DCA head Margie Reese is out
Friday it was announced (Los Angeles Times coverage) throughout the department that Department of Cultural Affairs head Margie Reese was moving on. What does this have to do with San Pedro? Well, if it be known, Council District 15 is home to five seperate Cultural Affairs facilities, more than any other district (there are more facilities at in Barnsdall Park, but that is in a single complex). With five of twenty-two DCA facilities in CD 15, and four (Warner Grand Theatre, Performing Arts Firehouse, Croatian Cultural Center, Banning's Landing) of them directly in the Harbor Area, San Pedro has a vested interest in the management and direction of the Department.Let's just say it, Margie hasn't been well liked or popular, both within and outside of the department. During Hahn's tenure as mayor, rumors constantly flew that she was leaving, that she was going to get canned, that Hahn wanted to fire her but wouldn't take the risk of firing another black department head with the election coming up, that she wanted to quit but was begged by the mayor's office to stay until after the election. Any of these speculations alone would be an indicator of a Department in trouble, all of them put together indicate a department in big trouble.
If you recall, the biggest piece of DCA business (other than the name and stationary change to DCA from CAD) tackled during Reese's era was the former mayor's Blue Ribbon Comission on the Arts, headed by Los Angeles Art Juggernaut Eli Broad, who's primary reccomendations were "triple the damn budget to $30 million" (If I recall, the art's budget of New York City is around $200 million), and developing a new Cultural Master Plan promoting cultural tourism. Lip service has been paid towards the cultural toursim effort, A Cultural Master Plan is "in the works" and the budget has gone nowhere. In other words, other preserving the bare exisitence of one of the city's most under-funded departments, the Reese era has not been particularily productive.
The Question
The future of the Department of Cultural Affairs in the Harbor Area depends one one key factor - will funding sources and professional management be put in place to properly operate the four centers located in the Harbor Area?
None of them are close to fulfilling their potential. If you'll bear with me (this is probably going to be a long ass post), I'll address each one and it's situation.
Performing Arts Firehouse - Heard of this place? Bet not. It's located at 438 North Mesa Street, in the heart of one of San Pedro's toughest neighborhoods. It's also closed. It was last open in the Riordan era, delivering free after school arts programming to some of the area's most at risk kids. Code issues and a lack of operations funding shuttered the building several years ago, and despite the resolution of those code issues, it remains unfunded and shuttered today.
One of the things that characterised my early experiences with the Neighborhood Council system was Serviago Mayorga (forgive me if I've butchered the spelling of his name) a retired teacher at Barton Hill Elementary desperately pleading with the council to do something about the closure of the facility, as it had gone from being a center of community pride to a weed choked eyesore. None of the council members even knew of its existence, and the issue went nowhere. For years I asked local DCA employees about the Firehouse, and all I've heard is "there isn't enough money to re-open it". It wasn't just a great location for kids, either. It was a provider of jobs to several experienced art educators, as well.
Banning's Landing - Located at 100 East Water Street, in Wilmington, Banning's Landing is a $2.5 million dollar Harbor Department building that has been administered by the DCA since 1997. Obstensibly it provides a variety of community programming (Last time I was there it looked like karate & dance classes), as well as a gathering place for the community. Unfortunately it is located between a dead tank farm and pair of industrial piers, far away from the residents of WIlmington who are both in need of and deserve better cultural services. Much of the area around center on the landward side is slated to be developed and cleaned up, but the the center's very exisitence bears questioning. Why was a cultural facility for Wilmington's residents not located in a more central location?
The Croatian Cultural Center of Greater Los Angeles - The Department of Cultural Affairs sole ethnically oriented center, located on the corner of 7th Street & Pacific Avenue. Administered by the Friends of the Croation Cultural Center, the Center is a much underused community space in Downtown San Pedro. Supposedly, Croatian language, cooking and dance classes take place here, but as far as their website indicates, the last classes were offered in fall of 2004. Occasionally used as a meeting or community gathering space, this converted bank seems to serve only a small community, one that already has its own private facilities.
I don't fully understand the circumstances of the Center's inception, most likely it owes its existence to former CD 15 councilman Rudy Svorinich, who used his muscle to secure both this building and the Warner Grand for the Cultural Affairs Department (as it was known then). Since it's inception, the need for a dedicated Croatian culutral facility has been much debated, as has the precedent it set by establishing a cultural facility on ethnic or racial grounds. The Friends of the Center have been seen as not interested in engaging with the general community, and some in the community have expressed conceren over the Memorandum of Understanding through which they operate the Center.
The Warner Grand Theatre - Often referred to as the crown jewel of Downtown, this theater, located at 478 West 6th Street, is one of the last of the great Warner movie palaces. Beautiful inside and out, it became a city facility in 1996, freeing it from threats of re-development or destruction. Containing 1500 seats, this massive Art Deco landmark bristles with raw potential. The Grand Vision Foundation has been raising funds towards the re-upholstering of the seats, the replacement of the aging screen and a total overhaul of the sound system. Currently a variety of community groups and private individuals present events at the theatre, both live and film.
Although the city has rescued the theatre from physical threats, it's future remains uncertain. With a programming budget of essentially nothing, the theatre is entirely dependent upon the hard work of numerous community members to open its doors. Since the city's aquisition of the building it has not come to terms with the fact that it has also aquired a business, and that there are responsibilities and expenses beyond that.
Solutions?
I don't profess to have the answers to every one of these facility's issues, but I'd like to outline some possible courses of action for each one.
The Performing Arts Firehouse
- All this facility needs is an operating budget and staff to re-invigorate its program of free after school programming. If they city is not capable or willing to staff the facility itself, the service could be contracted out to any of a number or capable arts non-profits.
- This building probably arose out of an opportunity to spend Tidelands Trust money, forcing it's construction in it's current location. I see us as basically stuck with an ill-positioned cultural center in the hope that the other Wilmington Waterfront changes will bring an audience in.
- I have not been able to find any evidence on the web of current classes being offered at the center. Are classes being offered?
- This center was unnecessary, and serves so narrow an audience that its best hope is to be re-branded as a "general purpose cultural center of San Pedro". In that capacity it could host exhibitions, classes and events serving all of the great ethnic groups that have made San Pedro what it is, not just a single one.
- If it's going to remain the "Croatian Cultural Center" then it really needs to ramp up both the advertisement and number of classes offered. It can only be successful in that role when you walk into a Croatian language class and see a dozen totally not Croatian children eagerly learning Croatian.
- The MOU with the Friends needs to be examined. Being the stewards of a DCA facility is a serious responsiblity. If they haven't fulfilled the needs of the greater community relative to the Center's mission, then the DCA should take over the operation of the facility.
- This is an incredibly tough facility to maintain and operate, and it was bought as-is. Due to its design and size, it has issues that drive up the costs of any programming there.
- It needs a full-time, paid, professional manager/programmer with a background in operating a 2nd run or independent theatre.
- It needs a substantial programming and operating budget, including significant start-up money. It takes money to make money. It not only needs a proper budget, but it needs to be able to keep and hold and utilise the income generated by the programming. This space should not generate enough money to be self-sustaining, but should be a profitable enterprise (possibly funding other Cultural Affairs facilities in the area).
- Parking. Any event that even remotely packs the theatre is a parking nightmare. The parking crisis and repeated towing of visitors' cars has the effect of retarding efforts to grow audiences for the theatre's exisitng and future programming. The Numero Uno market lot would be an ideal location for a multi-story car park (I'd like to see the market stay, though. This is indespensible to the long term growth of the theatre.
- Grand Vision has done a tremendous job raising funds to restore the theatre's aging seats, upgrade the sound and replace the screen. The next order of business should be an upgrade of the projection booth, including the installation of house digital projection equipment for running trailers, local advertisements and serving the needs of community meetings and public speakers.
- Liquor, beer and wine sales. Sitting in the audience for Port Town, I had a realisation. I was sitting in a theatre, seeing a movie with a completely mixed age audience, and I was surrounded with folks who had bought booze in the lobby. Buying a beer in a theatre is the norm in the rest of the world, we deserve it here, and the theatre deserves the revenue from the sales. Convert the 2nd concession booth (normally unused) to a bar and watch the dollars roll in.
So that's some of my jibber jabber about the importance of the Department of Cultural Affairs getting its act together in the Harbor Area. It should not be acceptable that the DCA lets the Performing Arts Firehouse sit empty and abandoned, that they refuse to step up to the plate and operate the Warner Grand like the business it is (especially given the department's desperate need of funds, which the Warner Grand should actually generate), that they haven't found a way to make Banning's landing serve the community of Wilmington better and that the Croatian Cultural Center continues to serve such a limited community, if it serves that community at all.
There's probably a wide variety of speculation as to who will replace Margie Reese's shoes at the department right now. Department heads serve at the mayor's discretion, and Villaraigosa has expressed discontent with the lack of funding for the department for several years now. So far he hasn't stepped forward with the budget to fund the real re-invention that the department sorely needs, this year the DCA budget had a bare bones increase of $219,000, not even keeping pace with inflation. What the department badly needs is a head capable of re-envisioning the entire department all the while screaming at the top of his/her lungs about the embarassing underfunding of a city department that has been given the shaft for far too long. Will the Mayor have the guts to appoint someone who will demand their fair share of the city's stretched out budget?
There's also some coverage of this issue by the Los Angeles City Nerd today.
UPDATE - Follow up story from the Times confirms that Margie's going to be working for the Ford Foundation in Lagos, Nigeria.
8 Comments:
Performing Arts Firehouse - Heard of this place? Bet not. It's located at 438 North Mesa Street, in the heart of one of San Pedro's toughest neighborhoods. It's also closed. It was last open in the Riordan era, delivering free after school arts programming to some of the area's most at risk kids. Code issues and a lack of operations funding shuttered the building several years ago, and despite the resolution of those code issues, it remains unfunded and shuttered today.
Gotta admit, I hadn't heard of it. Even when it was running.
Don't some cities have ordinances that relax building codes somewhat for arts-related adaptive reuse?
Much of the area around [Banning's Landing] on the landward side is slated to be developed and cleaned up, but the the center's very exisitence bears questioning. Why was a cultural facility for Wilmington's residents not located in a more central location?
If memory serves, the idea behind this was very similar to the (ostensive) purpose of Bridge to Breakwater: reconnecting the community to its waterfront after years without access. In other words, the question wasn't "where shall we build a community center?" but "what shall we build for the community on this available patch of waterfront land?" Of course, the problem is that, unlike San Pedro, Wilmington has a wide industrial buffer between any of its residential areas and its waterfront.
The place is sometimes used for port-related meetings where a large turnout is expected. As for making it useful as a place for kids and other Wilmingtonians to take classes, play games, and generally hang out...well, I don't have a solution to that one either. Maybe if their waterfront enhancements are a success, people will start going down there spontaneously, and the community center will more closely approximate actually being central to the community. Or maybe not.
I don't fully understand the circumstances of the [Croatian Cultural] Center's inception, most likely it owes its existence to former CD 15 councilman Rudy Svorinich, who used his muscle to secure both this building and the Warner Grand for the Cultural Affairs Department (as it was known then). Since it's inception, the need for a dedicated Croatian culutral facility has been much debated, as has the precedent it set by establishing a cultural facility on ethnic or racial grounds.
I thought this was a good idea when it opened. Now I'm sort of with you on this one. Is this really a need that can't be met by the privately funded social clubs of this (not exactly neglected or underserved) community?
At least the bank building was preserved, rather than torn down and replaced with a cinderblock Autozone store or some crap like some downtown San Pedro bank buildings I could name. But, come on...surely this building could be put to some use that we could all get into. Poetry and creative writing workshops, film classes, art exhibits for people (kids especially) whose daily routine may not take them out by Angels's Gate...something. Aren't people at the Department of Cultural Affairs supposed to have imaginations?
[The Warner Grand] should not generate enough money to be self-sustaining, but should be a profitable enterprise (possibly funding other Cultural Affairs facilities in the area).
Meh...that's about as realistic as those demands you hear from time to time from conservatives that Amtrak be run at a profit. One of the proper, legitimate roles of government is to subsidize enterprises that the public deems vital but that are not economically profitable. Space program, military, education, fine arts, national forests, monuments...you get the idea. It's perfectly honorable and nothing to be ashamed of.
Which is not to say that you can just allow a place like the Warner to be a big economic black hole. Just that independent/arty/second-run non-multiplex movie theaters are, to put it mildly, not known as massive profit generators these days--even if they aren't located in far-flung, sleepy working-class bedroom communities. In order to have the remotest shot at turning a profit, the programming at the theater would have to be pretty blockbusterish...and at that point, what's the purpose of having DCA run it at all?
If it can turn a profit, great. But don't hold your breath. Shoot for minimal losses and maximal cultural benefit instead, and anything on top of that is a come-up.
The Performing Arts Firehouse has been brought up to code. You can usually get away with being "grandfathered" on your code status if the building is old enough. For example, at the Angels Gate Cultural Center (not a city facility, but in city owned buildings) we aren't required to comply with the Americans with Disabilities act, as it didn't exist in 1937 when the buildings were built, and it would be impractical in many cases to comply.
The only issue that exists at this facility is the city's refusal or failure to provide staff and an operating budget. This facility was providing real service when it was open, with quality teachers. It had become a center of community activity and pride, and the community it served has felt rightfully shafted by its closure.
I am hoping that Banning's Landing can find itself a destiny. My main issue with the management of the facility is that it was built far too early, most likely taking advantage of Tidelands Trust funds. The rules that govern the use of Tidelands funds are arcane, and in many cases counterproductive or ridiculous. The Port could support many more local efforts (which they would like to do) and in more relevant ways if they were allowed to build and fund projects further from the waterfront.
The Croatian Cultural Center surely could be put to better purposes. The issue is that it currently isn't, and I and other "watchers" of this facility doubt that it will ever serve the greater community unless it comes under new management, and loses it's ethnic orientation. One of the "blue sky" ideas (that I personally love) that's been tossed around is to devote the facility to film history or study, and pair it up with the nearby Warner Grand. You could build a micro theatre inside the old bank and run a more ambitious program that you ever could at the Warner. The facilities could get branded together and profitable programming at the Warner could sustain the activities of the "San Pedro Film Center". The building isn't really well set up for art exhibitions, though. It lacks both the wall space (those windows basically kill the ground floor), as well as the lighting required.
The Warner Grand is already turning a profit for the people programming it. When I was doing the San Pedro Film Society, we would routinely turn a small profit on our showings, or show a slight loss. When we sold out We Jam Econo, we brought in around $8,000 (split 50/50 between us and the filmmakers) in profit for one screening, which we used to sustain all of our programs until the money ran out (following We Jam Econo, we had tremendously poor showings for about six months that effectively broke our bank). We were doing almost zero marketing for a theatre that is presumed to be closed by much of the community.
Imagine how much income a theatre of that size could generate if consistently programmed, properly branded and advertised? With better seats, and most importantly, non-grabled sound? A lot. More than enough to support the $40-$50K salary of a full time programmer, pay for advertising and begin to maintain the theatre without the support of Grand Vision (they aren't going to hold the Warner's hand forever). As the theatre returns to life, the amount you can charge for private bookings grows tremendously, as well.
IMHO, the theatre has too many goddamn seats. I don't even think about seating the balcony, unless something of major relevance is going on, like Port Town or We Jam Econo. But a program that consistently sells out 400 - 600 seats would be more than enough to sustain the theatre. Sure, sometimes you put a lemon out there, lose a little money, but then there's the big "sell out the house" events that bring in the dough. And don't forget the liqour and concession sales - that's where 1st run theatres make all of their money, and there's lots of income to be generated at the Warner this way, too.
It could very well be run at a loss, and be subsidised by the city budget, but that hasn't happened, and given the history of both the DCA and the budget that limits its options, it isn't going to. We can still get great, community oriented programming that is economically self sustaining. It simply sad to me that the city continues to realise both the potential of the facility, as well as the responsiblity that comes with ownership of the facility.
How can we help out the Warner Grand? I would like to see programming of foreign and arthouse films every night (like the Nuart in West LA). Hell, I've got the time, I'd gladly give it if it didn't amount to just sitting in meeting after sonorous meeting. I'd like to help in acquiring print and video to show. My hubby is an audio tech. We could really help out.
What the Warner needs, IMHO, is for the city to properly manage it. Although the existing programming sees some success, adding additional programming without first branding the theatre's program and properly advertising it under that brand will only cannibalise the existing audience base.
If we want to see current foreign and art house films, there really needs to be a professional booker who can not only arrange to get the films, but also market them, plan special events (director's talks, etc...), plan schedules so that the films don't bleed money out the door, manage the delivery and return of prints, etc...
Yes there is currently staff at the Warner Grand, but that staff has zero experience in running an independent theatre, outside of their experience at the Grand. We need a capable manager, who wants a tough job revitalising that theatre.
Maybe what we need to do as interested parties is bombard the Council office with demands that the theatre be properly funded (say $100k - 200k per year for programming, advertising and operating expenses) and that a person be hired (from outside of the department, at say $40-50K per year) as a Program Director for the theatre. Given the amount of timely advertising that needs to be done to properly operate a theatre, maybe that should all be done outside of the city's facilities, as well.
Another option would be for the city to step out, for a non-profit entity to be formed, funded intially by grants and donations, completely take over the operation of the theatre. The non-profit would then hire programming staff for the theatre. Perhaps the city could engage that non-profit in a profit sharing enterprise with the city's share going back into the DCA budget.
I don't want to encourage people to get involved in the technical operation of the theatre. In a way, the Warner has stayed open via a sort of reverse welfare where tens of thousands of dollars in community labor and expense have created the illusion that the facility is being operated in a semi-professional manner. I'd like to see the same level of programming you would, but I don't think we should have to carry the weight of the City's responsibility for it. I think our involvement as community members should only be in an oversight and audience capacity.
As to your husband's experience as an audio tech. Hopefully when the theatre re-opens in November we won't need to fret and worry over the sound ever again. I'm trying to be as optimistic about the audio upgrade as possible.
Note - I'd like to say that I have nothing but the highest level of respect for Lee Sweet, who currently oversees the theatre, and whom I consider a friend. He's one of the hardest working people in Cultural Affairs and he does the best he can with the limited resources at his disposal. His stewardship and "let's make it happen" attitude is the only reason that the theatre is as successful as it is today.
Can I suggest that you be a teensy bit more open-minded about how problems are solved? It doesn't always have to be top-down, with the only role of the public being to hector the City for more problem-solving money. The DCA can't or won't fund the Warner Grand properly; people in the community with applicable skills want to volunteer. Why not let them volunteer, at least until Big Daddy kicks down the cash?
The audio technician and his wife are likely to be a lot more enthusiastic about putting their skills to work at the theater than they would be about sitting at home and writing letters or doing "oversight" (read: dreary meetings).
Oh, and a big "yes" to beer at the theater. Sneaking it in in a backpack gets old. Not that I or my friends have ever done this.
I'm not trying to be totally top down. I see the operation of the theatre as a job for a single, dedicated professional. I want someone "on the job" running this important asset. And there needs to be startup money for any program and I don't want to see the community constantly filling that need when the city should do it. I think we need to give the city one last chance to support the operation of the theatre, and if the DCA or the council or the mayor won't step up to the job, then we should form a non-profit and take over the the whole thing as a grass roots effort. So much grass roots work went into the aquisition of the theatre, the restoration of the sign and the seat/screen/sound campaign that it's sad to me to see the theatrre fall so short of its potential in terms of the programming.
Maybe a good role for volunteers could be in the box office or at the concession stand. Right now one of the big expenses of operating the theatre is the DCA staff that must be employed. Maybe even some really qualified volunteers could help save money by doing some of the more technical work - setting up microphones, doing "house manager" tasks. Writing grants to large foundations for operations support woudl be another great role for volunteers. Writing grants is tough, backbreaking work, and the theatre probably needs someone to do it. Another great role for volunteers would be in the planning and implementation of festivals and special events. Given the massive size of the theatre, it's ideal for big events - there are lots of shoes to fill when doing that kind of stuff. Another role for volunteers would be docenting tours of the theatre, giving really involved talks about the history of the theatre. Not just "this is art deco, love it" talks, but talks about events that have taken place there, the ownership of the theatre, etc...
I wouldn't to see volunteers reduced to cleaning toilets or guiding folks to seats. There's too much spare grey matter in this town that loves that the Warner Grand not to take advantage of it.
Really, I'm open to any solution that turns the theatre into an operating asset.
That was a great post and comments. Ever since I moved here last year, I wondered why nothing much ever seemed to be going on at the Warner Grand, and now I know. I would love to buy a beer and a slice of pizza there and go see foriegn, art movies and old films. No offence to volunteers etc., but it seems like they just show boring family movies on Sunday afternoons -- I'm not gonna shell out $8 for Lassie Come Home and the like. As for grass roots vs. the city -- hey, whatever works. But I wonder why everyone assumes that it can't be a profitable private business? I used to live in Portland, OR., and they had 4 or 5 little theaters like that all over the city, and they seemed to do alright. Anyway, lots of potential here, like you say.
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