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Fiesta Income
updated: Aug 01, 2012, 2:01 PM

By Edhat Subscriber

Is there an accurate summary available of how much income Fiesta brings to the city and county along with the costs to sponsor, supervise, and pay overtime for security of this event?

Comments in order of when they were received | (reverse order)

COMMENT 303731	2012-08-01 02:24 PM
I, too, would like to understand the dollars behind the Fiesta celebration. Specifically, after all the families go home, each night from 10 pm to 3 am, the drunks come out and frequent the bars in the 500-700 blocks of State Street. City, County, and State law enforcement personnel, receiving paid overtime (a not-insignificant pay bonus), stand in these blocks outside the bars to maintain the peace. Does the revenue generated in the bars via sales tax on liquor return to the City in greater than, equal to, or less than the amount needed to pay the peace officers salaries from 10 pm to 3 am? If the law enforcement costs exceed the revenue returned, close the bars down at 10 pm during Fiesta.
COMMENT 303740	2012-08-01 02:42 PM
i crunched the numbers for you. sb net profit is exactly 2 billion dollars.
COMMENT 303751	2012-08-01 03:36 PM
Don't forget the extra police hours required to process all the extra arrests and traffic violations that happen during Fiesta week.... and the knock-on expenses from any convictions resulting in jail time (housing one prisoner costs the taxpayers $35,000 a year).
DILLYDALLY	2012-08-01 03:42 PM
The financial benefit to the city are far more than just tax dollars. If local hotels, stores, restaurants, bars, etc... make more money there is more tax revenue but they also spend more money and those dollars get spent locally. The money multiplier has a big impact on an event like this because most of the revenue is going to local business with the exception of a small number of national hotel chains. We can do some back of napkin math. Anyone know how many people come from out of town for fiesta?
COMMENT 303785	2012-08-01 04:52 PM
A lot of that hotel and restaurant revenue isn't staying in SB, notice all the chain restaurants ect? I think very little revenue goes to actual local businesses.
COMMENT 303805	2012-08-01 06:04 PM
Seriously, is there a reason we need to have this broken down like this or are you trying to make some kind of quasi-politic statement? Fiesta brings in far more revenue than it costs to manage. If you need specific numbers, feel free to contact the city council. They have numbers for the last few decades of Fiesta revenue.
COMMENT 303813	2012-08-01 06:31 PM
3805.... I agree. If it ran a net deficit the City Council would jump on the chance to pull the plug: remember the Inter-Sorority Volleyball Tournaments on East Beach? Crazy fun for the college crowd but not so much for the rest. Ancient history now.
COMMENT 303868P	2012-08-01 11:14 PM
Those chains are a fraction of the businesses but employ 100% local employees. But hey, while we are at it lets cancel every event that might cost the city money (even if only in ones imagination). Triathlons, Semana Nautica, actually every sporting event, every parade, the solstice, the oak park festivals, 4th of July, the Art Walk, etc... all cancelled effective immediately.
FLICKA	2012-08-02 07:04 AM
Fiesta was started by the local businessmen to draw tourists in summer (winter resort at the time), it was done to boost our LOCAL economy, still does.
COMMENT 303899	2012-08-02 07:30 AM
Local non-profits who run the booths with hundreds of volunteer hours make money for their activities for the rest of the year. Support them during Fiesta. This is a party for the people and it is still a very local event. Check out how much volunteer time is spent by those in Old Spanish Days to put this highly organized event on for everyone's enjoyment year after year. Go volunteer to help before you sling your cynical complaints.
COMMENT 303916	2012-08-02 08:12 AM
785 and other 'national' chain comments, the money goes back home to corporate offices but the people who are employed are local people, with families and schools and other concerns in this area, their salary still contributes to the income 'fiesta brings'. And down the line, it's easy to see all the local people and non-profits and homemakers who cook for the Mercados and that is income for them. Fiesta is a plus and it is the largest money making event in Santa Barbara. Folks, like it or not, tourism is our number one revenue.
DIRTYHARRY	2012-08-02 08:19 AM
First of all, many dollars do go to local businesses and employees and their families. Just give it a little though before you start making broad statements claiming most of the money doesn't stay in SB. Nothing could be farther from the truth. Fiesta is a very local event packing the restaurants, hotels, B&Bs, bars, shops, grocery stores, taxi cabs. Many local non-profits raise substantial amounts of money during Fiesta. It's an historic event, it's fun for the children and brings in massive $$$$$$$ for the city. Please quit complaining.
COMMENT 303981	2012-08-02 09:44 AM
The only thing that matters is making a profit and anything that doesn't must be banned.
COMMENT 303997	2012-08-02 10:19 AM
Have the singing ex-cop and all of the other cops who retire in their 40s patrol the streets during fiesta. They are already getting FAT pensions for doing absolutely nothing - this way we actually get some production out of our taxes.
COMMENT 304197	2012-08-02 05:00 PM
Don't know about any other businesses, but we are friends with the manager of a, no longer in business, bar located on State Street. Fiesta was a large source of their yearly revenue, with most of the proceeds paying a good portion of their yearly rent. But alas, rents continued to increase, mixed in with some economic downturn, stir in some increased taxes, simmer slowly and no more fun, local bar.
COMMENT 304417	2012-08-03 12:13 PM
We always said "viva la fiasco" during fiesta and left town for family vacation every year at that auspicious time....:-)

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