By Jorge Casuso

October 16, 2025 -- Frustrated that a year of talks has led to little more than a "big beautiful vision," the City Council Tuesday night ended a exclusive negotiation agreement (ENA) with an expert group to revitalize the shuttered Civic Auditorium.

In a 4 to 3 vote, the Council directed staff to explore other options for the prime 3-acre site, while leaving the door open for Revitalization Partners Group, LLC (RPG) to continue developing its plan to save the iconic 65-year-old structure.

Before the vote, most Councilmembers worried that RPG had not submitted any documentation to show their plan to convert the Civic into an "immersive" high-tech venue for live music concerts, award shows and special events would make money.

"We still have not been shown any actual plans beyond these nice renderings," said Councilmember Dan Hall, noting that City staff believed the project would require a substantial subsidy.

"I'm just concerned that we are wasting our time here with a group that hasn't run the numbers or doesn't want to run the numbers because they know it's not going to work," Hall said.

"We've been asking for (a pro forma) for more than a year," he said. "I'm ready to move on to do something with the site."

Councilmember Jesse Zwick said it was time to revitalize "this blight that has sat there at the heart of our city" since the landmark that requires major renovations closed in 2013.

"I don't care what the use is. It could be concerts, conventions, hotel, housing. Ideally all of the above," Zwick said, adding that the City needs to "step back and explore all the possible uses for the space."

Councilmember Caroline Torosis, who works in economic development for LA County, said she has been involved with "countless" negotiating agreements and "never seen over a year of discussions" without seeing "a single option of how the project is being financed."

"We're being sold on this big, beautiful vision everyone is super excited about, great names attached to this. We're being told, 'Just trust us. It's going to work out.' And I haven't seen us move the ball to the goal."

Beth Collins, co-president of Azoff Company, a music, media and entertainment company that is part of RPG, said the group had spent countless hours and more than $1 million on the proposed project that presents "an amazing economic opportunity for the city."

"A project like this takes considerable time," said Collins. "I don't know where the numbers come from in the staff report, but they did not come from us. We do not waste time, and we do not want to waste the City's time. I hear you that it is long and frustrating."

Collins showed a seven-minute video showcasing images of RPG's proposed "self-financed project" that requires "no public dollars or bonds" and includes a park, outdoor concert stage, a rooftop terrace and "next-generation technology."

"We believe it is an extremely viable project," Collins said. "It is a unique time in live entertainment when we can really believe that we can fix the Civic."

The Councilmembers who voted against terminating the negotiations agreed that RPG should be given at least a three-month extension to produce the data needed to evaluate the project.

"They wouldn't be here if this didn't make sense financially," said Councilmember Ellis Raskin. "I really hope that it can make sense. I think we've got to give them a little more time."

The motion was replaced by a substitute motion made by Torosis to terminate the contract and "assess the highest and best use for the Civic site" both with and without constraints.

In answering questions from the Council, City Manager Oliver Chi noted that the property RPG proposed to lease for $1 a year would sell from between $20 million under existing constraints and as much as $80 million without constraints.

He also noted that the City's annual general fund is operating with a $20 million to $25 million deficit and has only $150 million in cash on hand, compared to between $300 million and $400 million in the past.

Staff also noted that previous efforts to revitalize the Civic, which needs extensive retrofitting and upgrading, have failed to pencil out without subsidies.

Save the Civic, the non-profit group leading the effort to restore the local landmark, said the prevailing Councilmembers "turned a deaf ear" on the residents who "packed Ciy Hall" and sent "over 330 letters supporting our efforts."

In a statement after the vote, Save the Civic said Chi "lobbied to start the entire process over and study other options for the site, including those that would lead to the demolition of the landmarked building. This is the path Zwick, Hall, Torosis and (Natalya) Zernitskaya chose to take."

During the meeting, Zwick said he believed "emotion is sort of getting in the way of clear thinking and hard numbers," adding that the City needs to analyze "the highest and best use of the space" and the "needs of the city in this century not the last one."