Newport council approves $280,000 in grants for boat parade, film festival and other events

Newport Beach is granting more than $280,000 this fiscal year for community events large and small under the latest annual round of grants approved by the City Council on Tuesday night.

The 23 awards for fiscal 2017-18 range from about $450 for the Newport Harbor Home & Garden Tour to $150,000 for the Newport Beach Film Festival.

The film festival money is part of a three-year, $150,000-a-year funding agreement.

The Newport Beach Christmas Boat Parade will receive $50,000 this year, and the council approved a new four-year, $50,000-per-year funding agreement starting in 2018.

Representatives of the longtime annual Toshiba Classic golf tournament made an appeal for their event, which was initially denied city funding because of its corporate sponsorship. The Champions Tour event, traditionally held at the Newport Beach Country Club, will benefit Hoag Hospital’s Mary & Dick Allen Diabetes Center when it is held in March.

Brian Horn and Jeff Purser, representing organizer Hoag Charity Sports Events, said a city contribution would be significant because the tournament stands to lose its title sponsor — a funding source worth about $3 million — within a couple of years.

The council can’t make that up but did agree to offer up to $15,000 in permit fee waivers for the next event.

An email to Toshiba seeking comment about the sponsorship was not immediately returned Wednesday.

Newport Beach Chamber of Commerce Chief Executive Steve Rosansky, a former Newport Beach mayor, gave a presentation Tuesday about the boat parade, a beloved tradition in the harbor long supported financially by the city, outlining why it’s a wise investment.

The parade, heading into its 109th year, accounts for about $6.5 million in resident and visitor spending and more than 3,800 visitor room nights, according to a 2015 economic impact study, Rosansky said. For the city’s $50,000, that means a return on investment of 129 to 1, he said.

At Councilman Will O’Neill’s suggestion, the parade’s funding will come from the Visit Newport Beach restricted fund, made up of bed tax revenue, as the parade closely aligns with the tourism agency’s mission.

All other event grants will come from the city’s general fund.

[email protected]

Twitter: @Daily_PilotHD