Yuba City leaders press temple organizers for parade safety, transit plan ahead of Nov. event

Police and council leaders told the Yuba City Council on Tuesday that preparations for the annual multi-day Sikh event scheduled for Nov. 2, 2025, remain incomplete, and they urged the temple’s organizers to finalize transportation and security plans quickly.

The city’s police chief, Jim Runyon, said a monthly planning process involving county and state partners, the temple, the FBI and other agencies has identified safety upgrades for the route, but key elements — notably bus service for tens of thousands of visitors and contracts with traffic and security vendors — remained unsettled. “We have to find a way to get those amount of people from River Valley High School to the temple. I can't stress that enough,” Police Chief Jim Runyon said.

Council members said the city has a responsibility to protect public safety where the event occurs and where attendees move through Yuba City. Vice Mayor Boomgarden called the celebration “culturally significant” but said the city’s safety requests are “industry standard” and necessary because the temple sits outside city limits and some controls require county cooperation. “Please just work with us. We're not asking for anything that isn't in the best interest of the people that live here in Yuba City and the people that come to visit the temple,” Boomgarden said.

Why it matters: City officials said the event draws large crowds, and the loss of the usual transit provider creates a new logistical and safety challenge. Runyon and council members repeatedly pressed the temple to secure a bus operator and to finalize contracted vendors for traffic control and mobile barricades. Runyon told the council that the city has identified a vacant field for additional parking and persuaded a traffic company to subcontract for mobile barricades that would better separate vehicles from pedestrians.

Details and timeline: Runyon described planning steps completed and outstanding. The city received a quote from a barricade vendor that could be subcontracted by the traffic company TMI, which has worked the event in prior years. But Runyon said the temple had not yet signed contracts for either the security company BlackLine Bridal Security or a bus operator; he said he met the temple last Thursday and was told they were still seeking vendors. The temple had been told more than a year in advance that Sutter County transit service would not be available this year.

Council concern and context: Council Member Pasquale and others said the problem has recurred for several years and expressed frustration at repeated late planning. Pasquale noted uncertainty about parking at River Valley High School, where a nearby field owner has been approached but one school parking lot may be unavailable if a solar project proceeds. Pasquale said, “We keep ending up in the same place every year,” and warned the crowd that the event’s scale and the regional security environment make timely vendor commitments essential.

City support and limits: Council members and staff emphasized they support the cultural event but said some requirements are outside city authority because the temple property lies in county jurisdiction; the city can, however, require traffic control and public-safety measures on routes inside Yuba City. Vice Mayor Boomgarden pointed out the distinction: “The temple itself is not within the city limits. Therefore, when we talk about requiring certain things, we really have no jurisdiction. So we have to work with our partners at the county.”

Next steps and deadlines: Runyon noted that the parade permit is initiated on the city website but remains contingent on receiving required documents from the temple, including insurance proof (which by industry practice is provided 30 days before the event) and final site maps needed by the fire department. Council members asked staff to continue pressing for earlier commitments and offered the council’s help to encourage the temple to finalize contracts. The city indicated the permit must be technically approved about 30 days before the event (early October) to meet permitting timelines.

Council reaction and public comment: No public comment was offered during the item. Several council members urged the temple to finalize arrangements and said the city will support staff’s efforts to secure public-safety protections.

Ending: City staff will continue outreach to temple leadership and to transit and traffic vendors; the council said it will revisit the item if necessary when the permit and vendor commitments come before the city for final approval.