CONSIDERATION OF A REQUEST FROM IMG TO PRODUCE AN EVENING CONCERT ON THE BEACH ON THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 23, 2004, FEATURING SHERYL CROW. (Continued from Regular City Council meeting of August 10, 2004.) Memorandum from Lisa Lynn, Community Resources Department, dated August 11, 2004.
City Attorney Jenkins addressed a concern raised at the August 10 meeting by Councilmember Edgerton about the possibility of a conflict of interest since one of his major clients is American Express. City Attorney Jenkins said the reason for Councilmember Edgerton’s absence this evening, is because he advised him that, to be conservative, it would be best for him to not hear the matter and to not attend tonight’s meeting, since it is the only agenda item.
City Manager Burrell presented the staff report and responded to Council questions
Coming forward to address the Council on this item were:
James Leitz – IMG, said that the Sheryl Crow and Friends concert was being produced by Momentum and sponsored by American Express; described the schedule for the evening; said that the “friends” might be John Mayer, the Dixie Chicks, Sara McLaughlin, and Eric Clapton, who had been on the program with Sheryl Crow for other American Express Blue concerts in New York’s Central Park and Chicago’s Grant Park; said American Express preferred unique settings, that Los Angeles offered a beach atmosphere and Hermosa Beach was the best beach in the Los Angeles area; discussed plans to handle such issues as traffic, parking with shuttles, crowd control, temporary rest rooms, not closing The Strand; described marketing with radio spots with giveaways, some outdoor and newspaper advertising, and internet activity; said that 24.9% of the beach seating area would be VIP for holders of American Express blue cards and some VIP’s in the Beach House; said that seven square feet had been allotted for each person, that they were expected 10,000, but the space allotment would allow much more; said building inspectors would be inspecting their construction, that there would be grids for 3500 people, surrounded by fabric fence with aisles between the grids for safety; said there were no gates but that security personnel would be checking coolers for alcohol, etc., at six entrances; said the 60 security personnel were trained for concerts and it was not expected that Sheryl Crow would draw an audience which would be difficult;
Becher Anderson – Hermosa Beach, asked the Council to think about the residents instead of having the City overrun with events which do not benefit the people; said a small percentage of the audience would be from Hermosa Beach; urged the Council to consider safety; said this was a commercial enterprise which would require police, fire and paramedic presence;
Barbara Ellman – Hermosa Beach, asked for a definition of organized sand seating; was worried about a large crowd of people on the beach, which is small compared to previous venues such as Central Park; thought that the seven-day setup seemed too long;
Sam Perrotti – Hermosa Beach, said his main concern was parking and if there is a good parking plan, the event would probably be a positive event to “put Hermosa Beach on the map”;
Ken Bergeron – Hermosa Beach, said he and his wife had two small children and thought the concert seemed like a great idea and one that would provide much-needed funds for the City; agreed that parking was an important issue, as well as security;
Carleen Beste – Hermosa Beach, said she hoped for a successful event to support Hermosa Beach businesses, especially after Labor Day, and to provide funding for important projects like street repairs;
Carla Merriman – Executive Director, Hermosa Beach Chamber of Commerce, agreed that the concert would be good for businesses; said about 20 large school busses would be needed to assist with the audience departure when the concert was over and said she had given Mr. Leitz the names of her contacts for that type of transportation; suggested large signage or banners be posted in Manhattan Beach and North and South Redondo Beach to direct concert attendees to the shuttle parking areas before they arrived in the downtown area, and also to post shuttle parking information on the website; asked for a link to the Chamber’s website to assist visitors with locating accommodations and other services in the City;
Laura Raymond – Hermosa Beach, said that she supported this opportunity for a first-class event to reflect positively on Hermosa Beach; saw this concert as a unique opportunity for residents to experience something special close to home and bring in funds;
Maureen Ferguson – Hermosa Beach, said it was great to see 5,000 people having a great time at the Sunset Concerts and felt the City was ready to host a larger event like this one to show the world how great Hermosa Beach is;
Matt Raymond – Hermosa Beach, said this is a great opportunity for the City and he hoped the Council would support the request;
Al Benson – Hermosa Beach, provided to the Council a list of questions and concerns; said it was one thing to have 5,000 people on the beach for a concert and something else to have 10,000 or even more; expressed concern about alcohol;
Tim Personius – Hermosa Beach, urged the Council to move slowly on this decision to determine if a few dollars were important for the long-term benefit of residents; said comments might be different if there were more speakers representing children and families or residents who live near the beach, where the impact might be greater; said he read in the newspaper that Hermosa Beach had become an entertainment venue for Southern California and felt that was not necessarily a good thing;
J. Howard – said she was involved in the special event business and that Momentum and IMG were first-class organizations who know what they are doing; said this was a wonderful opportunity for the City; and
Dave Williams – Hermosa Beach, spoke in support of the concert, stating that he had worked with IMG and they have a good reputation and track record; said Hermosa Beach is one of the most desired markets for special events; said the City staff was asking the right questions and that IMG was providing the answers and he felt confident that this would be a benefit to the City and its citizens.
Action:
To approve the staff recommendation to:
- Approve the concert scheduled for September 23, 2004, featuring Sheryl Crow, taking into consideration Council comments during the hearing, and direct staff to work with IMG;
- Direct staff to make sure that the contract includes a venue fee of a minimum of $75,000, with any additional costs for contingency plans not to be taken from that amount but paid for by the other parties; and
- Direct staff to make sure that the contract includes language to indicate that there will be 60 unarmed security guards or as many as are deemed necessary.
Motion Tucker, second Keegan. The motion carried, noting the absence of Councilmember Edgerton.
