Long Beach : Gay Festival Lacks Insurance

Unless it can find $1 million in insurance coverage by next week, the Long Beach Lesbian and Gay Pride Inc. plans to ask the City Council to cut in half the amount of coverage required for its May 16-17 festival.

Saying it could not find $1 million in liability insurance, the group asked the council Tuesday night for the reduction. City officials recommended that the group, which sponsors the annual gay parade and festival, try buying coverage from the same company that covered concessionaires at the Long Beach Grand Prix.

If by next week the group is still unable to find the insurance the city requires for the sale and consumption of alcohol, “the council would be more receptive” to lowering the amount, Mayor Ernie Kell said.

Last year, a Superior Court judge ruled that the city could not require the group to buy liability insurance for the parade, but it upheld the city’s requirement for insurance pertaining to the sale of alcohol during the festival.

Promoters of the weekend gay celebration have noted that the council slashed in half a $20-million requirement for the Grand Prix when promoters of that event could not find insurance coverage.