Long Beach : Agency Gives $33,000 Toward Carnaval Debt
After castigating a downtown business group for not running last year’s Carnaval in a more business-like fashion, the Long Beach Redevelopment Agency agreed this week to give the group $33,000 to help pay off its Carnaval debt.
Downtown Long Beach Associates (DLBA) has a $66,000 debt left over from the Brazilian-style street festival, held for the first time in May. Although the event drew about 40,000 people and was deemed a success, DLBA officers say they overestimated income from beverage sales, which raised only a portion of the $150,000 it cost to stage the festivities.
The agency approved the donation on condition that the business group raise money to pay off the rest of the debt by the end of June. More than half of the agency’s contribution will be taken from the agency’s special-events fund, thereby reducing the amount left over for other special events this year.
Downtown merchants, saying they want to build the festival into a thriving tradition, plan another Carnaval this year.
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