SR-304-003-08City Council Meeting: August 8, 20000 Santa Monica, California
TO: Mayor and City Council
FROM: City Staff
SUBJECT: Recommendation to Approve an Alternate Route and Waive All Costs for
the U.S. Constitution Day Parade on September 16, 2000.
INTRODUCTION
This report recommends that City Council approve an alternate route and waive all
costs for the U.S. Constitution Day Parade.
BACKGROUND
The City has received a request to conduct a parade on a route other than the route
authorized by the Municipal Code Section 4.08.580 for the 7th annual U.S. Constitution
Day Parade to be held on Saturday, September 16, 2000. The parade organizer has
requested that the parade start at 11:00 a.m. and continue to 12:30 p.m. A request
has also been made to close Pier Avenue between Main Street and Second Street from
12:30-2:00 p.m. to hold the Constitution Day Parade picnic and closing ceremony.
Staging for the parade will begin at 8:00 a.m. and will take place in the southbound lane
of Main Street, in the area that begins at Colorado Avenue and ends just north of the
Civic Auditorium. The northbound lane of Main Street will remain open to
accommodate public access to the Civic Auditorium and emergency vehicle access to
Main Street. The parade will begin just north of the entrance to the Civic Auditorium
parking lot and will proceed south on Main Street to Pier Avenue. Parade vehicles will
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continue south on Main Street past Pier Avenue and will use Los Angeles City streets to
travel to the 2600 Barnard Way beach parking lot to disperse. Parade pedestrians
will turn east on Pier and disperse, using sidewalks and obeying all traffic rules and
regulations. Except for emergency vehicles, the parade route will be closed to traffic.
Closure of Pier Avenue between Main Street and Second Street has been requested
to accommodate the closing ceremony and picnic for parade participants from
12:30-2:00 p.m.
DISCUSSION
The organizers of the Constitution Day Parade expect to have 72 parade units
participating this year (54 participated last year). The requested start time of the
parade (11:00 a.m.) is one hour later than the 1999 parade. Parade organizers will be
responsible for renting, installing, and removing barricades and "temporary no parking"
signs along the parade route. Civic Auditorium staff will place and remove the
barricades in the staging area.
Three Santa Monica Big Blue Bus routes (approximately 90 bus trips) and three MTA
routes (approximately 70 bus trips) will be affected by the recommended parade route.
These bus lines, which normally run on Main Street, will have to be moved to
Ocean Avenue and/or Neilson Way to accommodate the parade. Bus lines crossing
Marine Street at Neilson Way and lines crossing Main Street at Pico Boulevard will
have to wait for a reasonable break in the parade in order to cross the intersection.
Bus rerouting will require the deployment of one supervisor and two part-time operators
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to handle bus relays, costing approximately $357.00. In order to better manage traffic
and ensure public safety, the Police Department has determined that it will need to
deploy a total of 25 officers, 4 police cars, and 2 motor units along the parade route.
The cost of police services will be approximately $6,344.00. In addition, 253 metered
parking spaces will need to be reserved, costing the City approximately $1012.00 in lost
revenue. The event organizer has requested that the City waive all costs for this
event.
BUDGET/FINANCIAL IMPACT
City costs for police services, reservation of inetered parking spaces, bus rerouting
supervisor and operators, are estimated at $7,713. Adequate funds are available in
department budgets to cover these costs. No additional appropriations are needed.
RECOMMENDATION
Staff recommends that the City Council approve and waive all costs for the U.S.
Constitution Day Parade on September 16, 2000, on the route described herein,
requiring parade organizers to limit its duration to one hour and 30 minutes (not
including staging time) and to conform to street closure requirements for post-parade
activities on Pier Avenue.
Prepared by: Barbara Stinchfield, CCS Director
Carole Curtin, Event Facilities Manager
Trinie Garcia-Valdez, Community Events Liaison
Department of Community and Cultural Services
Attachment: Resolution
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