The Culver City Redevelopment Agency and the City Council will face perhaps one of its most difficult decisions of the new year in a joint session on Monday night: what to do about a popular cultural event that has become synonymous with summertime in Culver City.
The Culver City Music Festival (formerly the Summer Concert Series) is the first casualty of the state Supreme Court’s ruling on Dec. 29 that dissolved California’s 397 redevelopment agencies. Because the agency paid for many of the festival’s expenditures, agency officials announced on Jan. 9 that it would not longer fund the festival.
Producer Gary Mandell, who has run the concert series for several years and has won the admiration of concert attendees if not always the city’s elected officials, has proposed an alternative festival, which the agency and council will consider. The producer and owner of Boulevard Music has offered to solicit sponsors for the proposed event, which he calls “The Boulevard Music Festival.”
Long a staple of downtown summer nights, the music series has evolved over the years into one of the city’s most well attended events.
The other option that will be on the table is a proposal for one free music event at Media Park. This option would cost approximately $7,000 and according to a city staff report, “Mr. Mandell would be a valued participant at this concert.”
City officials would produce the Media Park concert.
