City Council votes to give $30K to Downey Rose Float

Downey’s float in the 2015 Rose Parade. Photo courtesy Tournament of Roses.

DOWNEY - The City of Downey will donate $30,000 to the Downey Rose Float Association to go towards their 2023 parade float.

The City Council voted unanimously Tuesday to approve the donation, with the money coming from the city’s General Fund.

Councilman Mario Trujillo said that the hoped the Rose Float “was part of the fabric of our city going forward.”

“This is a float that I hope is around when my grandkids are being raised here in Downey someday,” said Trujillo. “I think a way to do that is by funding them, at least partly, so they have that seed money to start because it’s so difficult to fundraise.”

Downey’s yearly float entry is one of only six “self-built,” non-commercial floats in the Rose Parade, funded by donations and designed, constructed, and decorated by volunteers.

Depending on float need, the Downey Rose Float Association raises anywhere between $65,000 to $100,000 annually, most of which coming from three major fundraisers: a Fourth of July firework stand, a Parade of Winners fundraiser, and the Miss Downey Pageant.

Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, however, Parade of Winners and the Miss Downey Pageant have not been held in two and a half years, greatly impacting the organization’s funding, according to a report presented to the City Council.

The City Council briefly considered making the donation an annual expenditure but those decisions will likely be held for budget talks next year.

Downey Rose Float has also historically applied and been approved for $8,000 in rental credit through the Downey Civic Theater Financial Assistance Program.

Construction Chair Kelley Roberts said that he’s seen “more support from our city in the last 10 years” than over his over 40 years volunteering with Downey Rose Float.

“I’m very proud of the city’s decision, the float is happy with the decision,” said Roberts. “It’s going to move the float forward from here on out.”

According to Kelley, the $30,000 donation could cover the cost of flowers this year.

“It takes a lot of the stress off the association’s back to raise money,” said Roberts. “Every year, we deplete all the funds we raise by the end of the year, by the Rose Parade itself, January 1. The very next day, we’re already planning the next float; we have to come up with our insurance fees, our entry fees which are over probably $6,500 soon, just to enter our float in the parade.

“When you spend all your raising money, and then towards the end of the year you’re paying out all the bills for flowers, construction material, etc., and then you start the new year, you’re like ‘There’s nothing in the bank, or its very little so we’ve got to find ways to raise the money real quick to get that entry fee. So, this is going to help the float move forward and do some things.”

Talks of subsidizing the Downey Rose Float began in early August at the suggestion of Councilmembers Claudia M. Frometa and Trujillo, with further discussions taking place at the Aug. 23 meeting.

Though a majority of the City Council seemed to be behind the funding, further information from city staff and an official request from the Rose Float Organization was requested.