Parrish supports funding for Lassen Family Services Superhero event

Susanville City Councilmember Patrick Parrish has passionately opined from the dais at Susanville City Council meetings that the city should not bear the costs alone for street closures and other necessary city services for events such as the Farmer’s Market on Pancera Plaza, the Lassen County Fair Parade, Magical Country Christmas and others.

He’s argued outside agencies needed to have “some skin in the game,” and he even suggested the name of the annual Lassen County Fair Parade’s should be changed to the City of Susanville Fair Parade since the city picks up the tab for the event.

He’s said the city is missing an advertising opportunity, and the city’s name should be added as the presenter of these community events due to the city’s contribution to them.

Recently, when the council viewed a poster for a community event upon which the city was named as a sponsor, Parrish complained the city’s logo was placed below the logo of another of the event’s sponsors. And right now, city staff is working to create a policy to govern the city’s contributions to community events and to codify which annual events should be included, largely at Parrish’s urging.

Wednesday, Oct, 1, Parrish joined the other councilmembers as they voted unanimously to close one block of Sunkist Drive in front of the Susanville Senior Center from 6 a.m. to noon for the annual Superhero Fun Run and Walk presented Saturday,Oct. 25 by Lassen Family Services.

City Manager Dan Newton said this was an easier closure for the city than others and the fiscal impact for two public works staff and two community service officers from the Susanville Police Department to work the event would be about $1,100.

When Mayor Mendy Schuster asked the council if anyone had any clarifying questions, Parrish asked who the event was for because he hadn’t been able to view the agenda due to the software issues the city is facing.

Newton said, “It’s Lassen Family Services and their Court Appointed Special Advocate Program — CASA. They’re the ones who sponsor this event annually.”

Parrish sought to clarify his change of heart due to the council’s previous discussion about a policy to govern the city’s contribution to community events such as this.

“Hold on, hold on,” he said when Schuster called for the councilmembers’ vote. “From our discussion that we had last week (to create a policy to govern the city’s contribution to community events to include a list of annual events), I do support Lassen Family Services. So, it may seem hypocritical for me to approve this without asking them for any type of assistance … It would seem a little bit hypocritical of me to go in on the Lassen County Chamber of Commerce and then not ask them (LFS) to pay some money for it. I just wanted to put that out there.”