REPORT TO COUNCIL
SUBJECT
Title
Recognition of Holiday Home Decorating Contest Winners
Report
BACKGROUND
In the early 2000s, the City Manager’s Office (CMO) initiated a Holiday Decoration Contest in the City of Santa Clara. Since the beginning of the Contest the winners received lawn signs (made by Public Works) to recognize their holiday spirit in the Santa Clara community. In 2014, the Senior Center assumed the Holliday Decorating Contest implementation including: promotion, processing nominations, judging, mapping contestant homes, coordinated with Public Works to make the lawn sign, and generating a results list posted to the website.
In 2018, over fifty residents applied for the competition, the nominations were divided by categories (Best Residence, Special Recognition and Best Neighborhood), and volunteers from the Senior Advisory Commission and Cultural Commission assisted with visiting and judging the nominations. In past years, judging was done in one evening over 4 hours with one group of volunteers. In 2018, due to the number of nominations the volunteer judging process took place over multiple evenings. As usual, home holiday decorations were creative, competition was stiff, and holiday joy was abundant.
DISCUSSION
Volunteer judges voted for entries based on lighting, color, originality, and festivity. Judges took into account the creative use of lighting, color choices and amount of lighting, the use of decorations, the presence of themes, and the overall aesthetic of the entry. Categories eligible for nomination were Best Residence, Special Recognition, Best Neighborhood, Best Business, and Best Tree. This year there were no nominations for Best Business or Best Tree.
Winners were notified the week of January 7th and received the coveted Holiday Decorating Contest Winner lawn sign, along with a posting in the Santa Clara Weekly. Due to the volume of nominations, judging tabulation was not completed until after the City Holiday period. Staff was not prepared to bring this report to the City Council meeting on January 15 because the staff report deadlines for that Council agenda were established for mid-December to accommodate the holiday closure and workload.
The City would like to recognize the great and cheerful efforts made by residents to brighten their neighborhoods in a spirit of friendship. The City therefore acknowledges the winners of the 2018 Holiday Home Decorating Contest:
Residence Winners:
• Chavez Family
• Clouse Family
• Martin Family
Special Recognition:
• Pontious Family
Best Neighborhood:
• Crocker Family and Neighbors
ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEW
The action being considered does not constitute a “project” within the meaning of the California Environmental Quality Act (“CEQA”) pursuant to CEQA Guidelines section 15378(b)(5) in that it is a governmental organizational or administrative activity that will not result in direct or indirect changes in the environment.
FISCAL IMPACT
The fiscal impact to the General Fund includes staff time for promotion, coordination of volunteer judges to visit homes in the evening hours, evaluation of results, creating the lawn sign and delivery, and recognition of the contest winners.
COORDINATION
This report has been coordinated with the Finance Department and the City Manager’s Office.
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 <mailto:clerk@santaclaraca.gov> or at the public information desk at any City of Santa Clara public library.
Staff
Prepared by: James Teixeira, Director of Parks & Recreation
Approved by: Deanna J. Santana, City Manager