Council creates ad hoc subcommittee to work with festival organizers after workshop

CYPRESS — The City Council on Monday approved a resolution creating an ad hoc subcommittee to consider options to ensure the future sustainability and viability of the Cypress Community Festival and to improve city‑festival communications.

The resolution stems from a workshop held two weeks earlier aimed at clarifying roles and expectations between the city and the Cypress Community Festival Association. City staff told the council the ad hoc's formal membership must be limited to council members to comply with the Brown Act, but that the subcommittee should “work cooperatively with or consult with” festival leaders, the Recreation and Community Services Commission and other stakeholders.

Festival representatives and community members spoke during oral communications. Jimmy Fuller, addressing the festival agenda item, said the resolution before the council “is not what we agreed to in the workshop 2 weeks ago” and urged the council to approve language that matched the prior workshop. George O’Hara, chairman of the Cypress Chamber of Commerce, reaffirmed the Chamber’s long participation in the festival and said the Chamber supports efforts to strengthen the event.

Councilmembers debated whether to name the Chamber of Commerce in the resolution’s first membership paragraph. The festival association had sent staff an edit that removed several named parties from the whereas/history language, which staff said was an unintentional drafting error; a festival representative acknowledged the drafting mistake and said the association had not intended to remove historical references.

Mayor Burke said he would move forward with the resolution as drafted but remove the Chamber of Commerce from section 2A so the ad hoc would retain flexibility to consult with the Chamber and other groups as appropriate. Mayor Burke nominated Councilmember Pete and himself to represent the council on the ad hoc subcommittee. The council approved the motion; staff said the committee would begin meeting promptly and report back to the council by Nov. 10, 2025, although the subcommittee could bring recommendations earlier.

City staff stressed the ad hoc should be nimble and that the council members serving on it would decide which outside organizations to consult for particular meetings. Staff also said they would ask the Recreation and Community Services Commission to have its chair and vice chair participate as a point of contact, while leaving flexibility to invite other festival stakeholders or community groups as needed.

The action formalizes the city’s direction from the earlier workshop and creates a council‑led process to address operational and communications questions about the festival ahead of planning for future years.