SR-304-003-10 (2)
Council Meeting: January 11, 2005 Santa Monica, California
TO: Mayor and City Council
FROM: City Staff
SUBJECT: Award of Three-Year Contract for Production of the Annual Santa Monica
Festival
INTRODUCTION
This report recommends that the City Council authorize the City Manager to negotiate
and execute a three year contract for $80,000 annually with Community Arts Resources
(CARS) to produce the annual Santa Monica Festival: A Celebration of Our Community
Roots. Further, it is recommended that the City Manager be authorized to amend this
contract, not to exceed an additional $60,000 annually, in the event additional private
funds or grant funding is obtained by the City for expansion of Festival activities.
BACKGROUND
Each spring the City of Santa Monica works with an event production company to
present the Santa Monica Festival at Clover Park. Through the performing and visual
arts, the Festival honors the unwritten ethnic history of Santa Monica as well as the rich
environmental resources that sustain it. Each year the celebration features an eclectic
array of traditional and contemporary music and dance on several stages,
demonstrations of traditional crafts by local artists, and hands-on art and environmental
workshops to engage people of all ages. The contract with the production company
covers all costs associated with the event.
DISCUSSION
In September of 2004, City staff solicited proposals for an event production team for the
Santa Monica Festival for three years beginning in 2005. Requests for Proposals were
sent to production companies in the greater Los Angeles area and all members of the
California Presenters e-mail list. One production company, CARS, submitted its
qualifications. Staff has evaluated the CARS proposal and recommends that they be
selected as the festival producer for the following reasons:
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CARS has the ability to address multi-cultural and environmental issues within the
festival theme;
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CARS has the ability to meet both artistic and production standards desired for the
Santa Monica Festival as evidenced by past events produced by CARS including the
International Festival of Masks, the Getty Museum Family Days events, Yiddishkayt,
as well as past Santa Monica Festivals.
BUDGET/FINANCIAL IMPACT
Funds for the 2005 Festival are available in the following accounts:
Cultural Affairs Division: 01560.566550 $54,400
01560.544400 $10,600
Environmental Programs Div: 31662.555060 $15,000
TOTAL $80,000
Additional appropriations for 2006 and 2007 will be budgeted for those years, contingent
upon availability of funds. As in years past, additional funding will be raised from
outside sources such as private nonprofit foundations and corporate sponsorships. The
contract will specify that the additional funding is available when, and if, funds are
raised.
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RECOMMENDATION
It is recommended that the City Council authorize the City Manager to:
1) negotiate and execute a contract with CARS to produce the 2005, 2006, and 2007
Santa Monica Festivals in the annual amount of $80,000, and 2) in the event additional
funds are raised, amend the contract, not to exceed $60,000 annually, to include
additional services for expanded festival programming.
Prepared by: Barbara Stinchfield, Director, Community and Cultural Services
Karen Ginsberg, Asst. Director, Community and Cultural Services
Hamp Simmons, Cultural Affairs Coordinator
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