October 11, 2022:

The City Council made formal moves to sell off the iconic Civic Auditorium, long shuttered and deteriorating.

 

Alarmed at the real possibility of our City selling or even demolishing our historic Civic Auditorium, residents formed Save the Civic. 

 

Save the Civic’s mission has always been clear: publicly owned spaces for music and the arts are rare and important cultural venues.  They should be restored, not liquidated, or used for other purposes.

 

The City rejected a plan from Community Corp to buy the Civic and erect housing.  The Santa Monica/Malibu Unified School District’s proposal to acquire the site and float a $250 million bond to repurpose it into a competition gym was eventually withdrawn, in part due to intense community opposition organized by Save the Civic. 

 

During this process, Save the Civic found a credible group of investors interested in restoring this historic building and operating it as a world-class performing arts center at no cost to taxpayers.    

 

The City Council then moved to authorize the City Manager to invite all interested parties with experience developing and operating world-class concert venues to submit proposals for restoring and operating the Civic. Letters of intent were to be submitted by January 31, 2024. 

July 2023:

The City rejected a plan from Community Corp to buy the Civic and erect housing.

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December 12, 2023

The City Council then moved to authorize the City Manager to invite all interested parties with experience developing and operating world-class concert venues to submit proposals for restoring and operating the Civic. Letters of intent were to be submitted by January 31, 2024.

 

March 1, 2024: 

In response to the City’s request for proposals, four separate entities submitted plans.  

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Save the Civic urged Council to move forward without delay to select the most credible, experienced group willing to sign a long-term lease (so residents retain ownership!) to bring our Civic Auditorium back to a world-class performing arts and cultural center.

 

For Save the Civic, preservation is about more than saving the hollowed-out bones of a building. The Civic Auditorium is a performing arts center; the only one of its kind on the Westside. We must not let its original use be an afterthought.

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May 28, 2024:

Our City Council entered into Closed Session to discuss moving forward with an Exclusive Negotiation Agreement (ENA) with Revitalization Partners Group (RPG) to upgrade, restore, program and operate our landmark Civic Auditorium as a performing arts and cultural center.  

While the City has not disclosed the outcome of its Closed Session, it is now drafting an ENA which will contain the parameters necessary for the City and RPG to reach a deal.

July 23, 2024

In a victory for residents, our City Council voted to officially enter into an Exclusive Negotiation Agreement (ENA) with Revitalization Partners Group (RPG) to upgrade, restore, program, and operate our landmark Civic Auditorium as a vibrant Santa Monica performing arts and cultural center.  RPG is a consortium of highly experienced LA based companies:  Make Good Group, Geyser Holdings, The (Irving) Azoff Company, Oak View Group, and Live Nation.

Santa Monica residents will continue to own the Civic. 

RPG will not ask the City for any funds.

Additional terms of the ENA will be negotiated for a period of six months, extendable by mutual agreement of RPG and the City.  During this time RPG’s technical experts and consultants in historic preservation, seismic and structural engineering, ADA compliance, acoustics, and other areas will conduct necessary due diligence studies and analyses related to the restoration and renovation of the Civic.  RPG will then prepare a comprehensive project scope and timeframe for Council’s approval.

Residents look forward to being part of RPG’s broad community outreach informing us all about its restoration plans and timetable.    

The City Council July 23, 2024 agenda and the staff report regarding the ENA with RPG can be found at Agenda Item 5E. https://santamonicacityca.iqm2.com/Citizens/Detail_Meeting.aspx?ID=1411

Please check back periodically.  We will keep you posted on progress in realizing the dream of a re-opened Civic.​

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