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Hermosa Chamber asks city for up to $15,000 to help cover Saint Patrick's Day parade barricade and closure costs
Summary
The Hermosa Beach Chamber Foundation asked the City Council on Jan. 28 for up to $15,000 to help cover street-closure barricades and other safety-related costs for the Saint Patrick's Day parade after reporting multi-year shortfalls.
The Hermosa Beach Chamber of Commerce (through the Chamber Foundation) asked the City Council on Jan. 28 for monetary support to help cover street-closure barricade, signage and traffic-control costs for the Saint Patrick's Day parade.
City staff said the chamber filed a formal request on Jan. 16 seeking $15,000 to offset those safety-related costs. The staff report noted the parade's estimated direct costs at about $6,000 and listed approximately $21,000 in waived city fees for the event. The chamber's financials showed a roughly $16,000 shortfall for the 2024 parade and an estimated $8,000 shortfall for 2025 based on preliminary revenue assumptions; staff cautioned the shortfall could grow because sponsorship and entry efforts were only just beginning.
Michelle Crispin, president and CEO of the Hermosa Chamber, said the foundation producing the parade was projecting a "deficit up to $20,000 for this year's parade" without additional support and that rising barricade and safety costs were straining the event budget. "Without additional support, we're projecting a deficit up to $20,000 for this year's parade," Crispin said.
Mike Bell, who has produced the parade for two decades, told council staff had helped identify a potential source of meridian (vehicle-rated) barricades from the Port of Long Beach and said that could substantially reduce hard costs. Bell said the port's loan would still require transportation, setup, take-down and arrow-board/signage costs; he estimated total barricade-related expenses could be about $12,000–$14,000 with that arrangement.
Staff's formal recommendation was to receive and file the status report and the chamber's request, or to provide direction. Council members discussed options and asked for additional cost detail and confirmation on whether the foundation (not the chamber itself) would supply funds; the chamber representatives said the foundation was the producing entity and would continue fundraising and sponsorship efforts.
No formal council action was taken during the Jan. 28 meeting; staff said further direction, if any, would be brought to council after additional cost information was developed.
