ANALYSIS - Evoking Section 245 of the Los Angeles City Charter, the City Council today voted 12-0 to override the Recreation and Parks Commission's approval of the Autry's latest expansion plans.
Per Section 245, the City Council has three weeks to make their decision on the issue. A public hearing will be held on Friday at the Council's Arts Parks Health and Aging committee meeting at City Hall. CD 4 councilman Tom LaBonge is the chair of this committee, which will make a recommendation to City Council on the issue.
Don't hold your breath for any different outcome. LaBonge has been notorious throughout his time as councilman for bypassing the Recreation and Parks commission at whim, especially when it comes to yet another shiny object he wants in Griffith Park.
Yet recently, LaBonge has taken to visibly deferring everything and anything to Recreation and Parks for approval by the Barry Sanders' controlled rubber-stamp commission. Adding to the pressure to approve the expansion ASAP is the Autry's July 1st deadline to have a contract in place if they are to receive a $6 million grant of taxpayer money for this project. (Link)
So barring any major political pressure, LaBonge's committee will likely recommend approval of the Autry expansion, making this somewhat rare application of City Charter Section 245 simply academic.
Meanwhile, the Autry's legal and moral obligation to the Southwest Museum (link) - Los Angeles's oldest museum - remains unfulfilled.
(More perspectives, info and good reading at griffithparkwayist.blogspot.com where this article was first posted.) -cw
Tags: Arts Parks Health and Aging Committee, Autry Museum expansion plans, Barry Sanders, Friends of the Southwest Museum, Tom LaBonge
CityWatch
Vol 9 Issue 44
Pub: June 3, 2011