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Why Monrovia May End Its Contract With Friday Night Fair Operator And Hire Another Company

At its Tuesday, Aug. 4 meeting (agenda: http://goo.gl/1B2b9d ), the Monrovia City Council will consider its staff's recommendation (staff report: http://goo.gl/MPuQFJ ) to terminate the contract of the new Friday Night Fair operator, LA PartyWorks, and engage a new company called Greenleaf Events, Inc.


The City of Monrovia is charging that ...

"While LA PartyWorks has been able to successfully integrate several new elements into the Friday Night Family Street Fair – including enhanced live entertainment, updated signage, and the incorporation of several new appropriate vendors – the operator has also demonstrated an inability to adhere to basic regulations stipulated in their contract, while also being unable to work collaboratively with Event stakeholders."

And, at its  July 28 meeting ...

"the Oversight Committee unanimously recommended that the City Council terminate the agreement with LA PartyWorks and consider engaging a new vendor to operate the overall Event."

Here are some of the city's concerns:

"Operational Concerns

  • Lack of development of a traffic control plan
  • Event set-up and take-down procedures
  • Provision of adequate and trained staff to coordinate and manage the Event
  • Trash collection activities
  • Provision of electrical power to all portions of the Event
  • Implementation of an overall lighting plan for the Event
  • Compliance with ADA regulations
  • Reduction in size and number of vendors in the Certified Farmer’s Market section of the Event


Procedural Concerns

  • LA PartyWorks operated a kettle corn vendor booth in direct competition with an Old Town Merchant
  • LA PartyWorks prohibited all event vendors from selling water / soda and operated an exclusive vendor booth selling drinks
  • LA PartyWorks impaired the operations of an Old Town Merchant’s vendor booth in order to gain an operational and competitive advantage for their own vendor booth
  • LA PartyWorks resisted the requirement that they provide seating at the Event in an effort to impair the operations of an Old Town Merchant’s vendor booth
  • LA PartyWorks added an inappropriate number of new food vendors which has resulted in increased competition with Old Town Merchants Reliability Concerns
  • Concerns from Old Town Merchants, vendors, and Event stakeholders regarding how LA PartyWorks manages, coordinates, and produces the Friday Night Family Street Fair
  • Inaccurate and conflicting representations by LA PartyWorks regarding their overall business plan / financial model regarding operation of the Event
  • Concerns regarding the commitment that LA PartyWorks has to continuing the production of the Event"


That being said ...

"LA PartyWorks was able to correct most of the operational and procedural deficiencies identified."

And if the City Council wants to end the contract, staff has a replacement company in mind, Greenleaf Events, Inc., which ...

"has over 75+ years of experience coordinating and producing street fair, farmer’s market, music festival, car show, and other similar special events. The company currently produces a weekly Farmer’s Market in the City of Rosemead, and has also been engaged to operate
the Kiwanis’ Taste of Monrovia event."

- Brad Haugaard

14 comments:

  1. If L.A. Partyworks is unwilling to comply, then obviously they must go. But, from the story, it seems they *are* willing to comply and the company "was able to correct most of the operational and procedural deficiencies identified."

    Why are these people pushing to end the contract if L.A. Partyworks is actively working to correct the complaints?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. First of all I thought the new city manager would not let anyone on the council manipulate him, that trust is gone, and why did the city manager make this a personal vendetta, is he part of the good old boy club, oops sorry I forgot now that Pam is included. Look at the date Greanleaf started doing business as and this is where the fix is in Gaymon leaves and the son takes over(birth certificate). Tom Adams stated when he took office that we was going to start doing it the Monrovia way? This is proof back door politic just like the old mayor..

      Delete
  2. Because its a good Ole boy club...

    ReplyDelete
  3. Hmmm, is Jerry Diaz from this new Greenleaf Events the same Jerry Diaz that is Farmer's Market Manager for Family Festival Productions (prior vendor)?

    GREENLEAF EVENTS, INC.
    Entity Number: C3778853
    Date Filed: 04/23/2015
    Status: ACTIVE
    Jurisdiction: CALIFORNIA
    Entity Address: 3825 FOSTER AVE
    Entity City, State, Zip: BALDWIN PARK CA 91706
    Agent for Service of Process: JERRY JAY DIAZ
    Agent Address: 3825 FOSTER AVE
    Agent City, State, Zip: BALDWIN PARK CA 91706

    Family Festival Productions, Inc.
    P.O. Box 1795 Monrovia, CA 91017
    Office Phone: 866-440-3374 Fax: 626-359-4678

    Contact us by email:

    General Information: info@familyfestivalproductions.net

    Dave Gayman, Owner dave@familyfestivalproductions.net

    Jerry Diaz, Farmer's Market Manager jerry@familyfestivalproductions.net

    Patty Villarreal, Administrative Assistant patty@familyfestivalproductions.net

    Larry Trujillo, Marketing & Community Relations larry@familyfestivalproductions.net

    ReplyDelete
  4. Connect the dots: Before being elected mayor, Tom Adams had to recuse himself from the fair's bidding process due to his bias in favor of the company that was running the fair at the time. Now, the vendor who makes all the complaints about the new operator of the fair is Jake's Roadhouse, where Tom Adams can often be spotted having lunch! The company ALREADY CHOSEN, to replace the new company, WITHOUT A REBID, is run by men who are still affiliated with Tom Adam's friends at the previous company!! Tom Adams will push his personal agenda through without any regard to the citizens of Monrovia.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. And we thought he had changed, once a crook always a _______!

      Delete
  5. Larry Trujillo is also associated with both companies. He's mentioned as a Greenleaf representative in an article from the San Gabriel Valley Tribune about Rosemead's street fair. That street fair has its first night on August 3rd, so characterizing it as a current event in the City's document is a bit of a stretch.

    ReplyDelete
  6. If LA Partyworks fixed all the "operational and procedural concerns" why would the city still get rid of them?

    ReplyDelete
  7. I'm not up on city politics and don't want to be, but I've been to the street fair on most Fridays for the last 7 years. This feels like a set-up to me. The prior manager ran it so poorly that he wasn't able to honor his financial obligation to the city and asked to renegotiate the contract, which was then extended as the event turned into an overcrowded swap meet. And now after less than one month they (whoever "they" are) want to get rid of the new manager, which has brought more energy, more vendors and more people to the event? Doesn't make sense -- especially when they've shown that they're willing to try to address the concerns. The restaurants in Old Town have looked a lot busier in the last few weeks than they did before.

    ReplyDelete
  8. Well this what going to happen they will get rid of LA party works bring Greenleaf which is the shell corporation for ffp, mean while Ffp will be running Arcadia so it will go back to same old Dave show. Its just that how it is in monrovia with all the money they make why does ffp get a way not paying franchise fee. I think it time to notify the IRS, FBI, and district attorneys special integrady unit.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. "Dave" may be in reference to

      Dave Gayman, Family Festival Productions Owner
      dave@familyfestivalproductions.net

      Delete
  9. Gayman, Adams and Jake's Roadhouse want to run Mayberry is what it's all about. Gayman set up a shell corporation so that Jake's can once again do whatever they want no matter what other businesses think about it on Friday Nights and Tom Adams can feel like a hotshot.

    ReplyDelete
  10. Related articles:

    2009.04.08 Area's youngest City Manager [Oliver Chi] resigns
    link: http://www.pasadenastarnews.com/general-news/20090408/areas-youngest-city-manager-resigns

    2009.04.08 Rosemead spends $330,000 for a ‘new direction’
    NOTE: Asked if that price was worth terminating Chi, Clark said, “yes, to get a new direction, yes.”
    link: http://www.insidesocal.com/sgvgov/2009/04/08/rosemead-spends-330000-for-a-m

    2012.02.07 Developer involved in John Tran bribery scandal files $1.5 million claim against Rosemead

    The filed claim also identified former Director of Community Development Brian Saeki, former City Manager Andrew Lazaretto and former City Manager Oliver Chi with having inappropriate involvement in the corrupt practices.

    link: http://www.sgvtribune.com/general-news/20120207/developer-involved-in-john-tran-bribery-scandal-files-15-million-claim-against-rosemead

    2012.03.07 Spotlight On Barstow's New Assistant City Manager Oliver Chi
    Also posted with link title "Meet Barstow's controversial new Assistant City Manager"
    link: http://newberryspringsinfo.com/Alliance/Barstow.html

    2014.07.21 Former Rosemead Mayor John Tran sentenced to 21 months in prison
    link: http://www.sgvtribune.com/general-news/20140721/former-rosemead-mayor-john-tran-sentenced-to-21-months-in-prison

    2014.09.16 Monrovia City Council to vote on hiring Oliver Chi as city manager
    link: http://www.pasadenastarnews.com/government-and-politics/20140916/monrovia-city-council-to-vote-on-hiring-oliver-chi-as-city-manager

    2014.09.17 Monrovia names Oliver Chi as new city manager
    link: http://www.pasadenastarnews.com/government-and-politics/20140917/monrovia-names-oliver-chi-as-new-city-manager

    ReplyDelete