Overnight Arvin Mayor Jose Gurrola announced that Kern County Supervisor Leticia Perez made a donation to help save the annual Christmas parade.
This comes after the City of Arvin said that they would not a cover $1,500 deposit that pays for staff overtime. A fee that the city has waived in years past -- all because of Arvin's nearly two-million dollar budget deficit.
In a meetingheld Tuesday night Chamber members said they are not in the position to foot the bill themselves.
However Chamber members did say that if they if found a sponsor to secure that deposit by Monday, the Christmas parade could be saved.
According to Gurrola, Perez donated $1,500 to help cover costs for the parade and to keep it from cancellation. She also donated an additional $3,500 to help with other organizations in Arvin.
"After the Chamber voted to refuse to pay the deposit and with the fear that my constituents and the Arvin community could see the parade cancelled, I decided to reach out to Supervisor Leticia Perez," said Gurrola.
Perez said, “I am grateful that Mayor Gurrola reached out to me and resolved this matter so swiftly. Arvin is truly blessed to have a hard-working Mayor.”
Mayor Gurrola said, “As a young elementary student singing Christmas carols to interacting with constituents as Arvin Mayor, I've been a proud participant and supporter of the Arvin Christmas Parade. I’m glad that Supervisor Perez, who represents Arvin, stepped up to provide the donation, and I hope the Arvin Chamber of Commerce will decide to put on this wonderful community event.”
