Tiburon task force recommends funding for Nowruz and Diwali, sets April 2 application deadline and appoints member to police advisory panel

The Tiburon Diversity Inclusion Task Force voted March 19 to recommend that the Town Council allocate funds for two cultural events and to set a deadline for remaining fiscal-year event proposals.

The panel recommended that the council approve up to $8,000 for the 2025 Nowruz festival and up to $8,000 for the 2025 Diwali festival. The task force also established Wednesday, April 2, 2025, as a deadline for event proposals for the remainder of the 2025 fiscal year. In a separate vote the task force recommended appointing Vice Chair Tina Pekkonen to the Citizens Advisory Panel for the Police Department.

Why it matters: The task force serves as the town’s advisory body on diversity and inclusion, and its recommendations guide how the town budgets and supports community cultural events. Task force members flagged limited remaining funds in the current fiscal-year event bucket and discussed whether the body should set a standard grant amount for future events.

Most important facts

- Nowruz: The event organizer requested $10,000 for 2025; the task force voted to recommend $8,000 to the Town Council. Staff noted event organizers submit proposed budgets, which explain line-item differences between events. The motion to recommend $8,000 passed by roll call; six members voted yes and three members were absent.

- Diwali: The event organizer requested $8,000 for 2025; the task force voted to recommend $8,000 to the Town Council. The motion passed by roll call; six members voted yes and three members were absent.

- Budget context: Staff said the task force’s fiscal-year event line was originally budgeted at $40,000. Before the March 19 meeting staff reported there would be about $1,100 remaining in the current fiscal year if Nowruz were approved as requested; later in the meeting staff clarified that, after a $2,000 adjustment, the remaining balance would be about $3,100 but that the Town Council could be asked for additional funds if needed.

- Application deadline: The task force established Wednesday, April 2, 2025, as the deadline for proposals for events to be funded from the 2025 fiscal-year budget. Members agreed the deadline was intended to allow time for task force review and then council consideration, but they also said the town could show flexibility if organizers brought late proposals.

- Citizens Advisory Panel appointment: The task force recommended that Vice Chair Tina Pekkonen fill the DITF’s seat on the Police Department’s Citizens Advisory Panel. The motion to recommend Pekkonen passed by roll call; six members voted yes and three members were absent.

What members said

Staff member Lee outlined the event budget process and noted that organizers submit line-item budgets: “The event organizers give us a budget, and we have that attached to our staff report,” Lee said, explaining why amounts vary by event. Lee also told the group that approval of Nowruz at the asked amount would leave only about $1,100 in the current fiscal-year bucket unless the council authorized additional funds.

Resident Beth, during public comment, urged flexibility for organizers because local venue and seasonal costs can vary: “Tiburon prices are pretty expensive,” she said, describing a $1,200 venue deposit she had encountered when moving an event indoors.

Procedure and next steps

Task force members noted they could not set a blanket maximum for future event grants at the March 19 meeting because that would require advance notice on the posted agenda under the Brown Act; members agreed to put the question of a standardized award amount on a future DITF agenda. Staff will forward the task force’s funding recommendations and the appointment recommendation to the Town Council for final action.

Votes at a glance

- Recommend Town Council approve up to $8,000 for the 2025 Nowruz festival. Vote: Yes 6; No 0; Abstain 0; Absent 3. (Yes: Council member Ryan; Vice Mayor Wellner; Mayor and Chair Thier; At-large member Howie Awash; At-large member Lena Godfrey; Vice Chair Tina Pekkonen. Absent: Council members Fredericks and Nick Farr; At-large member Nusheen Latour.)

- Recommend Town Council approve up to $8,000 for the 2025 Diwali festival. Vote: Yes 6; No 0; Abstain 0; Absent 3. (Same roll-call pattern as above.)

- Establish a deadline of Wednesday, April 2, 2025, for applications for events for the remainder of fiscal year 2025. Vote: Yes 6; No 0; Abstain 0; Absent 3.

- Recommend appointment of Vice Chair Tina Pekkonen to the Police Department Citizens Advisory Panel. Vote: Yes 6; No 0; Abstain 0; Absent 3.

What was not decided

The task force did not set a standing policy that would cap or standardize future event grants; members agreed to discuss that as a future agenda item so the public could participate.

Requests for more information

Staff will forward the task force’s recommendations to the Town Council and said event organizers may return to the council to request additional funds if actual costs exceed the amounts recommended by the task force.