TO:
Honorable Mayor and Members of the City Council
THROUGH:
Talyn Mirzakhanian, Acting City Manager
FROM:
Rachel Johnson, Chief of Police
Andrew Enriquez, Police Captain
Matt Sabosky, Police Lieutenant
SUBJECT:Title
Discussion of Options for Changing the Start Time of the Street Closures for the Holiday Fireworks Event (Police Chief Johnson).
(Estimated Time: 10 Min.)
DISCUSS AND PROVIDE DIRECTION
Body
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RECOMMENDATION:
Staff recommends that the City Council discuss and provide direction on next steps, if any.
FISCAL IMPLICATIONS:
There are no fiscal implications associated with the recommended action.
BACKGROUND:
At the October 1, 2024, City Council meeting, the City Council directed staff to research and present information related to changing the timing of the street closures for the Holiday Fireworks Show. At the September 17, 2024, City Council Meeting, some downtown business owners spoke during public comment and expressed concern that street closures would affect business revenues during the Holiday Fireworks Event. A request to consider closing the streets at 2:00 p.m. rather than the planned 1:00 p.m. closure was presented.
DISCUSSION:
The Holiday Fireworks event is scheduled for December 8, 2024. In addition to the fireworks show at 7:00 p.m., several activities commence at 3:00 p.m. and 4:00 p.m. The Upper South Pier Parking Lot will host a snow park for children, and the Upper North Pier Parking Lot will host a VIP area for dining and event viewing. Other activities throughout the day include a Santa Claus meet and greet on Manhattan Avenue, live bands on a stage at the base of the Pier , and the Mira Costa Choir Carolers strolling the Downtown Area. In addition to the scheduled activities, blanket seating has historically been permitted on Manhattan Beach Boulevard for fireworks viewing beginning at 3:00 p.m. when these activities commence.
The 2024 Holiday Fireworks timeline of street closures and activities are as follows:
6:00 a.m. Closure of all Pier Parking Lots and the 100 block of Manhattan Beach Boulevard to facilitate pyrotechnics set-up, building of the main stage, set-up of the VIP area and the snow park in the Upper Pier Parking Lots
1:00 p.m. Closure of Manhattan Beach Boulevard and Manhattan Avenue to Manhattan Beach Boulevard and Valley Drive to facilitate the clearing of streets, towing of vehicles, and installation of vehicle barriers
1:00 p.m. Closure of Manhattan Avenue and 11th Street to Manhattan Avenue and 14th Street to facilitate the clearing of streets, towing of vehicles, and installation of vehicle barriers
2:00 p.m. Closure of Manhattan Avenue and 9th Street to Manhattan Avenue and 11th Street to facilitate the clearing of streets for ADA parking
3:00 p.m. Hard lockdown, vehicle barriers closed.
3:00 p.m. Sketchers Snow Park opens to the Friendship Foundation.
3:00 p.m. Seating is permitted on Manhattan Beach Boulevard behind vehicle barriers.
3:00 p.m. Mira Costa Choir Carolers stroll Downtown
4:00 p.m. All activities, including the Santa Claus photograph station, begin on Manhattan Avenue
4:00 p.m. Sketchers Snow Park opens to the general public
4:00 p.m. Live bands begin to play on the main stage at the base of the Pier
7:00 p.m. Fireworks begin
10:00 p.m. Cleanup concludes
In addition to the closures, the Police Department is responsible for providing physical safety and security to over fifty-thousand residents and visitors against any physical threats in the area. The Police Department conducts bomb dog searches and stages several Special Weapons and Tactics (SWAT) and sniper teams. A command post must be set up and over one hundred CSC security and law enforcement personnel must be briefed and deployed to monitor the large crowds that are permitted to begin seating on Manhattan Beach Boulevard beginning at 3:00 p.m. In addition to these safety concerns, all vendors must be loaded in and released from the secure area before the area is closed to vehicular traffic and locked behind vehicle barriers at 3:00 p.m.
The request to move street closures from 1:00 p.m. to 2:00 p.m. is feasible. However, the movement of this closure time has the potential to move the availability of permitted seating on Manhattan Beach Boulevard from 3:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. In addition, the final setup of vendors and activity areas hired by the Downtown Manhattan Beach Business and Professional Association on Manhattan Avenue could be delayed from 4:00 p.m. to 4:30 pm. The exact times of delays related to seating on Manhattan Beach Boulevard and activity areas on Manhattan Avenue will not be known until the day of the event, as the logistical challenges with moving the street closure times cannot be fully anticipated.
The 6:00 a.m. closures in the 100 block of Manhattan Beach Boulevard cannot be adjusted. This is to ensure the proper load-in of the event infrastructure. Adjusting the 1:00 p.m. closure beyond 2:00 p.m. is not feasible if the Santa Claus entertainment is to begin at 4:00 p.m. and the rest of the event schedule is to remain unchanged.
With he information provided herein, staff recommends that the City Council discuss and provide direction on next steps, if any.
ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEW:
The City has reviewed the proposed activity for compliance with the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) and has determined that the activity is not a “Project” as defined under Section 15378 of the State CEQA Guidelines; therefore, pursuant to Section 15060(c)(3) of the State CEQA Guidelines the activity is not subject to CEQA. Thus, no environmental review is necessary.
LEGAL REVIEW:
The City Attorney has reviewed this report and determined that no additional legal analysis is necessary.