Business owners in Monterey Park are not happy with plans to cut their normally two-day Chinese New Year celebration to four hours.
Several community members at Wednesday’s City Council meeting voiced concerns over a recommendation that would reduce the two-day festival to a four-hour event.
The annual event closes down Garvey Street and typically attracts about 70,000 people.
“(Supporting) the Chinese New Year attracts many people to Monterey Park,” said Maggie Lam. “They invest in our city and our merchants and stimulate our local economy.”
But Lam and other community members left the meeting disappointed when a decision on the festival was pushed to a special meeting today.
The company that put on the event in years past, Lang/Pan/Chan Public Relations, decided not to participate this year. And only one company, YES Marketing, has expressed interest in coordinating the event. And YES was not willing to pay the $20,000 the city had requested.
At the meeting, Assistant City Attorney Adrian Guerra requested more time for staff to review YES’s proposal and make a recommendation.
