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Board amends Goldenvoice lease; district, foundation transfer and use of funds remain under DOJ review
Summary
The Coachella Valley Unified School District on April 3 approved a one-year amendment to its lease agreement with Goldenvoice LLC that increases the district's annual lease payment and preserves a large donor contribution, but the district said the Coachella Valley Education Foundation cannot yet receive the donated funds pending Department of Justice review.
The Coachella Valley Unified School District board on April 3 approved an amendment and restatement of the lease agreement with Goldenvoice LLC for use of district property, including changes to the payment schedule and donor contributions, but the district said foundation rules and a pending Department of Justice review restrict access to the donated funds.
District staff described the contract amendment as a one-year agreement that increases the annual lease payment and keeps the donor contribution amount unchanged while clarifying where donated funds are to be deposited and how they may be spent. Staff said the contract requires donated monies to be provided to the district's education foundation; if the foundation is not in a position to receive funds, the contract holds them in a separate district account.
Board discussion recounted a long-term relationship with Goldenvoice and its predecessor payments: a board member summarized prior negotiations that moved annual lease payments from roughly $17,000 in earlier decades to a combined annual contribution that included a lease payment plus a multi-hundred-thousand-dollar donation. At the meeting a staff member said the larger donor contribution figure remains unchanged under the new amendment.
The district also told the board that the Coachella Valley Education Foundation's ability to receive and spend the donated funds is currently limited: the foundation's bank account exists and contains about $50,000, but the foundation is awaiting DOJ reinstatement after incomplete prior filings. Until the DOJ clears the foundation, the district's attorneys said the district cannot transfer the larger donated amounts into the foundation account. Staff said if DOJ reinstatement is not granted, attorneys will reapply for a foundation to receive the funds.
The board approved the amendment after a motion and second. A board member announced an abstention on the vote, citing professional ties to a company associated with Goldenvoice; the meeting record did not identify the abstaining member by name.
Why it matters: Goldenvoice festival proceeds and related lease payments have provided material annual support to district programs in recent contract cycles. The board discussion emphasized that the amended contract preserves donor restrictions and that district counsel must follow DOJ rules before funds can move to the foundation.
The board did not specify exact line-item uses in the amended language beyond a broad commitment that donated funds be used for arts, music, culture, sports and athletics per the agreement language. One board member asked how long the foundation review would take; district counsel said the DOJ filing is complete and the district is awaiting clearance but gave no timetable.
