West Hollywood Mayor Jeffrey Prang said Wednesday that contradictory to public belief, the city does not make any money from the ever-popular Halloween Carnaval.
"There are some assumptions and myths that are untrue," Prang said. "We don’t make any money on Halloween. We spend almost $900,000."
Prang said the city gives nearly $500,000 to the agency that plans and organizes the event, and more than $300,000 goes to the sheriff's department.
However, the money the city receives from West Hollywood businesses in return, which is based off the city sales tax, comes nowhere near the amount of money the city spends on the Carnaval, according to Prang.
"I'm kind of a critic because of the money we spend on it. I'm a supporter of the event but not the size of it," Prang said. "The city has deemed it important. But every year, when people say it’s a moneymaker for the city, that’s just not true."
Prang listed a number of reasons as to why businesses around West Hollywood do not enjoy as much success on Halloween night as one might anticipate.
"There are a bunch of businesses in the area—bars, night clubs and restaurants—that have a good night," Prang said. "But up on Sunset Boulevard, businesses don’t do as well because no one wants to come unless they're going to Halloween because of traffic and parking. Customers can't get to these business and in turn, they're not busy. Parking can be miles away and people park in front of businesses, then walk to the Carnaval."
Prang said he has been attending the event since 1987 and has seen it transform over the years.
"Basically, it used to be in the main business district, but it got enormous over the years," Prang said. "I always ask the question, would this event not be a wildly successful event if it had 100,000 people instead of 400,000? Could we provide a more quality event? We provide Halloween entertainment for all of Southern California."
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I'd like it to go back to just people showing up in costume. We don't need a stage or KIIS or others using the event to promote or profit. Let the businesses on SMB open to the streets and rake in cash for as many taxable drinks and food or tchotchkes . Let the hotels fill up with guests paying the TOT. Maybe it will all make up for the lost tax revenue on Sunset. But the City shouldn't have to lose $1 million on this event.
If there is no social or monetary reason to justify this nightmare, why do we do it?
SM was closed before noon. Traffic was backed up on Doheny almost to Sunset - that's terrible. I'd like to see Mayor Prang push to make an effort to cut this way back next year.
Permit Parking restriction are apparently not going to be enforced, however I still wonder if the popular 'failure to curb car wheel' tickets will not be give out. Along with countless illegal parking in red zones, or spots specifically signed for the event. The amount of Alcohol Consumed comes with the process of purchasing it in and consuming in our licensed bars, which would seem to be a lot of city revenue. The system which seems like 'sub-contracting' out the event reminds me of the phony way the city pretends they simply contract out parking enforcement as if it is not in essence a way to disguise and rename all the parking ticket revenue coming into the city annually. But I don't think, with all due respect to your office/position/title, that anyone apart form Heilman and our city manager know, understand and manipulate the massive city budget (relative to the population). Mr. Prang said he lives on/off Sweetzer near city hall, yet want the insane Robo-Garage near his home? Common sense seems lacking in the our city governing process.
comments - and I especially agree with Scott.
Like Pride, I suspect the rates are much higher for Halloween, and the Hotel Tax is a percentage (a high %) of the room's nightly cost. Likewise I imaging all the clubs on Sunset will be having special events, again at higher prices for Halloween. But I think it is like the Parking Scam where there are stories about each ticket written costs the city anywhere from $25-$40 just to process (of course they fail to mention the city get that 'processing' money in a different titled income source)
Set it up so people have to pay that are not is costume and cut back it will bring it back the old Halloween which was really fun and you got to enteract with most of the people that went. It is now just a huge sea of people and it is not the fun it used to be! Reply Leave a comment Send me email updates for this article
...but The Corporation of West Hollywood can spend almost one million dollars on a party. What have we become? I hope you were misquoted, Jeff when the author of this states "Prang said the city gives nearly $500,000 to the agency that plans and organizes the event". I hope "gives" should have been "pays" as I am assuming the "agency" is not a nonprofit entity. If, we as a city (corporation) are going to "give" money away, then I want my portion to be given to people who need it like the APLA Food Bank or some of the 13.2% of people who are struggling to make ends meet, pay their rent and put food in their families mouths.
I always thought the City organized it. Now I learn they don't and it has become a big, sponsored event that has grown out of control. Why should the City give the people who organize it any money at all? The organizers should give the City money to have it on our turf, the way it disrupts things, especially when Halloween falls on a weekday. Personally, I don't believe Prang's comment that the City is out almost a $1mil for this thing. I still think the City makes money on it.
I quote: "Superstar recording artist Rihanna paid a visit to the Greystone Manor Supperclub in West Hollywood on Wednesday night, where she was crowned Halloween Carnaval Queen. Mayor Jeff Prang and members of Weho city council presented Rihanna with a crown and a key to the city, as well as flowers and a commemorative certificate." Talk about a waste of money...a crown and a key to the city and they weren't even at the event..they were at a supperclub!
No we don't. We provide "adult" entertainment for all of Southern California. Children (and dogs?) are not advised to partake. So this is not an accurate comment - however well meaning it may have been. The best part is we pay for all of it too. The demand register will be on the agenda for the Nov 5 City Council. Maybe someone should demand to see how this chunk of change gets parsed. As it stands now - it a paid event sponsored by the City of West Hollywood that is essentially rated R. As an aside - some of the costumes worn by four of CC members were very fascinating - I wonder who/what they were supposed to be???? Anyone have a clue???