SR 06-25-2019 3T
City Council
Report
City Council Meeting: June 25, 2019
Agenda Item: 3.T
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To: Mayor and City Council
From: Karen Ginsberg, Director, Community & Cultural Services
Subject: Second modification of contract for production of COAST Open Streets
Festival
Recommended Action
Staff recommends that the City Council:
1. Authorize the City Manager to negotiate and execute a second modification to
agreement #10443 (CCS) in the amount of $120,000 with Community Arts
Resources, a California-based company, to add additional scope for production
of the City’s COAST Open Streets Festival. The modification will reduce the total
multi-year contract amount’s not to exceed from $1,560,000 to $1,511,404 and
decrease the length of the contract term to four years. Future year funding will be
contingent on Council budget approval; and
2. Authorize budget changes as outlined in the Financial Impacts & Budget Actions
section of this report; and
3. Authorize the City Manager to appropriate $150,000 of Measure R funds to fund
COAST 2019 and COAST 2020 outlined in the Financial Impacts & Budget
Actions section of this report.
Summary
COAST is the City of Santa Monica’s annual open streets event. On Sunday,
September 15, 2019, more than two miles of Santa Monica streets will become a
communal gathering space for strollers, bikers, and rollers alike to come together and
build a more people-powered and sustainable Santa Monica. For this year, its fourth
iteration, COAST will celebrate all the ways people get around without cars and will
showcase the self-expression and creativity of participants. In order to streamline the
production of this event by consolidating the event expenses within the production
team’s budget rather than having staff contract directly with separate vendors, staff is
recommending a $120,000 increase in the annual authorized contract amount for the
COAST producer, Community Arts Resources, Inc (CARS). This will result in an annual
authorized contract amount of $432,000 for 2019 COAST and $441,000 for 2020
COAST. Staff is recommending an appropriation of $150,000 from eligible Measure R
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funds to partially support the production of this event over the next two years with the
balance of the funding from accounts identified in the Financial Impacts and Budget
Section of this report. The amended contract with CARS will cover the production of
COAST through 2020, at which point the event will be evaluated for continuation per
City Council’s directive in 2018. Recommendations from the evaluation will be brought
to Council for consideration.
Discussion
Following the 2017 & 2018 COAST events, staff identified services that were not initially
included in the scope of services in the agreement with CARS. These services included,
but were not limited to, additional K-Rail street barrier (which is used at intersections to
block cars from entering the street) installation for street closures the Santa Monica
Police Department required, street banners that marketed the event, and additional
advertisement purchases. Because they were not defined in the original contract, City
staff was responsible for procuring these services directly, an inefficient use of
resources.
As a result, staff is recommending this modification to the COAST contract so that
CARS can manage these aspects of the event. This will result in an expanded scope of
work for the contract and additional budget to include the additional services that were
previously managed by City Staff. Further, this will create efficiencies in the production
of the event by centralizing all the services with the producer instead of having various
divisions and staff managing and coordinating individual tasks. The additional services
and materials CARS will be responsible for will be procurement of the K -Rails and water
barricades needed to create a strong barrier between the traffic and the route, street
banners to advertise the events in the weeks preceding the event, additional overnight
security guard services to ensure the route setup is kept safe the night preceding the
event, rentals of tables, chairs, and street barriers for the various event zones, traffic
monitoring services to gather data on crowd size and event flow, additional media buys
to advertise the event, signage to demarcate the various event zones and activities,
graphic design services, flyer distribution, and pedicab services.
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Past Council Actions
Meeting Date Description
March 28, 2017 Contract to produce the first COAST Open Streets Festival
(Attachment A)
February 13, 2018 Authorization to hold the COAST Open Streets Festival
annually through 2020. Evaluate the event at the five-year
mark (2020) for continuance and location. This evaluation
will be informed by the updated Cultural Plan for the City,
which will assess strategies for citywide events. (Attachment
B)
Financial Impacts and Budget Actions
Staff seeks authority to approve funding from the General Fund and Measure R funds to
increase the annual amount of contract #10443 with Community Arts Resources for
additional scope in order to produce COAST Open Streets Festival.
Award of the contract requires the following budget change s:
FY 2018-19 Budget Changes
Release Funds Appropriate Funds
Account Number(s) Amount Account Number(s) Amount
27.102295 (Measure R) $150,000 C2704720.689120 $150,000
Total $150,000 Total $150,000
Agreement #
Request
Amount FY 18/19 Account #
Total FY 18/19
Revised Contract
Amount
10443 (CCS)
$100,000 01500003.552010.92151
$32,000 01400027.555570.92151
$75,000 C2704720.689120
$75,000 01100001.532330.12044
$150,000 01800004.553140
$432,000
Current
Amount
Authorized
Actuals for COAST
2017 & 2018
Requested
2019
Authorized
Amount
Requested
2020
Authorized
Amount
Total 4 Year
Amount
$1,562,000 $638,404 $432,000 $441,000 $1,511,404
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Future year funding is contingent on Council budget approval.
Prepared By: Anne Deasey, Executive Administrative Assistant
Approved
Forwarded to Council
Attachments:
A. A: March 28, 2017 Staff Report
B. B: February 23, 2017 Information Item
C. 2018 Oaks Initiative Disclosure (CARS)
D. C: February 13, 2018 Staff Report
Information Item
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February 23, 2017
To: Mayor and City Council
From: David Martin, Director, Planning and Community Development
Karen Ginsberg, Director, Community and Cultural Services
Subject: Coast Open Streets Festival 2017
Introduction
Santa Monica enjoys many special events every year, including a handful of signature
events that engage the entire community. Many of these events have become
anticipated moments in the year, and are special opportunities for community members
to engage with people and civic life. Events in Santa Monica are guided by an adopted
Events Policy that is administered by the Community Events Office, which also
processes the required event permits. Events are special opportunities to meaningfully
engage people but also require careful planning, skilled implementation and adequate
resourcing. Planning for many of Santa Monica’s annual events for 2017 are underway.
Response to the 2016 Coast Open Streets event was so positive, and so many
requests to repeat it were received, that it has been considered for continuation and
plans for the ongoing Coast Open Streets event are detailed in this Information Item.
Background
Coast, Santa Monica’s first open streets event, was held on Sunday, June 5, 2016, as
the hallmark community celebration of the opening of Expo Light Rail and the Colorado
Esplanade. An estimated 50,000 participants enjoyed activity zones focusing on the
arts, sustainability, and mobility with additional activities programmed along the
approximately two-mile route. The opening up of streets to pedestrians and bicyclists
enabled participants to experience Santa Monica in a new way, while also enjoying
Expo Light Rail and investments that Santa Monica has made to serve pedestrians and
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cyclists. The event was catalyzed initially by a Metro grant offer to fund temporary open
streets throughout LA County, and was pursued with encouragement from local bicycle
and pedestrian advocates. The timing worked out well to celebrate landmark changes in
Santa Monica with the opening of the light rail, bike share, and streetscapes. Event
participants enjoyed these special openings, but also communicated how satisfying it
was to walk and bike freely in the middle of Santa Monica streets like Main Street.
Artists and performers along the route created opportunities to enjoy music, dance and
visual art, and hubs engaged thousands of people in activities and discussions around
mobility, art, sustainability and current issues such as the Downtown Community P lan.
And everyone got a chance for spontaneous conversation with neighbors, friends, fellow
community members, and elected and appointed officials along the route.
The 2016 Coast event was funded by multiple sources, including a grant from Metro,
funds from the Santa Monica Festival, and the Office of Communications. Because the
Santa Monica Festival, which occurs annually in May, was so close to the scheduled
Coast event, in 2016 the decision was made to host Coast in lieu of the Festival, in
order to maximize staff and financial resources. Coast was a successful pilot event,
which benefitted from the combined energy and resources of staff typically allocated to
the Santa Monica Festival, in addition to grant resources and special event planning.
Discussion
Due to the event’s popularity, over the past six months an interdepartmental staff
committee has been evaluating the feasibility of continuing Coast. When considering
this possibility, the committee analyzed the City’s existing event calendar, a s well as
available staff and financial resources. Based on feedback received from community
participants and stakeholders, staff recommends holding the Coast Open Streets event
annually each fall and merging the Santa Monica Festival into Coast. The energy of
Coast Open Streets pairs well with the Santa Monica Festival, in being a community-
focused event that encourages people to participate locally in an active environment
that is both fun and educational. The 2016 Coast Open Streets pilot provided hubs o f
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activity that would merge well with the activities characteristic of the Santa Monica
Festival. It would be challenging, and possibly duplicative, to produce both an annual
open streets and festival event. Combining the events would create efficiencies in the
staff and community resources needed for both events.
Staff solicited feedback before, during and after the Coast open streets event. One of
the primary concerns raised by stakeholders following the event was the already busy
schedule in early June due to school graduations, summer weather, and holiday travel.
Staff’s consultation with the business community—particularly those along the Coast
route—indicated a preference for fall, since the summer is already incredibly busy; staff
is focusing on October as a potential month for the event.
While Coast is being proposed here as an annual event, its frequency may be evaluated
in the future based on an assessment of all of Santa Monica’s annual events. The 2017
event will again celebrate the arts, sustainability and mobility. The Santa Monica
Festival would not be held going forward; rather, features of it would be incorporated
into the Coast Open Streets event. Specifically, Coast events would be expanded to
create meaningful opportunities for community organizations to participate, a
component that was not included in Coast 2016, but is a popular part of the Santa
Monica Festival. Similarly, opportunities to engage creatively and actively with City
representatives and services would be part of ongoing Coast events. Finally, staff
proposes that the title of the event be changed to Coast: Santa Monica’s Open Streets
Festival.
The Coast Open Streets Festival would be a community event that brings together the
energy of Santa Monica’s vibrant organizations, service providers, non-profits and
interest groups. To be a successful event, it should be structured and organized to
engage community energy wisely and productively. This will require careful planning
and consistent attention from a core group of city staff and stakeholders. The planning
of the 2017 Coast Open Streets Festival would have significant involvement from the
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Cultural Affairs Division, Mobility Division and Office of Sustainability and the
Environment, along with marketing and outreach assistance from the Office of
Communications.
The 2017 event is anticipated to take place on the same route as the June 2016 event,
having Main Street (between Colorado Avenue and Marine Street), Colorado Avenue
(between 4th Street and Ocean Avenue), and Ocean Avenue (between Wilshire
Boulevard and Colorado Avenue) open to pedestrians and cyclists only. Automobile
traffic would be able to cross the event on Main Street at Olympic Drive, Pico Boulevard
and Ocean Park Boulevard. Fourth Street will remain open for all traffic. Staff will focus
on activating Ocean Avenue in response to feedback from the 2016 event .
Staff is committed to outreach, communication and collaboration with the community for
the event. Staff will engage our business, community, non-profit and transit partners in
the planning process and provide them with opportunities to participate in the
programming and activations of the day, while leveraging their social and
communication resources. Close coordination and cooperation from all departments is
once again anticipated.
The cost for Coast 2016 totaled $354,000. The funds came from a Metro grant, the
Office of Communications, monies usually spent on the Santa Monica Festival by
Cultural Affairs and the Office of Sustainability and the Environment, the GoSaMo
initiative, and in-kind costs associated with staff and waived fees. A Metro grant was a
significant part of the Coast 2016 budget, but is not available for 2017. Metro has
already committed $149,000 in grant funds towards Coast in 2018.
For Coast 2017, staff has increased the budget to $400,000 to allow for price inflation
and contingencies. These funds will come from repurposing existing resources, such as
those previously allocated for the Santa Monica Festival, the Pedestrian Action Plan
Implementation CIP fund and other sources. In March, staff will be returning to Council
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to seek approval to award a contract for the production of Coast 2017. Funds for Coast
2018 and beyond will be addressed in the upcoming two-year budget cycle.
As noted previously, events require careful planning, skilled implementation and
adequate resourcing. In an effort to maximize our staff and financial resources, an inter -
departmental team has convened to start the process of assessing citywide events. The
goal is to look at how the city should approach event production, frequency and funding,
and for staff to make a recommendation.
Prepared By: Beth Rolandson, AICP, Principal Transportation Planner
Attachments: A. Coast Open Streets 2016 Fact Sheet
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Attachment A
FACT SHEET
Marketing and Attendance
Attendance: 50,000
Total smgov.net/coast website visits: 24,944
Impressions on social media May 1 - June 6, 2016: 570,600
Posts to Instagram using #Coast2016: 542
Additional Facebook likes were garnered as a result of Coast : ~2000
Earned media placements: 37 Coast articles
Banner reach: 12.45MM
Seascape reach: 47k
Paid media
o Facebook seen by over 75k, clicked by 1,345, 1943 responses/comments via ads
o LA Times eblast: 50k
o LA Weekly eblast: 75k
o KCRW 5 things: 87k
o Estimated total: 16MM
Transportation
Total # of bikes valeted: 696
Number of Big Blue Bus riders: 11,888
Number of cars parked in downtown and Civic lots during event hours: 5,253
Money made from downtown and Civic lots: $51,350
o Compare to 1st Sunday in June 2015 which made $50,613 all day, including other lots
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FACT SHEET CONTINUED
Transportation continued
Number of Breeze bikes used: 1,546 (average Sunday in summer is between 1,000 – 1,300)
Transportation materials distributed at event:
o GoSaMo/Transportation related giveaways distributed: 10,000+
o GoSaMo mobility kiosk engagements: 15k
o GoSaMo email sign up in May/June: 850+
o TAP cards given away: 400
o BOGO purchases: 91
Business Participation
Number of outreach meetings prior to event: 63
Number of businesses that offered specials: 64
Business engagement/number of businesses along route: 251
Staff Involvement
Number of city staff supporting event day of: 193
Aaron Paley, Katie Bergin
REFERENCE:
Modified Contract No. 10443
(CCS)