LAGUNA BEACH : Chamber Asks City for $8,000 in Funding

After 11 years of operating without help from the city, the Laguna Beach Chamber of Commerce is asking for $8,000 from the next city budget.

The chamber received $30,000 a year from the city before Proposition 13 was passed for “efforts to promote Laguna Beach,” officials said. That money was cut off when Laguna Beach was looking for ways to trim expenses in the wake of Proposition 13, said City Manager Kenneth C. Frank.

In making the request for the funds during a preliminary budget hearing at the last City Council meeting, Cheryl Ryan, executive director of the chamber, said the chamber receives about 550 calls during the summer regarding festivals and hotels alone.

With two paid employees, the chamber functions as a visitor and community information center, a historical society and a business promoter, Ryan said. On Monday, the chamber will put on an AIDS benefit at Tivoli Terrace.

The chamber’s only funding comes from membership dues and two annual fund-raisers, Ryan said. One of those events, the Winterfest, was rained out this year, she said.