REPORT TO COUNCIL
SUBJECT
Title
Action on the Proposed Mission College Location for the City’s 4th of July Special Event Activities
Report
COUNCIL PILLARS
Promote Community Engagement and Transparency
Enhance Community Sports, Recreational and Arts Assets
BACKGROUND
Historically, the City of Santa Clara has sponsored an All-City Picnic and Fireworks Show at Central Park on the 4th of July. Due to budget constraints, funding for special events in the amount of $358,116 was cut from the Department of Parks and Recreation’s (Department) operating budget in fiscal year (FY) 2021/2022. This resulted in the elimination of the fireworks portion of the 4th of July activities. In 2022 and 2023 the City offered a 4th of July All-City Picnic in Central Park that included activities, food trucks, and entertainment. The Department was asked to explore the feasibility of restoring the fireworks component of the All-City Picnic for 2024.
The City’s last fireworks show held in Central Park was in 2019. The City’s public safety departments have expressed concerns about the use of Central Park for a night-time firework show. The landscape of events has changed from a public safety perspective since the City’s last 4th of July fireworks show at Central Park. The historic Central Park location is not a feasible event location without significant enhancement of resources that are not budgeted and that would be cost prohibitive for the City. Additionally, while events have been very well attended in prior years, those crowds resulted in congestion in surrounding neighborhoods impacting public safety’s ability to respond to incidents. This event impacted the entire neighborhood as traffic was stopped from Kiely Boulevard to San Tomas Expressway and Homestead Road to Benton Street. Emergency services were blocked from accessing the interior of the event due to the size of the crowd. The area has further changed as the Magical Bridge Playground takes up the large meadow on the Kiely side of the park. Also, a new variable is that Santa Clara Unified School District (SCUSD) has fenced the adjacent school site (Central Park Elementary School) and installed irrigation in the area previously used for viewing the fireworks. The field is accessed from Sonoma Place and is not connected to Central Park. In 2024, staff was advised that the school district would allow the use of the field with the following conditions:
1. That resources be allocated to ensure the safety of the premises during the event.
2. That all costs incurred by SCUSD attributable to the event would be reimbursed in whole by the City, including costs related to property damage, litter/debris removal, general clean-up and security charges incurred by the District.
In addition to the circumstances described above, the George F. Haines International Swim Center (ISC) remains closed as remediation efforts continue. A detailed update on ISC is scheduled for an upcoming Council meeting.
Therefore, based on a careful evaluation of the feasibility of holding the 4th of July event at Central Park, and in particular the safety challenges involved, Central Park does not appear to be a viable location for hosting the 4th of July Independence Day Celebration.
Through staff’s evaluation of other potential site locations and partnerships, the Plaza at Mission College was identified in 2024 as a suitable location for the 4th of July event. The College campus appeared to have sufficient infrastructure, on-site security, and available parking and staff resources to support the event and collaborate with the City to produce it. Mission College committed to making their facilities and staffing available for the event, including free parking, access to appropriate facilities for event staging, “day-of” campus security, and facilities staffing. Staff also explored a partnership with Great America to enhance their existing fireworks show for the benefit of the community. Great America’s proximity to Mission College allows attendees at the 4th of July event to experience the fireworks show at Great America in the evening.
On April 23, 2024, the City Council authorized the City Manager to negotiate with Mission College and Great America and take all necessary steps to host and provide services for the 2024 All-City Picnic and Fireworks Extravaganza and approved the addition of the 4th of July Fireworks show to Silicon Valley Power’s List of Annual Sponsorships in the amount of $50,000.
The 2024 4th of July Independence Day Celebration at Mission College, followed by the fireworks show at Great America, was an ideal venue for the holiday celebration. Mission College provided spacious grounds for families to enjoy the festivities, with convenient access for surrounding neighborhoods. Event highlights included live entertainment featuring the Santa Clara Vanguard, food trucks offering American and international cuisine, and interactive booths from City departments including Parks & Recreation, Police, Fire, Library, and Water & Sewer. Event sponsors supported the event. Amenities included a cooling center and free lawn games. The partnership between Mission College and the City of Santa Clara ensured a comfortable, well-prepared campus, demonstrating their commitment to the Santa Clara community.
The 2024 event at Mission College did present some challenges such as having sufficient parking for the attendees, views of the fireworks from various parts of the Plaza were obstructed, and there were post-event traffic flow issues as multiple 4th of July celebrations along the Highway 101 corridor ending at the same time. Although there were a few challenges at Mission College, the City is well prepared to address parking and post-event traffic congestion with the potential return of the 4th of July Independence Day Celebration to Mission College.
Mission College and Great America have expressed their willingness to partner with the City again on the 2025 4th of July activities. Staff recommends approval from the City Council to host the 4th of July Independence Day Celebration at Mission College in partnership with Mission College and Great America.
DISCUSSION
This report provides a summary of key considerations for the proposal to host the 4th of July Independence Day Celebration at Mission College.
Site Conditions at Central Park
The City’s last fireworks show held in Central Park was in 2019. Since then, the Santa Clara Unified School District (SCUSD) has fenced the adjacent school site (Central Park Elementary School) and installed irrigation in the area previously used for viewing the fireworks. In early 2024, staff was advised that the school district would allow the use with the following conditions:
1. That resources be allocated to ensure the safety of the premises during the event.
2. That all costs incurred by SCUSD attributable to the event would be reimbursed in whole by the City including costs related to property damage, litter/debris removal, general clean-up and any security charges incurred by the District.
In addition to the change at the school district property, there have also been changes at Central Park that impact the viability and safety of hosting the All-City picnic and Fireworks show at the location. The George F. Haines International Swim Center (ISC) remains closed as pool and facility access remediation efforts continue. Large-scale events, such as the 4th of July event present significant public safety concerns.
The City’s public safety departments have also expressed concerns about the use of Central Park for a night-time firework show. The landscape of events has changed from a public safety perspective since the City’s last 4th of July fireworks show was held at Central Park in 2019. The historic Central Park location will require a significant enhancement of resources that are not budgeted and are cost prohibitive for the City. Additionally, while events have been very well attended in prior years, those crowds resulted in congestion in surrounding neighborhoods impacting the public safety’s ability to respond to incidents.
Should City Council decide to pursue hosting the 4th of July event at Central Park, staff recommends an All-City Picnic family friendly daytime event that would include community performers, live music, food trucks, activities for the children and exhibitor booths from City Departments and sponsors. In addition to the daytime event the City could still co-sponsor the Fireworks Show at California’s Great America with an enhanced show that could be seen from inside and outside the Park.
Mission College
In recent years, the City Council has expressed a desire that City departments explore partnerships to leverage community benefit. Mission College’s infrastructure and resources includes, but is not limited to, a central plaza with a large grass area and entertainment stage, multiple parking lots, on-site security, utilities and power to support special events and well as other facilities that might be needed for storage and/or event organization. These amenities made Mission College a wonderful host for the 2024 4th of July Independence Day Celebration and staff recommends hosting the 2025 event there again.
If Mission College is selected as the site location for the upcoming 2025 celebration, staff plans to implement several enhancements based on community feedback. An additional entrance will be created on the north side of campus to reduce wait times and improve traffic flow for patrons. The entertainment lineup will include live performances throughout the day. The City will also increase directional signage with clear instructions on optimal viewing locations for the Great America fireworks show, ensuring that all attendees can enjoy the spectacular display regardless of where they're situated on campus. An improved traffic plan will be implemented for emergency vehicles and to facilitate smoother departures from Mission College at the end of the event.
Staff has engaged in initial discussions with Mission College about how the 2025 activities will be implemented to further improve the event, including potential overflow parking, and will continue those conversations should the City Council approve staff’s recommendation.
Great America
Great America has traditionally offered a 4th of July special event and regularly conducts firework shows on their property. They have an existing relationship with a fireworks vendor and an approved plan for conducting fireworks shows in a safe manner.
Great America has indicated their willingness to partner again with the City for an enhanced 4th of July fireworks show for 2025. The current estimate for the enhancement of Great America’s firework show is $20,000. These funds can be allocated from the existing event budget.
Public Safety Resources
As described above, a 4th of July fireworks event at Central Park is not advised as it requires significant public safety resources to adequately support the event. This can create issues, particularly during a time of year where Stadium events are already placing substantial demands on public safety resources. Due to Mission College’s existing infrastructure and on-site security, the proposed Mission College location will require a smaller deployment from the City’s public safety departments, thus saving limited staffing resources and funds.
Costs and Funding
The budget for the fireworks portion of the 4th of July special event activities was eliminated starting in FY 2021/22. The Department of Parks & Recreation has sufficient savings in FY 2024/25 to support the event. The current estimate for the cost of the firework show enhancement at Great America is $20,000, inclusive of associated permit fees. This may increase, as staff and Great America discuss plans to enhance the fireworks display. There are additional costs associated with equipment and staffing from Mission College and involved departments, including Parks & Recreation, Police and Public Works. The Great America fireworks and Mission City/City costs will be covered by Silicon Valley Power’s annual sponsorship of the fireworks show in the amount of $50,000.
Conclusion
Given the current conditions at Central Park and limited public safety resources during the timeframe of the event, staff recommends pursuing a partnership with Mission College and Great America for the 2025 4th of July Independence Day Celebration. This option provides for a site location with adequate resources to support a large-scale special event that will not have a significant impact on residential neighborhoods, the ability to provide a fireworks show that can be implemented in a safe and controlled area with minimal cost, and mitigation of traffic congestion and other adverse impacts to the Central Park neighborhood on the holiday.
Staff will explore a feasible site for 2026 that meets the conditions for a City-sponsored community 4th of July celebration of the 250th anniversary of the United States Declaration of Independence.
ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEW
The proposed project is categorically exempt from the California Environmental Quality Act (“CEQA”) per CEQA Guidelines Section 15304(e) (Class 4 - Minor Alterations to Land) as it consists of minor temporary use of land having negligible or no permanent effects on the environment. The proposed 4th of July event is consistent with such allowable temporary uses.
FISCAL IMPACT
The Department of Parks and Recreation budget has sufficient funding to support the 4th of July Independence Day Celebration. The remaining additional cost for the event, including the estimated $20,000 for the firework show at California’s Great America and $30,000 for equipment and staffing costs from Mission College and City departments that will need to support the event, will be funded by Silicon Valley Power’s annual sponsorship ($50,000).
COORDINATION
This report has been coordinated with the City Manager’s Office, the City Attorney’s Office, and the Police and Finance Departments.
PUBLIC CONTACT
Public contact was made by posting the Council agenda on the City’s official-notice bulletin board outside City Hall Council Chambers. A complete agenda packet is available on the City’s website and in the City Clerk’s Office at least 72 hours prior to a Regular Meeting and 24 hours prior to a Special Meeting. A hard copy of any agenda report may be requested by contacting the City Clerk’s Office at (408) 615-2220, email clerk@santaclaraca.gov or at the public information desk at any City of Santa Clara public library.
RECOMMENDATION
Recommendation
1. Determine that the proposed actions are exempt from CEQA pursuant to Section 15304(e) (Class 4 - Minor Alterations to Land) of Title 14 of California Code of Regulations; and
2. Authorize the City Manager to negotiate with Mission College and Great America and take all necessary steps to host and provide services for the 2025 4th of July Independence Day Celebration in alignment with the plan outlined in this Report.
Staff
Prepared by: Kimberly Castro, Recreation Manager
Reviewed by: Damon Sparacino, Director of Parks and Recreation Department
Approved by: Jovan D. Grogan, City Manager