• Separate invoices and different billing
processes for each department.
• Organizers may receive multiple invoices
from the same department months apart.
City Auditor’s Office, 4
Recommendations: The Administration
and OEDCA should:
Assess how the City can better
coordinate the permitting process,
potentially through a technological
solution.
Formalize OEDCA’s procedures to
follow up with departments around
timely invoicing.
Conclusion
City Auditor’s Office, 5
This report has 4 recommendations to improve cost transparency and staffing levels for outdoor special events.
We would like to thank the Office of Economic Development and Cultural Affairs; the Police Department; the Department of Transportation; the Department of Parks, Recreation and Neighborhood Services; the Fire Department; and the City Attorney’s Office. The audit report is available atwww.sanjoseca.gov/auditor Audit staff: Brittney Harvey, Michael O’Connell Jr., & Dilnoza Khudoyberganova