By Jorge Casuso
July 14, 2026 -- A consortium of top-ranking concert promoters that has been pursuing plans to restore and operate the historic Civic Auditorium is pulling out after two years, a group championing the effort said Monday.
Save the Civic informed supporters that Revitalization Partners Group, LLC (RPG) had dropped its plan to resurrect the 65-year-old structure that closed in 2013.
The group -- composed of experts in live entertainment, real estate development, finance, historic preservation and public-private partnerships -- had forged ahead with its plan after the City Council last October voted to end exclusive negotiations.
"Over the last nine months, RPG has continued its due diligence but has now concluded it is not in its best interest to move forward," Save the Civic's Steering Committee wrote in an email to supporters.
"Accordingly, it is our understanding that it is withdrawing from further consideration," the group said.
The email came after an item was added last Thursday to Tuesday's City Council closed session agenda to discuss negotiations with Goldenvoice and AEG Presents, two concert and music festival promoters.
The item calls for City Manager Oliver Chi and top officials of the two companies to negotiate the "price and terms of payment" for the 50,000-square-foot concert venue that requires extensive renovations and seismic retrofitting before it can reopen.
Save the Civic, which has been a staunch supporter of RPG's efforts, said the group "had proposed, and drawn up plans for, a world-class concert venue that would be owned by the City, but at no cost to the City or its taxpayers.
"We’re sorry to see them withdraw. We hope these new negotiations will prove more successful, and we will keep you updated as we learn more."
RPG's withdrawal comes nine months after the Council voted 4 to 3 on October 14 to end exclusive negotiations, frustrated that a year of talks with the group had led to little more than a "big beautiful vision."
The Council directed staff to explore other options for the prime 3-acre site, while leaving the door open for RPG to continue developing its plan.
Councilmembers worried that RPG had not submitted any documentation to show that its plan to convert the Civic into an "immersive" high-tech venue for live music concerts, award shows and special events would make money.
"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," Councilmember Dan Hall said at the meeting.
"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."
Mayor Caroline Torosis agreed, saying that not "a single option of how the project is being financed" had been presented during negotiations.
"We're being sold on this big, beautiful vision everyone is super excited about, great names attached to this," Torosis said. "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."
RPG, which proposed to lease the property for $1 a year, spent countless hours and more than $1 million on the proposed project, said Beth Collins, co-president of Azoff Company, a music, media and entertainment company that is part of the consortium.
Collins showed the Council 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."
The withdrawal of RPG's proposal follows more than a decade of failed attempts to revitalize the iconic venue that once staged legendary rock concerts and hosted the Academy Awards.
Previous efforts haven't found a way to pay for the restoration, which School District officials estimated would cost nearly $227 million when it presented a proposal in 2023 that it subsequently pulled.