An optional event shouldn’t cause mandatory suffering for others
No one was concerned when we heard about a Turkey Trot, because they are all done early on Thanksgiving when merchants are closed, to not interfere with businesses and end early to not inconvenience residents. Then we heard a Long Beach promoter who had hooked up with a local resident wanted to take away the Saturday before Thanksgiving, that would be devastating to businesses. Saturday would cost them less for policing and maybe they’d get more entrants to increase their profits, but Saturday before Thanksgiving is one of the busiest days of the year for all merchants. No matter the business, if you can’t get your customers in that Saturday, it’s not just the loss of income, you can permanently lose their business. The 10K, isn’t going to end till 10:30 and according to their website can have up to 3000 entries and 2000 spectators. As we know, from other 10Ks, participants won’t be getting to their cars and opening up parking till realistically noon, shutting out customers from parking, well into the afternoon, devastating and not just to merchants on Main st. When you have events of this size, it’s not just Main st that’s has it’s customer’s parking taken away. Our local shopping centers, 5th st., Zoeter & Von’s Pavilion, all have their parking stolen by event attendees. Like Main St, businesses, it’s one of their busiest days of the year. Will the 10K promoter Uber in all their customers as well as all the customers for Main St. businesses? As city hall staff said, Uber isn’t a viable option for anyone’s customers. The city staff also advised the promoter to not shut down Main St. The promoter originally told people they weren’t going to shut it. Hennessy’s became a sponsor and now the race, begins and ends in from of Hennessy’s, completely closing the 100 block. City staff told the promoter, his selling of entries, especially to kids way before they even had a permit, was on the promoter. They acknowledged the promoter was doing this to pressure them to approve the permit. If one promoter gets away with this, they’ll all do it. Tactics like this should trigger permit denial for any promoter. Is the promoter going to reimburse the city for all lost revenue from our beach lots and pay lot in the 100 block?
A few dollars from entries go to charities, if participants bother to designate a charity. Seek charity is a fantastic charity. The charities should get all the money, that’s our Sea Beach tradition. Our own Seal Beach Run, is a family event, is all volunteer and no one draws a salary. One hundred percent goes to charity, that’s a tradition. I’m not anti-event. My wife and I have sponsored different events multiple times, that don’t shut anybody down, we don’t get financial pay back. We’re not against a Turkey Trot, just do it early on Thanksgiving morning, like all Turkey Trots, don’t shut down businesses and end early as not to inconvenience residents. An optional recreational event, shouldn’t cause mandatory suffering to others.
Woody Woodruff
