Add The California Post on Google Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass has infuriated organizers of one of the city’s most beloved Independence Day traditions by suggesting they move it off July 4 to save money.
The remark from the mayor’s office comes as organizers of the Sunland-Tujunga Fourth of July Parade battle a growing list of city fees that threaten the future of the annual celebration after more than 50 years.
The Post first reported in late May that the parade faced cancellation after the city declined to cover $20,000 in traffic-control and street-closure costs for the first time in its more than 50-year history.
Community members and patriotic supporters rallied to raise the money needed to keep the parade alive as the nation prepares to celebrate America’s 250th birthday.
They have now been hit with an additional $5,000 charge for “no parking” signs and are expecting further invoices for barricades and other event-related costs.
“We have no idea what this is actually going to cost us,” Lydia Grant, president of the Sunland-Tujunga Neighborhood Council, told The Post.
“The city has never charged us before, and right now we’re already at $20,000.
“It took me by surprise. Now we don’t even know what the total is that the city is charging us.”
The mounting uncertainty has thrown the parade’s future back into doubt despite an outpouring of donations and offers of fundraising assistance from the community.
Organizers are now working to establish an online donation portal through the Sunland-Tujunga-Shadow Hills Rotary Club.
“We’re trying to be open and transparent,” Grant said.
“But we don’t even have all the bills from the city. Everything they’ve sent us is an estimate.”
Grant said city officials even floated the idea of moving the parade to another date.
“They told me maybe it would be cheaper if we didn’t hold it on the Fourth of July,” Grant said.
The city’s stream of bills means organizers still do not have a permit to hold the parade.
The Los Angeles Police Department and Department of Transportation normally coordinate staffing and traffic-control plans months before the event, but organizers say they have yet to hear from either agency.
“We decided we’ll try to figure it out,” Grant said. “But we don’t know that it’s back on. It’s still up in the air.”
The Post has reached out to Bass’ office for comment.
Grant has said previously the community is already reeling from several other long-standing events being cancelled because of rising costs.
The area has already lost it’s summer and watermelon festivals and National Night Out.
Grant said she finds the situation especially frustrating given recent city spending on demonstrations and protests.
“All the ICE protests that they paid money for, now they don’t have money,” Grant said. “They’re investing money into protests and activism instead of something that would bring our community together.”
Grant told The Post that for generations of local families, the parade has been more than just a holiday event.
“Little League teams, cheerleaders, veterans, historical groups and community volunteers all have marched through town.”
“I went to this parade as a kid,” Grant said. “I brought my kids to this parade. Now I want my grandkids to experience it.”
