FEMA Won’t Reimburse City for Relocating Cowboy Event

In addition to shaking up everything else here, the Northridge earthquake shifted the bottom line of Santa Clarita’s Cowboy Poetry, Music and Film Festival.

Federal Emergency Management Agency officials have announced that they won’t reimburse Santa Clarita the $22,500 spent to hold last month’s festival at the Melody Ranch movie lot rather than at a high school auditorium damaged in the quake.

“That just isn’t covered,” said George Thune, FEMA spokesman. “We can pay for brick and mortar rather than for moving an activity to a different site.”

Santa Clarita officials, counting on the funds from FEMA, said earlier this week that the three-day festival would cost the city $2,697. Expenses totaled about $101,800 for printing, postage, promotion, supply and hiring costs, while ticket sales, merchandise sales, sponsorships and vendors generated about $76,000.

Santa Clarita was counting on the $22,500 FEMA grant to help make up the difference.

The city has 60 days to appeal the FEMA ruling. If the appeal is unsuccessful, the money will come out of the city’s general fund.

The city was originally going to host the festival at William S. Hart High School in Newhall. Damage to the auditorium prompted the move and cost the city $15,000 in rental fees and additional costs for lights and other equipment.

“I believe that if the earthquake has not forced a change of venue, we probably would have made money on this first-year event,” said Cecilia Burda, the city employee who organized the festival.

Santa Clarita’s reimbursement request to FEMA prompted varied reactions.

Critics said the federal relief money was to be used for true disaster needs and not to help pay for a festival. Supporters said the city simply asked for financial assistance for a legitimate economic investment that suffered because of the earthquake.

“The city of Santa Clarita is certainly entitled to appeal,” Thune said.