CC - Item 4D - Chinese (Lunar) New YEar Event ProposalROSEMEAD CITY COUNCIL
STAFF REPORT
TO: THE HONORABLE MAYOR AND CITY COUNCIL
FROM: JEFFRY ALLRED, CITY MANAGE
DATE. AUGUST 25, 2009
SUBJECT: CHINESE (LUNAR) NEW YEAR EVENT PROPOSAL
SUMMARY
At its regular meeting on May 12, City Council requested that staff research and
propose a Lunar (Chinese) New Year event. Staff has researched several large local
events and is proposing four options for City Council consideration.
Staff Recommendation
Staff is seeking City Council direction regarding hosting an event in celebration of the
Chinese New Year.
ANALYSIS
Currently, Rosemead offers only an annual Chinese New Year dinner and dance at
Garvey Center for local seniors. The dinner, dancing, entertainment, and raffles draw
250 seniors to the event. As with most of our senior celebrations, the event quickly sells
out. There have been no other City-sponsored efforts to celebrate the Lunar New Year.
Because the date for celebrating the New Year corresponds with the lunar calendar, it
shifts over several weeks in January and February each year. For next year, Chinese
New Year falls on Sunday, February 14. Locally, there are three major celebrations held
in Chinatown (Los Angeles), Monterey Park, and Alhambra-San Gabriel.
The largest local event is hosted by the Chinese Chamber of Commerce of Los
Angeles. The 2010 festival will be held on February 20 and 21. The festival features the
Golden Dragon Parade, which is in its 111`h year and attracts nearly 120,000 people.
There are a number of other activities associated with the two-day festival that are held
at the Los Angeles State Historic Park. Southwest Airlines, Verizon, Cathay Bank, the
Los Angeles Dodgers, and Wal`Mart are among the event's sponsors.
The City of Monterey Park's Business Improvement District Advisory Committee also
hosts a two-day celebration. The event, in its eleventh year, is free to the public. It is
located on Garvey Avenue-less than 1 mile from Rosemead's western border. The
2009 festival featured a "Kids Zone," carnival rides, "Cultural Zone," dumpling cook-off,
APPROVED FOR CITY COUNCIL AGENDA: ITEM NUMBER: qQ
City Council Meeting
August 25, 2009
Page 2 of 3
talent/Karaoke contest, live entertainment featuring traditional performances, and 120
community organization, vendor, and business booths. The event is supported by more
than 100 local and corporate sponsors, and was attended by approximately 70,000
regional residents. It is coordinated with the assistance of a specialized professional
event producer and costs in excess of $100,000. The event is financially self-sustaining.
The 2010 event has not yet been scheduled, but a proposal is to go before the City
Council for approval in early September.
Similarly, the cities of Alhambra and San Gabriel co-host the San Gabriel Valley Annual
Lunar New Year Parade and Festival, and 2010 is the 19th anniversary of the event.
Activities begin with an Art Exhibit at Alhambra City Hall-scheduled for January 7
through 29, 2010. The Festival is slated for February 7, from 10:00 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.,
along Valley Boulevard. It features a parade, live entertainment, JC Penny Fashion
Show, and a Cultural Pavilion-which houses a variety of sponsor-offered activities for
youth and families. More than 250 vendors participate, including approximately 100 paid
vendors, and the event attracts 40,000-50,000 people annually. The event is sponsored
by corporations such as Wells Fargo, Macy's, JC Penney, Ford, Budweiser, and Bank
of America. According to event coordinators, these and other major sponsors provide
more than $200,000 yearly to offset the cost of the event. Like Monterey Park, the event
is produced by a professional agency. An item of note: there is some discussion about
cancelling next year's parade due to its high cost and minimal spectator turnout.
IN addition to local festivals, the Asian American Expo, hosted by the Chinese
Consumer Yellow Pages (located in Rosemead), is scheduled for January 16 and 17,
2010 at the Pomona Fairplex. It is in its 29th year. While it is largely a consumer-driven
affair, it offers a variety of traditional entertainment and activities to celebrate the New
Year. It attracts more than 800 vendors and is sponsored by corporations including
Chrysler, PacifiCare, Farmer's Insurance, and Hyundai. Tens of thousands attend the
for-fee event annually which is billed "The Largest Asian American Expo."
Each of the above events is a very costly endeavor and all have existed for more than a
decade. Coordinators for each of the festivals cooperate in date selection and other
details to avoid serious operational conflicts. Given the brief window for such
celebrations, these events will limit Rosemead's access to vendors, entertainers, and
participants as they tend to be very loyal to long-established festivals.
Proposals
Option 1: Given the concerns of competition with longstanding festivals and the close
proximity of two of Southern California's largest Chinese New Year celebrations, it might
be prudent to seek to sponsor or co-host an established event in lieu of hosting our
own. As noted above, the cities of Alhambra and San Gabriel have shared responsibility
for the San Gabriel Valley Annual Lunar New Year Parade and Festival for 19 years.
Rosemead might consider coming alongside these two cities or seeking to partner with
the City of Monterey Park in hosting its event. Sponsorship could be offered in any
City Council Meeting
August 25, 2009
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amount, though $5,000 to $10,000 would signify major support. Co-hosting would
include sharing some event expenses and a commitment of staff time, which would
result in additional costs to the City.
Option 2: While we have never hosted a city-wide Lunar New Year celebration, the
Parks and Recreation Department can develop a smaller scale event that is distinctly
Rosemead. It would include traditional entertainment, games, attractions, and food and
gift vendors. Rosemead Park or Mission Drive could serve as the venue. A reasonably-
sized one-day event could be developed for approximately $40,000 in operational costs.
There would also be expenses for use of Parks and Recreation, Public Services, and
Public Safety Department personnel for set-up, operation, and oversight of the event.
Option 3: As the Lantern Festival marks the 15th and final day of the Chinese New Year
celebration, Rosemead could host a four-hour evening festival to mark this occasion
specifically. It would include traditional foods (i.e., Tang Yuan), fireworks, the Dragon
Dance, Chinese Drums, singers (to commemorate Chinese Valentine's Day), and
lanterns. An event of this scale would cost approximately $20,000 to $25,000 and could
be hosted at Rosemead Park. Like Option 2, though to a lesser extent, there would be
staff costs associated with the event.
Option 4: As cities face serious financial shortfalls, it becomes harder to support new
programs. To ensure residents have access to any local festivals, they can be
publicized in our brochure and an excursion can be run to one or more of them.
Participants would pay transportation ($700), staff supervision ($120), and any entry
fees (the Expo is $8 for adults). This amounts to $20 to $28 per person if 40 attended.
PUBLIC NOTICE PROCESS
This item has been noticed through the regular agenda notification process.
FISCAL IMPACT
No funds have been budgeted for a Chinese New Year Festival for Fiscal Year 2009-10.
There would also be an undetermined impact on staff budgets. Therefore, City Council
would have to authorize an allocation of funds from the undesignated balance of the
General Fund for any event expenses. Staff would, however, seek local sponsorship of
such an event, which could result in decreased General Fund costs.
Subm
& RI~crrb-don Director