With dissension among city officials about who should operate the Greek Theatre, the Los Angeles Recreation and Parks Commission today tossed out bids from Nederlander and Live Nation to run the open-air Griffith Park venue.
The commission originally recommended that Live Nation take over operation of the theater from Nederlander, the venue’s longtime operator.
The Los Angeles City Council, however, voted 11-3 to oppose giving the contract to Live Nation. The vote was advisory, but if the Recreation and Parks Department had gone ahead in negotiating a contract with Live Nation, the final management agreement would still require the council’s approval.
Many neighbors of the theater have spoken in support of Nederlander, saying the company has been sensitive to noise, traffic and other community concerns. They feared Live Nation might not be as responsive.
But Live Nation officials said their proposal scored higher than Nederlander’s and provided more money for improvements to the facility, including $25 million in the first year of the contract, while Nederlander proposed spending $18 million in the first two years on upgrades to the facility.
Recreation and Parks Department General Manager Mike Shull sided with Live Nation, saying the department designed the bidding process to favor proposals that offered to pay more for improvements to the venue.
With the bids scrapped, the commission is expected to hear a presentation at a future meeting on a Shull proposal that the city consider operating the facility itself as an “open venue,” at least temporarily.
