CITY COUNCIL REGULAR MEETING AGENDA 9-15-26

Page 1 of 4 Item #12 CITY COUNCIL AGENDA REPORT September 15, 2026 Library and Recreation TITLE: ADOPT A COMMUNITY SPECIAL EVENT SUPPORT POLICY SUMMARY The proposed Community Special Event Support Policy (Attachment 1) establishes a transparent and equitable framework for how the City of Pleasanton evaluates and provides support to community organizations presenting special events that benefit Pleasanton residents. The Policy formalizes existing practices, introduces tiered support categories, and strengthens accountability through application requirements, written agreements, and post- event reporting. BACKGROUND The City currently coordinates 22 special events annually that require street closures or parking restrictions. The total number of special events held in the city last year was 59. Attachment 2 describes each of these events and includes the relevant Category each event would fall under within the proposed policy. While City support for community events has been provided consistently, there has not been a comprehensive policy governing how that support is requested, evaluated, or awarded. Existing practices have developed organically over time through various organizational agreements, facility use agreements, and annual budget deliberations. As demand for City support has grown and the nature of requests has expanded to include marketing, social media promotion, brand use, and staffing, staff has identified the need for a clear Council- adopted policy. Staff undertook a review of peer agency policies and conducted an internal review of current practices. The resulting draft policy was presented to the City Council at the September 1, 2026 City Council meeting. Sections 7 and 9 were updated based on City Council feedback to make the application window more flexible and to specify reporting windows for events within a series. Original Language for Section 7A: "All Event Organizers must submit a Special Event Application annually between October 1 and 31 of each year for events in the following calendar year. Category 2 (City-Partnered) support applications received after the deadline must wait for the following year’s approval cycle. Category 3 (City-Assisted) applications may be considered outside the application window, subject to the discretion of the Special Events Committee. Applications are available at: https://www.cityofpleasantonca.gov/your-community/community-support/#special-event." Updated Language for Section 7A: "Special Event Applications submitted annually between October 1 and 31 of each year for events in the following calendar year will receive special priority. Applications received outside this window may be considered. Applications are available at: Page 95 of 318