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

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…