The West Hollywood City Council is considering cutting the Sunset Strip Music Festival amid budget concerns. (photo courtesy of The Sunset Strip)

At the May 18 West Hollywood City Council meeting, the council received a comprehensive update on the city operating budget for the next two fiscal years. The budget will officially go into effect on July 1. Each department spoke to the council about the specifics of the budget, which – as presented by staff – was balanced for the next two fiscal years. This said, a $5.6 million deficit was projected for the current year, which is where the council concentrated its comments after the presentation. No directives were made, although many potential cuts were discussed.

Councilman John Erickson suggested that the council should abandon the planned October Sunset Strip Music Festival, which he voted against earlier this year arguing that it was being rushed.

“I think it is something the council should reconsider, given that dollar amount is pretty tight to the dollar amount of the deficit, and we want a successful event versus a rushed event, and a $4.6 million price tag on something could bring down some of that work that we’re doing,” Erickson said.

“I also agree that deferring the Sunset Strip Music Festival to me is the right idea in this timeline, if only to ensure that we’re making sure what will become a magnificent signature event for the city is done well and not at the expense of other events,” Councilwoman Chelsea Byers said.

“I’m seeing this as an economic driver for the community,” Vice Mayor Danny Hang countered. “It’s not just a music festival … It’s very important to [the Sunset Strip business owners] and very important for the neighbors in that area, for this festival to help add to the economic vitality – to not bring back what was, but to bring back what can and what will be for the Sunset Strip, You know, there’s been talk about the strip dying, I don’t see it like that. But … it needs a little bit of help, and the city is in a fortunate position to allocate over $7.5 million for the Pride festival, and over $1.52 million for Halloween, and I think that we should be able to spread that love to the Sunset Strip, because … they’re not a stepchild in my book. I represent the entire city, not just the Rainbow District, not just [Melrose] Design District, but I also represent the Sunset Strip.”

Hang also asked about several capital projects, including an approved overhang that would grow and protect native plant and wildlife and be positioned between West Hollywood Park and the Pacific Design Center on San Vicente Boulevard. Its construction is unlikely to occur anytime soon and might be delayed or altered with the pending construction of the Metro K Line Northern Extension. Mayor John Heilman clarified that the project, projected to cost $22 million, was supposed to be almost entirely paid with grants and just $2 million from the city.

“I think it would be really foolish for us to start cutting projects from our capital projects list at this time, certainly projects that the public has invested in [and] staff has invested in any sort of way,” Byers added. “I’m happy to come back with a priority prioritization discussion, but since sky sanctuaries has been named so many times tonight, that is one project that, regardless of its named cost, had a $2 million specific commitment from this council, and that was it. The rest of the budget was going to come from grants, so to mistake that project total for something that would be invested in by this council, I think is amiss.”

Hang also argued that promotion in the city’s social media footprint would be a good investment to work into the budget.

“I would like to see an increase in the social media and marketing budget, just so that we can let our visitors know that we have very active nightlife restaurants out here in the Rainbow District, that people can still come here at a safe and to have a good time here in West Hollywood, so that to me is another economic booster that I think we should lend our increased focus on to increase that budget to promote our businesses,” Hang said.

Formal approval of the budget will occur at the June 15 City Council meeting, at which time any follow-up questions requested by council for staff will also be addressed, along with potential amendments. To view the full proposed budget, visit weho.org/budget.