Title
a. Approve a one-time Special Event Use Permit between See & Be Productions Inc. and the County of Monterey to promote and conduct the Wildflower Triathlon at Lake San Antonio, South Shore on May 1-3, 2026, where See & Be Productions Inc. will be responsible for reimbursing all related expenditures incurred by Public Works, Facilities and Parks in support of the event;
b. Find that the one-time Wildflower Triathlon event scheduled for May 1-3, 2026, at Monterey County’s Lake San Antonio, South Shore, is categorically exempt from the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA), pursuant to Section 15304(e) of the CEQA Guidelines; and
c. Authorize the Director of Public Works, Facilities and Parks or designee to sign the Special Event Use Permit between See & Be Productions, Inc. and the County of Monterey.
Report
RECOMMENDATION:
It is recommended that the Board of Supervisors:
a. Approve a one-time Special Event Use Permit between See & Be Productions Inc. and the County of Monterey to promote and conduct the Wildflower Triathlon at Lake San Antonio, South Shore on May 1-3, 2026, where See & Be Productions Inc. will be responsible for reimbursing all related expenditures incurred by Public Works, Facilities and Parks in support of the event;
b. Find that the one-time Wildflower Triathlon event scheduled for May 1-3, 2026, at Monterey County’s Lake San Antonio, South Shore, is categorically exempt from the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA), pursuant to Section 15304(e) of the CEQA Guidelines; and
c. Authorize the Director of Public Works, Facilities and Parks or designee to sign the Special Event Use Permit between See & Be Productions, Inc. and the County of Monterey.
SUMMARY:
See & Be Productions (See & Be) requested to hold the Wildflower Triathlon event (Event) at Lake San Antonio, South Shore on May 1-3, 2026.
DISCUSSION:
Tri-California Events, Inc. (Tri-California) successfully held the Event at the Lake San Antonio South Shore (Park) from 1995 to 2018. The Event was not held in 2017, and 2019-2024 due to low water levels in the lake. In 2017, Tri-California entered into an agreement with Motiv Sports Inc. to produce the Event and was subsequently assigned to See & Be in 2020. A successful Event was held in May 2025.
See & Be requests to enter into a one-time Special Event Use Permit (Permit) with the County of Monterey (County) to hold the Event at the Park on May 1-3, 2026 (Attachment A). See & Be shall pay the County $31,947.44 for the Event which includes site fees, inflatable permit fee, alcohol permit fee, photography permit fee, ranger fees, fuel charges, and use of cabins 4-7; and a refundable cleaning/damage deposit of $10,000.
Event details are set forth in Attachment B. All Event plans will be updated no later than 30 days prior to the Event and will be incorporated by reference in the Permit. Monterey County Code 14.12.040 E requires approval of the County Board of Supervisors for any special event held at a County park with 5,000 or more participants requires.
Section 15304 of the CEQA Guidelines exempts minor alterations to land for temporary uses having negligible or impermanent effects on the environment including carnivals, outdoor festivals, and concerts, etc. (Attachment C). Permit conditions require See & Be to restore the facility to its pre-event conditions. As such, staff finds that this Event can be found categorically exempt from CEQA review.
Staff requests the Board of Supervisors: 1) Approve the one-time Permit for the Event with an anticipated attendance over 5,000; 2) Find that the Event is categorically exempt from CEQA per Section 15304(e); and 3) Authorize the Director of Public Works, Facilities and Parks or designee to sign the Permit.
OTHER AGENCY INVOLVEMENT/COMMITTEE ACTIONS:
The Office of County Counsel reviewed the Permit and approved it as to form. See & Be is required to submit Event plans for review and secure all required regulatory permits from the County of Monterey Departments of Housing and Community Development, Risk Management, Sheriff’s Office, Department of Emergency Management, and Health Department, California Highway Patrol, California Department of Transportation, and South Monterey County Regional Fire District. See & Be is required to contract with local law enforcement agencies to provide required traffic control and security for the Event.
FINANCING:
Approving the Permit will generate new revenues of $31,947.44 in Fiscal Year (FY) 2025-26 for PWFP Park operations. This Event was not assured during the development of the FY 2025-26 budget, and thus these revenues were not included. PWFP does not expect to incur any additional cost as a result of this Permit, except for staff time, which is already included in the budget and will be reimbursed by See & Be. Therefore, no additional appropriations need to be requested for General Fund 001, Park Operations Appropriation Unit PFP058.
The Special Event Fee of $31,947.44 covers: site, inflatable, alcohol, and photography permit fees; use of cabins 4-7; and County Ranger services. If Park staff services and/or additional County Ranger services are requested by the See & Be, which are not included in the Permit, County will be reimbursed based on time and materials.
Camping and day use fees during the Event will be collected by See & Be. See & Be shall remit 8% of those fees to the County and retain the remainder.
A participant fee will be remitted to the Water Resource Agency (WRA) based on number of participants. The Permit will collect the participant fees for all tickets sold up to March 15, 2025 on April 1, 2025. The balance of the participant fees will be reconciled after the Event and See & Be shall pay a fee for each additional participant within 14 calendar days following the Event.
A refundable cleaning and damage deposit in the amount of $10,000 will be collected, and any unused portion will be returned to See & Be after the Event.
BOARD OF SUPERVISORS STRATEGIC PLAN GOALS:
Management of events held in County Park’s facilities is always attentive to protecting park resources, ensuring public safety, and reducing potential impacts to the local community to the greatest extent possible.
Mark a check to the related Board of Supervisors Strategic Plan Goals:
X Well-Being and Quality of Life
X Sustainable Infrastructure for the Present and Future
Safe and Resilient Communities
Diverse and Thriving Economy
Prepared by: Dona Luna, Management Analyst III, x5455
Reviewed by: Bryan Flores, Chief of Parks
Approved by: Lindsay Lerable, Assistant, Director of Public Works, Facilities and Parks
Attachments:
Attachment A - Proposed Special Event Use Permit
Attachment B - See & Be Race Event Details
Attachment C - CEQA Guidelines Section 15304(e)