Heritage Endowment

There was serious discussion this year by the City Council and Staff about eliminating or substantially cutting back on the City's annual Fourth of July celebration. It is estimated that the cost of the parade, the party at Colton Hall, and the fireworks is in excess of $200,000 per year. This is paid for out of the general fund, and is a potential target in any cost cutting budget year such as we faced this year and may again face next year.

Happily, the Council voted unanimously to continue the event for another year (2005). But the Fourth of July celebration will be on the table again next year, and any year when projected revenues are less than expenses.

I believe that our celebration of the birthday of the City and the Nation is an essential part of our sense of community and place, and of the Monterey heritage which we pass on to our children. My children have attended the parade and events every year since we resumed this tradition in 1989. All have at some point participated in the parade, and all have worked the party in a booth for the city or another non-profit. I see friends during the party that I only see once a year, and with the music and camaraderie, we have developed a wonderful way to celebrate our community and ourselves.

We are unique among Peninsula cities in hosting this event, and some visitors come every year just for the spirit of Monterey. Like the Butterfly parade in Pacific Grove, this event defines who we are and is a source of distinction and pride.

We must not allow budget constraints to eclipse our celebration in future years, or suspend it as happened in the 1970's. I propose that we establish a charitable foundation to solicit and retain public donations and grants so that, over time, we can endow the cost of this, and other critical heritage experiences for our citizens.

I don't think this is a particularly novel idea, as I first learned of similar municipal foundations while attending a League of California Cities conference in the early 90's. I proposed the concept while on the Parks and Recreation Commission but could garner no significant support for the idea. But the City was relatively wealthy then, and did not envision present circumstances where the State is raiding our treasury of about $2.5 million a year.

Other California cities have used charitable foundations to good effect, funding city programs from a municipal golf course to scholarships for city camps. There is no reason why we should not establish one here, as our citizens have a wonderful sense of the value and heritage of their community, and I think would give to maintain what they believe are unique and essential services. Indeed, several citizens told various council members that they would be willing to contribute their money to the event.

I organized a capital campaign for the Family Resource Center in 1989 which raised $650,000 to build a center for child abuse treatment and prevention, so I have some experience in this area. I propose that the City pay the minor expense to set up and organize a non-profit public benefit 25102(c)(3) corporation or foundation with the specific purpose of endowing heritage events for the citizens of Monterey. It would be governed by a Board of Directors consisting of community leaders - former mayors, council members, business persons, neighborhood leaders, etc. - but would not be controlled by a current City Council.

All citizens could become members of the foundation, with annual contributions in the form of dues. The City, which currently has a "grant writer" on staff, would provide such a qualified person to staff the foundation as needed, and to undertake application for government and business charitable grants to help fund the endowment. A vigorous initial capital campaign would be conducted seeking charitable gifts and bequests from our citizens to raise an initial endowment of something like one million dollars, and the interest/income on the endowment would accumulate in any year when not needed to help fund the event - so that eventually, the foundation could take over funding and planning the event in perpetuity.

Other events, such as La Posada or the Easter Egg hunt (both currently victims of budget cuts), in which my children have all participated as part of their childhood, could be included in the ambit of the foundation, as the Board and Members may decide. Conceivably, camperships, the Library, and after school enrichment programs could be the recipients of additional funding, as the fundraising would be ongoing from year to year as we endow our children's future experience of Monterey.

There is very little downside to this effort. A feasibility study would initially be conducted at modest cost to the City, but once the foundation and campaign was organized it would take on a life of its own - immune to the vagaries of budget and politics. The Fourth of July would never again be threatened by budget constraints.

If elected, I would exert maximum effort to see that this program gets organized, and goes forward successfully.