The Santa Monica City Council voted Tuesday to enter a city-sponsored float in the 2027 Tournament of Roses Parade, authorizing up to $650,000 for the project despite a resident's warning that the city cannot afford the expense during a budget crisis.
The council approved the measure at its June 9 meeting on a motion by Councilmember Natalya Zernitskaya, seconded by Councilmember Barry Snell. Mayor Pro Tem Jesse Zwick was absent, and the members present voted in favor.
The decision clears the way for Santa Monica to appear in the 138th Rose Parade on Jan. 1, 2027, and to hire Artistic Entertainment Services to design, build, decorate and operate the float. The company was selected from the three firms pre-qualified by the Pasadena Tournament of Roses Association after staff interviewed all three, which also included Fiesta Productions Inc. and Phoenix Decorating Company.
City staff framed the float as an economic development and community engagement effort rather than simply a marketing asset. The 2027 parade theme, "Welcome," dovetails with the city's broader realignment and revitalization plans, staff said, and the parade's reach — tens of millions of television viewers and a live crowd of roughly 700,000 — would showcase Santa Monica weeks before it hosts a Super Bowl media hub in 2027 and ahead of the 2028 Olympics.
"The 2027 Tournament of Roses Parade is an incredible opportunity to showcase Santa Monica to millions of people around the world," Mayor Caroline Torosis said. "The parade's theme, 'Welcome,' reflects who we are as a community. Santa Monica has always been a place that brings people together, and today we are building on that tradition as we revitalize our city, support local businesses, and prepare to welcome visitors from around the globe."
The $650,000 authorization is a maximum, not a guaranteed cost, staff said. It includes a $350,000 base program covering float design, engineering, fabrication, floral decoration, volunteer coordination, parade-day operations and public relations and media support, plus a $300,000 contingency for enhancements such as animation, sponsorships and community programming.
Funding would initially be advanced from money previously set aside in the city's $3 million Economic Development Fund, intended as cash-flow support rather than a permanent funding source. Staff said it would pursue donations, sponsorships and corporate and regional partnerships to offset the cost "to the greatest extent feasible," with all such revenue deposited in a restricted account and tracked separately.
Staff said sponsorship packages had not yet been finalized because of Tournament of Roses rules governing what can appear on floats, but described plans to reach donors at every level — from major corporate sponsors to residents who might contribute a few dollars to place a flower on the float. Torosis suggested the city also explore selling opportunities to ride on or walk alongside the entry.
Council members described the project as a chance to rebuild civic pride. Snell said he had researched Santa Monica's history in the Rose Bowl and recalled first-place finishes in 1947 and the mid-1970s, calling the event one that "really will showcase who we are as a community." He said he hoped residents from the city's arts and gardening communities would take part.
Zernitskaya, who moved approval, acknowledged the price but said the benefits outweighed it. "I recognize it's a big commitment and a relatively high price tag, but I see this as an opportunity as part of our continued efforts to rebuild our city's image," she said, adding that friends had already asked how to volunteer.
Not everyone agreed. In a written comment submitted before the vote, Sunset Park resident Marc L. Verville, a former chair of the city's Audit Subcommittee, urged the council to reject the item. He argued the city is operating in a structural deficit and has turned to parcel taxes as a stopgap, and called spending the money "on, of all things, a parade float" part of a strategy to "camouflage the City's accelerating decline through aggressive public relations activities rather than actually addressing the fundamental economic issues."
City staff plans to begin concept development this month and to launch community engagement and fundraising July 23 at the State of the City event on Main Street in the Ocean Park neighborhood. Float engineering, fabrication and production would run from August through December, with a decorating week Dec. 26-31 that staff said could offer more than 1,000 volunteer spots.
The completed float will debut in the parade on Jan. 1, 2027, and remain on public display at Floatfest from Jan. 1-3.