The Los Angeles City Council is expected to revisit the management of the Greek Theatre today, with Recreation and Parks officials scheduled to present a report on a plan to have the city take over operation of the outdoor concert venue from an outside firm.
Councilman Paul Koretz asked that a report be given to the council on a recent decision by the Recreation and Parks Commission to operate the 5,800- seat Greek Theatre as an “open venue,” in which the city would maintain the venue and book the acts.
Koretz had initially planned to take a more decisive step of asking the council to assert jurisdiction and reconsider the Recreation and Parks Commission’s vote from earlier this month, but he ultimately decided only to ask for the report to the council.
Koretz is expected to join neighborhood council members at a news conference prior to the meeting to discuss his concerns over the open venue proposal.
Facing pressure from community groups and Nederlander Concerts — which has run the venue for nearly 40 years — the City Council recently said it would not support a plan to award the venue’s management contract to Live Nation, which won a competitive bid conducted by the Recreation and Parks Department.
The council’s rejection of Live Nation appeared to give the victory to Nederlander, but instead of extending Nederlander’s contract, which ends in October, Recreation and Parks staff proposed that the city handle the Greek Theatre’s management itself.
Under the plan, the city would decide in 2016 whether it wants to again seek out an outside company to take handle management of the venue, starting in 2018.
Recreation and Parks officials said the “open venue” model could be an opportunity for the city to gain a bigger cut of revenues from the summer concerts held at the Greek Theatre.
Officials estimate the city could net $3 million if 50 concerts are held, or $4.8 million for 70 concerts. Under its revenue-sharing agreement with Nederlander, the city received $1.97 million of $27.2 million in gross receipts in 2014.
Recreation and Parks officials said the Red Rocks Amphitheatre in Denver is an example of a successfully run, city-owned and -operated venue that Los Angeles could follow.
Nederlander Concerts executives are now offering more money to the city, with CEO Alex Hodges saying last week that the company’s contract could be extended and amended to have “an increased annual minimum rent guarantee to the city of $3.5 million for 2016, with zero expense or risk to the city.”
