[{"_1":2,"_87":-5,"_88":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,75],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},"mediaId",6666088,"mediaKeyId","2341433-2a45ac91bfe3b8ef4549c3af21fd575b","parentId",2341433,"title","Oxnard council approves 5-year extension for Sterling Venue Ventures with conditions after hours of public comment","audioSeconds",8400,"startMs",0,"endMs",8400000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=2341433-2a45ac91bfe3b8ef4549c3af21fd575b&start=0&end=8400","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2341433-2a45ac91bfe3b8ef4549c3af21fd575b/thumbnail_0.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6666088/Oxnard-City/Ventura-County/California/Oxnard-council-approves-5-year-extension-for-Sterling-Venue-Ventures-with-conditions-after-hours-of-public-comment","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6666088-debb1662594052ae74d89a1704c84581/orig.mp4?Expires=1771218628&Signature=lH7PIS9ATSzXzz7~Xm9IxtONxq-hzJ43eUWpTYRk3OrSFje1Yp~e87bP4op~mhPaESibmuR9720FDJ5i7Zs7ZMbLB5eomA2EYfznusij4bephKC6ax3EoOFWyIDS~bSHTjX9y0Kzd5fz5ZAyCrLz9xIi9HyxgB6yLLNttvZCEfZd155qHMSZAzAIyXZVpx0AuGoV5MT4q1Oqk-R3fYojCn1XiQNgpcDrVYHFG29fc~AWu9ji6WSvAD4kb8s8CR7MTilEajH~jH3F9k6hebSK0C9mUfbC5KUhhrjm22ny42vs55Q87Q-pal20mRvukfPRlVA5ZjvNkDXvc40qxhlYvw__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","City of Oxnard, CA","date","2025-02-19T12:18:41.897Z","article","The Oxnard City Council late Tuesday voted to authorize a five‑year extension of the city’s facility management agreement with Sterling Venue Ventures (SVV) for the Oxnard Performing Arts Center (OPAC) auditorium and meeting rooms, while directing staff to pursue a written side agreement with the OPAC nonprofit and clarifying concession payment terms.

The council’s action follows more than two hours of public comment from dozens of residents, artists, nonprofit leaders and employees who urged council members to give OPAC — the community nonprofit that manages programming and meeting rooms — a separate contract or more formal protection. Supporters described OPAC as a local arts hub that offers free and low‑cost programming, youth arts classes and community events that they said a for‑profit promoter would not replicate.

Why it matters: The decision preserves a professional operator for the auditorium while leaving a path for the city and the nonprofit to negotiate a clearer operating relationship for the community rooms. The council also adopted staff language clarifying how much of food‑and‑beverage proceeds SVV must share with the city, a change proponents said improves transparency about revenue from concerts and rentals.

Council action and terms
The council authorized the mayor to execute an amended management agreement extending SVV’s operation of the OPAC auditorium and associated meeting rooms for five years. Council members also directed staff to secure a written side agreement between SVV and the OPAC nonprofit within a set timeframe and asked staff to develop a longer‑term option to separate responsibility for the auditorium from operation of the nonprofit’s community rooms.

The council instructed staff to modify the agreement’s financial language so that SVV pays a fixed share of concession margin — clarified in staff materials as 15 percent of gross margin (food and beverage less cost of sales) — for events in the auditorium and related meeting rooms. Council members also asked staff to return with a progress update while SVV and OPAC work on a formal side letter to document how the entities will coordinate bookings and access to support spaces and services.

Public debate
Speakers were sharply divided. More than 60 people signed up to speak on the item. Supporters of SVV — venue employees and managers — praised the operator for bringing professional shows and for “cleaning up” the property. Dana Morris, identifying herself as Sterling Venue Ventures’ vice president of operations, told the council, “We are such a community type group and we are so proud of being a part of the community of Oxnard.”

Nonprofit backers said OPAC’s free and low‑cost programming, grant work and youth services would be lost or diminished if a for‑profit operator took sole control of the whole center. Artist and OPAC supporter Christian Aguero Quirino testified that the nonprofit “creates third spaces” for youth and families that are not available elsewhere. Several nonprofit leaders described long partnerships with local schools and community groups.

Board and staff perspectives
Dr. Gary Davis, who identified himself as speaking on behalf of the OPAC board, told the council the nonprofit wants to preserve community control of the ballrooms and meeting rooms but does not seek to displace SVV from the auditorium. “We have made several concessions,” Davis said, adding the board still wants management rights for the two ballrooms and the meeting rooms.

SVV’s owner, Lance Sterling, addressed the council and the public. “We didn’t ask them to leave,” Sterling said, describing SVV as a professional operator that brings national talent and that partners with nonprofits. He said he was willing to work with the nonprofit and that his company has often affiliated with nonprofits in other markets to handle community programming.

Council rationale and next steps
Council members said they were balancing two objectives: ensuring a professional operator for the auditorium — which draws ticket revenue the city has relied upon to fund facility work — and protecting OPAC’s community programming. Council members asked staff to draft the side letter and to continue to explore a structure in which the nonprofit could have secure rights to community rooms while SVV operates the auditorium.

The amended contract language approved by council clarifies the percentage SVV must remit from concessions and directs staff to return with documentation of the side‑letter negotiations and proposed next steps. Staff said the changes were tailored to the parameters identified in a prior staff report and to protect the city’s operational needs while giving the nonprofit a clearer path to formalize community‑room agreements.

What council did not do
The council did not remove SVV as the auditorium operator, nor did it give the nonprofit an immediate sole operating contract for the entire center. Members emphasized they wanted both sides to reach a negotiated agreement and that staff would monitor implementation and report back.

Local reaction
Speakers from local arts groups, schools and nonprofits urged council members to preserve OPAC’s nonprofit status for the meeting rooms and to prioritize community classes and affordable access for local groups. Opposing speakers highlighted the operator’s claims of added revenue, increased programming and facility improvements under SVV’s tenure.

The council’s decision takes effect as staff begins drafting the written side‑letter and the amended management agreement for the mayor’s signature. Staff said it will return to council with updates and with any amendments needed to implement the side agreement and the revised concession‑payment language.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","City Council Meeting 03 - 2/18/2025","oneSentenceSummary","The Oxnard City Council late Tuesday voted to authorize a five‑year extension of the city’s facility management agreement with Sterling Venue Ventures (SVV) for the Oxnard Performing Arts Center (OPAC) auditorium and meeting rooms, while directing staff to pursue a written side agreement with the OPAC nonprofit and clarifying concession payment terms.","taxTitle","Oxnard City, Ventura County, California","taxId",3809,"location","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":76,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":77,"_41":78,"_43":79,"_45":80,"_47":81,"_49":82,"_51":83,"_53":84,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":85,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":86,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6666082,"Oxnard council implements Court of Appeal ruling on treasurer; shifts some collection and payment duties",7765,8250000,16015000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2341433-2a45ac91bfe3b8ef4549c3af21fd575b&start=8250&end=16015","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2341433-2a45ac91bfe3b8ef4549c3af21fd575b/thumbnail_8250000.jpg","/articles/6666082/Oxnard-City/Ventura-County/California/Oxnard-council-implements-Court-of-Appeal-ruling-on-treasurer-shifts-some-collection-and-payment-duties","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6666082-0a7801da7f1656f34a4eb4451d7600a3/orig.mp4?Expires=1771218628&Signature=hF3jyv~gGe9U5XV8uZaYvdD2JD0Ra87B8USrMis4~9LT7ekVXu6KWZnn~BZhv6L1BfWJRk24faRXzVBQk-AjfedzMkczSEBPhrqA8pC9lHVB5s7-uTbElel3OuZAwf3rEqTAhpilgNPHgqmBpH6-KXdeMEGM0KYn5P-2P9~7okrYUp6TrgkdmwZ~ugY3VRkgl5OgqITZuLxE60KGMkyoB~MqcznDf3Lros6VgOhxtCFQ9Yf-dOBkV3hczddQzfgGXZ1ZTHOft7sYkjFqZCRT6gWipM~cBbwnupZcusw9PGAw6~VNL65CSyfstzuFnmwmFJpB5QWNEVFWBAOCB3w7bg__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The Oxnard City Council on Tuesday adopted staff recommendations to implement a recent Court of Appeal ruling and a subsequent writ of mandate that restored some statutory duties to the city treasurer while authorizing the city to reassign specific administrative functions.

The council voted 6–1 to approve staff’s recommended ordinance language and administrative steps to comply with the court’s directive. Under the action, the city will restore certain statutory reporting duties to the elected city treasurer while transferring specified collector and payment‑processing functions as permitted by the court’s decision.

Why it matters: The vote implements a judicial ruling that overturned earlier city ordinances and resolutions that the court found unlawfully removed duties from an elected official. Council members and staff said their action follows the court’s instructions while addressing operational concerns raised by staff and by an earlier internal investigation.

Background and court findings
The council’s vote follows a multi‑year dispute that began after city management removed administrative duties from Treasurer Philip Molina following an internal investigation by an outside investigator. The investigator’s report, which the city relied upon, documented allegations about workplace communications and conduct by the treasurer and raised concerns about the treasurer’s role supervising staff.

Molina sued the city to restore his duties. A trial court ruled for the city, but the Court of Appeal reversed that decision and issued a writ of mandate restoring statutory duties to the elected treasurer. The appellate opinion said the legislature vests certain functions in an elected treasurer and warned that the city could not use local ordinances to circumvent the voters’ choice.

What the council approved
The council accepted staff’s recommendation to implement the court’s judgment by:

- Restoring the treasurer’s statutory reporting duty (Government Code §41001–41005 referenced in staff materials) that requires a regular written accounting of receipts, disbursements and fund balances; and
- Transferring specific collector duties and the procedure for payment of warrants to an alternative administrative structure permitted by the court, including assigning collection duties to the police chief and specifying that the assistant city treasurer handle payment procedures and related administrative processing, consistent with the court’s order and applicable state law.

Staff and legal rationale
City staff explained that the Court of Appeal allowed particular administrative transfers — notably the collector function and an alternative procedure for paying warrants — while restoring the treasurer’s statutory accounting responsibility. City attorneys advised council members that the ordinance language before the council implements precisely the narrow changes the court authorized and that staff must follow the judgment and writ of mandate.

Statements from parties
Treasurer Philip Molina told the council he had been unable to perform his duties since the court case began and asked council members to restore his staff, budget and office resources so he could prepare the statutorily mandated reports and supervise associated operations. His counsel, Michael Walker, said in the chamber that the litigation had been litigated and the treasurer prevailed at the appellate level.

City attorneys and staff urged a narrower approach for operational reasons. The City Attorney told the council, “There is no way that I could recommend anything to you that would put Mr. Molina back into the role of a department head or management or manager, supervisor of city staff,” citing the internal investigative findings and the city’s duty to protect staff and operations.

Council deliberation and vote
Council members debated the tension between respecting the voters’ choice of an elected official and protecting staff and municipal operations. Supporters of staff’s approach said it followed the appellate court precisely and addressed workplace safety and operational continuity. Councilmember John Starr opposed the measure and said the voters had elected the treasurer and the city should restore his staff and resources; Starr was the sole vote against the ordinance.

Next steps and implementation
Staff was directed to return on a schedule consistent with the court’s timetable — including the city’s forthcoming return on the writ — to confirm how the ordinance will be implemented in practice, and to provide the treasurer with the accounting information the court requires. The city attorney and finance staff will coordinate to prepare the modified payment procedures and to ensure the treasurer receives the required monthly reports in a format consistent with statutory requirements.

Authorities cited
Staff referenced the appellate decision, the judgment and writ of mandate (issued and effective Jan. 29), and specific Government Code provisions cited in the court’s opinion and staff report (noted in staff materials as Government Code §41001–41005 and other sections discussed in the hearing).

What was not resolved
Council members left intact the court’s direction that certain administrative functions may be reassigned; the vote did not restore the treasurer’s prior supervisory authority over internal staff. Council members asked staff to return with additional implementation details and to ensure the treasurer will receive the accounting reports he needs to comply with statutory reporting requirements.","After a Court of Appeal decision and a writ of mandate, the Oxnard City Council voted 6–1 to adopt staff recommendations to implement the court order: the council approved transferring certain collection and warrant‑payment duties away from the elected city treasurer and clarified procedures for payments and reporting.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

Oxnard council approves 5-year extension for Sterling Venue Ventures with conditions after hours of public comment

Oxnard council implements Court of Appeal ruling on treasurer; shifts some collection and payment duties