COSTA MESA : $40,000 Earmarked for Annual Fish Fry

The City Council this week approved spending up to $40,000 to finance the city’s 47th annual Fish Fry parade and carnival scheduled in May but warned that there is no firm financial commitment for the event next year.

Officials say they are facing a $1-million deficit in the 1992-93 budget and may be forced to eliminate or reduce funding for Costa Mesa’s biggest community event.

In the meantime, the council has asked the sponsoring Costa Mesa-Newport Harbor Lions Club to use volunteers as much as possible to defray expenses.

Councilman Jay Humphrey said total city costs, including about $25,000 for the Police Department to watch over the parade and carnival, “came as a surprise to most City Council people, myself included.” The festival will be held May 29 to 31.

The council on Monday also agreed to spend $650 to meet Fish Fry insurance requirements for the Lions Club, gave permission for sponsors to hang 100 3-foot-by-6-foot banners on Southern California Edison utility poles to announce the event and to close seven streets for the parade on May 30.

In a report to city officials, parade director Jim Ferryman said the Fish Fry, which draws about 100,000 people, could not happen without support from the city.

The theme of the parade, which also marks the 25th anniversary of the Newport-Mesa Unified School District, is “A Celebration of Education.”

The grand marshal will be John F. Dean, Orange County superintendent of schools.

The Lions Club gave about $95,000 this year to local youth groups and charities, Ferryman said.

Mayor Mary Hornbuckle said the Lions Club has done “a tremendous job for the community” with the Fish Fry, which started in 1946, and that Costa Mesa needs more community-spirited affairs like it.