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 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.